News Detail

Zug, Switzerland / Milan, Italy, 12 March 2008 – The 2008 FIS World Cup Grand Finals taking place in Valtellina, Italy, from March 12 – 16, represents an opportunity to witness how Infront Sports & Media is bringing all aspects of the marketing of the FIS World Cup events represented by the Swiss-based Group  together into a coherent whole. Infront now handles more than 90% of all FIS Ski World Cups worldwide.

The Grand Finals alternate with the Olympic Winter Games and the FIS World Championships and take place every four years.  More than 900 athletes (both men and women) from 35 countries come together to participate in four disciplines and 15 specialties.

Infront – through its Italian operation Infront Italy – is strongly involved in the organisation of the event. The company handles distribution of the marketing and media rights as well as most of the content production for various media platforms, including television and online media. More than 56 camera operators will provide approximately 72 hours of events and 711 link-ups to televisions around the world.

Infront will be utilising its expert Italian staff, deployed for the largest sporting events when the programme requires simultaneous teams in different locations. In addition, the Infront Group is showcasing a new VIP and business hospitality service in Bormio, through its full-service hospitality provider, Walch’s Event Hospitality.

Alpine races will be broadcast in more than 120 markets
Infront has secured extensive broadcast coverage for the 2008 Grand Finals. The most popular events are the men’s and women’s Alpine races, which have the highest coverage. These will be shown by almost 50 broadcast partners; live, delayed and via news access. The races will be aired in more than 120 territories world-wide.

Live and on-demand coverage on snowtime.com
Additional coverage will be available on the Internet on www.snowtime.com, the innovative, branded block of programmes created by Infront Advanced Media Solutions, the new media division of Infront Sports & Media. This online channel will allow winter sport fans to follow the Grand Finals in detail. The service offers live and on-demand coverage of the events (with English commentary). Live coverage is not available in some territories, which have been geo-blocked to protect media license agreements.

Strong visibility for sponsor partners
Sponsors will enjoy the best possible visibility and brand exposure, including signage along the race courses, in the start and the finish areas, on race bibs and gate flags as well as on other custom-built structures.

The sponsorship programme for the Grand Finals has five Top Sponsors, including Alice (Italy, telecommunication), Colmar (Italy, sportswear), Rauch (Austria, beverages), Milka (Germany, chocolate) and Regione Lombardia (Italy, regional authority). There are four Official Sponsors: Generali (Austria, insurances), San Carlo (Italy, snack products), Gioco del Lotto (Italy, Lottery), Valtellina (Italy, local tourist board).

Extensive broadcast operation
Up to 58 cameras will be used to film a total of 28 events. For each competition, the Infront team is made up of approximately 100 people including cameramen, specialised operators, directors and technology experts who will do the filming, distribute the signal and broadcast it via satellite to televisions. Other technicians will provide footage for clients who will use it for feature stories or news coverage. The same shots are also “processed” by other operating staff to be conveyed on other platforms like UMTS, broadband Internet and IPTV.

For the events in the Valtellina valley, Infront will multiply its resources by three compared to regular FIS World Cup events. The team members must be proficient skiers, able to deal with the frigid temperatures of the early morning; at high altitudes (for example, the men’s freestyle on the Stelvio Pass in Bormio starts at 2,255 metres above sea level).

20 cameras will follow each of the top 25 downhill racers. Three of them are super slo-mo cameras, to capture every move and facial expression of the world’s fastest skiers. The ladies’ downhill and the men’s super-G, starting at La Rocca, will have 18 cameras, while the giant slaloms and slaloms will have 13 and 12 cameras, respectively.

In Santa Caterina Valfurva, the 5km trail for the Cross-Country races will be covered in full with no gaps or black-outs by Infront’s Co-Host Broadcaster, Italy’s national public broadcaster RAI.

Freestyle and Snowboarding will take place against the magnificent scenery in Valmalenco. A high tech infrastructure using 8km of fibre optic cables and more than 20km of standard video cables will deliver the images shot by 10 cameras per event and up to 16 cameras used every day. All five competition slopes will be covered. Two OB vans will coordinate the TV production with 40 staff, both for live coverage and on the venue’s video wall.

Walch’s to showcase world class hospitality
There will be a new VIP and business hospitality service in Bormio, provided by Walch’s Event Hospitality. This will enhance client entertainment opportunities during FIS World Cup events.

The hospitality operation in Bormio will be of the highest standard and will operate in collaboration with the Scuola di Gastronomia of Bormio, the local gastronomy school. The setting includes a FIS World Cup Lounge with Alpine elements and a casual, sporting atmosphere. Up to 450 guests can be served at once.

The hospitality service, which will be active during the five days of the races, will make use of more than 70 staff members and will provide first-class rotating menus throughout the day that have been planned to promote the finest specialities of Valtellina, jointly prepared by the experienced Walch’s crew and the most talented chefs in the region.

About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, is the strongest, most experienced marketing agency in the winter sports arena with a capacity for innovation that is helping to transform the industry. It represents five of seven Olympic winter sport federations at international level. This includes a long term partnership with the IIHF in international ice hockey. The Group is also the commercial partner of all national skiing federations hosting FIS Alpine Ski and Nordic World Cup races. As a result of its strong skiing market position, Infront is offering the very best FIS World Cup skiing opportunities from one central source. It is a full service agency with 400 employees across 24 offices in 11 countries.

 

 

For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer
Manager, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com

www.infrontsports.com