The European Handball Federation and CTS EVENTIM agree long-term extension to strategic partnership

• The EHF and CTS EVENTIM have agreed a long-term extension to their strategic ticketing partnership for the EHF EURO tournaments.
• The partnership also includes building an international customer database that will help further grow the EHF EUROs.

Vienna/Hamburg 31 Jan. 2024 – The European Handball Federation (EHF) and CTS EVENTIM, a leading international provider of ticketing services and live entertainment, have agreed to extend their strategic partnership. CTS EVENTIM will remain the official ticketing partner of the EHF EURO tournaments for the long term.

Events covered by the new agreement include four EHF EUROs in 2026 and 2028: the Men’s EHF EURO 2026 in Denmark, Sweden and Norway; the Women’s EHF EURO 2026  (location TBD); the Men’s EHF EURO 2028 in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland; and the Women’s EHF EURO 2028 in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

By extending the cooperation, the EHF will be able to continue providing customer-friendly ticketing services, which serve as the first step in an excellent fan experience at premium sporting events such as the EHF EUROs.

The partnership aims to achieve capacity crowds and provide the technology that will enable the EHF and local organising committees to achieve their financial ticketing goals. It also includes development of an international customer database that will build close relationships with fans to expand the EHF EUROs even further.

The decision to extend the collaboration comes on the back of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024, which was held in Germany from 10 to 28 January.

In terms of ticketing, this was the most successful EHF EURO in history: More than one million fans visited 65 matches across six venues. The opening matchday at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA in Dusseldorf drew 53,586 fans – a world record for a handball match.

For the entire Men’s EHF EURO 2024, 96.6% of all tickets were sold. The preliminary round venues reached 98% capacity, the main-round venues were 94% full, and the semi-finals and finals were sold out.

Martin Hausleitner, EHF Secretary General: “The numbers from the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 prove that we were right to centralise the ticketing for the EHF EUROs with the support of CTS EVENTIM. We are proud to have such a strong and experienced partner at our side. On top of selling out several matchdays in Germany, we made a huge step towards internationalisation, as thousands of fans joined us in Germany from places such as the Faroe Islands, Denmark and Iceland. By building an international customer database, we’re getting to know the ticket buyers and can create a close relationship with them. This is a major piece of the puzzle that will help us grow the EHF EUROs even further in the future.”

Alexander Ruoff, Chief Operating Officer, CTS EVENTIM: “Handball is a fantastic sport and we’re delighted to be continuing our close partnership with the EHF. The long-term extension to our collaboration reflects our powerful technology and marketing capabilities, our expertise in international sporting majors, and our in-depth knowledge of local markets. We’re looking forward to supporting the EHF and the local organising committees in bringing premium sport to handball fans for the coming EHF EUROs.”

About the EHF

The EHF is the umbrella organisation for handball in Europe and has 50 member federations. It is responsible for organising and managing high-profile handball competitions such as the Machineseeker EHF Champions League, the EHF Champions League Women and the EHF EURO events. The Federation’s diverse responsibilities also include player transfer management, development and education programmes, as well as the promotion of additional forms of the game including beach handball and wheelchair handball.

About CTS EVENTIM

CTS EVENTIM is a leading international provider of ticketing services and live entertainment. Over 300 million tickets per year are marketed using the Company’s systems – through physical box offices and mobile/online portals. These portals include the brands eventim.de, oeticket.com, ticketcorner.ch, ticketone.it and entradas.com. The CTS EVENTIM Group also owns a number of companies promoting concerts, tours, and festivals such as Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Hurricane, Southside, and Lucca Summer. According to Pollstar’s global rankings for 2023, the EVENTIM Group is the second-biggest promoter in the world. In addition, CTS EVENTIM operates some of Europe’s most renowned venues, such as  the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, the K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen, the Waldbühne in Berlin, and the EVENTIM Apollo in London. CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE 0005470306) has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 and is a member of the MDAX segment. In 2022, the Group generated revenue of EUR 1.9 billion across more than 20 countries.

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