- We are a proud sponsor of the Kongsberg Jazz Festival
- Toyota Kongsberg is a long-term partner for Kongsbergjazz. For It is important to us to support this event locally. It's our way of showing social responsibility, by contributing a transport solution, says general manager Robert Mederud at Toyota Kongsberg, which has been the main collaboration partner with the festival since 2016.
Insanely important
The festival's transport manager, Trond Brandtzæg, could not have been more pleased and happy for the Toyota contribution
Kongsberg stands for the festival.
- It is insanely important to have such a good partner as Toyota has been these years. It is absolutely the alpha and omega for carrying out a sensible festival. Toyota has been very helpful throughout, says Brandtzæg.
He explains that every year they enter into a dialogue with Toyota where the festival presents its needs for the implementation, and that Toyota adapts the car park to this need.
Starts early
- We started uniforming the cars already in February. It says Kongsberg Jazz Festival on the doors and "Jazz is More" on the bonnet, says Mederud at Toyota Kongsberg.
The central thing, as one of the largest car dealerships in Kongsberg, is to be able to give something back to the people and the city.
- It is part of Toyota's DNA to take social responsibility and at the same time provide an opportunity for everyone to participate in the festival. We want to give something back as a large company locally, says the Kongsberg Toyota manager.
More electrified
While there is societyliability in the contribution itself, the car fleet is used i festival context also increasingly electrified as part of taking environmental responsibility.
- There are different powertrains in the cars that are used, but it is becoming more and more electrified. There can be anywhere from 22 to 25 vehicles that they dispose of in the week before, during and after the jazz. We also provide an amount of money, but that is not so important in this context, says Mederud.
The cars are used to transport people between concert stages in the city, as well as to transport artists back and forth to Gardermoen.
Toyota Kongsberg has taken additional ownership of the event gold jazz, which is a separate jazz festival for the oldest residents of Kongsberg, and which is organized at Skavangertun nursing home.
- Many are driven from their own nursing home to Skavangertun where joint concerts are organised, says Mederud, who adds that the festival is for everyone, including children, who get their own program during the Children's Festival.
Can feel pride
For Toyota Kongsberg, the festival itself is also a big happening internally.
- We have the annual summer party with all our employees and pensioners during the festival week. In that way, we put a little extra value on our employees that week, says Mederud.
He is clear that the Kongsberg Jazz Festival is important for people in the city, where everyone becomes part of the event that puts the city on Norway's music map.
This article is part of the festival's Jazzavisa, which is published and distributed by Drammensavisa.
