(ATR) Amid economic uncertainty that comes with staging a two-week sporting event without spectators, Cortina 2021 organizers unveil EA7, the Italian sports brand of Emporia Armani, as its new main sponsor.
The partnership was reached through Infront, the event’s exclusive media and marketing partner. EA7 will receive top priority and benefit from global exposure at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, scheduled for Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 7-21.
"Cortina is one of the best locations in the world for skiing competitions and, for us, being present at such an important event not only underlines the spirit of the brand, which encompasses values of passion and fair play, but also sends a message of confidence in these difficult times," said Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani.
Cortina 2021 chief executive officer Valerio Giacobbi noted the significance of the newly signed partnership.
"We have always hoped for the involvement of a leading Italian fashion brand at an international level – for Cortina this is certainly a further important sign of recovery and confidence despite the difficult situation," Giacobbi said.
Developed in 2004 as a sports brand for Emporio Armani, EA7 has grown with its strong identity. It offers technical and leisure apparel for sports enthusiasts and professionals.
Despite the new financial deal, Giacobbi remains concerned about the economics of staging a major two-week international sporting event without any fans. The Cortina 2021 CEO – who is working alongside Cortina 2021 president Alessandro Benetton – explained strategies and solutions to combat the economic challenges.
"The organizing committee is losing all the revenues from 120,000 people that we were expecting here, buying tickets and merchandise," Giacobbi said. "This is a material problem because an important part of the revenue is lacking.
"Also, for the sponsors it’s less appealing and they are a little bit unhappy, as they were hoping to build upon the presence of the people.
"The solution is we’ve reduced some costs – we’ve asked for some help from the authorities and the region and the government came up with some finances.
"Our objective is still to have an event that is not going to lose money. We are looking at the equilibrium between revenue and costs, so this is important."
With strict COVID-19 counter-measures being implemented, as guided by various health authorities and in cooperation with FIS, Cortina 2021 leaders hope the upcoming ski world championship will be an uplifting and important step toward the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
"We have this new objective of the Olympic Games – Milan-Cortina 2026," Giacobbi says. "When we finish the championships, we will open a new season that will be the five years that are going bring us to the Olympics, so the two things are kind of related.
"We really believe that the fact we have the world championship here in Cortina was also instrumental to win the Winter Olympics.
"We are very proud to be part of this new goal that Italy has to deliver a good 2026 Olympic Games."
Homepage photo: ATR
Written by Brian Pinelli
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