HRG Germany and the German Football Association (DFB) have renewed the contract concerning their mutual company Euro Lloyd DFB Travel Agency GmbH ahead of time. The new contract runs until the year 2012.

“This collaboration is an impressive success story, which has been consolidated over the past 40 years and is unique in Europe in its current form. More recently, since the foundation of the mutual travel agency company in 1992, Euro Lloyd DFB and its staff have become a firmly integrated part of DFB management,” explained DFB President, Dr. Theo Zwanziger.

The eight-member team from Euro Lloyd DFB Travel Agency is very familiar with the sports-orientated travel requirements of the DFB, thanks to its many years of partnership. Euro Lloyd DFB travel consultants coordinate, plan and organize all the travel for the DFB branch offices, the DFB’s national ‘A’ team, the ladies national team and its youth teams. In addition, the Euro Lloyd DFB team takes care of the entire transport logistics for DFB events, such as for example the DFB national assembly or the DFB cup final.

Germany was congratulated as the host nation of this year’s FIFA World Cup (WC). Its huge success and smooth organization was to a great extent the result of the efforts of the Euro Lloyd DFB Travel Agency. This excellent performance during the World Cup is, moreover, one of the reasons for the early renewal of the contract of collaboration between HRG Germany and the DFB.

“I was very pleased that the decision on the part of the Organizing Committee (OC) to appoint Euro Lloyd DFB as the general service provider in the transport area has been fully justified,“ emphasized Horst R. Schmidt, 1st Vice-President of the OC for the FIFA World Cup 2006™ and Managing Director of Euro Lloyd DFB Travel Agency GmbH and Secretary General of the DFB. “It’s naturally of the utmost importance to us, in our capacity as hosts of the event, that the 1,000 international guest groups under the care of the Euro Lloyd DFB World Cup team were happy throughout the whole of the championships,” Schmidt went on.

At peak moments the WC department was handling some 20,000 guests at the same time. In addition, they were also responsible for the entire transport logistics of the FIFA Congress in Munich which took place in the run-up to the World Cup. “In parallel, the WC team very successfully responded to the logistical challenge of the Franz Beckenbauer 31-nation welcome tour“, expounded Wolfgang Niersbach, OC Vice President and DFB Director for Team Management and Youth Education.

“I am very proud that we shall have the privilege of officially working for the German Football Association for another six years and we are very much looking forward to our continuing collaboration with the DFB,“ said Wolfgang Wirthmann, HRG European Manager for Sports, Events and Leisure and Joint Managing Director of the Euro Lloyd DFB Travel Agency GmbH, after signing the contract.

- End -

For further information:

Rätia Laeri Ardiles Cruz
Phone: +41 (0)44 736 59 63
E-Mail: raetia.laeri@hrgworldwide.com

www.hrgworldwide.com

Notes to Editors:

HRG Germany, with its head office in Cologne, is wholly owned by Hogg Robinson Group plc and is one of the leading corporate service providers in the business travel sector in Germany.

In the context of the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, HRG Germany, under contract to the national organizing committee (LOC), was responsible for destination management within Germany. Participating teams, officials and guests from all over the world put their trust in the services provided by HRG, organizing their accommodation in all match centres and the entire transport logistics including team charters, ICE special charters etc., as well as the planning and implementation of associated events during the FIFA WC 2006.

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) is the award-winning international corporate services company. Founded in 1845, HRG has over 60 years specific corporate travel expertise. Its corporate services interests include wholly-owned or majority controlled corporate travel operations in 24 of the key driver and growth markets throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Supported by contracted partners, the HRG worldwide network currently extends to 96 countries.

Totally committed to a value offering for clients, HRG offers a comprehensive range of corporate services which includes travel management, fulfilment services and low cost transactions as well as Consulting, Expense Management, Sports and Events & Meetings Management.