SEPTEMBER | FEATURE
N
othing can beat the topsy turvey
action and excitement (not
words normally associated with
cricket) of an exceptional World Cup:
with the marvellous combination of
a draw leading to a Super Over (who
had ever heard of one of those? Not
even Aggers!) after an astonishing 47
matches; moments of drama which, if
scripted, would have been dismissed
as too unlikely to be believed, and of
course, the icing on the cake- the rarest
of things, an English triumph!
Even before that, we had heard
the Lionesses roar from France (even
if they only came home with pride-
forgive the pun- and not a trophy), and
latterly we have seen the Roses blossom
in Liverpool. Although again, England
didn’t quite fulfil their promise, but
netball was the winner with greater
than ever media coverage and matches
played in front of a packed Vitality
Arena. Although my advice to Liz
Nicholl would be to ensure greater
terrestrial coverage from Cape Town.
The quality of the athleticism (and
physicality) was exceptional, but my
daughters (21 and 25 and both sporty)
were not even aware of it. Liz, don’t let
the Lionesses eat your lunch!
As society becomes ever-more
fragmented and self-absorbed, fuelled
by the power of social media, it seems
that the unique unpredictability and
shared emotional drama of sport will
usher in a golden age for our athletes.
So what do venues, arenas and host
cities (for now we need to consider
Where do we go
from here?
Let’s keep our focus after a teriffic summer, says MEI COO Andy Rice
the place of ‘sportscapes’ rather than
sport being restricted to a seat-bound
physical space) need to do to capitalise
on this opportunity?
The answer, amongst other things,
but mainly, is to keep pace with
technological innovation – the driving
force behind fan engagement, safety,
security and revenue generation. Even
overlay, to some extent.
I can offer a starting point for the
appropriate level of investment as, for
high profile, small businesses like most
of sports event rights holders, it is as
dangerous to over-spend on technology
as it is to under-spend.
Here are my six top tips:
1. Ensure all stakeholders understand
the importance of technology- to
ensure corporate buy-in. Technology
is not just IT
2. Create an ROI for everything.
What’s the ROI for urinals? Without
urinals a fan’s customer experience
will be compromised (so too their
underpants perhaps); which means
that they will leave quicker, and
perhaps never come back; which
means they will spend less money...
which means that urinals have an
ROI
3. Track your crowd. Work out where
to position your concession stands;
where security needs to be high and
when (and more importantly for cost
savings, low and when); improve
your fan experience
4. Find the Goldilocks spot for your
safety and security – play the
percentages. Of course, you want
everyone to be safe and secure, but
you can equally blow past a budget
without the necessity to do so. Bring
in an expert and get them to tell you
what is likely to happen not what
might happen
5. Engage with suppliers. Of course,
they want to sell to you something,
but you’re not stupid- you won’t buy
unless you can prove to your FD that
there is an ROI- so get them to show
you one
6. Come to MEI’s UK Sports and
Venues Summit on 21st November
at the London Stadium, QE Olympic
Park. Speakers are currently being
confirmed but, if you want to learn
more about:
• Management Efficiencies – Learn
from best practice employed at the
best global sporting events;
• Enhancing the fan experience –
Innovations in fan engagement to
grow loyalty and revenues;
• Connectivity and technology – What
are the ‘must have’ innovations for
the sportscapes of the future;
• Maximising revenues- From
ticket sales, retail and online
merchandising. See you there.
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