Gorenje was a proud sponsor of the European Handball Championship EHF EURO 2018, which ended on Sunday, 28 January, with the victory of Spian. An additional contribution of Gorenje to this great sports event was a special promotional campaign #simplyfans, with which they strived to blur the borders and unite sports fans from the whole Adriatic region. They managed to achieve that by taking over 700 handball fans from Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to Zagreb with a special #simplyfans cheering bus to see the matches of European Handball Championship EHF EURO 2018.
Gorenje's #simplyfans movement united handball fans from the whole region
Through the #simplyfans movement, Gorenje encouraged all handball enthusiasts of all nationalities, cultures, and beliefs to cheer not only for their teams but also for dedication, sports, and the players and to enjoy handball itself. The campaign message “Let’s cheer together. Let’s cheer for handball,” was definitely heard.
#simplyfans ambassador, Ivano Balić, the main star of Gorenje stand in Arena Zagreb
The main star of Gorenje promotional stand at the finals in the Arena Zagreb was Ivano Balić, former Croatian handball player, who was named twice as the best player of the year by the International Handball Federation. Handball fans in the Arena immediately recognized the Croatian handball legend and were eager to meet him and make selfie with him. Since his opinion is still significantly influential in the world of handball, he received a lot of media attention at the event aswell. Ivano believes in importance of sports spirit, not only on the court but also on the tribune among the fans. He enjoyed watching the exciting final match of the championship from the special Gorenje VIP Lodge.
EHF EURO 2018 has strengthened the Gorenje brand
The partnership at the highest level of the European handball has brought Gorenje even greater recognition on all its’ key markets. Gorenje was shown and presented at all broadcasted matches all over the world - in 30 countries in Europe or 47 countries worldwide. Since the countries the strongest European handball teams come from are also the most important sales markets of Gorenje, the sponsorship of the EHF EURO 2018 will surely make a significant contribution to the achievement of Gorenje’s progressive business goals. Moreover, the matches were also an excellent arena of networking with strategic international partners. At the end of the EHF EURO 2018 in Gorenje they explained: »At Gorenje we support professional athletes and professional sports and we will continue to do so. Sports sponsorships undoubtedly contribute to the recognition of the Gorenje brand on the international market and are based on two pillars: sponsorship of the Slovenian Nordic team and handball sponsorships. We are convinced that athletes, due to their hard work and their mission, deserve our support. We will continue to celebrate victories with them, and stand by their side when they lose, because we all share the same values and the same sports spirit. «