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League/Tournament Brands:
- Riot Games has issued a report that analyzes the economic impact of its new host city program for the League of Legends European Championship (LEC).
- The first LEC Spring Split Finals were held in Rotterdam, contributing over €2M EUR ($2.25M USD) to the local economy.
- Over 87% of LEC Spring Split Finals attendees came from outside the city, Riot says.
According to a report by Riot Games, the League of Legends European Championship 
(LEC) Spring Split Finals contributed €2.4M ($2.6M) to Rotterdam’s local economy in just two days, according to data released by Riot Games . Rotterdam won the first slot in Riot’s host city program, bidding against over 40 cities.
In 2018, Riot began developing a host city program alongside Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports that was Inspired by traditional sports structures. Winning host cities for the 2020 season have not yet been announced. Riot expanded the program to accept applications two years in advance due to “high demand,” the company said.
“We’ve assisted many sports rights holders in their host city partnerships, but the interest for esports is at a level we have never experienced before,” Ronnie Hansen, director of sports practice for Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports said in a release. “Our study shows an impressive economic impact, outperforming other sport events of similar size and lengths. The reason is very simple; the share of non-local guests is substantial and the spend from a young, well-educated demography is high.”
Riot’s statistics are derived from personal on-site surveys with Riot Games’ verified accounts and ticket sale data from the April 13-14 event. Of its attendees, 87.13% came from outside Rotterdam including as far away as China, South Korea, and Peru.
LEC Spring Split Finals attendees spent an average of €53 ($56) per day while in Rotterdam, Riot estimates.
Related Article: Riot Games’ EU Esports Leadership Team Reflects on First LEC Split
Riot rebranded the European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS) to the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) in January 2019, complete with new logos and branding.
LEC has secured a wide array of brand sponsors including Logitech G , Kia Motors , Footlocker, and global domestic appliance brand Beko . Riot also secured a broader deal with Alienware and in 2018 signed a multi-year global partnership with Mastercard .
During the first Spring Finals, Riot designated a special expo section inside the Rotterdam Ahoy convention center. Teams set up booths to meet fans and cross-promote with their brand sponsors, while brand activations varied from demo stations to free hair cuts, blood drives, and scavenger hunts. On-location sponsors included Shell, Alienware, Logitech G, Footlocker, Kia Motors, GoDaddy, and Dutch non-profit Sanquin.
The LEC Summer Finals will be held in Athens, Greece on Sept. 7-8, with LION Cereal as the main partner. Additional Summer Split partners include Warner Music Central Europe and German coffee brand Tchibo.
