SportsPro "Live" Edition - 2015

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STADIUM & VENUE TECHNOLOGY - THE 2015 SPECIAL REPORT www.sportspromedia.com

MAY 2015 | Issue 76

Indian cricket: Back to the future in the sport’s biggest market Page 32 Mayweather v Pacquiao: Previewing the richest night in boxing history Page 34

ARIEL EMANUEL @SportsPro

On stage and on the record

May 2015

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CONTENTS | MAY 2015 - ISSUE NUMBER 76

Contents

44 Cover Story 44 Portrait of a leader SportsPro Live opened with a bang this year as Hollywood super-agent Ariel (PDQXHO WRRN WR WKH VWDJH IRU KLV À UVW sports industry conference appearance. Emanuel, co-chief executive of the newly amalgamated WME | IMG agency, was in bullish form as he covered off acquisition strategy, culture shifts, leadership and walking treadmills.

Insights

Features 34 At last $IWHU \HDUV RI WDONLQJ À QDOO\ WKH À JKW Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, two of the great sportsmen of their generation, will meet in the richest boxing match of all time. 38 SportsPro Live Introduction 6SRUWV3UR /LYH WKH VHFRQG à DJVKLS conference from the team behind this magazine, was held at London’s Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal, on 12th March.

28 Mini Insights

42 SportsPro Live Gallery

32 Dalmiya returns as Srinivasan declines N Srinivasan’s once immutable hold on WKH UHLQV RI ,QGLDQ FULFNHW ZDV À QDOO\ ORRVHQHG DV D IDPLOLDU À JXUH -DJPRKDQ Dalmiya, returned to replace him as president of the BCCI.

50 The chairmen 7 KH À UVW SDQHO VHVVLRQ RI WKH GD\ DW SportsPro Live brought together four À JXUHV IURP %ULWLVK VSRUW ZKR DUH XVHG to being seated at the head of the table. Each was on hand to provide a broad view and some choice insights.

56 Ringside with the Hearns Matchroom Sport’s Barry and Eddie Hearn, on stage at a conference for WKH À UVW WLPH WRJHWKHU FKDUPHG WKH SportsPro Live audience with colourful mid-morning tales and delivered a healthy dose of common sense. 62 The action beyond the action Maximising the fan experience without detracting from the sport is a conundrum all event organisers face. But with eventgoers becoming increasingly discerning about what makes a quality spectacle, the question of how best to go about it is open to debate. 66 Channelling technology The growth of technology has brought about ground-breaking changes in how we view and interact with sport. Understanding the technological demands of the fans and utilising technology in a way that fosters a greater experience is now a fundamental endeavour for those within the sports industry.

SportsPro Magazine | 3

CONTENTS | MAY 2015 - ISSUE NUMBER 76

Contents 100 Pushing the structural boundaries Ever-innovative planners are increasingly conceiving new ways of adapting once single-purpose stadiums to satisfy the demand for showcasing an array of top-class sporting spectacles.

Company ProďŹ le 108 Projecting power 4XLQFH ,PDJLQJ LV D Ă€UP RI VSHFLDOLW\ image designers that has made a name for itself in the sports industry with its dramatic and jaw-dropping 3D projections.

Regulars 6 8 10 12 14

92 70 14.05: Emirates Stadium The broadcast specialists chase )RU WKH ÀUVW WLPH ZH GHOLYHUHG OLYH sport to SportsPro Live by beaming Channel 4’s coverage of a race from the Cheltenham Festival on to our big screen. Racing UK’s chief executive Richard FitzGerald was on hand to explain its role in British racing – and gift delegates a free bet on the race, won by Call the Cops – before being joined by a trio of experts to discuss the wider world of sports broadcasting and sports rights.

82 Servicing the fan Two post-lunch panels at SportsPro Live homed in on some of the essentials of any major sporting event: a well-structured ticketing strategy; D Ă H[LEOH ZHOO SODQQHG YHQXH WKH customer service experience; and, for those with a little more to spend, the creation of a memorable high-end hospitality product.

