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Adrenalin, screeching tires, and a winter break-in
Adrenalin, screeching tires, and a winter break-in
Take a look behind the setting of the press presentation of the new Polo GTI
Ready to go – the Polo GTI fleet outside Palma Airport
The sound of screeching tyres can be heard from the racetrack. On the terrace in front of the pit building, journalists discuss their impressions of the test drive, while colleagues in the media workroom email already completed articles to their editors. A few metres further along in the car park, a photographer makes the most of the soft winter sunshine. The press presentation for the Polo GTI is in full swing.
Volkswagen invited around 400 journalists from all over the world to Majorca to get to know the latest member of the GTI family. The groups of guests change daily, with the entire event set to last two weeks.
Briefing – Christoph Peine greets the journalists in the GTI lounge at the airport
Christoph Peine, press spokesman for the Volkswagen Polo, and project manager Nele Zwanzig are responsible for organising the event. Together with their respective teams, both began their preparations around a year ago. ‘The production division had to be involved at a very early stage, because we wanted vehicles in certain colours for the event. One of the first steps also involved working with sales and marketing to establish, on which aspects of the car communications should concentrate on,' explains Peine. In addition to the driving performance typical of a GTI, there also had to be a focus on the optional ‘Sport Select' suspension with electronically adjustable shock absorbers.
This way – Christoph Peine explains the various test routes
‘As such, it was clear that we needed a racetrack for the test drives,' says Zwanzig, taking up the thread. She and her colleagues are organizing the whole event. ‘Also, a young, modern hotel was required to suit the image of the Polo GTI.' At the same time, organising the presentation in December meant that the event could only be held in a country where the streets would definitely be dry. ‘We came up with three alternatives and Majorca came out on top,' explains Zwanzig.
Teamwork – Nele Zwanzig (centre) and Christoph Peine (right) meet up regularly with their colleagues
The decisions on the location were made approximately half a year before the event. Preparations really began in earnest about three months before. Among other things, Christoph Peine took care of producing the press material and inviting the guests. Meanwhile, Nele Zwanzig discussed with representatives of the hotel the appointments to be held there and oversaw the production of signs and graphics for the airport lounge and the racetrack. ‘At some point it is then about each individual day,' reveals the project manager. Changes to the vehicles technical data were made at the last minute and caused quite some adrenalin rushes.
Suited to the racetrack – instructor Benny Leuchter (second from left) and ex-Formula 1 driver Hans-Joachim ‘Strietzel' Stuck (right) take the guests for a few quick laps in the Polo GTI
Just four days before the start of the event, the exhibition construction team started work as planned, with around twenty employees at three separate locations simultaneously and almost around the clock. A lounge adorned with GTI insignias was created at Palma Airport – the first port of call for the arriving guests. Diverse test routes were programmed into the navigation systems of the Polo GTIs. One led to a rented racetrack. Here, too, the exhibition team redesigned existing spaces in the GTI look. ‘We have even less time to strike everything; we have to be out on the last day of the event,' says project manager Zwanzig, explaining the tight schedule. The guests' hotel was also given a splash of colour in the GTI look – from the illuminated GTI logo by the entrance and the coffee cups brought along specially for the breakfast room to the red, white and black cushions for the sofas in the lobby. And as ever, the finishing touches were still being applied as the planes carrying the first guests were on their way to Majorca.
Open-air office – Nele Zwanzig works outside by the racetrack
‘The overall plan can then no longer be changed; we improvise from this point forward,' says Zwanzig. For instance, when the onset of winter in Central Europe disrupts the guests' travel plans or a journalist needs a certain vehicle. ‘That is why we meet regularly with the team leaders throughout the event to discuss the following day,' she explains.
Strong team – Nele Zwanzig (back left) with the instructors Benny Leuchter (front left) and Dennis Retera from the Driving Experience (front right) and Britta Hoffmann from the Volkswagen event team (back right)
The project manager directs the whole team at the presentation of the Polo GTI. Some, such as hostesses, the photography team or the two experienced motor sport instructors responsible for the laps around the racetrack, have direct contact with the guests. Others do their jobs in the background. ‘These include vehicle preparers and cleaners, and two interpreters,' says Zwanzig. A Majorca-based agency takes care of local matters and organises permits that photographers may require.
Bring on the next day – the Volkswagen Polo GTI test car fleet is raring to go
‘You can prepare for an event as well as you like, but something will always come up,' summarises a laughing Nele Zwanzig. ‘But these challenges are what make my job so interesting.' Press spokesman Christoph Peine is also happy that unexpected surprises break up the routine on an almost daily basis. ‘Otherwise I would feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day after a two-week presentation.'
