Thursday, December 08, 2005
Last Friday December 9 the draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ took place in Leipzig, Germany. As an official sponsor of the competition, Philips arranged a series of celebratory activities to mark the occasion in Leipzig itself, Paris (France), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany) and São Paulo (Brazil).
In addition to the draw itself, Leipzig's Glashalle featured the 1974/2006 living room set up. In both Paris and Hamburg, key attractions were large-scale posters showing the final groups for the competition below a giant Philips Ambilight TV screen. In Paris, the poster appeared in La Place du Marche in the suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. In Hamburg, it was displayed opposite the Rathaus, on the city hall square (Rathausmarkt) in the center of the city right beside the Christmas Market, which attracts thousands of visitors at this time every year. On the night of the draw, climbers absailed on ropes down the poster to position the national flags of the teams as they called for each group.
In Amsterdam Philips marked the occasion with entertainment at the municipal theater (Stadsschouwburg) in the heart of the city on its busiest square, the Leidseplein.
Further out from the center, on the exterior of Philips' headquarters in the Breitner Center, a massive 800 square meter screen displays a series of massive images throughout the night to proclaim the company's sponsorship of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, and to showcase its new Consumer Electronics advertising campaign.
In São Paulo, the draw wass been announced at a preview of the Vila da Copa, a 7,500 square meter complex, which is going to be open to the public at the São Paulo Jockey Club during the 2006 games. The complex of 11 buildings will offer bars, restaurants, games, shows, interactive tents and the biggest exhibition screen in Latin America.
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