Infront expands endurance sport digital solutions portfolio
March 28, 2023
The acquisition of Gameface Media, the leader in endurance event photography, solidifies Infront’s leading position in the market
March 28, 2023, Zug, Switzerland/Boston, USA /ENDURANCE SPORTWIRE/ – Infront has acquired MarathonFoto, the leading provider of endurance event photography in the United States. The new agreement expands Infront’s position and makes the company the leading provider of digital photo and video solutions for mass participation events worldwide, having previously acquired Sportograf, one of Europe’s leading photographers for long-haul events.
MarathonFoto has been an industry leader in endurance sports photography for more than 40 years and has worked at over 3,000 races. It currently partners with some of the world’s top marathons, including the TCS New York City Marathon, the Boston Marathon and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and has partnerships with over 100 clients.
The acquisition means that MarathonFoto and Sportograf together offer the highest quality digital photo and video solutions for an unmatched portfolio of endurance events worldwide, including the most prestigious running, cycling, triathlon and fitness events. Together, both companies delivered 70 million photos to almost 500,000 participants worldwide over almost 1,200 event days in 2022. It is also one of the most technologically advanced photo service providers for running races, triathlons and cycling events worldwide. Both photo companies are part of Infront’s Active Lifestyle unit.
Hans-Peter Zurbrügg, Infront Senior Vice President Active Lifestyle, said: “Part of Infront’s Active Lifestyle strategy is to look for new ways to improve key services offered at events around the world. Event photography reflects a key element in the overall attendee experience, so delivering the highest quality photo-video solutions through seamless processes creates core value for both attendees and event organizers. Our clear goal is to be the technology leader in this area as well. MarathonFoto perfectly complements the strategy and growth paths we have already embarked on with Sportograf and means that we are positioning ourselves as a solid market leader in this area.”
Brad Kroll, President of MarathonFoto, said: “MarathonFoto’s photographic and logistical expertise is now combined with Sportograf’s technological depth. Our team is excited to expand our current services such as instant photo uploads and customized race videos with Sportograf’s extensive team of technologists. We are all incredibly excited to be working with our new partners.”
Tom Janas, Managing Director of Sportograf, says: “We have been able to get to know MarathonFoto personally over the past 10 years and are very happy about the cooperation. This is mainly due to the many years of experience that MarathonFoto can now share with us. With a joint event portfolio of well over 1,200 event days, we are optimistic about the 2023 season, which should bring our customers over 80 million pictures and endless memories of sporting successes.”
About Marathon photo
With over 40 years of race photography experience, MarathonFoto combines the industry’s best logistics, highly skilled photographers and customer service, all backed by state-of-the-art technology to create the best opportunity for athletes to celebrate their achievements. MarathonFoto is a division of Infront Sports & Media AG together with its sister company Sportograf Digital Solutions GmbH. Gameface Media Inc. has owned MarathonFoto since 2019 and will now exit the event photography business to focus on its Six Minute Mile email newsletter.
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Brad Kroll
President, Marathon photo