Hyundai Motor Company, the official automotive partner of Europe's greatest sporting event, hosted Hyundai Eurofest on June 6 in Basel, where an estimated 30,000 people celebrated the spirit of football and prepared for the kick off of the UEFA EURO 2008™ games.

As one of the EUROTOP Partners for EURO 2008, Hyundai is continuing to be one of the most visible brands around football, the most popular sport in the world. Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, has been carrying out various global marketing programs since January to add to the excitement surrounding the games. The programs culminated in a grand finale Friday, where tens of thousands of football fans visited Hyundai's pavilion in the Fan Zone in Kaserne.

David Taylor, UEFA General Secretary; Hanspeter Gass, member of the cantonal government of Basel; Kun-hee Ahn, President of Hyundai Motor Europe; and Jae-kook Choi, President of Hyundai Motor Company's Sales & Planning, were among the VIPs that attended the official ceremony for the Eurofest.

Hyundai Motor Hosts Eurofest

"We love football. We love the excitement of the game," President Choi said during his welcome speech. "We share the strong passion of the European fans. EURO 2008 is a celebration of universal brotherhood. It brings people together in harmony and happiness, and that is the vision of Hyundai."

Goodwill Ball Road Show

The highlight of the Hyundai Eurofest was the finale of the Goodwill Ball Road Show. This is a Road Show that has been Hyundai?s flagship of the global football program since its first introduction at UEFA EURO 2000™. For the fifth time now, Hyundai has facilitated the passion and goodwill of many football fans in the world through the Hyundai Goodwill Balls. These are 4.5 meter-high giant inflatable balls decorated with national flags and the Hyundai/ UEFA EURO 2008™ logo. The 20 balls were shipped to their respective countries in March this year, where they embarked on nationwide tours collecting thousands of fans' messages of good luck and support for their national teams and their wishes for a successful UEFA EURO 2008™.

All GWBs were gathered in Basel for the Eurofest, creating a splendid scene which attracted visitors to the GWB finale ceremony. The balls will be displayed on site of each stadium or Fan Zone for the respective team match during the tournament.

Hyundai Motor Hosts Eurofest

Winners & Prizes

Hyundai also selected and announced the winners for the other on-line and off-line activities, where prizes included the free trip to Basel for the Eurofest and free tickets to the opening match.
The other programs were "Hyundai EURO FanTastic," an on-line program where football fans uploaded their pictures expressing their passion for UEFA EURO 2008™and their national team; "Hyundai Quest for the Best," where participants competed in five minutes freestyle and most touches in a given time with the aim to break the Guinness record; and "Be There with Hyundai," where the participants competed to create the best slogan for their team. The winning slogan will be decorated on the respective teams' buses.

Baschi & Reamonn

The festivities reached its climax when the Swiss singer Baschi came on stage to sing his hit song, "Bring en hei," which has established itself as the Swiss football anthem. Fans were also dazzled with German rock band Reamonn, who gained international acclaim with their hit song "Supergirl."

Official Vehicles

As an EUROTOP Partner of UEFA EURO 2008™, Hyundai will provide vehicles for VIP delegates, teams, coaches and referees. A total of 265 passenger vehicles and vans along with coaches totalling 463 bus days will be supported by Hyundai throughout the tournament. Hyundai has already demonstrated itself to be a reliable and effective partner of UEFA having served as the official automotive supplier for the European Football Championship 2000 and 2004.

Hyundai is one of the strongest supporters of football in the world having served as the official sponsor of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea / Japan™ and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ as well as many other FIFA tournaments. The company has extended its strategic sponsorship agreement with FIFA to cover the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Hyundai Motor Company has not only infused a new sense of fun and excitement into the game, but through its sponsorship of international football it has also achieved significant increases in brand awareness and improvements in the brand image. Football has helped Hyundai secure a firm foundation that will enable it to push its sports marketing strategy forward to gain a better foothold in markets where football reigns as the most popular sport, especially Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.