NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POCOG Innovation Offers Olympic Hospitality to Spectators
GANGNEUNG, South Korea (February 10, 2018) – The New Horizons Lounge in Gangneung Olympic
Park has officially started welcoming its first guests, ushering in a new era of OCOG-provided
hospitality to spectators from all nations. The Lounge is the cornerstone of the New Horizons
Hospitality Program, which the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic &
Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) created to both support their ticketing program and enhance the
spectator experience. The program combines premium tickets and access to both the New Horizons
Lounge in Gangneung Olympic Park and in-venue hospitality lounges.
"In the past, Olympic hospitality has been extended to guests of marketing partners. This represents
the first time an organizing committee has offered a ticket and hospitality program to fans on a global
basis," said Eom Chan-wang, POCOG Director General of Marketing. "We hope this type of in-venue
hospitality program lives on as a legacy of our Games and that the next organizing committees
continue to build upon the level of spectator experience we have provided."
After a global search, POCOG selected Jet Set Sports to flesh out the concept of the hospitality program
and named Jet Set Sports the "PyeongChang 2018 Official Supporter of In-venue Consumer Hospitality
Services." Jet Set Sports leveraged its experience of providing hospitality for 19-Olympic Games to
develop the program and design the New Horizons Lounge.
"We are honored to have been selected by POCOG to build out this innovative program," said Sead
Dizdarevic, founder and co-CEO of Jet Set Sports. "The New Horizons Lounge will provide participants
a level of hospitality they have come to expect at other premier sporting events."
Conveniently located inside Gangneung Olympic Park, the New Horizons Lounge is designed to cater
to Olympic sports fans before and after events. Pass-holding spectators can enjoy refreshing drinks
and international cuisine prepared by one of five world-renowned chefs. Each chef will take control
of the kitchen for three-to-four days until February 25, 2018.
Chef Deuki Hong, born in Seoul and raised in the U.S., will entertain guests until February 12.
A top graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Deuki trained under David Chang at
Momofuku before cooking at Michelin three-starred Jean-Georges. The Executive Chef of the
smash-hit Baekjeong NEC in Manhattan was recently recognized as an Eater Young Gun,
named to the Zagat 30 Under 30 list and included on the 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Chef Judy Joo, the host of the acclaimed Food Network cooking series "Korean Food Made
Simple," takes the helm from February 13-16. As a Korean-American, French-trained chef
based in London, Chef Joo’s culinary expertise spans the globe, and her Jinjuu restaurants in
London and Hong Kong have become culinary destinations. Chef Judy was one of four UK Iron
Chefs and is a regular guest on TODAY on NBC, The Talk and This Morning on CBS.
Chef Thierry Balligand, an expert at expressing the Provençal terroir, will take over during
February 17-19. Chef Balligand was recruited in 1987 by Michelin-star Chef Lequy at l’Auberge
Fleurie, trained at Chateau de la Pioline and, upon his arrival at La Table du Pigonnet, became
sous-chef to Chef Jourdain in 2012. Since that time, he was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de
France and has become head chef.
Chef Kenichiro Ooe, the chef de cuisine of Tokyo’s Kozue restaurant, will take over the kitchen
from February 20-22. Chef Ooe began his culinary training in Japan and went on to become
the head chef at several prominent Tokyo restaurants. Extensively skilled in traditional
Japanese cuisine, he has established a unique culinary style that adds an innovative essence
to kaiseki cuisine. Gault Millau Restaurant Guide has awarded his Kozue 3 hats in both 2016
and 2017.
Chef Ho Hau Yuen, a veteran of Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurants, will round out the
program from February 23-25. Over the past two decades, the Chinese Executive Chef at
Beijing’s NUO Hotel has developed his own approach to classic Cantonese cooking, "New
Cantonese Palettes," in which he creates original twists on classic Chinese dishes. In 2015,
Chef Ho was a podium winner of the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic 15.
The New Horizons Hospitality Program includes three tiers of hospitality packages, Bronze, Silver and
Gold, distinguished by their increasing quality of seating sections and hospitality. They include tickets
to highly sought-after events in some of the best seats in the PyeongChang 2018 venues, as well as
access to the New Horizons Lounge in Gangneung Olympic Park or in-venue hospitality lounges,
depending on the level of the package. Packages are available at:
http://www.jetsetsports.com/newhorizons.
About Jet Set Sports (http://www.jetsetsports.com)
Having supported the organization of the 19 Olympic Games since Sarajevo 1984, Jet Set Sports is the leading
provider of Olympic hospitality packages and event tickets. Jet Set Sports provides premium hospitality
programs through its VIP Hospitality Programs and Hospitality Management Services. Its subsidiary, CoSport
offers event tickets, ready-made hospitality packages and other Games-time services via its web site,
http://www.cosport.com. Jet Set has been an official sponsor, supplier or provider to eleven Organizing
Committees of the Olympic Games and is an Official Sponsor and the Authorized Ticket Reseller for six National
Olympic Committees, including those of Australia, Bulgaria, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Jet
Set Sports has also been appointed as the Exclusive Sales Agent of MATCH Hospitality in the United States for
the sale of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Official Hospitality Programme. For more information, please visit
http://www.jetsetsports.com.
Contact for Jet Set Sports:
Mike Kontos
+1 213 663 9784
mkontos@kstratcomms.com
# # #
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