AS Roma-Wizz Air partnership: read the presentation press conference

Here is the complete transcript of the press conference, which featured Michael Gandler (Chief Business Officer of AS Roma) and Silvia Mosquera (Commercial Officer of Wizz Air).

Introduction by Michael Gandler

“First of all, I would like to briefly talk about this partnership: I am very happy to be here today with Silvia, a partner and representative of Wizz Air. We are proud to welcome Wizz Air to Rome as our official brand partner. We share many fundamental values. Both of us prioritise quality service, innovation and a people-oriented approach, in particular when it comes to our fans and customers, even though you see your customers as fans of your brand.

“The project has just begun, but we have clear ambitions. Together with Wizz Air we want to build a truly fan-centric partnership, which means always putting fans at the centre of our decisions and projects.

“In addition to being our main partner, we will work closely with Wizz Air to develop initiatives dedicated to fans, travel opportunities, promotions and content designed to introduce our millions of fans to the club, wherever they may be in the world.

“This partnership is an important step in the evolution of AS Roma’s business proposal. We are building an ecosystem of top-level international and European partners, with the aim of creating value for our sponsors and, at the same time, further developing the emotional bond between the club and its fans.

“We are therefore proud to be here today and share this news with you and all Roma fans. We look forward to beginning this journey together with Wizz Air.”

The questions by the press to Michael Gandler

How far along are you in your search for a new main sponsor?

“Finding a main sponsor is a process that requires time. We are fortunate enough to have an important brand and so many fans who show so much passion and deserve a sponsor that, both commercially and brand-wise, is in line with our values and appreciates what we have to offer.”

How long will this partnership with Wizz Air be? Are you working to find sponsors that have connections with the new stadium?

“For confidentiality reasons I am not allowed to talk about the duration of the partnership. It is in any case a multi-year agreement, which is very important to us because having such a significant partner as sleeve sponsor means having a partnership that must grow over the years and not be limited to the short term. As far as the stadium is concerned, it will of course become a key issue once it is officially announced. It is something that we have in mind, but right now there is still a lot to do that concerns our current situation.”

You’ve only been at the club for a few months. What kind of structure did you find at Trigoria?

“I arrived in September. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all my colleagues here at the club, as well as the players and technical staff. I got the impression that everyone is very eager to grow, constantly improve and do great things for the club, team and fans. Regarding our business goals, of course there is room for improvement, because anyone can grow. Clearly our goal is to have a shirt sponsor, but it’s also to develop other projects. Unfortunately I’ve only been here for a short period of time, but we want to do a lot more and are working to achieve that.”

What are your plans to expand the brand to the rest of the world? Maybe through a summer pre-season…

“We haven’t made any plans for the summer yet. This summer will of course be a bit more complicated than others because of the World Cup. We have many top-level players who play for their respective national teams, and we will have to take that into account. We are constantly in contact with the sports department to understand what the needs of the coach and the team are, so as to be able to draw up a good strategic plan for the summer.”

Silvia Mosquera’s remarks

“I am proud to present this partnership, which is far more than a mere sponsorship. We couldn’t have chosen a better club than Roma for our first partnership with a football club. Roma is one of the most beloved clubs in the world. Roma will be a strategic partner for us. We already operate in Italy and our ambition is to grow. We want to make flying affordable for everyone and this partnership reflects that.

“Starting from 15 December we are going to be Roma’s sleeve partner and our logo will be on the team’s sleeve during its competitive matches. We will fly with the team to its away games and offer special packages to fans. We have chosen Roma because we share values with the club such as ambition, commitment and energy. We both play the role of connecting people with passion and ambition on the pitch and in the sky. We are very excited about starting this new journey. Let me say something in Italian: la Roma non si discute, si ama (You don’t question Roma; you love her).”

The questions by the press to Silvia Mosquera

Has the fact that the stadium is always full influenced your choice?

“We chose Roma because Italy is a strategic location for us, Rome in particular. Roma is a much beloved club with nearly a century of history. This can be a way to thank the many Italians who choose our airline and to show our commitment in a tangible way.”

Are there going to be initiatives dedicated to fans? 

“There will be some nice surprises for them. I can’t tell you what; stay tuned because there will be some surprises in collaboration with Roma. It will all revolve around the Roma world.”

Have you already discussed the possibility of extending your partnership and perhaps becoming the club’s main sponsor?

“Who knows, only time will tell. Nothing is set in stone. This is today’s agreement and it will be valid for the current and the next season.”