Watch the game, forget everything else
When fans remember a football match, they recollect the highlights, the emotions, the camaraderie of the crowd. At Philips, we're supplying technology which will be at the heart of these memories. The giant screen that displayed the winning goal, for instance, or the lighting system that picked out every tiny detail of the game, or the ticketing system that cut out the queuing to enter the ground.
And like the great footballers on the pitch, we make it all look simple. So simple that the fans will look straight through the technology, keeping their attention where it belongs - on the match.
Tickets impossible to forge
Even before kick-off, our contactless smart card technology will be making things easier and more secure for fans. Thanks to embedded chips, match tickets will be virtually impossible to forge, providing protection against fraud, as well as enhancing security and smoothing access to the stadiums.
Besides the 3.2 million chips for the actual tickets, Philips supplied its market-leading know-how, advising the Organizing Committee on product-related specifications for Philips MIFARE technology, the de facto industry standard for 'contactless smart cards'. The technology was already used for the 2005 FIFA Confederation Cup in Germany, and at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ it'll ensure greater security and convenience for all.
Perfectly illuminated
Once the action starts, fans will be hungry for the smallest detail. That's why 8 of the 12 host stadiums (Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart) have installed our 'ArenaVision' lighting system, between them accounting for a total of 1,938 Philips lamps.
The world's first sports-lighting system specifically designed to increase the theater and emotion of sports, ArenaVision is based on the expertise that's made us the number one in sports lighting. You'll find our lighting products in over half of the world's major football stadiums, ensuring players and fans (at the match or at home) see every second of the action in perfect clarity.
Capture every moment
It's our goal to make sure the fans enjoy every second of the action. But in a lightning-fast game like football, it's all too easy to miss the moment you'll be talking about for years. In Cologne, Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen, that's not an issue. Philips is supplying giant High-Definition-quality 'Vidiwalls', replaying each match's finest moments in exquisite detail.
Lifesaving technology
Alongside the technology unobtrusively enhancing the experience, there's one product we're hoping no one will need. All the stadiums' first aid teams are being supplied with our easy-to-use HeartStart defibrillators.
Every year, millions of people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest, and research from the USA suggests that the chances of successful resuscitation decrease by about 10% with every minute that passes. So in the event of an emergency on or off the pitch, simply having a HeartStart nearby could make a life-saving contribution to the day.
Enhanced experience
When fans all over the world look back on the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, they might not remember the technology, but they'll certainly remember what it brought them. A day that was more thrilling, more captivating, more secure and convenient, than it could ever have been without Philips.
So when people look right past our products and focus on the football, we'll know we've achieved what we wanted when we first got involved in the FIFA World Cup™. After all, 'sense and simplicity' means placing the emphasis squarely on the experience itself - not on the technology that enhances it.
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