Picking up the tab
As company perks go, a private mass on the grounds of Krakow's Wawel Castle, held by none other than the Pope himself, is not a bad deal.
But the privilege does not come cheaply.
Businesses in Poland are paying out a minimum of about zl. 100,000 each for the benefit, one of several perks they receive for signing up as an official papal sponsor during John Paul II's tour through his homeland this June.
As of last week, at least 25 companies had signed up to sponsor the Pope's tour, donating equipment or funds to help prepare local churches and fund media services for the pontiff's trip. In addition to two invitations to the June 16 mass, companies will have their logos posted on publications, press materials and the web site of the Catholic Information Agency (KAI), the church's media arm. Information on sponsors also will be given during television and radio programs.
"The trip is organized by local church authorities and if they don't have enough money, they look to other places," according to the Holy See's press office. Aside from the travel expenses of the pontiff and his entourage, the Vatican does not usually pick up the tab when the Pope is an invited guest of another country.
While Polish businesses helped to sponsor the Pope's last trip to Poland, there was not a clear strategy for attracting these sponsors in the past, said Gralyna Sicko, a deputy commercial director for the Polish Information Agency, a state-owned company that is coordinating media activities for the Pope's visit.
This trip is different. In 1999, the Pope's Polish tour is going corporate.
To attract funds from companies, the church attached a number of sweeteners to sponsorship deals. An award ceremony was held for sponsors, support offices have been set up for the companies and the flashy KAI web site displays revolving company logos.
Sponsor's donations are going to supplement the zl. 35 million ($8.97 million) allocated by the Polish government for the trip and an undisclosed amount that was collected by the Catholic Church. Of the government's money, zl. 20 million ($5.1 million) will be spent on security and the remaining zl. 15 million ($3.9 million) on transportation, press and medical services.
While the KAI could not estimate the cost of the Pope's visit or reveal the exact amount collected from sponsors, about zl. 2.5 million ($641,000) is needed from companies just to cover media services. These funds will go toward translating materials, setting up 20 press centers around the country, and providing other services to the more than 2,000 international journalists expected for the pontiff's visit.
Additional sponsor funds will be donated to the episcopacy, the council of bishops helping to organize the Pope's trip.
While this overlap of church, state and business may seem somewhat odd, company heads argue that their payment is a contribution to Polish society and similar to other corporate donations.
"Our policy is to be present in important cultural, sport and other kinds of events important to Polish society," said Jacek Kozlowski, director of public relations for Bank Pekao. While the bank will have its logo on folders, leaflets and other press publications connected with the Pope, "we are not waiting for returns in such situations. It is a different situation than sponsoring tennis or other sports."
Similar to most sponsors, Pekao's Kozlowski would not reveal the exact amount of the bank's contribution and only said that it would be less than zl. 400,000.
About 90% of sponsors exceeded the zl. 100,000 level used as a cut off to qualify as a "good" sponsor, according to Jacek Jakubiak, executive director of KAI.
Animex exceeded this minimum amount, although Krzysztof Koziol, the company's public relations director, would not reveal the total donation.
"As a big company located across Poland we'd like to help in an event that is very important to Polish society," Koziol said. "We want to be in the company of other serious, important and huge firms that are also sponsors."
Hotel chain and travel agency Orbis donated DM 50,000 in hotel services to house a group of 60 journalists accredited to the Vatican, according to a source close to the hotel group who did not want to be named.
The company decided to become a sponsor after winning a contract to house an approximate 200 to 300 journalists who will trail the Pope throughout Poland, the source said. To win the contract, the company offered a 10% discount on average room rates along the pilgrimage. The value of the deal cannot be determined until a definite number of journalists and the length of lodging is known, according to the source.
Orbis also is benefiting from locale. The company owns two hotels, the Europejski and the Victoria Intercontinental, which both overlook plac Pilsudskiego. This is the square where the Pope is scheduled to speak June 13, meaning that guests in the hotels will have a ringside seat for the events. Both hotels are overbooked by about 20%, according to Marek Stopczyk, manager of the two hotels.
The square is an especially important venue because the Pope delivered a moving sermon there in 1979, said Jaroslaw Myjak, general manager of Commercial Union, which is serving as a sponsor for the second time. During that sermon "the Pope said 'Let the Holy Spirit descend and change the face of this land. This land.' We felt it already that Poland would never be the same after he said this," Myjak said.
The potential of the Pope's visit has not been lost on travel agents, either.
The American-based, and family-run, Tatry Travel Services has organized a $2,195 pilgrimage tour during the Pope's visit. During the 14-day trip, participants will attend an outdoor mass and canonization ceremony of blessed Kinga.
As the legend goes, Kinga, who was married to King Boleslaw Wstydliwy, threw off her ring and found deposits of salt at Wieliczka.
The agency has booked about half of the 20 individuals they hope will participate in the tour, said Helena Masiorski, owner of Tatry Travel. While more tourists have signed up than for non-Pope pilgrimage tours held in the past, total interest has been limited by a lack of knowledge on the soon to be St. Kinga. "We're trying to educate them while they're signing up," Masiorski said.
