HOSPITALITY GUIDE2012/13

SUMMARYCHAMPIONS CLUB CONCEPT 04

FOOD & BEVERAGE 08

ROOM LAYOUT 12

LIGHT & DECORATION 16

STAFFING & ENTERTAINMENT 20

VENUE MATERIAL 24

COMMERCIAL PARTNERS 28

MATCH WEEK SCHEDULE 32

CHAMPIONS CLUB CONCEPT

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CHAMPIONS CLUB CONCEPT CHAMPIONS CLUB CONCEPT

CHAMPIONS CLUB CONCEPT

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At each UEFA Champions League venue as of group stage, an exclusive hospitality area is set-up for UEFA’s commercial partners and their guests. This hospitality area is called “Champions Club”.

In return for large sponsorship fees that the partners pay to be associated with the UEFA Champions League brand, UEFA must ensure that the stadium bowl, including the Champions Club, is ‘exclusive’ for the commercial partners and free of any third party branding.

The Champions Club is a premium quality hospitality area aimed at providing an enhanced experience for its guests during one of the world’s greatest club footballing events. Simply, the positioning of the competition as the “Best of the Best on the Ultimate Stage” must be reflected in every aspect of the venue and a consistent approach towards the Champions Club concept must be maintained across all venues. Along with the quality of the match itself, the Champions Club experience should provide a lasting impression of the UEFA Champions League upon its guests.

Approximately 280-330 guests will enjoy this remarkable experience at each match. Free hospitality will be offered pre-match, at half time and post-match whilst combining the local culture and the essence of the host club. A variety of hot and cold dinner buffet food, finger food, desserts and drinks, both hot and cold, will be provided throughout the evening. In addition, the caterer must take different dietary requirements into consideration (always make sure there are fish and vegetarian options available on the buffet).

It is important that the entire guest experience is considered when setting up the Champions Club; the key focus points are infrastructure, brand positioning, guest experience and service.

The operational hours of the Champions Club vary between countries, however a good suggestion is to open around 18:30 CET and close at approx. 23:30 CET.

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FOOD & BEVERAGE

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FOOD & BEVERAGEThe Champions Club catering should reflect the local hospitality style and cuisine, offering a buffet with a selection of high-quality hot and cold dishes and beverages. The Champions Club should also offer the guests of the visiting club a taste of home which should resonate in the menu. The quality of food and creativity, including its presentation should be in line with the high standard of the competition.

Whilst certain room sizes and layouts can be restrictive, a variance of buffet set-ups and presentation methods can enhance the overall feel of the Champions Club.

Chefs and other catering staff should ideally stand behind the buffet to serve guests and inform them about the food. Presentation is essential and a key factor to the success of this hospitality area (buffet of varying heights, live cooking, flying buffet, etc.). Catering staff (together with bar staff provided by Heineken) should be available to serve beverages to the guests; guests should preferably not have to queue at the bars for drinks.

Guests should have the possibility to taste a variety of high quality food pre-match, at half time and post-match. Therefore, we encourage the caterer to come with a few suggestions of menus and presentations including snacks, main courses and desserts. The caterer will be asked to provide pictures of previous events he or she has been involved in, including food presentation, decoration, etc.

In addition to catering of the Champions Club, some other services could be requested from the caterer:

• Venue team lunches: on the day before the match (MD-1) and on matchday (MD), a pre-defined area with seating is required for the venue team to enjoy a hot lunch buffet incl. drinks for approx. 25-30 people. The caterer would ideally be responsible for these lunches and should provide UEFA with a quote as well as menu suggestions.

• Lunchbags: are offered to UEFA working staff and commercial partners on MD. The number varies depending on the size of the match, for a group stage match the caterer needs to count on providing approx. 120-250 lunchbags.

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ROOM LAYOUT ROOM LAYOUT

ROOM LAYOUTThe level of the Champions Club facilities including its location and interior must be of a very high standard, at least comparable to the club’s VIP hospitality. The room should be a minimum of 400m2 of open and usable space, has to be located as close as possible to the partners’ complimentary seating area and easily accessible from the partner parking. If such a space is not available inside the stadium, the club must find an alternative solution, either to erect a provisional tent or share its own hospitality area with the UEFA Champions League partners. In the latter case, the area still needs to be exclusive and only the UEFA Champions League partners may be visible in the shared hospitality area. These different options have to be discussed and agreed between UEFA and the club.

High tables with stools or standing tables are preferred as it enhances to the fluidity and movement of the guests. If possible an area with lounge furniture should be identified within the Champions Club; however it is important that this area is located in a way that it doesn’t obstruct the movement of guests.

