Porsche 2006 Annual Report Download - page 77

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crisis as fast and efficient as possible, the number
of persons involved is deliberately kept small. This
also applies to the possible allocation of an action
team to deal with the crisis. All these factors are in-
tended to ensure that any response to an emergency
is carried out with the competence associated with
the name of Porsche.
Tennis Grand Prix in the New ‘Porsche Arena’
Every year, the Tennis Grand Prix is a highlight
amongst the various sport events supported by
Porsche aside from motor racing. In 2007, the top
class ladies’ tennis tournament was held for the
second time at the ‘Porsche Arena’ in Stuttgart,
after a quarter of a century in Filderstadt. The event,
held between late September and early October
2007, welcomed top female tennis players to com-
pete not only for prize money, but also for a 911
Turbo Cabriolet. In October 2005, Porsche paid a
fee of ten million Euro to secure the naming rights
for a twenty year period for the newly constructed
arena, which is located right beside the Hanns-Martin-
Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt. The logo
above the entrance combines Porsche’s red writting
with a bold arena silhouette in metallic gray. Since
January 2007, the new ‘Porsche Arena’ has also been
the venue for Porsche’s Annual General Meeting.
There are surely very few brands which have such a
high affinity with the notions of athleticism and perfor-
mance as Porsche. This is why Porsche’s sporting
commitments have an even broader base. The com-
pany sponsors the ‘Bietigheim Steelers’ ice hockey
team, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, where several of
the company’s subsidiaries are located. In the review
year this ambitious team was playing in the second
German league. The Porsche flag was also displayed
at the ‘America’s Cup’ international sailing competi-
tion. In Valencia, Spain, the German team was able
to rely on the services of six Cayenne vehicles.
Visiting Pope Benedict in Vatican
Porsche Communication thought of something special
to celebrate Pope Benedict XVI’s 80th birthday on
April 16, 2007. The internationally renowned Stuttgart
Radio Symphony Orchestra of the radio broadcasting
corporation SWR performed in the Vatican in the
presence of the Pope, numerous Church dignitaries
and around 10,000 guests. The highlight of the
90-minute concert was Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3
in G major K.216, once described by Albert Einstein
as a miracle. The concert was brought to a close with
the Antonin Dvorák’s last symphony, Symphony No.9
in E minor Op.95, often known as the ‘New World
Symphony’. This symphony remains one of the most
popular works from the nineteenth century. The
concert was broadcast live on German radio and
television. This unique event was only possible thanks
to Porsche’s cultural support.
Porsche Museum Continues Growing
The shell of the new Porsche Museum at the Head-
quarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen was largely
completed at the end of 2006: the basement park-
ing lot, ground floor, first floor and girders, the
‘cores’ made from reinforced concrete, had been
constructed. Lift shafts, stairwells and supply
channels are now in place in the three building
cores. These also serve as heavy load-bearing
supports for the exhibition area, which will cover
Porsche supported the America’s Cup by providing vehicles for the German team. Now Porsche Consulting, in collaboration
with the team’s manager Jochen Schümann, is taking responsibility for the construction of the German team’s boat for 2009.