Sponsorship will see Visa work with iZettle to bring contactless payments to Snowboxx festival in France for the first time

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) today announced that it will sponsor European snow and music festival, Snowboxx, in France, as the event’s ‘Official Payment Partner.’ Together with its partner, iZettle, Visa will transform the payments landscape at Snowboxx – aiming to help 100 percent of the festival’s merchants accept card, mobile and contactless payments.

The sponsorship marks a shift from previous Snowboxx festivals, where festival-goers were required to make payments by cash, or via a payments token system. The introduction of contactless payments this year means customers can now tap and pay quickly, securely, and conveniently with their cards, mobile phones, or wearables – making payments abroad in the same way they would do at home.

After five years of growth, Snowboxx has established itself as an unmissable date in the calendar for snow lovers and festival-goers alike. The event, taking place over seven days in Avoriaz, France from 17-24 March 2018, will see 6,000+ festival-goers enjoying live performances from artists including headliners Fatboy Slim, LoyleCarner and Chase & Status DJ Set and Rage.

Stephen Day, Vice President of Marketing for Europe at Visa, says:“At Visa, we are dedicated to being the best way to pay and be paid for everyone, everywhere – even at the top of a snowy mountain. Contactless payments – whether by card, mobile, or wearable – can offer huge benefits to those on ski holidays. They are fast (reducing queues), secure (lost cards can be replaced, unlike lost cash), and convenient, meaning consumers can ski or snowboard without the burden of carrying cash. Visa is working to upgrade the payment experience at select sports, music and other major events. Our sponsorship of Snowboxx is to enable choice – making sure the infrastructure is in place so that anyone who would like to pay digitally can do so.”

Alan Crofton, Festival Director of Snowboxx, says: “We are delighted to have Visa on board as the Official Payment Partner of Snowboxx 2018. Working with Visa we will be enabling contactless card payments across all transactional points at Snowboxx. This is another great step forward for Snowboxx which continues to grow from strength to strength each year. We aim to provide customers with a seamless experience through all steps of their journey and this will provide customers with an efficient payment solution across all aspects of the festival.”

Johan Bendz, Chief Communication and Strategy Officer at iZettle, says: “We’re really excited to partner with Visa in making Snowboxx 2018 as cashless as possible, giving festival-goers the choice to pay in whatever way suits them best, whilst making sure each seller has the tools needed to get paid and sell smarter.”

For 2018, Snowboxx will return to its home in Avoriaz between 17-24 March 2018, a top-tier ski resort in the French Alps that offers the largest connected ski area in the world – 650 km of pistes spanning across France and Switzerland. Find more details about the festival here.