Paris Hands Its Marathon to the Havas-Linked 'Cadence' Consortium From 2027
TL;DR: The City of Paris has handed the Marathon de Paris concession to Cadence Running United — a consortium of Havas Events, Keneo and OSE — from 2027, putting a Havas-anchored group in charge of one of Europe's largest mass-participation sports properties.
What happened
Paris awarded the Marathon de Paris concession to Cadence Running United (CRU), ending Amaury Sport Organisation's long tenure. The consortium groups Havas Events with sports agencies Keneo and OSE, and the concession covers the 2027–2030 editions with a minimum annual fee of €3.5m to the city.
The first editions are set for a semi-marathon on 7 March 2027 and the marathon on 4 April 2027, with Anne Murac named director-general and Laurent Sturtz as president.
Marketing Minute's read: agencies want to own the platform, not just activate it
Sponsorship agencies usually rent access to events. Here a Havas-anchored group is taking control of the property itself — the participants, the data, the brand-experience canvas and the sponsorship inventory. That is a meaningful shift up the value chain.
Owning a mass-participation event means owning a first-party relationship with tens of thousands of runners and a captive urban audience over a weekend. For a communications group, that is a media asset as much as a sporting one, and it is far more defensible than a project-by-project activation mandate.
What brands should watch
Expect the marathon to be rebuilt as an integrated brand and data platform rather than a race with logos attached. Sponsors will likely be offered richer participant engagement, content and measurement than a traditional event contract provided.
The broader signal is that experiential and sponsorship value is consolidating into whoever holds the rights to the audience. Brands negotiating event partnerships should ask who really controls the participant relationship — because that is where the durable marketing value now sits.
Quick FAQ
Who won the Marathon de Paris concession?
Cadence Running United (CRU), a consortium of Havas Events, Keneo and OSE, won the concession from the City of Paris for the 2027–2030 editions, ending Amaury Sport Organisation's tenure.
What are the terms?
The concession carries a minimum annual fee of €3.5m to Paris. The first editions are a semi-marathon on 7 March 2027 and the marathon on 4 April 2027, with Anne Murac as director-general and Laurent Sturtz as president.
Why does it matter for marketers?
It puts a Havas-anchored group in control of a major mass-participation property — the participants, data and sponsorship inventory — turning an event into an owned brand and media platform.
Agencies usually rent access to events; here a Havas group is taking the property itself — the runners, the data, the sponsorship inventory. Owning the participant relationship is far more defensible than a project mandate. This is a communications group buying a media asset that happens to be a race. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: experiential value is consolidating into whoever holds the rights to the audience — when negotiating event partnerships, ask who really controls the participant relationship.
In your event sponsorships, are you buying exposure or access to an owned audience — and does it matter who holds the rights?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Sport Business Club, Affiches Parisiennes / mesinfos.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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