Mega Tour debuts on 18 college campuses
IRVINE, Calif. (April 2004) - Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA) and Virgin Entertainment Group, North America, have teamed up to rock college campuses with one of the best concert tours of 2004, the Virgin College Mega Tour. The spotlight will be on the all-new Volvo S40 as it makes its music industry debut and keeps the beat with some of today’s hottest recording artists. While on tour, students across the country will experience the all-new Volvo S40 as the national college concert series visits 18 campuses.
As a sponsor of the Virgin College Mega Tour, VCNA will connect with a new generation of Volvo enthusiasts. The all-new Volvo S40 will be featured in the innovative interactive village set up at each college campus on the day of the concert where students will be able to see, touch and feel the all-new Volvo S40. Trained product specialists will be on-hand to interact with interested students, answer questions, collect leads and raise awareness about the Volvo brand.
The hip, tech-savvy all-new Volvo S40 display will also include four interactive X-box video game kiosks for students to enjoy, featuring “Project Gotham Racing 2” in which the all-new Volvo S40 appears. Visitors to the all-new Volvo S40 display will also receive a CD enriched with Volvo messaging and featuring hot new music from up-and-coming artists, as well as a link to the all-new Volvo S40 Web site.
With the launch of the all-new Volvo S40, VCNA aims to achieve a positive and sustainable relationship with a new, youthful and diverse customer group. As part of this initiative, VCNA chose to team up with Virgin Megastores, the world's premiere entertainment retailer, to introduce the all-new Volvo S40 to these important customers.
"For the launch of the all-new Volvo S40 we looked at partnerships that are unexpected for us, but yet credible for the all-new Volvo S40," says Thomas Andersson, Executive Vice President of Marketing for VCNA. "We've teamed up with Virgin Megastores because their customers fit the profile of the target audience that we are trying to reach. They are youthful, diverse, technologically savvy, sophisticated trendsetters, active people who will appreciate the all-new Volvo S40's innovative design and enhanced functionality."
Volvo’s recently announced partnership with Virgin Megastores also consists of the All Access Tour and the All Access Drive Experience. These programs combine in-store all-new Volvo S40 displays at various locations of the Virgin chain, as well as both daytime and nighttime drive sessions on closed performance courses.
The Virgin College Mega Tour dates:
(** Denotes Student Only Concerts)
Saturday, March 27 Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond, VA
Sunday, March 28 Manhattan College - Riverdale, NY ** Students Only
Friday, April 2 Western Carolina University - Cullowhee, NC
Sunday, April 4 University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR
Monday, April 5 University of Memphis - Memphis, TN
Thursday, April 8 Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff, AZ
Friday, April 9 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – San Luis Obispo, CA
Saturday, April 10 California State University Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Friday, April 16 Louisiana Tech – Ruston, LA
Saturday, April 17 Mississippi State - Starkville, MS
Sunday, April 18 University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL
Tuesday, April 20 Southeastern Louisiana University - Hammond, LA
Wednesday, April 21 Arkansas State University - Jonesboro, AR
Saturday, April 24 Regis College - Weston, MA
Sunday, April 25 Wellesley College – Wellesley, MA
Monday, April 26 Southern Connecticut State University - New Haven, CT
Wednesday, April 28 College of Staten Island – Staten Island, NY
Thursday, April 29 University of Rhode Island - Kingston, RI
Friday, April 30 Niagara University - Niagara Falls, NY
For more information on the Virgin College Mega Tour please visit the official Web site www.virgincollegemegatour.com
About VCNA
VCNA, part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden, provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
In addition to the award-winning Volvo XC90, the Volvo automobile line is comprised of: the 2004.5 all-new S40 sedan; the sporty S60 sedan – including the award-winning performance sedan – S60 R, and its performance wagon counterpart – the V70 R; the flagship S80 luxury sedan; versatile V70 wagon and rugged XC70 (Cross Country); the C70 convertible; and, the compact S40 and V40 models.
About Virgin Entertainment Group
Virgin Entertainment Group is the world's leading multi-channel music and entertainment retailer, providing customers with a range of superior entertainment experiences through a family of integrated Virgin-branded businesses. The "category killer" Virgin Megastores and Virgin Megastores Online at www.virginmegamagazine.com are integral parts of a strategy to provide entertainment customers with what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. For more information, or to check out the location of the nearest Virgin retail go to www.virginmegamagazine.com
For more information:
Volvo Cars of North America - Maddie Liseblad, Media Events Manager, Public Affairs,
800-970-0888, www.volvocars-pr.com
Virgin Entertainment Group - Krysty Walker, SJ Communications, 818-881-3889, Krysty@SJCommunications.com
