Lieutenant Colonel Markus Matzhold succeeds Colonel Georg Frischeis as the new Chairman of the Officers’ Ball Committee. Frischeis had held the position since 2018, he took command of the Guard in the summer.
The tasks of the Chairman of the Ball Committee include representing the ball externally and organizing the Ball Committee and thus the internal distribution of tasks, but above all keeping in touch with all relevant stakeholders – internally and externally. This includes the guards, who have provided a significant part of the musical entertainment on the evening of the ball for years and support with logistical and organizational activities in the background, as well as the Hofburg’s in-house technicians and event managers, military police and sponsors. In addition to General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr will also be supporting the next ball on January 17, 2025 Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky, Rheinmetall, KNDS and the University of Krems are the ball organizers. As in previous years, Militär Aktuell (-> Review of the Officers’ Ball 2024) is once again on board as a media partner.
Since 2008, Matzhold has been on the board of the “Alt-Neustadt” association, the alumni association of the Theresian Military Academy, which has traditionally organized the ball since 1926. Since then, he has also been part of the ball committee and thus involved in the organization of the ball. Most recently, he was responsible for public relations as part of the team, maintaining contact with the media and managing the website and social media channels of the Officers’ Ball. Matzhold is currently Head of Internal Communications for the Austrian Armed Forces. “I have been involved in the organization of the ball for more than a decade and therefore not only know the circumstances and contacts in the direct and indirect organizational environment, but also the internal processes very well. I am extremely pleased to now be able to take on even more responsibility in this role and would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessor and the entire Ball Committee team for the excellent cooperation to date and in the future.” https://militaeraktuell.at/schweiz-tritt-european-sky-shield-bei/ The Officers’ Ball on 17 January 2025 (-> To the event website) will be held under the motto “Europe dances”. To mark “30 years of Austria’s accession to the EU”, there will be a musical journey through all EU member states. There will also be a first taste of 200 years of Johann Strauss and 70 years of the Austrian Armed Forces.
