The biggest annual winter sports event

Every year, in April/May, the 16 best national ice hockey teams in the world come together to play 56 exciting games and establish the new World Champion of the sport. It is the biggest annual winter sport event worldwide and it goes from strength to strength every year.

Infront has been the exclusive marketing partner to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), since 1981 representing all major commercial rights. This unique and very special relationship generates many benefits, including the opportunity to introduce innovations and improvements on a consistent basis.

Spectator world record

The opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championship took place in the Veltins-Arena of Gelsenkirchen, home of the German Bundesliga football club FC Schalke 04. The state-of-the-art stadium was transformed into a giant ice hockey rink with enhanced facilities and increased capacity for spectators. The innovative idea proved to be a phenomenal success - breaking the spectator record for any ice hockey event worldwide as 77,803 fans filled the stadium. As well as the strong spectator interest, the opening game was broadcast in close to 90 countries across the globe – gauging an impressive 35 million viewers.

The 2010 IIHF World Championship involved hard core ice hockey competitors from no less than 16 countries – including, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In 2011, Italy and Kazakhstan will be replaced by Austria and Slovenia who out-performed in recent rankings.

More coverage in more countries

The culmination of the event saw an exciting final between 2009 gold medal winner Russia and the Czech Republic, the latter winning 2-1 and claiming the ice hockey crown for the first time in five years.

The fact that the 2010 event took place in Europe, where most teams were in the right time zone for their fans, helped ensure very high levels of coverage. There were a record number of almost 200 broadcast partners in more than 100 territories, as well as the highest cumulative audience figure in the history of the event, at 734.66 million viewers, a 14% increase on the year before.

The figures clearly demonstrate the strength and appeal of the event, they were achieved despite the fact that the 2010 IIHF World Championship was scheduled between the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.

The 2010 IIHF World Championship was not only available in the core ice hockey markets but, from Andorra to Zimbabwe, it was seen around the globe – accumulating approximately 2,500 hours of worldwide coverage.

Loyal sponsors a sign of strength

The IIHF World Championship is very popular with sponsors - it is the biggest annual winter sports event in the world and usually takes place at a time of year when there is little competition from other events. It is an excellent opportunity to receive valuable television coverage and appeals to affluent commercial markets in Northern Europe, the USA and Canada. The television audiences are also strong in the new consumer markets of eastern and central Europe. The audience ranges from hardcore hockey fans to entire families – the atmosphere is comparable to a party and demonstrates great camaraderie. The dynamic and fast paced thrills of each competition are unique - attracting up to 550,000 spectators on site during the event.

The impressive sponsor group — led by long-term partner Škoda as the Official Main Sponsor for the 18th year in succession — remains solidly loyal. Seven brands have been involved for 10 years or more: AJ, Bauhaus, Intersport, Nike, Tissot and Zepter. They have recently been joined by new, high profile, blue chip sponsors including: Boehringer Ingelheim, Henkel, Raiffeisen Bank International and Gazprom.

• Advertising on rink boards and on cubes in the arena
• Logo integration on the program guide, interview and mixed-zone backdrops, advertising posters and on the official website
• Right to use event logo, event title and official mascot for promotional purposes
• On site product placement and promotional activities, including opportunity to sponsor on-ice award ceremonies
• Access to VIP hospitality areas and invitations to workshops and VIP events

Outstanding brand visibilityThe sponsorship opportunity provides outstanding brand visibility due to the small rink size, the limited number of sponsors with a “clean” set-up concept - and the fact that the playing surface and its border is the advertising space. The partnership structure includes one Official Main Sponsor and approximately ten Official Sponsors and the packages include: