Zug, Switzerland / Vienna, Austria, 27 October 2006 – Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive commercial partner of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), has announced a new partner to the Official Sponsorship and Marketing Programme of the 2007 IIHF World Championship.

The Austrian-based Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG is to become an Official Sponsor of the upcoming event in Russia. This will be the largest sponsorship of a sports event in the banking group’s history.

 

With the agreement, Raiffeisen International secures enhanced visibility for its brand during the event and enforces its association with the tournament through integration with venue advertising, including rink boards and staff advertising.

 

The 2007 IIHF World Championship will be the largest sports event to take place in Russia since the 1980 Olympic Games and will continue to be so for the next years. It will take place between 27 April and 13 May 2007 in Moscow; Russia will be host for the sixth time - after 1957, 1973, 1979, 1986 and 2000. The two stadiums in Mytischi and Khodynka have a capacity of approximately 7,000 and 14,000 respectively.

 

It is forecast that a cumulative television audience of more than 700 million viewers in over 50 countries will follow the event. The television audience has grown significantly in the past decade.

 

“Due to our leading role in Central and Eastern Europe and our No 1 position as a western banking group in the CIS, ice hockey is a perfect match for us,” said Michael Palzer, in charge of Communications (PR and Marketing) at Raiffeisen International. “Ice hockey is very popular in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and some of the best national teams stem from the region. “We reckon that the association of ice hockey with the Raiffeisen brand will be well-perceived by both our existing and potential customers. It will further boost the Raiffeisen brand's high level of awareness among corporate and retail clients,” added Palzer.

 

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, said: “We are delighted about the new relationship between IIHF and Raiffeisen International as of one of Europe’s top banking groups. It is also an important achievement for Infront as we seek to further strengthen the awareness and the marketing profile of the sponsoring property and the sport as part of our commitment to the IIHF and all commercial partners.”

 

About Raiffeisen International
Raiffeisen International operates one of the leading banking networks in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) with subsidiary banks and leasing companies in 16 markets. More than 11 million customers are attended to through more than 2,700 business outlets. Representative offices in Lithuania and Moldova complement the Group's presence in the region. Raiffeisen International is a fully consolidated subsidiary of Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB), which owns 70 per cent of the common stock. The remaining 30 per cent is free float, the shares are traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange. RZB is a leading corporate and investment bank in Austria and the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group, the country's largest banking group.

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

 

Michael Palzer
Head of Communications (PR & Marketing)
Raiffeisen International
Tel. +43-676-86061-1504
michael.palzer@ri.co.at
www.ri.co.at
www.rzb.at