Brand building at festivals

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/4.

Tune in to the community buzz

ALDI has been a dedicated supporter and partner of community sporting events and festivals for many years. Early last summer ALDI was waiting for families at the Children’s Island in Budapest with fun activities. The discounter prepared for Balaton Sound with popular grill food in the ALDI Grill Zone. ALDI was also present at Sziget Festival with its pop-up shop, offering nearly 300 private label food and non-food products.

Márk Maczelka
head of communications
SPAR

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. has traditionally been committed to supporting health-conscious lifestyle, sport, culture and quality gastronomy. Since 2008 the retail chain has been the title sponsor of the SPAR Budapest Marathon® Festival, which attracts tens of thousands of athletes every year. SPAR is also one of the main sponsors of the Budapest Wine Festival.

“SPAR prepares for each festival with new activities and our goal is to actively involve the public in the run-up to the event”,

says head of communications Márk Maczelka.

Beer-related activities

For many years, soft drink and beer brands have been supporting major music and sports festivals, where they attract visitors with spectacular stands and interactive activities.

György Spiegel
marketing director
Borsodi Sörgyár

Borsodi Brewery Kft. has been cooperating with the Szeged Youth Days (SZIN) festival for a long time.

Marketing director György Spiegel:

“We try to team up with festivals whose concept is in accordance with the marketing strategy of the brands in our portfolio. Today the festival market can be viewed as a segment in its own right, where our primary objective is to ensure that visitors taste our beers and get a positive impression of them along with the festival experience”.

Entertainment at the highest level

Annamária Vida
senior brand manager
Coca-Cola

Every summer Coca-Cola brings music fans across Europe together via its COKE STUDIO™ music platform. Music fans are granted access to new songs, artist and festival content, live events and great prizes including festival tickets. COKE STUDIO™’s physical festival presence also features exciting activities.

“Summer music festivals are a great opportunity to reach Generation Z, one of our key target groups. In 2024 party-goers could already visit the COKE STUDIO™ at Sziget Festival, SZIN Festival and Strand Festival.”,

says Annamária Vida, senior brand manager of Coca-Cola.

Ibolya Szabó
head of corporate affairs
Dreher Breweries

At Dreher they strive to bring the real beer experience – whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic – closer to consumers in a more direct, interactive way.

Ibolya Szabó, head of corporate affairs at Dreher Breweries:

“We are passionate about festivals, because they give an opportunity to meet our target audience face-to-face. Dreher prefers events where the target group of our main brands is present”.

Connecting and having fun

Katalin Perényi
marketing director
HEINEKEN Hungária
Sörgyárak

For HEINEKEN Hungária it is crucial that the profile, the atmosphere and the target audience of the festival harmonise with the essence and messages of their brands – Heineken, Soproni and Gösser.

“Festivals offer an exceptional opportunity to bring our brands to life with a wider and more receptive audience. We can engage directly with our consumers and complement our marketing messages with unforgettable experiences for festival-goers”,

explains Katalin Perényi, marketing director of HEINEKEN Hungária Sörgyárak Zrt.

Adrienn Popovics
marketing director
HELL ENERGY
Magyarország

Recently HELL ENERGY Magyarország Kft. has been focusing on developing its own events, where the company can have full control over the festival experience.

“Intense experiences at festivals do strengthen brand loyalty, but we can leverage this effect even more effectively in the longer term with our own formats, such as HELL Boxing Kings or digital activations”,

reveals marketing director Adrienn Popovics.

Promotions and prize games

Attila Piri
marketing director
Heinemann Testvérek

For Heinemann Testvérek Kft. the consumer experience is a key element of its presence at festivals. The company believes that the brand’s visual image and message are essential in grabbing the attention of visitors, as they create the first impression.

“Guests in our bar can enjoy a large selection of drinks – long drinks and cocktails – and get to know the brand better through interactive games and promotions. We make our presence even more attractive with different prize games”,

says marketing director Attila Piri.

Ádám Somogyvári
senior brand manager
ROUST Hungary

ROUST Hungary Kft. participates in festivals that attract large crowds, but at the same time they collaborate more and more with smaller, one-off events too.

“Jägermeister and parties are closely linked, so it is important for us that everyone can experience the brand. For us festivals primarily give a chance to strengthen our brand image. Plus large-scale events are a great way to build a new consumer base”,

informs senior brand manager Ádám Somogyvári.

Responsible alcohol consumption

Dávid Gábor Kovács
marketing director
Zwack

Festivals give Zwack Unicum Nyrt. the opportunity to engage directly with people seeking premium experiences. They primarily target young, quality-focused and socially active consumers.

“Unicum’s festival concept manifests in the Unicum Bar, with its special installations, spectacular lighting and atmospheric DJ sets – these have all contributed to visitors connecting with the brand”,

reports marketing director Dávid Gábor Kovács.

Zoltán Kiss
owner and managing director
XXL Catering

For festival-goers food is also a source of enjoyment, not just a necessary part of the event. XXL Catering Kft. is a key player in providing complete catering solutions for festivals. The company is constantly adapting to trends, including the growing demand for premium street food and sustainable catering solutions.

“We do our best to be present with a healthier, high quality and diverse food offering, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmentally friendly solutions”,

says owner and managing director Zoltán Kiss.

The festival market is transforming and companies are becoming more conscious of their sponsorship strategies

Reusable solutions

Róbert Maros
CEO
RevoUnion

RevoUnion’s objective is to promote reusable cups and bring the related services to European hygiene and traceability standards.

CEO Róbert Maros:

“By introducing RevoCups the amount of waste generated in the catering industry can be reduced significantly. In our Deposit-free Hybrid System guests can quickly and seamlessly exchange tokens for RevoCups or cups for tokens when redeeming them, using a physical token or the RevoToken app”.

Dr. Gergely Kozma
managing director
Greenstic Europe

Greenstic Europe’s single-use, eco-friendly cutlery and crockery are now an essential part of mobile catering establishments, as part of the company’s Green Festival scheme.

“Sustainability is gaining ground in event management. At events targeting young people it is basically a must. We have lots of ideas, we are very flexible and also involved in awareness-raising programmes”,

says managing director Dr Gergely Kozma. //

Premium street food, varied offerings and sustainable catering solutions are now inevitable at high-quality events