Special Report: Stadium Technology

16 17 18 20 26 118 120 122

Editor’s Letter Notes and Observations The Martyn Ziegler Column Digest Thought Leader: Chris Overholt Thought Leader: Nick Blair and Anil Matharu Premature Facts Movers and Shakers Gallery SportsPro World Index Show me the money: Mikaela Shiffrin Jottings

Deals 112 Deals Review 114 Sponsorship Deals

74 The day in digital 76 The Front OďŹƒce SportsPro Live 2015 closed with a trio behind three of the biggest events in world sport in the next three years. Debbie -HYDQV WKH RXWJRLQJ FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RI the England 2015 Rugby World Cup, IOC sporting director Kit McConnell, and London 2017 World Athletics Championships managing director Sally Bolton were all on hand to share insights.

92 Stadia solutions Ensuring spectators receive a comfortable, connected, safe experience, while also guaranteeing commercial deliverables are met, is a challenge WKDW ÀOOV WKH PLQGV RI VWDGLXP RZQHUV and operators the world over. SportsPro VHOHFWHG ÀYH SDUWLFXODU VSKHUHV DQG sought the expertise of sector-leading companies to paint a picture of the perfect modern arena.

SportsPro (ISSN 1756 5340), (May 2015 edition) is published monthly by SportsPro Media Ltd and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854. 3HULRGLFDOV 3RVWDJH 3DLG DW 3LVFDWDZD\ 1- DQG DGGLWLRQDO PDLOLQJ RIĂ€FHV POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SportsPro, SportsPro Media, C/o 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway NJ 08854

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EDITOR’S LETTER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David Cushnan EDITOR James Emmett FEATURES EDITOR Eoin Connolly DIGITAL EDITOR Michael Long STAFF WRITER Mike Kennedy EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ross Jones-Davies ART DIRECTOR Daniel Brown PHOTOGRAPHIC AGENCY Action Images MEDIA PARTNER Press Association MANAGING DIRECTOR Nick Meacham COMMERCIAL CONSULTANT Richard Partridge BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS Jon Abraham, Bobby Hare, Sam Renshaw, Duncan Jenkinson SUBSCRIPTIONS Bhav Sahota BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER YĂŠwandĂŠ ArulĂŠba

Executive search partner:

SportsPro magazine is published by: SportsPro Media Ltd 5 Prescot Street, London E1 8PA, UK Tel: +44 (0) 207 549 3250 Fax: +44 (0) 207 549 3255 Email: info@sportspromedia.com Web: www.sportspromedia.com (SportsPro Media Ltd is part of the Henley Media Group Ltd - www.henleymediagroup.com) NOTICES: May 2015 Issue No 76 SportsPro Magazine ,661 LV SXEOLVKHG PRQWKO\ RQ WKH ÀUVW 7KXUVGD\ RI WKH SULRU PRQWK WR WKH FRYHU GDWH 3ULQWHG LQ WKH (8 68%6&5,37,216 $YDLODEOH DW D FRVW RI 8.… 3ULQW VXEVFULSWLRQ DQG 8.… 'LJLWDO 6XEVFULSWLRQ %DFN LVVXHV DUH DYDLODEOH IRU 8.… DQG GHOLYHUHG DQ\ZKHUH LQ WKH ZRUOG DW QR H[WUD FKDUJH 6XEVFULSWLRQV DUH DYDLODEOH E\ ORJJLQJ RQ WR ZZZ VSRUWVSURPHGLD FRP (',725,$/ &23<5,*+7 7KH FRQWHQWV RI WKLV PDJD]LQH ERWK ZRUGV DQG VWDWLVWLFV DUH VWULFWO\ FRS\ULJKW DQG WKH LQWHOOHFWXDO SURSHUW\ RI 6SRUWV3UR 0HGLD &RS\LQJ RU UHSURGXFWLRQ PD\ RQO\ EH FDUULHG RXW ZLWK ZULWWHQ SHUPLVVLRQ RI WKH SXEOLVKHUV ZKLFK ZLOO QRUPDOO\ QRW EH ZLWKKHOG RQ SD\PHQW RI D IHH $UWLFOH UHSULQWV 0RVW DUWLFOHV SXEOLVKHG LQ SportsPro 0DJD]LQH DUH DYDLODEOH DV UHSULQWV E\ SULRU DUUDQJHPHQW IURP WKH SXEOLVKHUV 1RUPDO PLQLPXP SULQW UXQ IRU UHSULQWV LV FRSLHV DOWKRXJK ODUJHU DQG VPDOOHU UXQV DUH SRVVLEOH 3OHDVH FRQWDFW XV DW LQIR#VSRUWVSURPHGLD FRP

