By Krzysztof Baranowski
June 25 – Polish telecommuncations company INEA have snapped up the naming rights to UEFA Euro 2012 stadium – Stadion Miejski in Poznan, Poland.
The five year contract, through to 2018, will see the stadium where top Polish club Lech play, renamed the INEA Stadion.
“Negotiations with Lech lasted from the beginning of the year. As soon as we reached agreement on the title sponsorship… We are now talking with Lech about other areas of cooperation with the club,” said Tomasz Zmyslny, INEA general director.
The decision to sponsor the Lech Poznan stadium was taken as part of a strategy rethink by INEA towards its sports sponsorship. The decision was taken to pick up one large sponsor asset, rather than multiple smaller and lower price sponsorships.
“We believe that the title sponsorship of the stadium is a modern tool to promote our company. The nationwide promotional aspect is less important for us than the intensive promotion in our region (Wielkopolska). Title sponsorship is a huge burden on marketing budget and certainly we will have to give up some of the current activities. It is our conscious, supported by many decision analysis. We have decided that it is better to engage in one large project rather than many small ones,” said Zmyslny.
Poznan hosted three matches in group C of the Euro 2012 championships.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734834091labto1734834091ofdlr1734834091owedi1734834091sni@i1734834091kswon1734834091arab.1734834091fotzs1734834091yzrk1734834091. Krzysztof Baranowski is editor in chief of www.sportmarketing.pl