Orlen Nations Grand Prix | Czech Republic · Slovakia · Hungary
The Orlen Nations Grand Prix is an international youth cycling race designed to support emerging talent and promote competitive road cycling at an early age. Originally established in Poland, the race was expanded for the first time into Central and Eastern Europe, positioning Orlen not only as a title sponsor but as a driving force behind the sport’s regional growth.
The inaugural CEE edition launched across three countries - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary - marking a major milestone in the race’s evolution.
Task
Lead the rollout of Orlen Nations Grand Prix into three new markets, adapting an established Polish project for audiences with no prior awareness. My role covered strategic coordination, local market expertise, communication support, zone concept rollout, and logistical oversight - including supervision of the Slovak and Hungarian teams.
Key objectives included:
Building awareness of the race in CZ, SK, and HU from zero
Establishing Orlen as a supporter of youth sport and cycling development
Delivering consistent Orlen brand experience through zones and activations
Activating customers through media, social platforms, and the Orlen app
Challenge
The project’s complexity lay in scale and novelty. While Orlen Nations Grand Prix was a proven format in Poland, it was completely unknown in the new markets. This required:
Introducing the race narrative to national media from scratch
Securing top-tier broadcast and press coverage
Translating a sports property into relevant content for Orlen customers
Aligning communication, logistics, and execution across three countries simultaneously
Another challenge was ensuring that the race felt locally relevant while maintaining a unified international identity.
Execution
We delivered a full 360° communication rollout tailored to each market while keeping a consistent regional narrative.
A key pillar was an intensive media tour with race president Czesław Lang, which helped instantly establish credibility and authority. The tour included interviews with leading broadcasters and media houses across the region:
Prima, Nova, CNN (CZ)
TV JOJ (SK)
RTL (HU)
This was complemented by a PR conference in Prague, positioning the Czech Republic as the gateway market for the CEE expansion.
Consumer engagement was activated across multiple touchpoints:
Tailor-made cycling-inspired menu at Orlen Stop Cafe
Exclusive merchandise available via the Orlen app
Social media contests for professional cycling equipment
Family-focused Orlen Zones at each race, designed for spectators to enjoy the event while young athletes competed
On the operational side, I coordinated logistics across all three countries and oversaw the Slovak and Hungarian teams to ensure consistent brand and execution standards.
Results
Orlen Nations Grand Prix merchandise sold out within one week in the Orlen app
Media tour delivered strong AVE and triggered widespread secondary media coverage
Significant increase in awareness of the race across CZ, SK, and HU
Successful establishment of Orlen Nations Grand Prix as a recognizable youth cycling platform in Central Europe
The first CEE edition of Orlen Nations Grand Prix demonstrated how a national sports project can be scaled internationally through strong PR leadership, localized communication, and cohesive brand experience — laying solid foundations for future growth in the region.
