Powerful hospitality business alliance links Kofler and Infront Hospitality
Strategic partnership creates one of the leading sport and event hospitality and catering operations in Europe
Kofler is headquartered in Germany and has nine offices in Europe – Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Dresden, Zurich, Geneva and St Moritz. Its Swiss subsidiary is acquiring a majority stake in Infront Hospitality Management GmbH – the former Walch’s Event Hospitality - based in Lustenau, Austria. The agreement was signed prior to this year’s DFB Pokal (Cup) Final in Berlin where the Kofler & Kompanie headquarters are also located.
Kofler has 18 years experience in international catering and 170 full-time employees across its nine offices. The alliance with Infront Hospitality Management will create a powerful force in the European hospitality business - one of the leading event hospitality specialists in Europe with the capacity to organise hospitality in any part of the world.
Two brands, two purposes
The two brands - Kofler & Kompanie and Infront Hospitality - will retain their own identity and areas of operation. Infront Hospitality will remain positioned as a premium hospitality provider for sports events, while Kofler & Kompanie will continue to offer first class catering for cultural events, state occasions and restaurants.
The two partners’ objective is to position Infront Hospitality as the leading provider in hospitality and catering for sports events and will therefore centralise its respective activities in this unit. The collaboration will help to unlock the full potential of the two companies’ businesses and will create greater resources in terms of capacity, expertise and know-how. Kofler & Kompanie already has a strong heritage in sports catering, which will fit well with Infront’s expertise as premium hospitality provider in the sports realm.
Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media said: “This is a decisive step in the development of our event hospitality business. The partnership with Kofler & Kompanie gives us greater resources to compete for top international sports event business. The Infront name is a strong brand in sports marketing and we are pleased that it will remain under the new ownership structure. We will continue to build on our excellent credentials.”
Klaus Peter (KP) Kofler, CEO of Kofler & Kompanie said: “At times like these, this consolidation is a sensible and logical move and it will leave us collectively very well placed when recovery comes. The VIP and corporate hospitality business should gather momentum and bring a new, innovative dynamism to the industry.”
Markus Knabe, Managing Director of Infront Hospitality Management GmbH, who will continue in his current role, added: “This development is all good news and will further strengthen our operations in Lustenau, as we receive additional business through Kofler & Kompanie. We are looking forward to our collaboration with our new shareholder, while still having full access to all the many Infront Group properties.”
Roger Wilfinger, the Managing Director of Kofler & Kompanie Switzerland, said: “The alliance with Infront Hospitality will create many synergies regarding the production and delivery of hospitality and catering projects.”
About Kofler & Kompanie AG
Klaus Peter (KP) Kofler (Chief Executive Officer) founded Kofler & Kompanie 1991. The company has 18 years of international experience in catering, restaurants and consulting, with a highly trained, experienced and multi-lingual core staff of 180. Benedikt Saul is the COO. Roger Wilfinger is the Managing Director in Switzerland, formerly Oggenfuss Catering by Wilfinger Services/Zurich.
The client list reads like the “Who’s Who“of the international community. From A for Armani to Z for Zumtobel, – there is hardly a company that has not yet booked the entrepreneur Klaus Peter (KP) Kofler for its events.. Occasions have included the state banquet for the Queen of England’s visit to Germany and the birthday party of the former German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl. K&K was one of four official catering contractors for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. It looked after 32,000 VIPs at six matches for the hospitality packages in Berlin. At the World Cup final on 9 June 2006, Kofler & Kompanie catered for 10,000 guests in Berlin. Other clients include Audi for the German Touring Car Championships (DTM), Cinema for Peace, Dreamball, the Glammy Awards and the Elle Fashion Award.
About Infront Sprts & Media AG
Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, is an experienced international sports marketing company with a capacity for innovation that is helping to transform the industry. These innovations have enhanced every area of sports marketing, including distribution of rights, host broadcast, production, event operations, brand development and sponsorship and have even taken the industry into the virtual world through the first true multi-sports online gaming platform. The full service agency now has more than 500 employees across 23 offices in 10 countries. It enjoys successful partnerships with around 130 rights holders that are productive and long-lasting, based on high standards of delivery.
About Infront Hospitality Management GmbH
As part of the Infront Group, Austria-based Infront Hospitality Management (formerly Walch’s Event Hospitality) is an internationally recognised full-service hospitality operation for major sports events. The company has global network capabilities and provides clients with a range of hospitality options, from concept development to full implementation and management. The client list of Infront Hospitality is an impressive one in the context of sport and includes BMW Sauber Formula One Team (Hospitality worldwide), Moto GP (VIP Catering Europe) and the Bregenz Festival & Festival Hall (Catering) among others. The company also provides services to events of the Infront portfolio, such as the IIHF World Championship – where it has been involved since the 2005 event – and FIS Skiing events.
For further information, please contact:
Jörg Polzer
Infront Sports & Media AG
Manager, Communication & PR
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax. +41-41-723-15 16
press infrontsports.com
www.infrontsports.com
Heike Komp
Kofler & Kompanie AG
Marketing & PR Manager
Tel. +49-69-94 35 08-53
Fax +49-69-94 35 08-22
hk koflerkompanie.com
www.koflerkompanie.com
Susan Gundlach
Ereignisbuero GmbH
Tel. +49-89-219 379 8-42
Fax +49-89-219379 8-44
s.gundlach ereignisbuero.com
www.ereignisbuero.com
