EHF and CTS EVENTIM agree long-term extension to strategic partnership
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 per cent of all tickets were sold. The preliminary round venues reached 98 per cent capacity, the main round venues were 94 per cent full, and the semi-finals and finals were sold out.
Martin Hausleitner, EHF Secretary General, said: "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, said: "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."
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