Garaventa is the new premium sponsor of Marco Odermatt – an emotional and gratifying union for both parties.
Arno Inauen, why did you decide to sponsor Marco Odermatt?
Arno Inauen: We have been involved in regional ski associations for a number of years now. To tie in nicely with this, we seized the opportunity to sponsor Marco as he is the perfect fit for our company. What's more, Marco is a young talent in the field, which was important to us.
Marco Odermatt, we take it that you're pleased to be sponsored by Garaventa?
Marco Odermatt: Of course, it's very cool. I come from Central Switzerland and have often used Garaventa cableways. It's an emotional partnership.
How did this collaborative partnership come about?
Arno Inauen: (Smiling) It's a funny story. As part of our drive to step up external communications, we started to give some thought to sponsoring Marco Odermatt. At the same time, his management team reached out to us of their own accord. And then initial talks and a personal meeting led to us collaborating.
Marco Odermatt: We had been interested in working with Garaventa for some time. So we were delighted with Garaventa's positive reaction to our approach. As part of our first meeting, I visited the production site in Goldau, Switzerland – it was so impressive to see how something that we skiers use on a daily basis is actually put together.
Arno, does the sponsorship suit Garaventa?
Arno Inauen: Yes, perfectly! Marco shares the same values. The sponsorship is a perfect fit, both in terms of our other commitments and the general theme. Personally, I think skiers are just the people a cableway manufacturer should be sponsoring...
Marco, is it important to you to have an affinity with your sponsor?
Marco Odermatt: Yes, it's important to me that I can identify with my sponsor. You could say that Garaventa has been a part of my career and professional development. I have taken lots of your ski lifts up the mountains – they have enabled me to practise my sport. In Central Switzerland, everyone knows the company.
To what extent did Marco's success last season play a role in your decision?
Arno Inauen: Naturally, his success is a good thing – he reaches a wider audience and gets more attention, which is obviously of interest to sponsors. In my opinion though, it's more important that Marco is a young athlete and embodies the generational shift. Which is actually another reason why the collaboration is such a great fit, as we attach particular value to training apprentices.
Marco Odermatt: How many apprentices are you training?
Arno Inauen: At the moment, we are training 29 apprentices in different roles.
