Visa Records Over $9M From Sales In Italy During Turin Games

The efforts of TOP sponsor Visa at the Turin Games are profiled as part of an AROUND THE RINGS series on Olympic sponsors. The company processed more than $9M in sales “at terminals in Olympic venues and at the Super Store during” the Games. ATM volume was “higher than Athens or Salt Lake City, as well as the average value of Visa transactions.” Visa also saw “increased business for its smart cards.” More than two million pieces of POS signage were distributed to retailers throughout Turin. Visa Exec VP/Global Marketing Partnerships & Sponsorships Tom Shepard said that the company “ran a ‘huge’ guest program during the Olympics with 2,000 invitees” that included “major customers” and members of Visa BODs. Shepard said that the Visa Championships, an online game featuring winter sports, drew 450,000 unique players. Visa’s TOP sponsorship is in place through the 2012 London Games (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 3/25).