General Introduction

For European Athletics and its events, marketing means creating, communicating and delivering activities and occasions that have value to European Athletics’ commercial affiliates, member federations, event organisers, fans, athletes, the media and to society in general.

The objectives of both the LOCs and European Athletics is to bring the European Athletics events to such a level that for both the athletes and the spectators the events will be unforgettable. The more attractive the event, the greater the value that will have been created and it must be a common effort to achieve this target.

When these objectives have been achieved, the “consumers” of each event can benefit as follows:

  • People living in the area, region, neighbouring countries, etc. will be attracted and will want to be part of it. Ticket sales will increase and spectators will create atmosphere in the stadium/arena/race-course. TV viewing figures and social media audiences will increase.
  • Athletes will be motivated to participate in the event and perform to their maximum.
  • The host city will improve its position in the sports event market and generate new opportunities for further events. This will attract more visitors, companies and other sports federation as a result of the economic, social and ecological impact of the event.
  • People working with the event will be inspired. It will be fun to work at the event and their social standing and prestige will rise among their friends. As a side effect, they will promote the event amongst their friends and families.
  • Potential sponsors/partners from the region, country and across Europe will want to associate themselves with the event. These will provide resources (cash and/or services) to the event as well as helping to promote it through their corporate channels.
  • It will also help in the recruitment of volunteers.

For these reasons it is extremely important that the LOC, together with the European Athletics, develops an effective marketing strategy.

Marketing Plan

The positioning of the European Athletics event in the national and local market needs to be defined, developed and followed from the very beginning of the event organisation and must be integrated with the promotion, ticketing, communication and sponsorship plans (please refer to the equivalent sections).

Promotional activities are acknowledged to be fundamental to the success of any event. The general public, sponsors and other interested parties will all judge the event’s success by the numbers of spectators at the stadium, arena or racecourse; and this will make the difference between a memorable event and “just another event”.

A successful promotional campaign will ensure:

  • Full stadium with good atmosphere
  • Enthusiasm for the event by the host city’s inhabitants
  • Maximised revenue from ticket sales
  • Justifies institutional investment
  • Commercial/promotional opportunities for sponsors
  • Builds negotiation power towards suppliers (everybody wants to be part of it)
  • Creates media stories which are cost-efficient and informative
  • Helps with volunteer recruitment
  • Creates a positive image of the event and of the sport of athletics

What needs to be done to have a successful promotional campaign:

  • Substantial part of budget must be allocated for promotional activities

         (20% or more)

  • Must be developed as the first priority activity after event is awarded
  • Define the messages of the event
  • Define detailed planning of all activities within all communication channels
  • Promote the sport of athletics and its athletes through all communication channels
  • Must take into account media partnerships
  • Must differentiate between activities before and during the event
  • Promotional activities must be measured/quantified by research surveys

If all these conditions are met it will be easier to communicate stories that attract people to come to the stadium, arena or racecourse.  With a good ticketing policy this will be even easier (please refer to the Communication & Promotion Section).

Sponsorship Plan

The positioning of the event should take into account potential opportunities to attract sponsors.  Sponsors are essential to the financing and/or the provision of services of an event and are important to both the LOC and European Athletics.

In order to support organisers to raise their own income and value in kind (VIK), European Athletics will grant certain sponsorship opportunities and rights (to be defined by European Athletics).

Before any commercial activity starts, the LOC and European Athletics Marketing must agree on a comprehensive sponsorship plan which will take into consideration all sponsorship opportunities related to the event, the different categories of sponsorship available, the different packages of rights to be offered to each category and the procedures to be followed before any agreement is signed.

The LOC’s rights and obligations in respect of marketing are contained in the event Organiser Agreement.

It must be clear that all sponsorship rights belong to European Athletics, which uses these rights to:

  • Generate its own income in order to provide financial support to the sport of athletics (organising, accommodating, travel subventions for the teams, development, etc.)
  • Guarantee international partners a long term relationship with European Athletics
  • Guarantee to the international partners their contracted rights, especially the important exclusivity that all sponsors expect.

Organisers must work closely with European Athletics to ensure that all sponsors are treated correctly, respecting the hierarchy and that they receive all the rights and benefits for which they have paid.

