Press Releases

On 19 May Vodafone will be organising the famous Sofa Race which this year will be held at Parque das Nações in Lisbon. The days of the Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2012 festival will see the debut of Vodafone Showcases, featuring bands such as White Denim, Oberhofer, Cristal Antlers, Ladrões do Tempo, The Glockenwise, You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown, Macacos do Chinês, doismileoito and others.

But that is not the end of the initiatives marking Vodafone’s sponsorship of the world’s biggest music and entertainment event designed to offer truly unique experiences leading up to and during Rock in Rio. These and other activities such as Vodafone 5 Stars, the Vodafone Rock in Rio app, Vodafone m.Ticket and the Sofa Factory are explained below.

Sofa Race and Vodafone Best Seat
On Saturday 19 May, Vodafone is organising the by now familiar Sofa Race, which this year takes place at Vodafone Portugal’s Head Office at Parque das Nações in Lisbon. The contestants – out of 160 – who win the race by best manoeuvring the sofas equipped with wheels and brakes will win the Vodafone Best Seat – the best place to watch the Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2012 concerts, with VIP treatment and the clearest view of the World Stage.

Vodafone Showcases
Vodafone Showcases are Vodafone’s big new initiative at Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2012. This is an arena in Rock City, near the Vodafone Best Seat, where Portuguese and foreign bands will offer new musical experiences to the audience. The performances, lasting 20-30 minutes, will take place during the intervals on the World Stage.

Vodafone 5 Stars
Following its success in 2010, Vodafone 5 Stars returns to this year’s edition to offer the truly memorable experience of spending a night in the Rock in Rio enclosure. Two of the three available rooms will be occupied by the winners of the ‘Be sure to sleep and be at Rock in Rio’ competition, which was run on Vodafone Portugal’s Facebook page. The third room will be given away during the days of the event to the visitor who obtains the best score in a game that will take place in the Vodafone 5 Stars lobby.

App for Smartphones
The Vodafone Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2012 app is available for iPhone and Android smartphones and was created so that users can check all the festival news, prepare their visit and use it during the days of the festival. The app enables users to check the festival line-up and add bands to their list of favourites to create a personal line-up. users can also read the biography of every artist and access their official pages and accounts on social networks, and add Facebook friends and share Rock in Rio activities with them. The app can also be personalised with shortcuts to rapidly access favourite sections. For the days of the event, the app has novelties for visitors who like being entertained in a novel way.

Vodafone m.Ticket
The system of electronic ticket sales via mobile phone, first launched by Vodafone for Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2010, is also back and will shortly be available via the Vodafone Rock in Rio-Lisboa 2012 app. This was the first alternative to traditional paper tickets in the history of Rock in Rio worldwide and was so successful that sales exceeded the limits of the event. It has since been launched commercially and nowadays has other uses such as selecting and buying cinema tickets via mobile phone. Holders of electronic tickets will have gain entry to Rock in Rio-Lisboa via an exclusive Vodafone entrance.

Sofa Factory
The Sofa Factory is another of Vodafone’s usual initiatives at Rock in Rio-Lisboa, created to give away inflatable sofas so that visitors can watch the concerts in comfort or just relax in the enclosure.

Vodafone Shop
Like at previous editions, Vodafone will have a shop on the site, measuring around 40 m2. The shop will contain areas for visitors to try out the brand’s services and content, and a Customer Care area.

Yorn Area
During the event, Yorn will organise a first-time initiative offering a large selection of prizes to those daring to sit in the Yorn Barber’s chair.