We catch up with Cian Branagan, Tournament Director for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, teeing up at the end of August.
We catch up with Cian Branagan, Tournament Director for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, teeing up at the end of August.
One of the highlights of Ireland’s golfing season takes place toward the end of summer, with the arrival of the European Ladies Tour for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House, Co. Kildare, from 29 August to 1 September. Leading lights of the women’s game will be taking part, including Ireland’s own Leona Maguire (who is also a Friend of the BMW Brand) and Lauren Walsh, who is participating in her first Women’s Irish Open and coming off strong results in recent tour events.
The person in charge of the Irish Open is Tournament Director Cian Branagan, and we caught up with him to see how things are going. This is far from being Cian’s first rodeo, though. He started working within the professional golf circuit at the age of 14, when he was involved in the Ladies Irish Open and Solheim Cup and was bitten by the golfing bug, as well as helping out with behind-the-scenes operations of both events. Fast forward to 2011, and Cian signed on with global sports agency IMG as an operations director, where he worked on some of the biggest golfing events of them all, with the operations of more than 50 sanctioned tour events and more than 10 major championships under his belt.
After seven years with IMG, Cian decided to return home, where he established the ForeFront Sports agency. It has golf at its heart and is the driving force behind organising the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, as well as the OFX Irish Legends Tour for the senior circuit. Cian is the Tournament Director for both prestigious events.
Since ForeFront Sports is Cian’s own company, his role as Tournament Director is very different to others in a similar position. “My role is very much a general promoter’s role with the team at ForeFront Sports,” he explains. “We look after all Commercial Partners, Marketing/PR, Staging/Operations and every other aspect of the event; the only thing we don’t look after is the weather!”
That means there are plenty of challenges to face. “In any one day you could be looking after contract negotiations for a new or current partner, working with the marketing team on various strategies for the event or sitting down with the operations team to go through event specifications, hospitality plans or reviewing the consumer journey from A-Z. So, all in all it could range from one end of the event to the most minute detail – it’s all very exciting and something I truly love to do.”
But all that hard work pays off, with the Women’s Irish Open holding a special place in the hearts of competitors. “Currently, the event sits as one of the best events on the Ladies European Tour calendar, and many players refer to the event as having a Major Championship feel to it with the exceptionally large crowds, the large infrastructure and branding on site and also how the players are treated. This is something we are really proud of and since day one it’s something that was set as a standard of the event.”
And with BMW now on board as an Official Car Partner of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, the event’s position within the golf calendar is solidified as a major stop on the professional touring circuit. “Having worked on every golf tour across the world I have staged numerous events that had BMW as their official automotive partner and I have always felt this was the best fit for golf,” Cian tells us. “It has made me a big fan of BMW and I always feel they do amazing activations and engagements when they partner with any event.”
Cian has been driving a BMW X3 plug-in hybrid in the run up to the event. He explains: “The BMW X3 is an absolute dream car to drive. The car has been branded with the tournament logo on the side and everywhere I go people are looking at the car, but I am still to work out if this is from the logos on the side or just people looking at how beautiful the car is.
“It really glides along the road and my three-year-old son referred to it once as driving a cloud, which I thought was the best analogy to describe the car, absolutely beautiful. Also, with the hybrid element, I can drive around locally with such ease and efficiently and it’s something I have not realised before driving a plug-in hybrid.”
It’s fair to say that Cian’s driving history hasn’t been quite as smooth as life with the X3. “I have probably had over a dozen cars in my life since starting to drive at the age of 17. My first car cost me €450 back in 2006 but unfortunately it died straight after I did my test!
The X3 isn’t Cian’s first encounter with BMW, though: “I’ve had multiple different cars, but most recently I purchased BMW X5, which is another beautiful car to drive. We have a growing family with two young boys, and the option with the seven seats and sheer size of the vehicle, lends itself quite well for our needs.”
While time to the KPMG Women’s Irish Open is still counting down, Cian will still have plenty of time at the wheel of the X3 hybrid for the moment, making the most of its performance and efficiency, while continuing to promote the event across the country.
