10/04/2010 02:10 pm

New Zealand delegation to exchange Rugby jerseys with DHL Management

DHL has become the Official Logistics Partner to Rugby World Cup 2011 as of early September and thus one of the five major worldwide partners to the world’s largest sports event next year.

This new partnership formed the background of today’s official exchange of Rugby jerseys on DHL’s headquarters rooftop terrace between Frank Appel, Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Post DHL, and Ken Allen, Member of the Board and Chief Executive Officer DHL Express with Brian Roche, acting Chair of New Zealand Rugby Union and Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Post, Michael Cullen, incoming Chairman of New Zealand Post and Jim Bolger, Chairman of New Zealand Post and New Zealand’s former Prime Minister. Roche was also a driving force behind New Zealand’s winning the right to host Rugby World Cup 2011.

"Rugby World Cup is the international sports highlight in 2011. We look forward to supporting such a major event of worldwide importance with our know-how in transports and logistics and contributing to a successful Rugby World Cup", said Allen. He adds: "This kind of sport fits our values excellently. The values that make up rugby, such as emotion, passion, teamwork and a can-do-spirit, also unite us at DHL."

As Official Logistics Partner to Rugby World Cup 2011, DHL will be responsible for the international express shipments, the domestic freight movements and the warehousing in New Zealand. These services will include, among others, the worldwide ticket distribution and the delivery of all the competing teams' jerseys and equipment. It is expected that DHL will move nearly 200 transports around New Zealand during the Tournament, with DHL trucks delivering 2 to 6 tons per move and driving almost 30,000 kilometers in total.

DHL already looks into a successful history of sports marketing. The long lasting Official Logistics Partnership with Formula 1™ is a remarkable example for this. DHL now also wants to strengthen its ties with Rugby. Partnering with Rugby World Cup 2011 is a first step towards using this sport as a marketing platform. The event will take place from 9 September to 23 October 2011 and again fascinate millions of people in the stadiums across New Zealand as well as billions of TV viewers around the world. 2.2 million spectators went to Rugby World Cup 2007 in France. 4.2 billion people worldwide watched the major event on TV. Recently, the International Olympic Committee also recognized the growing popularity of Rugby by admitting the sport back to the Olympic Games again in 2016.

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