26th World Men’s Handball Championship: The year 2019 starts with this sporting highlight. And the EVENTAGENTUR artimage is part of it. The team is well-versed in handball. First, we accompanied the 1st league women’s club of Bayer 04, and until today the Champions League event VELUX EHF FINAL4. As venue for the main round of the handball world championship, the LANXESS Arena in Cologne banks on the expertise of our event agency when it comes to fan and VIP hosting or professional supervision of the stage programme.

Content

  • Athletic or up-scale – EVENTAGENTUR artimage takes care of all fans.
  • A little bit of history: The artimage team is really enthusiastic when it comes to handball.

Fan zone and VIP area: where enthusiasm can unfold safely

On Saturday, 19 January 2019, at 6 pm the first game of group 1 of the WC main round begins. The LANXESS Arena becomes a lion’s den. Although, actually the party already started the day before. Because on 18 January 2019, the WC Opening Party takes place. EVENTAGENTUR artimage creates the infrastructure for the fan zone on the fore court of the arena.Two tents become temporary buildings where the visitors find activities and knowledge all around handball sports and get to know the sponsors. We thought of everything: Mobile heating keeps the tents warm, and our escape route concept provides safety.

The LANXESS arena’s club rooms Ost and West welcome the VIPs – invited guests of the sponsors, the city of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.Room concepts, equipment and decorations for the VIP areas have been designed individually by EVENTAGENTUR artimage and installed starting on Wednesday, 17 January 2019. With their stage management the event specialists also support the stage programme at the “Club-Raum Ost”.

“We know the rooms like the back of our hand”, says Susanne Kämmerling. “Since 2013, we have taken care of the VIP programme at the VELUX EHF Final4. Later on, we took charge of the outdoor activities as well. This year, the makers of the Handball WC also trust our creativity and reliability when it comes to fan zone and VIP rooms.”

How EVENTAGENTUR artimage discovered handball

She doesn’t look it, but even the agency’s cat Tapsi documents the close connection of the artimage team with handball. The pet comes from the farm of the former handball player Clara Woltering – a friend of the Kämmerlings.

EVENTAGENTUR artimage writes a real success story with handball, which started in 2007 with the Leverkusen women’s handball team. As event specialists from the region our agency accompanied the home matches of the national league club and its successful coach Renate Wolf professionally and prudently. “We made sure that the fans could celebrate while the players were concentrating on their game”, says Ulrich Kämmerling. The agency loved to be a sponsor and also developed the team’s mascot: a cute little troll. The artimage employees regularly jumped into the costume providing support for the team.

In 2013, the LANXESS Arena took notice of EVENTAGENTUR artimage’s work. Cologne’s multi-functional event location was the venue of the Handball Champions League. Together with the makers of the specialist magazine “Stadionwelt” and on behalf of the main sponsor VELUX they were looking for a partner to take care of the VIP guests. The Kämmerlings skilfully combined the style and glamour of a VIP atmosphere with the strength and agility of handball sports. “In the VIP lounges the guests find a relaxed surrounding that still allows them to feel the sporting kick”, says Susanne Kämmerling. A concept that has worked until today.

Then, in 2019, the 26th World Men’s Handball Championship – again the LANXESS arena is the place where the magic happens. One man from the artimage team knows every inch of this venue: During the fan zone and VIP lounges project the agency’s logistics specialist Marcus draws from his extensive professional experience. He knows every nook and cranny of the arena, and especially its tightly clocked processes. “You have to remember that the band “Die Fantastischen Vier” is rocking the place one day before the set-up, and that ice hockey games take place immediately after the WC”, says the logistics specialist explaining the venue’s possibilities. “We love to work with these pros”, says Susanne Kämmerling. She knows: Here, the pass is just perfect!

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In this blog, Susanne Kämmerling, project manager at EVENTAGENTUR artimage e.K., shares her long-time experience in the event business and recommends: “Depending on the event organiser or topic, sports can even enrich the summer party.” The guests form teams, the atmosphere goes through the roof.” At least one first aid specialist needs to be on-site.