4 June, 2019

Naomi Simson’s Big Red Group brings US experiences brand IfOnly to Australia

The Big Red Group (BRG) has announced the launch of premium curated experiences brand IfOnly in Australia.

IfOnly is a partnership with the US site of the same name – founded in 2012 with the purpose of unlocking access to extraordinary experiences for social good, with every listing benefitting a cause.

Partnering with local and world-class ‘luminaries’ – be they experts in their field, celebrities or other noteworthy personalities, brands and charities – IfOnly offers experiences across entertainment, culinary, music and more, with up to 80 per cent of the funds going to an associated charity.

The brand launches locally with more than 20 charities set to benefit initially, including the Cancer Council, R U OK!, the Starlight Children’s Foundation, OzHarvest, and The Sony Foundation.

Some of the IfOnly experiences available to Aussies include The Who and Eddie Vedder, live at Wembley; a South African rhino conservation experience at Umganu Lodge with former cricketer international Kevin Pietersen; dinner on the pitch of the SCG with former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke; The Kingdom Choir at Sydney Opera House; and an Ariana Grande ‘Sweetener’ tour experience.

BRG co-founder Naomi Simson (pictured above) said the launch of IfOnly is testament to the group’s purpose to shift the way people experience life, and is a response to the continued growth of the experience economy.

“Customers, more than ever, want to align themselves with brands that have a true social conscience and who are actively contributing to the community,” she said.

“Australians are known as charitable people, and the way we value activities and our time more than material possessions is unlike any other time in history.

“BRG is focused on offering a broad range of experiences, across different brands, that serve different purposes for our customers and clients. And being able to offer a fundraising channel for Australia’s not-for-profit sector adds greatly to our social commitment.

“IfOnly is all about making the impossible possible and answering a consumer desire for richer experiences that give to both the recipient and our communities via the strong philanthropic focus.”

Simson herself will be hosting a range of premium experiences, with the proceeds going to the Research Foundation of Cerebral Palsy Alliance of which she sits on the board.

Simson’s experiences will fund a valuable preventative public health campaign to educate about the link between Cytomegalovirus and children born with cerebral palsy.

IfOnly US chief executive John Boris said: “By combining the Australian experiences market leader with the leader of premium experiences in the US, we are able to bring our unique offering to new audiences and support more causes.

“Whether you want to have a bucket-list experience, such as playing soccer with Rinaldo or meeting the Rolling Stones, or you want an amazing local experience such as a cooking class with a lauded local chef, IfOnly has it all, and a portion of every experience we sell goes to support charity.

“We raise millions of dollars for charities in the US, and we can’t wait to do the same here in Australia through our partnership with BRG.”

The launch further powers the BRG’s multi-brand strategy of appealing to different audiences with different experience needs, and follows its acquisition of Adrenaline six months ago.

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Big Red Group BRG charities charity experiences IfOnly Naomi Simson premium experiences