Since 2004, The Nelson Mandela Forum has been managed by Associazione Palasport Firenze, a nonprofit association formed by private citizens with over 30 years of experience in the field of public events organization and management; the City of Florence, which owns the structure; and the Province of Florence. The venue is the only one of its kind out of South Africa that bears the name of Nelson Mandela in agreement with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
In 2001, the König-Pilsener Arena was the first venue located in Germany that sold its naming rights to a company.
“We see ourselves as trendsetters in the German venue market,” said Florian Wels, manager of PR and event promotion for SMG Entertainment Deutschland GmbH, which operates the venue. “We developed a brand new marketing concept, and it is our aim to present König-Pilsener as our naming rights partner very prominently.”
Formerly O2 World, the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin acquired its naming rights partner last summer.
“This resulted in a look and feel upgrade, especially in the main and premium entrances,” said Michael Hapka, the venue’s general manager