Journey to stardom placed in the centre of the opening shows

Plethora of the most iconic names of the handball's world will take the court at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2018 in the LANXESS arena on 26/27 May. Four star-laden teams consist of several multiple Champions League winners, numerous EURO and World Champions, several Olympic Games gold medallists or a handful of Players of the year. The superstars of recent past and present are eager to fully exploit their master skills to steer their teams to the most coveted trophy.

Now fast rewind to 1993, when the first EHF Champions League matches were played and most of these heroes of the current scene were just little boys on the very start of their path to glory and some of them were not even born yet. And exactly their journey to stardom will be portrayed in a heart moving fashion during the four pre-game opening shows in Cologne. Hardly any other main theme of the shows could be fitting more this year as the European top flight celebrates its 25th anniversary.

The capacity crowd in the arena will get a first-hand chance not only to witness but also experience the fantastic journey with a little boy growing into a legendary player. Through optical and sound effects fans will be able to share the feelings and passion of the rising star on his way through the years, identify the call to handball's destiny, understand the challenges and struggles any big star had to overcome in his career and feel the excitement when the ultimate reward of all the effort - the VELUX EHF FINAL4 finally opens its gate for him.

To be able to fully enjoy this 'goosebumps' experience fans have to make sure they will be at their seats 15 minutes before the matches. On top of that, with the new VELUX EHF FINAL4 App (available via iTunes or Google Play), they can also take part in the spectacular entertainment, if they activate the app's light show function. When prompted by the stadium announcer, navigate to the ‘light show’ feature within the ‘Fanzone’ section in the app. Point the screen towards the court and experience magic: Your phone – together with all other fans’ phones – will create an amazing, colourful smart phone light show. Record the video and share it, tagged with #ehffinal4

The opening shows at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2018 will tell the story of the EHF Champions League from a young player’s point of view. The four shows are like four acts of a drama, culminating in the tournament’s grand finale.

Show 1 – Accepting the challenge

The first opening show introduces the protagonist who guides the audience through the story. This show sets the tone for the following ones with some tongue-in-cheek moments and the use of large emotional images which celebrate the sport.

Show 2 – Living the passion

In the second show, the protagonist’s life develops parallel to the growth of the EHF Champions League. The show reflects on the struggles and victories, the heroic moments and emotional rollercoaster rides faced by any athlete. At the same time moments of the EHF Champions League are displayed as it moves forward to become one of the greatest indoor sport events.

Show 3 – Gaining power

This show focusses on the athletic aspects of the sport. The enormous efforts every athlete has to undertake to improve his skills and to better the performance of his team are shown. Close-up images and technical data will make it possible for the audience to empathise, understand and admire the process of gaining power.

Show 4 – The quest for glory

Through the eyes of the protagonist the audience watches a recollection of decisive moments on the road to the final. At the end of the show, the audience and the protagonist are only one step away from the moment that creates heroes and legends.

Shows that make you shake

For the first time, the opening shows at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 will be accompanied by the so-called VLFC-technology. VLFC stands for ‘Very Low Frequency Control’. This means that acoustic waves that are inaudible but come with a high level of energy will be used. These waves significantly change the air pressure and are experienced by the human body as compression waves which make clothes, body hair and upper skin levels shake and vibrate.

They are used with the visual cues to increase the emotional impact of images. “It is something that you feel in your chest, much more than you hear it. There is a lot of air moving,” says Mick Hughes, Chief Audio Engineer of Metallica. The band has been using VLFC on its WorldWired-Tour. It is important to underline that these waves are a factor to increase the excitement and are by no means dangerous for the audience, including persons who suffer from epilepsy or carry a cardiac pacemaker.