DEMES 2010 award has gone to Vive Targi Kielce

DEMES awards are annually presented to the most successful representatives of the sports industry. This year, five clubs were nominated in the "sports clubs" category: Lech Poznań, Skra Bełchatów, Unia Leszno, Asseco Procom Gdynia, and Vive Targi Kielce. This was not the first time that the Polish handball champion was ranked amongst such excellently organized Polish sports clubs. It was, however, the first time that the team from the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie mountains had earned this widely recognized award, being the winner of the DEMES 2010 voting in the "sports clubs" category.

"This is an immense success of all the club; players, employees, sponsors, and our partners. We are making every effort to build something unique, and I'm happy to see an ever increasing number of people recognizing it," said president of Vive Targi Kielce, Bertus Servaas, on receiving this award. "Our being amongst the final five was an honour for me. In fact, I had never expected that we could win in this category", added Servaas.

The DEMES award is given in recognition of the commercial and marketing success achieved by sports clubs. For the first time ever it has gone to a handball club. This award is given to individuals, clubs and enterprises which contribute to the development of Poland's sports industry. In 2010, the award was granted for the seventh time. The award ceremony is part of an official Gala of Sport and Business, its venue being the Olympics Centre in Warsaw. This achievement testifies to the enormous work carried out by the Club, which has never ceased its efforts to grow and promote handball across the country.

Our Club competed against big brands in the world of sport, but it nevertheless won. The criteria included co-operation with sponsors, presence in the media, external relations management, sporting achievements, and innovative marketing. In the last two years the winners have been SKRA Bełchatów and, a year earlier, Lech Poznań.

The award, presented at the Gala, with Jerzy Mielewski (Polsat Sport) being the host, was received on behalf of the Club by president Bertus Servaas, who was accompanied by his wife. At the same table was also seated the coach, Bogdan Wenta, nominated in the "sports image" category, and his wife. In this case, however, the winner was Justyna Kowalczyk. At the table they were also accompanied by head of TVP Sport, Włodzimierz Szaranowicz, who received a statuette which his company was given in recognition of its broadcasting of the Winter Olympic Games.