Within the framework of the Castrol UEFA 2008™ Sponsorship Programme, BP Lubricants and Kempster Ltd commissioned EVENT SERVICE RS as on-location event agency for the European Football Championship 2008. During the two-year preparation phase, the complete project infrastructure (offices, storehouse, EDP, communication, interpreters, event technology, branding, security concept, accommodation and transport) for 300 staff members as well as for persons entrusted with looking after the 3500 VIP guests attending games in the different host cities was drafted and planned down to the smallest detail.
True to the motto “the more you know, the better you perform”, the central element of the “customer journey” was represented by the perspective provided by the point of view of the player. Accordingly, the VIP guests from 20 nations were greeted in the language of the country by multilingual hostesses and transported to the team hotels on the day preceding the respective matches. During the “evening with”, which was placed in extraordinary locations and a “locker room” setting, the participants received background information and expert opinions from the four touring testimonials Ottmar Hitzfeld, Emilio Butragueño, Pierluigi Collina and Arsène Wenger, before receiving an exclusive invitation to go on a sightseeing tour and attend a match the next day.
The final party in the Orangerie of Schönbrunn Castle served as the highlight of an event series comprising more than 20 individual events and press conferences all over Austria. The event format was upgraded by milestones and figures from Austrian history such as a couple on horseback, who masqueraded as Emperor and Empress and welcomed the more than 100 guests against the backdrop of numerous flag bearers from all nations.
During the aperitif, the specially arranged living act “Ballet of Nations” created the appropriate atmosphere for the ensuing analyses by the testimonials, which were simultaneously translated into six languages. The dramaturgical finale of the production involved Austrian dancers, the sound of waltzes and breathtaking tricks performed by English football acrobats. The campaign was awarded the Gold Trophy at the renowned “ESA – European Sponsorship Award”, which took place in London.
