Sponsors reap rewards at VELUX EHF FINAL4 2019

The VELUX EHF FINAL4 2019 was once again a sold-out event. 19,750 spectators watched Europe’s biggest club handball event in Cologne’s LANXESS arena and followed the spectacular success of Skopje’s HC Vardar in winning their second VELUX EHF Champions League title.

Away from the on-court match action, the event has also proved its value for partners and sponsors. EHF Marketing GmbH sold every available marketing package ahead of the event and established the VELUX EHF FINAL4 once again as a 360 degrees sponsorship platform with on-site activation opportunities, digital fan engagement and extensive TV exposure in more than 110 territories.

Over the course of the event, there were 25 sponsor activations both inside and outside the arena providing not just the event’s spectators but also the 7,000 fans attending the Opening Party on Friday with opportunities to engage and entertain fans. The success of these activations is underlined by the fact that fans spent an average of eight hours each day at the event.

Record-breaking number of VIP & hospitality guests

The event saw 2,500 VIP guests in 60 VIP boxes and lounges. For the first time, the VIP guests were offered the photo service which allowed them to have a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes content.

Roughly 900 VIP guests came from the title sponsor, the VELUX Group. They once again made full use of their access to the event by welcoming their employees, customers and clients in various fully branded VIP areas.

At the anniversary event, the company fully activated its sponsorship by presenting all four spectacular opening shows,  ‘Guess the score’ social media raffles, “Let’s Play” ball giveaway and both on-site indoor and outdoor fan activations.

Digital fan engagement and second screen experience for fans

With the official VELUX EHF FINAL4 App, the event offered more insights into the game than ever before. In-depth statistics and exclusive giveaways were added to the social media content and were only accessible via the app.

For the first time, player tracking technology provided by KINEXON was implemented complementing the SELECT iBall which was launched in 2018. All the tracking data, powered by Nord Stream 2, allowed fans to get in-depth match insights via the app such as jump height, running distance, the fastest shot and much more offering them a second screen experience.

The ‘Pulse’ feature of the app gave Gorenje the chance to create #simplyfans moment. The audio-triggered function lit the arena in the Gorenje brand colours and encouraged fans to open the app and participate in the ‘Pulse’ in order to win exciting prizes.

The official app was downloaded almost 25,000 times and had more than 21,000 active users during the event.

Matthias Mayrhofer, Key Account Manager of EHF Marketing GmbH, said: “The quality of the VELUX EHF FINAL4, as well as of the competition itself, has once again increased and so we proved the VELUX EHF Champions League to be a year-around high-end product.

"By investing in new technologies and providing a 360 degree sponsorship platform, reaching more than 20,000 people on-site in Cologne and thousands across Europe in various arenas as well as millions in front of the TV and social media, our partners can directly connect to fans to share their passion for handball and engage with them. In the future we will work even more on creating innovative business-building opportunities.

Ticket sales for 2020 proves the interest in the event

Even though the teams for the next edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 are far from known, fans rushed to the ticket office to secure their place for the 2020 edition which will take place on 30/31 May.

During the weekend, 8,300 tickets have been already sold with 700 of them being handed out to Cashback Programme members. The Cashback Programme gives fans 2% Cashback Bonus and the opportunity to bypass the long line for the highly demanded tickets for 2020 via the Cashback Lane.