On Wednesday night, the German Handball Federation unveiled the campaign and the logo which has been developed in cooperation with the Berlin-based agency Styleheads.
"The presentation of the logo and the campaign is an important first step on the way to this major sport event. This will finally make us visible for the handball family and the entire sports world," says Mark Schober, Chairman of the Board of the German Handball Federation.
"Of course, 2024 is still a long way to go, but we have been working with full dedication already a long time for this tournament which should set standards that stretch beyond handball."
Martin Hausleitner, EHF Secretary General, says: "We can fully identify ourselves with this claim and I believe the same will hold true for all fans and players. It serves as a good explanation for the journey to the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 as well as to explain the reason why we are all there. We’re really happy that such a fitting logo and claim has been found."
The Men’s EHF EURO 2024 will be the first in Germany and the first final tournament with 24 teams hosted by one country.
The opening game, which will take place on 10 January 2024 at the the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, aims at setting a spectator record for European Championships with more than 50,000 fans attending.
In addition, Germany's largest indoor arenas are ready for great emotions, as Berlin (Mercedes-Benz Arena), Mannheim (SAP Arena), Munich (SAP Garden), Hamburg (Barclaycard Arena) and Cologne (LANXESS arena) are the tournament’s host cities.
A festival for all sports fans
"The basis for the logo design is the place where everything is decided in handball and where emotions arise: the lines of the court. Those were transformed into the compact shape of a ball that conveys the dynamics of the sport," says Thomas Zimmermann, Board Member for Marketing and Communication in the German Handball Federation.
"The six colors of the visual communication are based on the basic colors of all European national flags to show that we are going to celebrate an international, cross-border festival with all European sports fans."
The heart of the communication is the claim "HERE TO PLAY!" This is activated in several variants in order to convey the different facets of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 and the individual locations.
Thomas Zimmermann says: "An exciting tournament is more than just sport. Fan festivals, social activities and the charm of the respective cities are part of the overall experience. And that's why our campaign and the activities related to the EHF EURO will be very varied and diverse."
The following variations of the claim will be used:
- HERE TO PLAY
- HERE TO DREAM
- HERE TO BE LOUD
- HERE TO CELEBRATE
- HERE TO RELAX
- HERE TO CONNECT
- HERE TO ENJOY
- HERE TO WATCH
- HERE TO EXPLORE
"The possibility to explore is particularly appealing, because the cities of Düsseldorf, Berlin, Mannheim, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne have a lot to offer," says Mark Schober: "We are seizing this opportunity together with the EHF EURO 2024 host cities and we are also carrying it to the world of handball."
The German national team will start its journey at the EHF EURO 2024 in Düsseldorf and continue to play the preliminary round in Berlin. If qualified, the team’s main round venue would be Cologne.
Further preliminary round venues will be Mannheim and Munich, the second main round group will be held in Hamburg. The venue for the final weekend will be Cologne. The medals will be awarded on 28 January 2024.
