{"id":174523,"date":"2019-07-08T11:26:20","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T11:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=174523"},"modified":"2019-10-11T08:48:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T08:48:27","slug":"the-tour-de-france-hospitality-programme-the-skoda-family-making-the-dream-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2019\/07\/08\/the-tour-de-france-hospitality-programme-the-skoda-family-making-the-dream-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tour de France Hospitality Programme: The \u0160koda Family Making the Dream Happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou\u2019ve just won a place on the Tour de France Hospitality Programme by \u0160koda!\u201d That\u2019s a sentence every avid La Grande Boucle fan craves to find in their e-mail inbox after taking part in one of the contests. A lot has been written about the experience from the point of the lucky participants \u2013 the joy of winning, the breathtaking helicopter flyover of all stages, the roadside BBQ, the morning group ride with Andy Schleck, a former pro cyclist and a road racing legend. But this time, we wanted to turn the narrative inwards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We ventured behind the organizational scenes of one of the greatest experiences a cycling aficionado can have and got in touch with Simona Ka\u0161p\u00e1rkov\u00e1, \u0160koda\u2019s Hospitality Programme Manager, to ask her how her team gets things done in all that month\u2019s madness.<\/p>\n

How long does the Hospitality Programme exist and how long have you been a part of it?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In 2004, \u0160koda became a partner of Le Tour and, together with A.S.O., they organized a small event focused on making the Tour accessible to our best clients and the general public \u2013 especially cycling enthusiasts. This first attempt evolved for four years and eventually became the official Hospitality Programme in 2008. I\u2019ve been a part of it since 2015.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s all those little touches that make you feel like a true VIP.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How did the whole concept come to life?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, as a sponsor, \u0160koda naturally reaps some of the contractual benefits, which we wanted to use to their full potential. This resulted in the idea of inviting importers, dealers, journalists and other visitors from the public to get closer to the Tour. From another point of view, it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience in three days.<\/p>\n

Is the Hospitality Programme organized by the same team each year? Could you say you\u2019re a bit of a backstage Tour de France family?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We absolutely are. There\u2019s one team member who\u2019s with us for the 13th time and the rest spans between 5-10 years of attendance. Still, we refresh the team on a regular basis because not everyone is able to take a month-long leave from work and sacrifice their holiday. But some do and they do it each year. We make changes to approximately 20 % of the team, there\u2019s always a hostess or a driver who can\u2019t make it this time.<\/p>\n