CINCINNATI (OH) – The 2012 World Choir Games, recently named one of the big events of 2012 worldwide by the Chicago Tribune, will be just 200 days away on Saturday, Dec. 17, and each week the number of registered choirs, sponsors and volunteers is growing.

The World Choir Games was mentioned by the Tribune along with events in London, Belgium, Hawaii and others. The 2012 Games was the only event in the Midwest listed (aside from the Super Bowl in Indianapolis); the only event in Ohio; and the only U.S. event listed in July 2012. http://tinyurl.com/7ueaf8s

The “Olympics of choral music,” held every two years, will take place in Cincinnati USA from July 4–14, 2012, and promises to be the biggest international event in Cincinnati USA’s history.

Already, 301 choirs from 43 countries have signed up for the 2012 Games, totaling more than 12,000 participants. There are choirs from 24 U.S. states registered so far, including close to 70 choirs from Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Interest has been so high that choir registration deadlines were extended to Jan. 15, 2012, by INTERKULTUR, the Germany-based organization that produces elite international choral events all over the globe including the World Choir Games.

“Our offices all over the world are registering choirs every day, and we expect that to continue,” said INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch. “It’s very exciting.”

It’s the first time the event is being held in the United States. There are choirs registered from Belgium, the Channel Islands, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Jamaica, Latvia, Namibia, Nigeria, Poland, Spain and more. Among those registered are 13 former Champions of the World Choir Games, including four from South Africa.

Tickets to all World Choir Games event will go on sale March 1, 2012. The Cincinnati Organizing Committee for the 2012 World Choir Games announces the following new Silver Medal sponsors for the event ($250,000 or more): Barefoot Proximity/BBDO, Cumulus Media, The Kroger Co., UC Health and WCPO-TV, and new Bronze Medal sponsors ($100,000 or more) the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Cintas and U.S. Bank.

Those companies and organizations join Presenting Sponsor Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern (Gold Medal), CVG (Bronze Medal) and Cincinnati Magazine (Bronze Medal). The Cincinnati Organizing Committee expects to announce more sponsors within the month, said Nick Vehr, managing director.

“We’re roughly $8 million toward the goal of a $10-million to $12-million event,” Vehr said. “We continue to have discussions with many companies and individuals who share our vision of this being the most significant event in the history of the region. We’re so grateful to those who have already contributed and we look forward to having many others engaged. That’s what it’s going to take for Cincinnati USA to take full advantage of the national and international spotlight.”

To date, close to $6 million has been raised through corporate sponsorships, charitable foundations and individual patrons. Another $2 million is expected from revenue related to the event (tickets, merchandise). More than 260 corporations, foundations, organizations and individuals have donated to the Games. For a complete list of donors, please go to http://tinyurl.com/7jq62lv.

The 2012 Games are expected to bring 20,000 participants and tens of thousands of visitors from more than 70 countries to Cincinnati USA. The economic impact is projected to be $73.5 million.

Already, more than 1,000 community members have signed up online to volunteer in a variety of capacities, including marketing & communications, participant services, venue support, event services, choir hosts, sponsor relations, volunteer services and language services. A new registration form was posted on the website Dec. 6, which requests greater detail than the previous signup form. This makes it easier to match volunteer preferences with our volunteer needs. You can sign up on the event’s website, http://2012worldchoirgames.com/volunteers.

The Cincinnati Organizing Committee is working to build a team of 4,000 volunteers.

Additionally, local choirs, mascots Whirl and Twirl and a variety of speakers have been out in the community almost weekly at events, meetings and organizational programs.

“I can’t say enough about our volunteer leaders and volunteer teams,” said Dan Lincoln, president & CEO of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau and director of the Cincinnati Organizing Committee for the 2012 Games. “Their dedication and support has been phenomenal. We wouldn’t be where we are without them.”

ABOUT INTERKULTUR
INTERKULTUR, based in Pohlheim, Germany, has ties to 120,000 choirs made up of 4.8 million choral singers around the world. In more than 20 years since INTERKULTUR was established, more than 5,800 choirs and some 260,000 singers from 100 nations have taken part in the World Choir Games and INTERKULTUR's regional choir competitions. www.interkultur.com.

ABOUT BAREFOOT PROXIMITY/BBDO
Barefoot Proximity is a marketing and innovation firm located in Cincinnati. It is part of Proximity Worldwide, an interactive and direct marketing agency network with offices in more than 50 countries. Proximity is part of BBDO
Worldwide, which has been independently ranked as the world's most creative and effective agency network. BBDO is owned by Omnicom Group Inc. www.barefootproximity.com.

ABOUT CUMULUS MEDIA
As America’s second-largest operator of radio stations, Cumulus provides high-impact local marketing solutions in 68 metropolitan areas. We introduce businesses of all sizes to our communities of 14 million listeners via radio, digital media, targeted e-mail, and on-site promotions. www.cincyradio.com.

ABOUT THE KROGER CO.
Kroger Cincinnati/Dayton Division employs more than 20,000 associates who serve customers in 109 supermarkets (including nine Marketplace stores), warehouses and offices in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Indiana, and Dayton areas. With more than 1,800 groups participating in the Division’s Neighborhood Rewards Program, more than $4 million was donated back to local non-profit organizations in 2009. The division focuses its charitable efforts on hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, child welfare and grass roots organizations. www.kroger.com.

ABOUT UC HEALTH
UC Health includes University Hospital, ranked the best hospital in the region by U.S. News and World Report; West Chester Hospital, Cincinnati’s newest hospital; Drake Center, Cincinnati’s premier provider of long term acute care; UC Physicians, Cincinnati’s largest specialty practice group with 650 board-certified clinicians and surgeons; the Lindner Center of HOPE, the region’s premier mental health center, and the UC Cancer Institute, the UC Cardiovascular Institute, the UC Neuroscience Institute and the UC Diabetes and Endocrinology Institute. www.UCHealth.com.

ABOUT WCPO
WCPO Channel 9 is the ABC affiliate serving the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Tri-State area. On Your Side with Emmy winning “I-Team” Investigations, “Don’t Waste Your Money” consumer reports and the forecast rated Cincinnati’s most accurate, WCPO’s 9 News is recognized as the area’s leader for coverage on-air, online and on the latest mobile devices. WCPO and wcpo.com are owned by Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Company. www.wcpo.com.

ABOUT CINCINNATI USA REGIONAL CHAMBER
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber is the nation's fifth largest chamber, representing the interests of 5,000 member businesses. Its mission is to capture Cincinnati USA as one of the world's favorite American business centers. The chamber serves its membership and the Cincinnati USA community through economic development, government advocacy, festivals and events, regional vision and collaboration, money-saving benefit programs, leadership and networking opportunities and educational programs. www.CincinnatiChamber.com.

ABOUT CINTAS
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services and document management services for approximately 800,000 businesses. www.cintas.com.

ABOUT U.S. BANCORP
U.S. Bancorp, with $330 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2011, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,089 banking offices in 25 states and 5,092 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. U.S. Bancorp and its employees are dedicated to improving the communities they serve, for which the company earned the 2011 Spirit of America Award, the highest honor bestowed on a company by United Way. www.usbank.com.
 

Procter & Gamble is presenting sponsor