FIFA and the 12 FIFA World Cup Host Cities won the German Sports Marketing Award for 2007 for their organisation of the Fan Fests and their innovative, overall marketing concept for the official public viewing events. The award, which was launched by Sponsors magazine and the European Sponsoring Exchange (ESB), was presented at the ISPO sports sponsorship trade fair in Munich on February 5, 2007.
The Sports Marketing Award is presented each year in recognition
of the best marketing campaigns of the previous 12 months. The
overall winner was determined via a public, online poll in which
more than 2,000 people from the world of sports marketing voted.
"The Fan Fests embodied the immense power and attraction
of football, and the people of Germany went down in history as
champion hosts," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
"Thanks to the Fan Fests, we were able to reproduce the
stadium atmosphere for fans without tickets."
"The Fan Fests were a resounding success for the Host
Cities," said Dortmund World Cup office head Gerd Kolbe,
speaking on behalf of his colleagues from the FIFA World Cup Host
Cities. "Never before have all Host Cities worked together as
well as with FIFA and the local organising committee to create such
a community-based experience. The World Cup not only took place in
the stadiums, but also in the city centres. "