When making agreements with sponsors, it is important to include promotional goals and activities from which the parties can derive common benefits.

Commercial Hierarchy and Partners’ Rights

Official Partners

European Athletics Marketing will inform the LOC which are the International Partners/Official Partners and their contractual rights.

The International Partner/Official Partner rights usually include:

  • Advertising at the venue (perimeter/infield/course boards, bibs, etc.)
  • Advertising on all official printed materials (including tickets)
  • Commercial activation at the competition venue
  • Complimentary tickets (best seats)
  • Complimentary hospitality (European Athletics Club)
  • Complimentary transportation (VIPs may need personal cars)
  • Complimentary social programme
  • Complimentary invitations to official receptions

Some International Partners/Official Partners may be providing services (e.g. timing) or products to the event. Often they will need special facilities (working rooms, volunteer support, storage, transport of equipment), which the organiser must provide free of charge.

National Sponsors / Official Suppliers / Media Partners / Host Institutions

European Athletics Marketing will inform the LOC which opportunities and rights are available for the exploitation of National Sponsors, Official Suppliers, Media Partners, and Host Institution commercial packages.  European Athletics will confirm separately how revenues and the provision of services are shared with the LOC in regards to the commercial programme.

Any commercial contracts proposed by the LOC must be submitted (in English) to European Athletics Marketing for approval before signing with the potential partner.

When European Athletics Marketing has given its written approval, but not before, the LOC may sign the contract. European Athletics Marketing may place conditions on its approval, which must be followed. A copy of the signed contract must be provided to European Athletics.

Protection of Partners’ Rights

Clean Venue

It is an absolute condition of being allocated an event that the LOC guarantees a “clean venue” which means that there can be no advertising or promotional material anywhere (not even non-commercial material). This is often quite difficult to achieve and it is common to find all kinds of commercial branding around a venue; especially connected with catering, or vending activities; where refrigerators, cool-boxes, drinks dispensers, glasses, tables, umbrellas, etc. often carry commercial logos. All such branding must be removed or covered in good time before the event starts.

The European Athletics Marketing Department will carry out a rigorous inspection of the venue(s) a few days prior to the event and it is the responsibility of organisers to remove all offending material.

Clean venue also means that there cannot be any franchises and, if a venue has franchise contracts with caterers, beverages (beer, soft drink etc.), sports retailers, etc., these must be suspended for the duration of the European Athletics event. It is again the responsibility of the organisers to guarantee this. It should not be forgotten that the venue does not just mean the place (stadium, arena, road course) where the competition takes place. It also includes places that are directly linked to the event and venue(s), including training and warm-up areas, hospitality areas, media facilities, etc. Even official hotels must be regarded as part of the venue and agreements must be made accordingly with the management of each hotel. It is potentially very damaging to European Athletics and the LOC if the exclusivity of the sponsors is not safeguarded. It is important, therefore, that the LOC takes all possible steps to avoid any kind of controversy (e.g. a competitor of a sponsor must not be organising a conference in an official hotel at the same time as the event). The LOC and their suppliers must be open and co-operate fully.

Ambush Marketing

European Athletics events are a tempting opportunity for unauthorised advertising and many ingenious activities are devised by companies not contracted to the event (and have therefore not paid to be there). The aim of “ambush marketing” is to attract the attention of TV cameras and the spectators and, as would be expected, official sponsors deem ambushing as unacceptable and will demand that the LOC takes all possible steps to prevent it happening; and it is the LOC’s responsibility to do so.

Some precautions that the organiser should take include:

  • Ban on spectators taking visible advertising material or products of competitors of official sponsors into the stadium, arena, or road course. This should be coupled with the right to eject the offending person and/or material (to be included in the ticketing conditions)
  • Agreement with the Host City to control public advertising positions in sensitive locations
  • Define the extent of the clean venue and use spotters
  • Offer complimentary invitations to likely offenders on condition that they do not abuse

World Athletics Advertising Regulations

World Athletics has developed Advertising Regulations to protect the integrity of the sport of athletics. All advertising at the competition sites must be in accordance with these regulations and must not adversely interfere with the technical conduct of the competition of any European Athletics event. Please consult the complete and updated text of the World Athletics Advertising Regulations.