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The guest flow is an important factor in the Champions Club; ideally the main buffet should be situated in the centre of the room and the movement of guests should be considered to avoid restricted access to certain areas. If required, additional buffet stations can be placed around the room. The placement of the buffets is evidently much dependent on the character of the room.

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LIGHT & DECORATION

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LIGHT & DECORATION LIGHT & DECORATION

LIGHT & DECORATIONLighting and decoration are essential elements in creating a nice and warm atmosphere in the Champions Club. The aim is to enhance the atmosphere in a discrete yet impressive way. The colours of the lights used in the Champions Club should preferably be warm (e.g. red, yellow and orange) in order to create the right impression.

In addition to the lights, the decoration and dressing of the Champions Club plays an important part in the overall feel and ambiance of the room.

Certain decoration elements will be brought onsite by UEFA and are outlined in the chapter ‘venue material’. However, further to these items, UEFA is responsible for organizing some decoration items, like flowers and lighting through suppliers onsite. The caterer may be asked to support UEFA in finding/recommending local suppliers for this purpose.

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STAFFING & ENTERTAINMENT

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STAFFING & ENTERTAINMENT STAFFING & ENTERTAINMENT

STAFFING & ENTERTAINMENTIn addition to the catering personnel there are various other staff playing an active role in the running of the Champions Club on match night. Some of these roles are listed below:

HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR (HOCO) – main contact for the caterer and the commercial partners present in the Champions Club on match night.

Duties involve supervision of hostesses, making sure that the commercial partner activities are running smoothly, controlling of competitions, general quality control, etc.

The HoCo is briefed by and reports to the UEFA Venue Services and Sponsorship Manager (VSSM) onsite

HOSTESSES – first point of contact for Champions Club guests. Friendly, service-minded and courteous.

Duties involve checking of hospitality passes and handing out lanyards and wristbands when guests arrive, assisting guests in finding their seats, involving guests in competitions, etc.

The hostesses are briefed by and report to the UEFA VSSM onsite, however the HoCo will oversee their work throughout the setup and in the evening.

MASTER OF CEREMONY (MC) – person with football knowledge guiding the guests through the evening in a professional yet entertaining way.

Duties involve conducting interviews with ex-players/celebrities (sourced by the help of the club), informing guests of the evening’s schedule and announcing competitions. The MC is briefed by the UEFA VSSM.

UEFA is also responsible for organizing entertainment in the Champions Club. In addition to background music (by for example a DJ, a jazz band or a saxophone player) the guests experience can be enhanced by the presence of a magician, caricaturist or other performance artists. It is important to note that the entertainment should not be intrusive in any way and should allow guests to network without distraction.

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VENUE MATERIAL

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Various items are brought onsite by UEFA to ensure a consistency across all venues. This material is installed and dismantled by the signage team. Here are some samples:

WELCOME DESK WITH BACKDROP ENTRANCE CARPET PARTNER BACKDROPS INCL. TV SCREENS

STAGE SOCCER TABLE TABLE SIGNS

VASE FOR PINS & PENS NAPKINS

TRAY

BUFFET CARDS & HOLDERS

LUNCHBAGLANYARDS & WRISTBANDS

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COMMERCIAL PARTNERS

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Exclusive rights form the basis of the UEFA Champions League commercial concept. This means that the UEFA Champions League partners are the only commercial entities which have the right to associate themselves with the competition and who may run promotions in and around the stadium.

The Champions Club is one of the main areas where the commercial partners can set up their promotional activities, and where they can meet and connect with already existing or future clients. Each of the commercial partners can have a dedicated area in the Champions Club, where they can set up their displays and welcome their guests. These areas will be identifiable by different signage elements, such as backdrops and table signs, featuring the commercial partner logos.

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MATCH WEEK SCHEDULE

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The Champions Club facilities must be available for the UEFA venue team as of 09:00 two days before the match (MD-2), until 12:00 on the day after the match (MD+1). The following is an example of how the set-up and dismantling of the Champions Club might be scheduled (all timings in CET):

MD-2 Champions Club ready for set-up and all third party branding removed or covered

MD-112:00 UEFA VSSM meeting with caterer15:00 Signage installations

MD09:00-15:00 Sponsor, supplier, and entertainment set-up16:30 VSSM briefing hostesses17:30 Caterer set-up finalised18:30 Opening of Champions Club20:45 Kick-off23:30 Closing of Champions Club00:00 Sponsor, supplier, entertainment and caterer dismantling

MD+109:00-12:00 Signage dismantling

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