The 2022 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Summer finals brought in about SEK 50 million (€4.52m) for the host city, Malmö. This sum was generated mostly from tourism-related revenue, according to a report from the Swedish city.
A report by consulting firm Geelmuyden Kiese shows that about 77 percent of visitors to Malmö were in the city solely for the League of Legends event. About 19,600 tickets were purchased for the finals, which ran from September 10-11, with 85 percent of viewers attending for each of the two days.
Due to the sellout crowds, extra seating had to be installed in Malmö Arena. Over half of the audience members were foreign guests, including representatives from 30 different countries.
The Chief Executive Officer of Events in the Swedish county of Skåne, Pehr Palm, also noted that a significant numbers of the attendees either worked in or studied technological fields.
“As many as 98.38% of visitors were under the age of 35. Something else that stood out among the audience was the percentage who either study or work in technological fields. – LEC is a reason for travel that targets a clear target group and strengthens and develops Skåne as an e-sports and event destination,” said Palm.
The Chief Executive Officer of Malmö Arena, Karin Mårtensson, stated that the city is conveniently located for such events.
“The numbers in the report speak for themselves – Malmö is a popular and easily accessible city to visit in connection with events,” she said.
The recreation director in Malmö, Johan Hermansson, added: “Once again, Malmö has shown itself as an event city for the really big world events.”
The Director of EMEA Esports at Riot Games, Alberto Guerrero, said the company was dedicated to ensuring its live finals events not only give fans an amazing experience, but also add value to the partner cities’ economies and cultures.
“We look forward to continuing to bring our live shows to fans across the EMEA region and working with our incredible partner cities to replicate the success we saw in Malmö and put League esports on the map across our region,” he said.
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