• Activities in arenas generate high awareness
• New brand appearance reaches 700 million TV viewers
• Big run on ŠKODA car presentations
• Contract as official main sponsor of IIHF World Championship extended until 2017
• MVP Trophy handed over by head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c Winfried Vahland

Mladá Boleslav, May 16^th, 2011 – Czech car manufacturer ŠKODA rates its activities within the framework of the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia as a great success. With a strong presence and manifold measures in the arenas, the brand was on everyone's lips and in everyone's eyes not only among the over 406,804 on-site spectators in Bratislava and Košice. Board advertising, logo placements and numerous further activities on TV and on internet ensured the ŠKODA sponsorship with the new brand appearance to be reaching millions of ice hockey fans all over the world. ŠKODA left its mark at this world championship and provided a basis for continuity also in the future: the involvement as official main sponsor of the IIHF World Championship, which has already been going on for 20 years, was extended until the year 2017.

„It was a fantastic world championship both from the sporting and the organizational point of view. We are happy that we were able to support this outstanding event. The course of the two weeks in Slovakia has once again reinforced our decision to continue our involvement also in the coming years“, emphasized the head of ŠKODA, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. „The coming years of this partnership will be good years for ŠKODA and good years for the IIHF. Ice hockey is a perfect fit for ŠKODA. It is an absolutely consistent sponsorship that has contributed sustainably and positively to increase image and awareness for the brand on international markets. For us it is just a matter of consequence and consistency to continue with this sponsorship", said Prof. Vahland after the final ceremony of the world championship, during which he handed over the trophy for the best player of the tournament to Sweden's goalie Viktor Fasth.

Approximately 700 million world-wide TV viewers and 406,804 arena visitors followed the games in Slovakia. The Czech automobile manufacturer was as present as never before: Whether it was the vehicle fleet for officials and guests consisting of 40 cars, or the large ŠKODA logo in the center circle of the playing fields, or the placement of the logo on banners as well as on jerseys and helmets of a total of five teams, or the activities around the stadiums and on the Internet: ŠKODA left its mark at this world championship, which is underlined by some further impressive numbers:

• The official ŠKODA car fleet covered a total of over 250,000 kilometres
• The TV visibility of ŠKODA brand presence within the live transmissions of the games reached over 65% of the broadcasting time
• 37 of the 56 games featured teams with official ŠKODA advertising on their jerseys and helmets
• The new iPhone app "Official 2011 IIHF World Championship Guide powered by ŠKODA" was downloaded by far over 100,000 users to their iPhones and iPads
• More than 30,000 visitors took part in the ŠKODA photo promotion "Become a hockey star" either onsite or online
• The new media service "ŠKODA SMS Results" sent out over 14,000 short messages

For more Information, please contact:
Evžen Krauskopf, Communications
P +420 326 811 784
[email protected]