Guests enjoy the spectacular hospitality at the Men's World Championship in Poland
Warsaw, Poland, August 31, 2014 – August 30, 2014, will remain a memorable day in the history of volleyball as the National Football Stadium in Warsaw hosted the opening match of the 2014 Men's Volleyball World Championship. Following a dazzling opening ceremony, hosts Poland delivered the perfect start for their fans as they overcame powerhouse Serbia in straight sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) in front of 62,000 spectators.
The fantastic environment of the packed stadium and the high technology of the ceremony encapsulated more than four hours of spectacular entertainment that was enjoyed by fans around the world.
Between the sparkling lights, the new technology on the court and the impressive dancers, the spectators were constantly on their feet with excitement. For the first time, the celebrations included an entry parade of the flags of the participating countries, similar to the Olympic Games. Without a doubt, it was a day when volleyball gained new fans.
FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° thanked the organizers in Poland as well as their fans who created a new era for the sport and a new challenge for future organizers. Poland, where volleyball is the most popular sport, used this opportunity to promote volleyball around the world and to host one of the most exciting events of the year.
Not only did the experience of playing the opening match of the World Championship in front of 62,000 people create a new horizon for the sport, the experience behind the scenes was also ground-breaking.
Innovation led the way as the FIVB hospitality area provided guests with an opportunity to see some interesting technological innovations which the FIVB is spearheading.
The first of these was the LED net, which has been in production since 2013. The FIVB is aiming to be the first sport to use such technology in a competition format, leading the sport to new technological frontiers. In the future, it is hoped that the technology will be used to display live scores, refereeing decisions, instant displays, fan messages and much more.
Those present in the hospitality area also had the opportunity to experience a special broadcast display screen which, with its full-touch interactive and connected TV monitor, allowed users to browse online content, the FIVB’s social media wall and other social media channels.
Launched in time for the World Championship, the new Poland 2014 website was also on display for guests to experience. Throughout the tournament, the website will produce match updates and live commentary for every game of the championship for both desktop and mobile users, as well as a wealth of other information on the players and teams.
President Graça has expressed his pride at the success of the hospitality programme at the World Championship.
“This is the first time that we have had such a significant hospitality operation at an FIVB event,” said Dr. Graça. “We wanted to enhance the spectator experience at the World Championship and give our guests a time to remember. Our hospitality programme has now set the standard of what we would like to offer at future tournaments.”
Guests included leading politicians from the participating countries, partners and potential sponsors, and members of the media as well as former top volleyball players and members of the FIVB family.