Official Partners’ Activities

Workshop

During the event preparations, the LOC shall organise at least one sponsor workshop under the guidance of European Athletics Marketing. The purpose of such workshops is to provide information about the championships in general but, especially, the promotional and marketing plans. By encouraging the partners to be involved with the event, they can also contribute to its promotion by creating further channels of communication. At the same time they can discuss and make plans for their own marketing activities during the event (e.g. market square, sponsor village, hospitality opportunities).

Market Square

At the European Championships and other major European Athletics events, it is important to create the right atmosphere both outside and inside the stadium. This can be done by establishing a “Market Square” in an area near the stadium and on the route taken by the spectators. The Market Square is usually a combination of commercial activities, sponsor opportunities, catering outlets and entertainment and, if well planned, can make an important contribution to the spectators’ enjoyment and memories of the event.

The LOC and European Athletics Marketing need to co-operate closely in developing a Market Square concept. Space in the Market Square must be provided at no cost to the official partners who have been granted the right to activate in the Market Square, although the marquees and facilities such as power and water will be at the cost of the sponsors. Positions within the Market Square must be submitted to European Athletics Marketing for review and approval.

Visitors to the Market Square should also be able to enjoy entertainment and refreshments  and these can be provided by companies separately contracted by the LOC, provided these companies are not competitors of the event sponsors and that their products and services add value to the Market Square.  All such companies require the written approval by European Athletics Marketing before being contracted by the LOC.

The Market Square is regarded as part of the venue and must be strictly controlled in order to prevent unauthorised or conflicting advertising/franchising. The LOC should create a visual concept of the Market Square to help the sponsors and other prospective participants to fully understand the opportunity.

Corporate Hospitality

If warranted by the local market conditions, European Athletics Marketing can create a Corporate Hospitality programme where hospitality packages are sold to the public with admission tickets.   The commercial exploitation of a Corporate Hospitality concept are rights fully retained and controlled by European Athletics Marketing unless explicitly released to the LOC for exploitation.

Broadcast Sponsorship & Airtime Advertisement

Official Partners have the opportunity to purchase broadcast sponsorship and advertising airtime from the broadcasters who carry the event. This project is handled directly by the EBU/Host broadcaster.

An initial offer will be made by EBU 6 months prior to the event to the European Athletics Official Partners. These partners will have one month to respond and rights that are still available after this period may then be offered to National Suppliers.

Advertisement Supports

Throughout the period prior to and during the event, a variety of advertisements will be needed and these will have been included within the promotional and marketing plans.  As required by the agreements reached with the sponsors their branding has to be included on all advertisements.

The advertising materials that must include sponsor branding (logos) are as follows:

  • Posters & billboards (of any size)
  • Flyers
  • Newsletters & press releases
  • Brochures & bulletins
  • Manuals
  • Official Programme & daily programme
  • Website
  • Roll-ups
  • Press backdrops
  • Accreditation cards
  • Tickets & Hospitality invitations
  • Start & result sheets
  • Flags & signs
  • Perimeter boards (track & courses) & start/finish gantry
  • Competition equipment
  • Advertising banners
  • Etc.

Further information can be found in the Communication & Promotion Section. Please refer also to the World Athletics Advertising Regulations.

All materials that have to include sponsors’ branding have to be reviewed and approved by European Athletics Marketing. As stated in the Printed Material Chapter, European Athletics approval is required for all printed materials (even if they do not include sponsor logos) and no material may be printed or used until the LOC has received the written approval of European Athletics.

Merchandising

For many major European Athletics events, the production and sale of mascots, souvenirs and other branded items has become an essential tool for both promotion and income generation.

The commercial exploitation of Merchandising rights are defined in the respective Organiser Agreement.

Key aspects of the development of a merchandising plan include:

  • Items catalogue
  • Design
  • Copyrights and patents
  • Licensing and production
  • Distribution and sales

The LOC should plan for sufficient space at the competition venues for merchandising sales points required by the companies licensed to sell event related products.