Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, has extended the collaboration ahead of time for stadium advertising with FC Schalke 04 e.V., prolonging the partnership until the 2022/23 season. Infront will provide the German Bundesliga team with an LED perimeter board solution in the VELTINS Arena, which is precisely tailored to the club’s needs.
As a result, partners and sponsors of FC Schalke 04 will benefit from excellent visibility of their advertising messages in the long term. Infront will install their 120cm state-of-the-art LED boards on the three main TV sides around the playing field, as well as 60cm LED boards on both the left and right side of the player benches, guaranteeing a clear view from the grandstand to the playing field. This first-of-its-kind modular LED perimeter board system has been developed over the past six months by Infront and its technology partners Lang AG and AOTO specifically to meet the needs of FC Schalke 04.
High quality, reliable and efficient
All of Infront’s systems are based on the latest LED hardware and include sophisticated controller units and a tailor-made software solution. The systems optimise the visibility of sponsor advertising messages and work especially well for television viewing purposes – providing a clear-cut, colour-deep overall picture regardless of the camera position.
FC Schalke 04 is one of Germany’s most successful football clubs – winning the Bundesliga seven times, the German DFB Cup five times and the UEFA Cup in 1997. The club stands for tradition, success and passion, and, with just under 147,000 members, is one of Germany's three largest sports clubs and one of the world's five largest clubs. Schalke 04 plays its matches in the VELTINS Arena, one of the largest multifunctional arenas in Europe. In 2016, 2.34 million people attended a total of 752 events from the sectors of sports, entertainment and corporate events.
Alexander Jobst, FC Schalke 04's Head of Marketing, welcomes the extension of the contract ahead of time: “Infront is the leader in visual communications in sports. We consider the continuation of our partnership as an expression of our joint successful collaboration.”
Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports at Infront: “Infront and FC Schalke 04: a long-term partnership between two top-class players in the international sports landscape. We are always striving to meet the needs of our partners with innovative and custom solutions. Therefore, we are very pleased that the club appreciates our high-quality services and recognises our long-term value. Together, we continue placing the advertising messages of the partners in the best possible light - literally.”
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with close to 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
About Wanda Sports
Wanda Sports is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Led by President & Vice Chairman Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.
