Zug, Switzerland – Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, and the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) have extended their media and marketing agreement for the 2016-21 ISMF Individual, Sprint and Vertical World Cup and the ISMF World and Continental Championships.
The leading international sports marketing company Infront will continue to produce and distribute the 5x15 minute magazine highlight programmes for all World Cup weekends as well as a 25 minute magazine for the ISMF World Championships. The programming will be produced in HD to the highest industry standards to continue increasing exposure for ski mountaineering.
The magazine programming offers race footage as well as results and standings, background on the event location, insight into training sessions, athlete profiles and background coverage – all with English commentary. The distribution strategy is global, starting with countries where the ISMF World Cup is widely spread and also reaching territories where ski mountaineering is a rising sport.
In addition, Infront is handling the majority of advertising rights within camera view and the implementation of partner advertising materials. The sponsorship packages include valuable exposure on the bibs and across inflatables, banners and flags in the start area, along the course and in the finish area. Furthermore, the logos are included in all official print materials, on the backdrops, in the video clips on the ISMF YouTube channel as well as on the ISMF website.
For the upcoming season, the sponsorship portfolio is led by Title Sponsor Intersport. Based in Bern, Switzerland, the world’s biggest sporting goods retailer with 5,900 stores in 65 countries and annual retail sales of EUR 11.3 billion, has renewed and increased its presence at both ISMF World Cup and World Championships.
In August 2016, the ISMF officially obtained full recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has since then benefitted from even greater popularity and awareness for the sport. Broken down into three disciplines - Individual, Vertical and Sprint - the 2016-2017 ISMF World Cup is scheduled from 21 January to 9 April and will be held in Andorra (Font Blanca), France (Cambre d'Aze), Turkey (Erzincan), Italy (Prato Nevoso) and Spain (Val d'Aran). The 2017 ISMF World Championships will be held in Italy (Transcavallo) from 23 February to 1 March.
Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports: “The extended long-term agreement with the ISMF for the sport of ski mountaineering allows us to continue building on the momentum we have achieved through the TV production and broadcast take-up of magazine programming for the events. Handling both media and marketing aspects, we can offer valuable commercial opportunities for brands keen to get in on the action of this growing segment of winter sport.”
Armando Mariotta, ISMF President: “The extended agreement with Infront is the result of a great collaboration and the clear path of success we have taken. With Infront by our side we have increased exposure and achieved greater recognition for our sport. Now with the official acknowledgment from the IOC we are keen to continue benefitting from Infront’s expertise and sustain the success.”
The International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) is the world governing body of Ski Mountaineering based in Lausanne (CH) and Villanova Mondovì (Italy). As a non-profit association it co-ordinates and promotes all matters in respect to the sport and its competitions, consisting of 30 National Federations from Europe, Asia and North America. The ISMF Series of events includes the World Cup held annually, the ISMF World Championships held biennially on odd years, the Continental Championships staged on a biennial basis held on even years and the ISMF Series. The ISMF also has an agreement with Les Grandes Courses Series for the management of the ISMF World Ranking where all types of ISMF events are included. For further information please visit www.ismfskievents.com
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company 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 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 Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.