GOING BEYOND GROUP grows by 30 percent and makes it into the top ten of owner-managed agencies in Germany at first attempt

Stuttgart, May 31, 2023 – The GOING BEYOND GROUP, which unites the LIGANOVA GROUP and THE GAME GROUP under its umbrella, takes 6th place in the ranking of owner-managed agencies in Germany. In 2022, the holding company generated a total turnover of over 82 million euros. This is its first participation in the annual ranking of owner-managed agencies compiled by W&V, Horizont and GWA, and it has immediately achieved a top ten position.

Above-average growth thanks to high level of expertise
The group is growing at an above-average rate compared to the rest of the industry: the GOING BEYOND GROUP’s total revenue in 2022 was EUR K 82,386. This equals growth of around 30 percent compared to the previous year (2021: EUR K 63,510).

The LIGANOVA GROUP accounted for the lion’s share of the sales volume generated, at 80 percent. In 2022, it alone generated sales of EUR K 65,908,800. Of this, approximately 16 percent is attributable to the companies outside Germany, LIGANOVA Netherlands and LIGANOVA PRODUCTION USA; these international sales are not included in the ranking.

LIGANOVA GROUP’s strong growth stems mainly from its core areas of Brand Experiences & Retail Campaigns, Sustainability and Digitalization. In addition, the Group brought other innovative specialist companies on board: with the acquisition of Herren der Schöpfung (now LIGANOVA Horizon) and the majority stakes in Code Gaia and, most recently, Artificial Rome, LIGANOVA GROUP is expanding its range of offerings around sustainability, just like outstanding analog, digital and virtual Brand Experiences.

Good prospects for 2023
GOING BEYOND GROUP is optimistic about the current year: demand in the group’s core business – Brand Experience & Spaces and Campaigns, Digital and Virtual Experiences, and Sustainability Solutions – continues to grow. Further acquisitions are also not ruled out. For 2023, the Group expects revenue growth of over 10 percent in its core business.

LIGANOVA GROUP, with its high level of expertise in Brand Experiences, is benefiting from the trend towards holistic, “phygital” concepts: many retail spaces are moving beyond pure sales outlets and are focusing more on brand, purpose and branding. The LIGANOVA GROUP sees particular growth potential in the sports business. Especially in sports sponsoring, the trend in brand activation is currently moving away from simple banners and logos to experiencing the brand in all its facets. LIGANOVA GROUP has already completed the first major projects, and more will follow.

The LIGANOVA GROUP is also focusing on growth around the important topic of sustainability – among other things with its “Green Gen” brand and the SaaS solutions from Code Gaia. The further development of the CO2 Calculator is also high on the agenda in 2023.

Timo Schönauer, Group CEO (LIGANOVA GROUP and GOING BEYOND GROUP):
“We are pleased about the good ranking. In the past years, the GOING BEYOND GROUP has developed strategically and economically in a very positive way. On the one hand we have invested in new business areas and on the other hand we have grown significantly in our core business. It was time to communicate our development to the outside world and to appear in an official agency ranking for the first time.”

Mathias Ullrich, Managing Director, LIGANOVA GROUP: “The demand for services in our core areas of brand experience and retail marketing has risen sharply in recent years. The retail transformation towards more brand focus and brand experience is a business field with enormous potential. Brand activation is also a big topic in sports sponsoring and is currently undergoing major changes. We see a lot of potential in this area with our expertise and want to continue investing.”