Criticism was raised recently over the weak promotional campaign for the upcoming Ice-Hockey World Championships, with a survey of people in the streets showing that most people in Slovakia didn’t even known when this international event was set to start.
The response was that the promotional campaign was being timed so as to achieve the best effect, but one of the problems is that the various organisations responsible for promoting the event (namely, the Slovak Ice-Hockey Federation, the Slovak Tourist Board and the city halls of Kosice and Bratislava) are basically working independently of each other with no concerted effort.
According to the organisational committee, the Federation proposed a common effort, but the two cities and the Tourist Board wanted to put their own stamp on it. A total of around EUR 3 million is earmarked for promotion of the championships both in Slovakia and abroad.
While the campaign of the Federation carries the motto “The Slovak Republic, Hockey Republic”, the Slovak Tourist Board has adopted the symbol of smiling Forget-me-not flowers, denoting an unforgettable tournament. Fans will be able to stick a Forget-me-not sticker on designated boards to show that they were satisfied with the services of various establishments, for instance.