WOC 2003: “Treasurer“ Hansjörg Graf reigns over 1.8 million Swiss Francs.

Successful efforts for large-scale sponsorship

Hansjörg Graf is the ideal assignment for the job as the chief financial officer of the WOC’s organizing committee. The 48-year old man from Bern, who lives in Pfäffikon, Zurich, combines a rich experience as organizer of big O events with a high financial competence as a trustee.

”OL“: Very early already, three years before the staging of the WOC in Switzerland, it was announced that this big event would be financially secured. Why is there such optimism?
Hansjörg Graf: This optimism stems from the following fact: Right from the beginning we found within our supporting organization in the person of Christian Fiechter a man responsible for sponsoring, who could seal many excellent contracts. Around 50% of the budget were secured early on already.

Hence, Christian Fiechter played a crucial role regarding the successful search for sponsors. Why do he and the organizing committee succeed in doing what the Swiss Orienteering federation did strive in vain for many years, namely finding additional sponsors?
Hansjörg Graf: I think it is much easier to find a financial supporter for a specific top event than for a federation or an organization in general. The sponsors liked the idea of a foundation as the central goal of this world-championship event very well. The foundation allows the sponsors to attain a long-lived effect.

What does the WOC have to offer the sponsors as remuneration?
Hansjörg Graf: From a sports point of view: certainly an Orienteering event in the form of a world championship on the highest level. Associated with it is a broad media presentation within the country and abroad. Our Organization and the sustainability of the foundation are other bearers of this successful product.

What are the stakes of the WOC’s budget?
Hansjörg Graf: The current budget roughly includes costs of 1.8 million Swiss Francs.

This budget contains besides fixed costs for the staging of the championships a big amount of founding capital for an Orienteering foundation Switzerland. How far has the planning of this idea gotten for the time after the year 2003?
Hansjörg Graf: As the chief financial officer I am not too much involved here. Many ideas exist, but no final decisions have been made yet. Later on we will be ready to present more concrete information.

Hansjörg, you have accumulated your Orienteering experience, among other, as the director of the Swiss Five Days Orienteering Event 1990, as a technical delegate from the Swiss Orienteering Federation, and as coach of a regional elite team. How and where can you bring yourself in within the preparatory arrangements as chief financial officer?
Hansjörg Graf: With the just mentioned experience as organizer I do cover many needs within the preparatory phase. This is exactly the reason why I liked to join from the beginning, in order to step in if required. However I’d rather hold back new ideas, because the principle of volunteerism forces myself to accept my limited personal resources besides my professional work.

Interview: Lukas Jenzer

The search for sponsors continues A respectable part of the big WOC budget of currently 1.8 million Swiss Francs that Hansjörg Graf is allowed to manage is covered because of Christian Fiechter’s very successful sponsoring activities. With his infectious enthusiasm and the stubbornness required the 63-year old economist from Zollikerberg succeeded in finding five more main sponsors for the WOC besides the presenting sponsor ‘Credit Suisse’. “We Orienteers do often have inappropriate feelings of inferiority while talking to prospective sponsors,” says Fiechter. “Our product ‘O’ is just great! At contract signing of especially the big regional sponsors, there was also the positive inclination of the hosting cities Rapperswil and Jona towards the WOC and the influence of their two mayors that played an important role.” WOC committee member Christian Fiechter noted with his well-considered engagement that a lot of imagination and creativity is required regarding the contact with companies: “I assigned myself the task not to solve the financial problem of the organizer, but to solve the sponsor’s problem looking for an effective presentation!” The number bibs’ advertising area of the WOC participants are filled now after having sealed the partnership with the main sponsors. The phase of the search for big sponsors is over. Christian Fiechter’s view is directed towards the future: “The next step is the hunt for further sponsors and co-sponsors, respectively, but also the whole domain of small sponsoring with a comprehensive palette of offers like classified advertisements for the program booklet or the advertisement on banners in the WOC arenas and the hosting cities.”

This article was first published in "OL", the swiss orienteering magazin. More information available from ol-fachschrift@a2plus.ch

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