Görlitz-Zittau Theatre offers sponsors naming rights

The Görlitz-Zittau Theatre is venturing into new territory by offering naming rights to sponsors, similar to practices seen in sports venues like Allianz Arena and Playmobil Stadium. Previously named after Nobel Prize-winning author Gerhart Hauptmann, the theatre is now open to companies and private individuals interested in purchasing these rights for the current season. “We are breaking completely new ground in cultural sponsorship,” says artistic director Daniel Morgenroth. While naming rights have long been common in sports, he believes this initiative is a pioneering effort in the cultural sector.

Morgenroth sees significant advertising potential, with approximately 150,000 visitors to the theatre's two main venues each year and print and online advertising reaching nearly half a million people in the region. “There are already interested parties,” he notes, explaining that the price will depend on the bids received. He emphasizes that more people attend the theatre than football stadiums in Germany each year, where audiences are emotionally engaged and receptive to new ideas.

The concept emerged while the team was exploring themes of capital for the current season. “We thought about what we could do and decided to auction off the naming rights,” Morgenroth explains. However, he reassures that the artistic integrity of the theatre will remain intact: “The programming is not subject to negotiation.”

The decision regarding the naming rights will be made in the coming weeks. The rights will include naming the venue as well as branding on the theatre's website, in print materials, on posters, and across social media platforms, initially for one season. Sponsors will also have the opportunity to display their logos on the walls of the theatre buildings. In exchange, the Gerhart Hauptmann name will be relinquished. If successful, this initiative could serve as a model for theatres across Germany.

The theatre's advertisement on its official website states:

ADVERTISING IN THE THEATRE: Evoke Emotions – Reach Target Groups

Did you know that more people attend the theatre than football stadiums in Germany every year? Our audience is emotionally moved and open to new ideas, making this an ideal environment for your brand message! With our tailored advertising offers, you can reach up to 150,000 enthusiastic spectators annually in Görlitz, Zittau, and the Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia region. We can integrate your company logo artistically into our stage productions, such as on the collars of our opera choir or the costumes of our soloists.

Are you looking for an exclusive offer that has a wide reach? The New Lausitzer Philharmonic will play your company jingle before every concert in the entire cultural area. We also provide discreet and effective perimeter advertising with your advertising message displayed on our surtitle system in moving images and sliders. Associate your brand with unforgettable cultural experiences!

A whole new approach to sponsorship: the Gerhart Hauptmann Theatre Görlitz-Zittau is giving up the Nobel Prize winner and releasing the naming rights for sale.

The Gerhart-Hauptmann Theatre Görlitz-Zittau is breaking new ground in the field of sponsorship from this season onwards by offering the naming rights to the theatre to sponsors. Until now, the theatre has borne the name of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Gerhart Hauptmann, but now companies or private individuals can purchase the naming rights.

What is common practice in the world of sports, namely for corporations to purchase the naming rights to sports arenas or event halls, has not yet been seen in the theatre. “Yet the advertising potential is huge,” says artistic director Daniel Morgenroth. “In Germany, more people go to the theatre than to football stadiums every year. With the naming rights to our theatre, companies reach over 150,000 spectators annually, as well as almost half a million people in the entire cultural area of Upper Lusatia and Lower Silesia. With our two large theatres in Görlitz and Zittau, we have magnificent properties in the very best city locations, which are ideal for advertising. Furthermore, people in the theatre and at concerts are emotionally moved and open to new ideas. High culture can no longer afford to ignore sponsorship here, because we can offer our advertising partners an excellent and affluent clientele. In addition, as an institution of high culture, we offer excellent transfer effects for the advertised brand.”

Interested companies and private individuals can submit a bid for the naming rights for both venues. The naming rights for the houses will be sold, along with mentions on the homepage, in print products, on posters, and social media platforms. It will also be possible to display one's own logo on the house facades. The theatre could, for example, become the “Allianz Theatre Görlitz-Zittau” or the “Coca-Cola Theatre Görlitz-Zittau.”