Sochi 2014 Road Show Launches in Moscow
Olympic & Paralympic sponsors join forces to promote Games.
Moscow, August 18, 2010 — SochiDrive will travel through 14 Russian cities in the summer months of 2011, 2012, 2013 and culminate in a Grand Finale in Sochi. The 2011 tour will begin in Moscow and continue through Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd and Krasnodar.
“As suggested by the name, SochiDrive is about generating public support, understanding and enthusiasm for Russia’s role as host to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014,” said Marcus Osegowitsch, the General Director of VOLKSWAGEN Group Rus. “As the Official Automobile Partner of the Sochi 2014 Games, we are very happy to bring Russia’s Olympic Movement on the road and share the excitement, pride and passion for the Games with the entire nation!”
SochiDrive will entertain and educate visitors about the Games via a variety of attractions, including live sports demonstrations, celebrity appearances, concerts, audio visual experiences and exhibits. An indoor artificial ice rink and quarter pipe will present stunning figure skating, snowboarding, ice hockey and curling performances. In addition, a variety of musical performances are planned for Moscow, including Thursday night headliner Serebro, and performances by Assai on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to try out different Olympic winter sport disciplines. Audi will present interactive skiing stations underlining its worldwide engagement in the ski sport. The brand is also promoting its new A1 in connection with the Road Show. ŠKODA will introduce visitors to its worldwide ice hockey engagement via a special ice hockey challenge. The “Talismobil”, a ŠKODA Yeti bearing the image of the Sochi 2014 mascots will also be showcased, along with other current models. Volkswagen Passenger Cars will offer visitors the chance to compete in a custom-built biathlon track. In addition, the brand will host a range of activities and initiatives at the Road Show, including a custom-designed Olympic Ambassador Polo Sedan reflecting the attributes of each road show city, as well as an Olympic consumer program enabling participants to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the upcoming Games. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles provides a 3D experience of a bobsled ride, building on the brand’s recently announced sponsorship of world champion bobsledder, Alexei Voevoda, who will make special appearances at SochiDrive. Each brand will also offer visitors the opportunity to test drive a wide range of models onsite.
“SochiDrive is a strategically important platform for VOLKSWAGEN Group Rus and its brands Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Audi and ŠKODA, to win more ground in the Russian market by leveraging our Olympic investment,” says Osegowitsch. “We hope to reach out to more than 400,000 Russian car owners and prospective buyers to acquaint them with the quality, driving experience and emotional qualities of our brand, which we believe will be highlighted within the Olympic context.”
The visitor experience is further enriched by the support and contributions of fellow Olympic Partners Coca-Cola, Panasonic, BoscoSport, Rosneft and Ingosstrakh. Coca-Cola will display a collection dedicated to the history of Coca-Cola in Russia and its 80 year international partnership with the Olympic movement, starting from the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Visitors will also be able to sample Coke drinks. Panasonic will entertain visitors with 3D visual experiences at the Panasonic Olympic 3D Cinema and a 3D gaming station. BoscoSport will sell official Olympic apparel at its onsite kiosk. Rosneft, the fuel sponsor of SochiDrive, allows test drive participants to trial its new, high performance fuel “Fora”, while Ingosstrakh presents attractive insurance solutions for car owners and prospective buyers.
“SochiDrive sets a precedent for Olympic activation worldwide”, says Dmitry Chernychenko, President of the Organizing Committee of the XXII Winter Games. &ldquot;It is the first program of its kind to be jointly organized by a sponsor and Games” organizers on this scale. The results speak for themselves: SochiDrive is going to be the biggest Road Show in Europe, thanks in part to support it has gotten from Volkswagen Group Rus and the other sponsors, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Rosneft, Ingosstrakh and BoscoSport.
A custom-built inflatable tent complex occupying an approximate footprint of 7,000 square meters lends SochiDrive a characteristic exterior that is mirrored by the campaign logo. The indoor structure holds approximately 1,000 visitors at any given time and organizers anticipate a sizeable turnout by the public in the tens of thousands for upcoming shows.
SochiDrive will be open for four days from Thursday through Sunday in each city. The day program will usually run from 10:00 to 17:30 and is free to the public. Evening shows start at 19:30 and generally require an invitation. People interested in attending an evening show can register at the На-пути-к-Сочи-2014 page on Facebook to receive an invitation to Sunday’s evening show.
The SochiDrive event in Moscow will take place on the side of Sparrow Hills next to Moscow State University. The event will be open to media and special guests on August 18 and general admission will run from August 19 through August 21, 10:00 to 18:30. More information about SochiDrive can be found
Official SochiDrive sites:
www.sochi-drive.com,
www.facebook.com/Sochidrive2014,
www.vkontakte.ru/sochidrive.
