Weber Shandwick Named By Sochi 2014 To Support International Communications

Thursday, April 10, 2008 NEW YORK, April 10, 2008 – Sochi 2014, an Organising Committee for Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has appointed Weber Shandwick to support the development and implementation of its international communications strategy in 2008.

The Sochi 2014 international communications campaign will fully adhere to and respect the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules and processes on the use of international communications for the Organising Committees.

Weber Shandwick was a driving communications force in Sochi’s successful Bid when the International Olympic Committee chose the city of Sochi as the host city for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in a close race against South Korea’s PyeongChang and Austria’s Salzburg. Weber Shandwick was responsible for all aspects of an extensive 18-month global public relations campaign for Sochi’s Bid to demonstrate the city’s suitability as a place for the Games.

Weber Shandwick has significant experience managing global integrated communications campaigns for winning city Olympic and event bid efforts, including Sochi 2014, Beijing 2008, Turin 2006 and Sydney 2000, among others.

Weber Shandwick will work alongside Jon Tibbs Associates - specialist Olympic Communications Consultants - appointed earlier this month to advise on Olympic-related communications. The appointment of Weber Shandwick underscores Sochi 2014’s intent to promote significant progress in Games preparations that are already underway.

“We are extremely happy to be able to continue working with Weber Shandwick. They have proved to us they are experienced in Olympic-related communications as well as supporting Russian companies and organizations internationally. They are creative, deliver great results and work collaboratively as partners in a challenging multicultural environment while bringing the strength of a talented global network to support our efforts,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of Sochi 2014.

“We are honored to be engaged to support Sochi 2014. Our goal is to provide seamless global communications to support the successful running of the Olympic and Paralympic Games we so strongly believe in,” said Jack Leslie, chairman of Weber Shandwick. “We are thrilled to begin working on this exciting assignment.”

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is one of the world's leading global public relations firms with offices in major media, business and government capitals around the world. The firm specializes in strategic marketing communications, media relations, public affairs, reputation management, and crisis and issues management. It also offers corporate communications counseling services. The firm provides specialized integrated services including Web relations, advocacy advertising, market research and visual communications. Weber Shandwick received the highest client-satisfaction honors in the 2007 Agency Excellence Survey by PRWeek U.S. and in 2006, was named Large PR Firm of the Year (PR News U.S.), European Consultancy of the Year (The Holmes Report) and Network of the Year (Asia Pacific PR Awards). The firm also won the 2005, 2006 and 2007 United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations. To learn more, please visit www.webershandwick.com.

Weber Shandwick is a unit of The Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), which is one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies.