Val Hanover receives the 2006 Unsung Hero award

The event, which opened to the public last year, will again be held at the NEC in Birmingham, with the total audience capacity increased to 8,000.

BBC Director of Sport Roger Mosey said: "We are delighted to welcome Robinsons as our first sponsors.

"This means we can increase the ambition of the event."

The deal ensures almost double the amount of tickets will be made available to the public to attend the live show, which had been broadcast from BBC Television Centre until last year.

In 2006, tickets sold out within 50 minutes.

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Roger Mosey added: "Robinsons have a long track record of sponsorship and we are confident they will be an enthusiastic partner and will help us develop the event, while providing good value to our licence fee payers.

"We also look forward to returning to The NEC where we enjoyed a very successful initial year away from the studio at TV Centre."

The Robinsons agreement includes exclusive sponsorship of the Unsung Hero Award category, which recognises and rewards outstanding contribution by individuals to local level grass roots sport.

Andrew Marsden, Marketing Director of parent company Britvic, said: "We are very proud that Robinsons will be the first ever sponsor of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year event.

UNSUNG HERO NOMINATION  Download nomination form (PDF file 176 KB)

"The Unsung Hero Award, in particular, is a great fit for the brand and we will be focusing our efforts on adding value to this element of the sponsorship."

Viewers can begin nominating their unsung hero from Thursday 14 June.

NEC Group Chief Executive Paul Thandi said: "By extending the reach of one of its most high profile broadcast events out into the regions in this way, the BBC has once again offered the West Midlands a chance to showcase its outstanding hospitality and professionalism to the rest of the UK."