Football fever grips mauritius airport

Few sporting events have the global appeal of the FIFA World Cup. For 28 days, countries are represented by their most elite athletes on the world’s stage, to compete for the coveted World Cup. A global event, the FIFA World Cup truly brings communities closer as audiences the world over are glued to their devices in support of their favourite team, to revel in their glories, and just take in the spectacle of football’s greatest event.

Mauritius is one of those football-crazy nations and welcomes over 1 million international tourists to its sunny shores every year. And over 50% of these travellers’ hail from equally football-loving nations like the UK, France, Germany, etc. 

With Football Fever gripping the island nation, Times OOH conceptualized and executed the “Football Fever” event at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (SSRIA), Mauritius. The event was “kicked off” on 20th Nov 2022, the day of the first football match, with music and celebrations, dancers, mascot interaction with children and taking photos at the designated photo booth, and an MC engaging passengers with trivia games and prizes! To make sure sports enthusiasts do not miss a single minute of the games, a screening zone with large-screen TVs was set up at, both, the departure and arrival areas. Departing passengers with time on their hands can also play a mini version at the Foosball table at the screening area!

Leading brands sponsored the month-long event and secured branding & advertising opportunities across the airport including 10 high-impact static sites and 45 digital screens. The sponsors are Casela, Campus Abroad Mauritius Ltd, Bank of Baroda, Scott, Adamas and Blue Safari. 361 came aboard as the screening partner.

The airport being a key entry point for any destination helps brands to create a lasting impression on passengers. Talking more on this, Thierry Arekiom, General Manager, Casela Ltd said, “The airport is a key media vehicle for us to reach international travellers. With the tourist season taking off, this event was just the right fit for us. With a high decibel campaign, in association with football, we are sure to generate excitement with incoming tourists for Casela Parks”. Casela Parks is one of the key sponsors of the event which leveraged the highly captivating event at the Mauritius Airport.

Highlighting the essence of associating with the Football Fever event, Amit Shah, MD, 361 shared, “Football season has reached a fever pitch and we are happy to partner with Times OOH for their event as the official screening partner. Through our participation, we hope to showcase our world-class screens and create top-of-mind recall for 361 with the high-impact branding spaces at the SSR International Airport”.

Times OOH team went the extra mile to launch this first-of-its-kind event at the Mauritius airport as it needed meticulous planning and close coordination with airport authorities, Dept. of Civil Aviation, local police, gig artists, sponsors, fabricators and printers to ensure that the event begins on schedule.

“We are delighted to be a part of the Football Fever event at the SSR International Airport. The association with football allowed us to create a buzz for Campus Abroad with our key target audience of young travellers and locals alike. The energy there was palpable and the event itself was very exciting! Kudos to the Times OOH team for a well-orchestrated execution”, Jaishankar Sheshadri, Director, Campus Abroad Mauritius Ltd.

Adding to this, Diwakar P. Singh, Vice President, Bank of Baroda, Mauritius said, “We are delighted to sponsor the Football Fever event at the Mauritius Airport!”.

“A sponsorship opportunity that comes only once every four years!” jokes Dev Dutt Das, General Manager, Times OOH, Mauritius. “The airport is the first and last contact point for visiting travellers. We envisaged this event to make their journey through the airport welcoming, entertaining and loads of fun! We are extremely proud of this unique event. It enthrals passengers from all over the world and of all ages. 

We would like to thank our sponsors for making it a roaring success. We would also like to thank the airport authorities for their support and trust. We hope to have many such events that make the experience at SSRIA fun and enjoyable,” he adds.

Times OOH offers comprehensive media solutions across Airports, Metro, and Street furniture in India and Mauritius.