But the privilege does not come cheaply.
Businesses in Poland are paying out a minimum of about zl. 100,000 each for the benefit, one of several perks they receive for signing up as an official papal sponsor during John Paul II's tour through his homeland this June.
As of last week, at least 25 companies had signed up to sponsor the Pope's tour, donating equipment or funds to help prepare local churches and fund media services for the pontiff's trip. In addition to two invitations to the June 16 mass, companies will have their logos posted on publications, press materials and the web site of the Catholic Information Agency (KAI), the church's media arm. Information on sponsors also will be given during television and radio programs.
"The trip is organized by local church authorities and if they don't have enough money, they look to other places," according to the Holy See's press office. Aside from the travel expenses of the pontiff and his entourage, the Vatican does not usually pick up the tab when the Pope is an invited guest of another country.
While Polish businesses helped to sponsor the Pope's last trip to Poland, there was not a clear strategy for attracting these sponsors in the past, said Gralyna Sicko, a deputy commercial director for the Polish Information Agency, a state-owned company that is coordinating media activities for the Pope's visit.
This trip is different. In 1999, the Pope's Polish tour is going corporate.
To attract funds from companies, the church attached a number of sweeteners to sponsorship deals. An award ceremony was held for sponsors, support offices have been set up for the companies and the flashy KAI web site displays revolving company logos.
Sponsor's donations are going to supplement the zl. 35 million ($8.97 million) allocated by the Polish government for the trip and an undisclosed amount that was collected by the Catholic Church. Of the government's money, zl. 20 million ($5.1 million) will be spent on security and the remaining zl. 15 million ($3.9 million) on transportation, press and medical services.
While the KAI could not estimate the cost of the Pope's visit or reveal the exact amount collected from sponsors, about zl. 2.5 million ($641,000) is needed from companies just to cover media services. These funds will go toward translating materials, setting up 20 press centers around the country, and providing other services to the more than 2,000 international journalists expected for the pontiff's visit.
Additional sponsor funds will be donated to the episcopacy, the council of bishops helping to organize the Pope's trip.
While this overlap of church, state and business may seem somewhat odd, company heads argue that their payment is a contribution to Polish society and similar to other corporate donations.
"Our policy is to be present in important cultural, sport and other kinds of events important to Polish society," said Jacek Kozlowski, director of public relations for Bank Pekao. While the bank will have its logo on folders, leaflets and other press publications connected with the Pope, "we are not waiting for returns in such situations. It is a different situation than sponsoring tennis or other sports."
Similar to most sponsors, Pekao's Kozlowski would not reveal the exact amount of the bank's contribution and only said that it would be less than zl. 400,000.
About 90% of sponsors exceeded the zl. 100,000 level used as a cut off to qualify as a "good" sponsor, according to Jacek Jakubiak, executive director of KAI.
Animex exceeded this minimum amount, although Krzysztof Koziol, the company's public relations director, would not reveal the total donation.
"As a big company located across Poland we'd like to help in an event that is very important to Polish society," Koziol said. "We want to be in the company of other serious, important and huge firms that are also sponsors."
Hotel chain and travel agency Orbis donated DM 50,000 in hotel services to house a group of 60 journalists accredited to the Vatican, according to a source close to the hotel group who did not want to be named.
The company decided to become a sponsor after winning a contract to house an approximate 200 to 300 journalists who will trail the Pope throughout Poland, the source said. To win the contract, the company offered a 10% discount on average room rates along the pilgrimage. The value of the deal cannot be determined until a definite number of journalists and the length of lodging is known, according to the source.
Orbis also is benefiting from locale. The company owns two hotels, the Europejski and the Victoria Intercontinental, which both overlook plac Pilsudskiego. This is the square where the Pope is scheduled to speak June 13, meaning that guests in the hotels will have a ringside seat for the events. Both hotels are overbooked by about 20%, according to Marek Stopczyk, manager of the two hotels.
The square is an especially important venue because the Pope delivered a moving sermon there in 1979, said Jaroslaw Myjak, general manager of Commercial Union, which is serving as a sponsor for the second time. During that sermon "the Pope said 'Let the Holy Spirit descend and change the face of this land. This land.' We felt it already that Poland would never be the same after he said this," Myjak said.
The potential of the Pope's visit has not been lost on travel agents, either.
The American-based, and family-run, Tatry Travel Services has organized a $2,195 pilgrimage tour during the Pope's visit. During the 14-day trip, participants will attend an outdoor mass and canonization ceremony of blessed Kinga.
As the legend goes, Kinga, who was married to King Boleslaw Wstydliwy, threw off her ring and found deposits of salt at Wieliczka.
The agency has booked about half of the 20 individuals they hope will participate in the tour, said Helena Masiorski, owner of Tatry Travel. While more tourists have signed up than for non-Pope pilgrimage tours held in the past, total interest has been limited by a lack of knowledge on the soon to be St. Kinga. "We're trying to educate them while they're signing up," Masiorski said.
