• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 17, 2012

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HSE Group), the brand engagement operation of Havas, has opened an office in Moscow in preparation for key upcoming sports events in Russia, the agency confirmed Monday. 

The shop said its Moscow office would focus on providing clients with services including sponsorship consulting, branded content, social media, PR, experiential and research.  

Both the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament will be hosted by Russian cities. The Winter Games will be played in and around Sochi. A number of cities will host the World Cup competition, with final selections set for later this year. 

HSE said it was pulling core members of its Russian team from sibling agencies MPG and Arena Magic Box, which have been operating in the region for some time, servicing clients such as LVMH, Heineken and Reckitt Benckiser. Sibling creative agency Euro RSCG also has offices in the region.

The new office is being run by Maria Gavrilova, who has been named managing director of Havas Sports & Entertainment Russia. Earlier she was head of special projects, Havas Media.

HSE worked with 10 Olympic sponsors during the recent London Summer Olympics, as well with a number of past FIFA sponsors, stated Lucien Boyer, president and global CEO of HSE. The shop has a track record, he said, of advising “clients looking to connect with consumers around these big events.”