Bumble will return as a sponsor of the Melbourne Cup Carnival next week, despite several major celebrities boycotting the event over animal cruelty concerns.
The social app is once again hosting a marquee in the luxurious Birdcage area, and has invited several inspiring businesswomen to join in with the celebrations. It is also sponsoring the first race of Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday, 5th November; the ‘Bumble Stakes’ will take place at 11am AEDT.
The carnival, known as “the race that stops the nation”, is one of the biggest sporting events in Australia. This year’s edition has marred by controversy, however, after a recent news report showed racehorses being mistreated and sent to slaughterhouses.
Celebrities such as Taylor Swift, model Megan Gale and actress Lanar Condor have all pulled out of attending, and protests are expected throughout the week.
After seeing the news report, Bumble donated AUD $130,000 to an animal welfare charity – the only sponsoring company to do so.
Michelle Battersby, Bumble’s Director of APAC Marketing, told 7 News: “We were heartbroken by what we saw on the [news] report.
“I don’t think we were in a position where we could ignore that, we wanted to lean into those conversations and proactively do something about it.”
Earlier this month, Battersby announced she would be leaving the business on 15th November to join fitness startup ‘Keep It Cleaner’.
Bumble faced criticism from animal rights activists at the end of last year after it offered elephant rides at its India launch party. The animals had their faces painted with the app’s logo for the occasion.
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