 A feast for the eyes – at the ground, outside or at home
We’re involved in bringing the excitement to a world of fans in all kinds of ways – at the stadiums and official public viewing events, as well as in their own homes.
At eight of the twelve grounds, Philips’ technology will light up the action with unique color and brilliance. Philips lights over half of all major sporting stadiums in the world and our ArenaVision technology is the first sports lighting system specially designed to enhance the theater and emotion of sport for everyone, whether they’re in the stands or watching at home.
Selected stadiums will also feature our Vidiwall technology; giant video screens that capture the action in razor-sharp detail. And for fans not fortunate enough to have match tickets, our Vidiwalls will let them enjoy the next best thing – joining the atmosphere and watching the game on a Philips screen.
We’re installing Vidiwalls (a total of 25, amounting to some 1,400m2) at Official Fan Fests in each of the host cities. The Fan Fests will take place in dynamic city center locations, including in front of the world-famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
In Frankfurt, we’re even installing two 140m2 Vidiwalls back-to-back on a floating pontoon in the middle of the river Main, so that fans can watch the action from special areas on both banks of the river. And in Brazil, fans will be able to watch all their national team games and soak up the atmosphere, thanks to a Vidiwall installed at the prestigious Jockey Club in Sao Paolo.
Security and well-being for fans, staff and players
An event on the scale of the FIFA World Cup™ is a huge logistical challenge, with the security and well-being of genuine fans and players of paramount concern. For the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, our Semiconductors division has been working closely with the organizing committee to define a system that meets the needs of the organizers and fans.
Every one of the 3.2 million tickets will incorporate an embedded Philips RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip. These tickets allow fans to pass quickly and safely through a venue’s gates, just by waving their ticket over the readers at the turnstile and walking through. What’s more, this technology doesn’t just speed access to the grounds – the unique codes on each ticket will help prevent illegal trading and make it impossible to gain entry with a counterfeit ticket.
Philips is also contributing to the well-being of spectators, staff and players through the provision of 125 HeartStart defibrillators to teams, stadiums and the tournament organizers throughout the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Ventricular fibrillation is the most common result of sudden cardiac arrest – and if it occurs, the faster resuscitation is attempted, the greater the victim’s chance of survival. With our safe and easy-to-use HeartStart defibrillators available at every stadium, help will instantly be on hand in case of emergencies.
For FIFA, health and safety is a key concern, with their Chief Medical Officer Professor Jiri Dvorak stating that “the well-being of footballers takes pride of place”. The players are planned to undergo heart checks before the start of the tournament and we will be supplying HeartStart defibrillators to many of the teams in case of an on-pitch emergency.
Exclusive sponsorship rights to the CE category
Our extensive program of activities as an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ has been designed to deliver a strong return on our investment. Moreover, the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ is the first time Philips has secured exclusive sponsorship rights to the Consumer Electronics (CE) category, and in our consumer and business promotions we are highlighting Philips products that enrich the experience for fans at home.
Just as great players make excellence look simple, we do the same with technology. Appliances such as our Cineos Flat TVs with Ambilight and our Modea Home Entertainment system with our SonoWave Speaker System offer innovative features that will bring the drama, passion and excitement of the stadium into people’s living-rooms.
Additionally, for viewers whose local broadcasters provide it, there will be an added treat, as this is the first time the entire FIFA World Cup™ is being broadcast in high definition (HD) (with many broadcasters offering widescreen 16:9 format). For these viewers, our HD-ready Cineos TVs offer the ultimate in home viewing, with detail so clear, they’ll feel like they’re watching from the edge of the pitch! Naturally, we’ll also be encouraging people to complete the atmosphere with a cup of coffee from a Philips Senseo coffee system or a cool beer from our PerfectDraft.
To find out more about the many ways in which Philips is helping make the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ happen, visit our website at www.philips.com/fifaworldcup. It carries news, games and competitions, details of the products we’re promoting, along with all kinds of handy tips on enjoying the FIFA World Cup™ to the full.
|