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harisma isn’t an essential characteristic in a leader, but it sure as heck helps. On stage at SportsPro Live in March, the two set-piece interviews featured industry leaders with charisma in spades. Ariel Emanuel, the Hollywood superagent and co-chief executive of the newly amalgamated WME | IMG agency, and Barry Hearn, founder of Matchroom Sport and promoter of most sports under the sun, both have a magnetic style of leadership about them. That ability to galvanise through sheer force of personality, to get mass buy-in through a clear articulation of personal philosophy, KDV EHQHĂ€WHG ERWK RI WKHP DV WKH\¡YH ULVHQ WR WKH WRS RI WKHLU UHVSHFWLYH Ă€HOGV In amongst the anecdotes, the business updates and – let’s face it – the swearing at 6SRUWV3UR¡V VHFRQG DQQXDO Ă DJVKLS conference, there was a clear insight to be drawn from both men. It was Emanuel who put it into words. “For me,â€? he said, “culture beats strategy every time.â€? It’s nothing new, and on a list of business clichĂŠs it would feature near the top, but it seems to me that it is a belief that underpins the style of many of the world’s most charismatic leaders. When there is change to be managed – and at IMG, there is plenty of change to be managed – a public and open focus on instilling a set of cultural values often helps to sweeten the pill of sometimes painful strategic tweaking. The tone is always set from the top. At SportsPro Live, Emanuel was clear about the cultural shift he and his fellow co-chief executive Patrick Whitesell have instigated at IMG. As the various business divisions within the agency are being “unsiloedâ€?, so too is the collective mindset. Emanuel wants a culture in which his team, whatever department they work in, have the will and the way to give their input into other areas. That ‘all for one, one for all’ mentality extends to a corporate culture safety-net that is aimed

Lessons from leaders at reassuring IMG employees that it’s OK to fail. Whether it works in practice is another thing entirely, but Emanuel talks a good game and that is as good a place to start as any. Hearn’s business is different, but his mindset is similar. He has made a speciality out of elevating unfashionable pursuits into popular entertainment events, broadening the target demographics and making a great deal of money in the process. But how do you transform a sport like darts from a pub game followed by a grizzled, unwelcoming few to a TV and in-venue spectacle beloved by millions of revellers? You follow the golden rules of the House of Hearn: “To do the job properly you have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in your product. Let’s smash everything up; let’s do things other people haven’t thought of; let’s have a massive party when it’s all over; let’s try to make some money but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t. But actually if we’re enjoying ourselves, generally we make shed loads.� From the US Bureau

Our US Bureau closed its doors last month and we bade farewell to US correspondent Ian McPherson. Over two years at 6SRUWV3UR ÀUVW LQ /RQGRQ DQG WKHQ LQ /$ Ian provided a lively voice and an enquiring mind and his regular contributions in these pages will be missed. He’ll be back as an occasional contributor in the future, but in the meantime, if readers need a luxury short-term condo let in California, drop Ian a line.

James Emmett Editor

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

What’s up with the Davis Cup? Michael Long

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reat Britain’s recent tie against the USA showcased all that’s good about the Davis Cup. For three days in early March, over 7,000 merry revellers – a raucous sea of red, white and blue – danced and sang their hearts out inside a packed Emirates Arena in Glasgow. On a memorable opening night, Britain’s rank outsider James Ward channelled the torrent of hearty patriotism to beat American number one -RKQ ,VQHU LQ D Ă€ YH VHW HSLF VHWWLQJ WKH tone for what was to prove a thrilling tie that culminated in Andy Murray securing %ULWDLQ DQ XQOLNHO\ VSRW LQ WKH TXDUWHU Ă€ QDOV )URP VWDUW WR Ă€ QLVK LW ZDV D MR\ WR watch – and not only because Britain ZRQ 7KLV ZDV WRS OHYHO VSRUWLQJ GUDPD contested with the kind of passion even a neutral could appreciate. This was the 'DYLV &XS WKH Ă DJVKLS WHDP FRPSHWLWLRQ LQ SURIHVVLRQDO PHQ¡V WHQQLV DW LWV Ă€ QHVW Clearly, this was not the forgotten event few attend and even fewer still care about, as the myriad naysayers within tennis would have you believe. Quite the opposite, in fact. Contrary to popular opinion, the Davis Cup is HQMR\LQJ VRPHWKLQJ RI DQ XQKHUDOGHG renaissance. Shortly after Switzerland RYHUFDPH KRVWV )UDQFH LQ ODVW \HDU¡V Ă€ QDO in November, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) released a statement proclaiming 2014 ‘a vintage year for Davis Cup’. A crowd of 27,448, the statement boasted, packed into Lille’s UHFRQĂ€ JXUHG 6WDGH 3LHUUH 0DXUR\ RQ WKH Sunday to watch Roger Federer lead the 6ZLVV WR WKHLU Ă€ UVW HYHU FURZQ ,W ZDV WKH KLJKHVW DWWHQGDQFH HYHU IRU DQ RIĂ€ FLDOO\ sanctioned tennis event. Buoyed by its vintage year the ITF, often criticised for not doing enough 8 | www.sportspromedia.com

