"Our cooperation with ESL enables DHL to become active in a business that appeals to a growing trend among younger generations. The major e-sports tournaments and their top players thrill millions of fans around the world," says Arjan Sissing, Head of Corporate Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group. "As a global logistics company, we are delighted to be the official ESL One logistics partner and manage worldwide logistics for the gaming events. Although this year's ESL One events in Katowice (Poland), Mumbai (India) and Birmingham (UK) have been a great success, we're especially looking forward to working the ESL One in Cologne (Germany) given that it's only a short distance away from our corporate headquarters in Bonn."

Go DHL: a unique partnership in the e-sport world

As the official logistics partner DHL helps to promote a sport that is rapidly growing in popularity on a global scale and has millions of fans hooked. ESL and DHL have developed a unique e-sport partnership that is celebrated by fans worldwide. In the main arena at the ESL One event in Birmingham, chants of "DHL, DHL, DHL" rose up from the crowds as fans showed their allegiance to the brand with creative costumes, self-made posters and posts in related online media. ESL, DHL and gaming fans all live, breathe and celebrate the partnership as one.

"ESL One Cologne is celebrating its fifth anniversary in Cologne's LANXESS arena and it's thanks to partners such as DHL that the event will run as smoothly as it possibly can," says Ralf Reichert, CEO and founder of ESL. "Behind every tournament of this size, there's a huge logistics effort that has to be carefully planned and coordinated to ensure we can start on time. The screens we need to transmit the games measure 4,500m² alone - that's an area equivalent to eleven basketball courts."

This year, Cologne will again welcome e-sport community players and fans. For the players, it's all down to concentration, speed, tactics and teamwork. From July 5th to 7th, sixteen teams in the group stage of ESL One Cologne 2019 will compete for US$300,000 in prize money and battle for a coveted LANXESS arena spot. Last year, some 15,000 spectators attended the Cologne event each day. A wide range of activities await visitors to ESL One 2019 - apart from official viewing parties and an after-show event, there'll be autograph sessions with the players and entertainment featuring live acts and more.