Colours of Ostrava | Ostrava, Czech Republic
Colours of Ostrava is an annual international multi-genre music and cultural festival held every July in Ostrava since 2002, making it one of Central Europe’s largest and most respected music events. Hosted at the unique post-industrial Dolní Vítkovice site, the four-day festival features dozens of stages, a broad mix of music genres, art, discussions, theatre, workshops, and the Meltingpot international forum. It regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors — with the 2024 edition drawing around 40,000–50,000 attendees over the weekend.
In 2023, Orlen entered a multi-year general partnership with the festival - marking the company’s first headline sponsorship of a music event of this scale.
Task
Lead the delivery of Orlen’s first year as general partner of Colours of Ostrava, overseeing contract negotiation and fulfilment, coordinating execution with the festival team, managing the event agency tender, and running dual branded zones at the festival. A core objective was to integrate Orlen meaningfully into the music context while accommodating corporate stakeholders through an elevated VIP program and business hospitality.
Challenge
As Orlen’s first headline music sponsorship, this project involved defining new territory for the brand - bridging Orlen’s core products (fuel, oils, services) with a culturally driven music audience. A key challenge was translating the relevance of a petroleum brand into a lifestyle and festival context, while strategically maximizing the partnership value through activation, experience design, and audience engagement. Another complexity lay in the barter fulfilment agreement with Colours, which required careful negotiation to ensure mutual value without traditional cash commitments.
Execution
We crafted two complementary zones that embodied Orlen’s presence across different audience needs:
Orlen Stop Cafe Zone - A welcoming space focused on food and beverage, powered by Orlen’s Stop Cafe brand. This zone was designed as a social hub for festivalgoers to relax, recharge, and connect - bringing Orlen into the festival experience through hospitality.
Orlen Fun & Music Experience Zone - A more interactive area that brought Orlen products into the festival’s creative world. Here we played with the idea of how liquid resonates with music, incorporating installations and thematic experiences that tied the tangible and intangible together. Within this space, the Orlen Drive Stage highlighted emerging music talent, reinforcing Orlen’s support for up-and-coming artists.
In parallel, we developed and managed a tailored VIP program for Orlen board members and business partners - offering exclusive access, curated experiences, and a platform for networking within the festival environment.
The zone concepts were crafted to feel natural in a music festival context while showcasing Orlen’s brand values, hospitality, and audience relevance.
Results
Stop Cafe Zone achieved record-level sales, becoming the highest-performing F&B zone Orlen had ever delivered.
Orlen Drive Stage became the second most visited stage at the festival - a standout result for a first-year activation.
Overall Orlen festival zones outperformed attendance expectations, drawing strong footfall and audience engagement.
The partnership strengthened relationships with key business partners and provided a high-impact hospitality context that aligned with Orlen’s strategic objectives.
By connecting a major cultural property with an innovative activation strategy, Orlen’s first year as general partner of Colours of Ostrava successfully translated sponsorship into meaningful audience experiences and measurable brand impact.
