45th birthday of Spodek

45 years of operation for an entertainment and sports arena could signal the beginning… of the end. A venue with an impressive history of diverse events must start competing for the attention of organizers of significant events. The map of competitive entertainment and sports arenas in Poland is becoming denser.

To prevent one of its architectural icons from being forgotten, the owner and previous operator, the City of Katowice, transferred the management of Spodek (and the connected International Congress Center) to a professional company in May 2016. PTWP Event Center faced the challenge of refreshing Spodek’s image and delivering a strong message about the new quality of management to organizers of large, prestigious events. The first event under the new concessionaire’s banner was intended to highlight the venue’s strengths, evoke the best memories associated with Spodek, and encourage event organizers to choose this particular venue.

Task for Imago PR: to plan and execute the communication for Spodek’s 45th birthday and demonstrate the improved quality of facility management.

photo by PTWP

Assumption: active communication before, during, and after the event.

We invited and engaged the most important media outlets at every stage, starting from the planning of the jubilee program. Emotions played a significant role in the narrative. Precisely selected messages reached specific target groups, taking into account the specifics of local, regional, national, and industry media. Artists who participated in the jubilee concert, athletes, and celebrities attending Spodek’s birthday shared their memories.

Spodek was opened for its birthday not only communicatively but also literally – representatives of the media collaborating on the event could work there, explore previously inaccessible nooks and crannies, and share the most interesting tidbits with their audience, thereby promoting the venue and the hall’s commercial offer.

photo by PTWP

BEFORE PARTY

Goals: to recall Spodek’s history, present interesting facts and anecdotes from its construction, the most important events that took place over 45 years, and introduce the attractions planned for the jubilee.

Two strongest regional press titles: Gazeta Wyborcza and Dziennik Zachodni carried out a series of cyclical publications presenting the history of decades of Spodek’s operation and selected events.

The articles were enriched with unique archival photographs and contests engaging readers.

photo by PTWP

BIRTHDAY

Communication during Spodek’s 45th Birthday additionally drew attention to the architecture, the venue’s advantages, and presented the possibilities that the hall and the new management offer to event organizers.

Tour guides – including celebrities, an athlete, an artist, and a media representative – shared their memories and emotions, and camera eyes peered into previously hidden corners of the venue.

In order to strengthen Spodek’s position on the map of Polish entertainment and sports arenas, the facility’s manager organized a debate entitled: “Spodek yesterday, today and tomorrow” with the participation of representatives of the world of business, science and culture, local governments and the media. In reference to the history, specificity and offer of Spodek, the events as part of the anniversary abounded in meetings with athletes and artists associated with the facility. Interviews with Olympic champions, famous wrestlers and hockey players were conducted by journalists from the sports editorial office of Radio Katowice. The concert of stars was hosted by the editors of the Third Program of Polish Radio, who sympathize with Spodek and have been professionally associated with it for years. The address was changed by the popular Trójka broadcast – “Myśliwiecka 3/5/7” – broadcast from an outdoor studio arranged right behind the birthday stage.

Spodek, open to visitors and the opportunity to watch artists during rehearsals, created an interesting setting for live broadcasts during the day. Television stations such as TVN, Polsat, and TVP visited Spodek with cameras.

AFTER PARTY

Messages formulated after the event focused on facts and figures showing the success of the 45th Birthday and announcing upcoming events, including those whose organizers decided to return to Spodek after year-long break.

fot. PTWP/45 urodziny Spodka

In cooperation with the media partners of Spodek’s 45th birthday, nearly 200 publications were generated, including approximately 50 press, 34 radio, and 20 television.

A multimedia report about Spodek produced by Gazeta Wyborcza gained over 500,000 views and nearly 200,000 unique users.

As a result of the communication activities, the number of inquiries about the availability of the hall has significantly increased.

After a few years’ break, popular festivals are returning to Spodek, including Metalmania and Odjazdy. In the 12 months since the change of the facility’s manager, almost half a million people took part in 117 events.