600 volunteers for Cologne – casting marathon in the LANXESS arena
Over 1.000 applications from home and abroad / Job interviews in the LANXESS arena and via Skype
Around 600 volunteers are being sought for the German venue during the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Cologne and Paris (5 to 21 May). Around 1.000 applications have been received since June, and after a pre-selection, around 500 interviews were held in Cologne in a veritable casting marathon. With potential volunteers from Germany and neighboring countries. The club room of the LANXESS arena, the venue for the 2017 IIHF World Championship, was converted into a huge interview zone in which more than ten interviews could take place simultaneously.
Franz Reindl, President of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) and the organizing committee of the 2017 IIHF World Championships, welcomed the applicants personally. “I am pleased that so many people are interested in our sport and want to help make the 2017 IIHF World Championship a success,” said the 61-year-old and explained: “We have many different special teams in ice hockey, including the volunteers. We need friendly and professional volunteers. Because we want to create a good atmosphere in the city and create a great image for Germany.”
Volunteer helpers are deployed in a total of 22 work areas at the Cologne venue: for example in transport service, in the press center, in ticketing, in looking after the teams or in visitor service and in Fan-Village. The OC of the 2017 IIHF World Championship received applications from many different countries. Most came from Germany, from the ice hockey nations of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden, as well as Canada and the USA. But also from Turkey and Portugal. An application even came from Iran. About a third of the interested parties are female.
Interviews with volunteer candidates from more distant countries will be held via Skype in the coming days and weeks. The application process should be completed in January. Those interested will then find out whether they are part of the special team of volunteers at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, which the German national team will start with a game against the USA team on May 5th in Cologne.
tickets for the 2017 IIHF World Championship are available:
-online www.iihfworlds2017.com and www.facebook.com/iihfhockey
-By telephone on +49 (0)1806 2017 01 (0,20 €/call incl. VAT from landline networks, max. 0,60 €/call incl. VAT from mobile networks // Monday-Friday 10.00 a.m. – 19.00 p.m and Saturday from 12.00 p.m. to 19.00 p.m.)