to protect and grow tennis’ beloved 'DYLV &XS WKHQ FDPH RXW Ă€ ULQJ ,Q HDUO\ February, the federation announced a ‘landmark’ deal with BeIN Sports that will see the Qatari broadcaster market the global media rights to the Davis Cup and the women’s Fed Cup for the next VHYHQ \HDUV $ Ă XUU\ RI ULJKWV GHDOV ZLWK broadcasters in multiple territories came in the early weeks of the year and the message was clear: 2015 would pick up where 2014 left off. :LWKLQ ZHHNV WKRXJK WKH DJH ROG cracks a bit of commercial progress had papered over began to reappear. When this year’s World Group kicked off in March, Switzerland’s star duo of Federer and Stan Wawrinka were nowhere to be seen, opting instead to play lucrative exhibition events elsewhere and all but consigning their countrymen to a Ă€ UVW URXQG GHIHDW WR %HOJLXP )RU PDQ\ REVHUYHUV WKHLU GHFLVLRQ ZDV GLIĂ€ FXOW WR accept and yet strangely familiar. In refusing to defend their title, the Swiss pair served a telling reminder that the Davis Cup, irrespective of its storied past and tradition, remains discretionary: D \HDU ROG FRPSHWLWLRQ WKDW HYHQ for the reigning champions, remains an RQHURXV FDOHQGDU FORJJHU KRSHOHVVO\ mismatched against the riches of the modern game. <HW WKH SUREOHP RI Ă DN\ FRPPLWPHQW from the sport’s biggest names is nothing new. Top players, many of whom already MXJJOH SDFNHG VFKHGXOHV KDYH RIWHQ YLHZHG the Davis Cup as a burden they could do without, and there have been many proposals put forward to rectify the issue. Holding the event every two years, selecting surfaces that coincide with the UHJXODU WRXU WR UHGXFH LQMXULHV JLYLQJ WKH SUHYLRXV \HDU¡V Ă€ QDOLVWV D Ă€ UVW URXQG E\H – all are solutions that have been mooted with player participation in mind. Yet all have quickly been discounted on commercial grounds. Switching to a biennial format, for example, would only KLW WKH VPDOOHU WHQQLV SOD\LQJ QDWLRQV where it hurts most: in their bank

EDODQFHV &UHDWLQJ D :RUOG &XS VW\OH IHVWLYDO RI WHQQLV SHUKDSV D PRQWK ORQJ event as has been suggested, would require a seismic calendar shift the Ă€ QDQFLDOO\ Ă XVK $73 DQG :7$ 7RXUV would not be willing to make. Reducing the number of ties would only peeve the sponsors and broadcasters. %RXQG E\ VXFK FRQĂ LFWLQJ LQWHUHVWV the ITF has taken to making modest improvements elsewhere. Three years ago it increased the number of Davis Cup matches a player must play in an Olympic cycle to be eligible for a spot in the next edition of the Games to three, while the BeIN Sports deal is designed to enhance the global exposure and quality of Davis Cup coverage. But perhaps there is another way. As publicity stunts on the roofs of VN\VFUDSHUV LQ 'XEDL RU Ă RDWLQJ FRXUWV in Acapulco Bay have shown, tennis lends well to novel applications. Though nobody would expect the ITF to take the Davis Cup to such gimmicky locales, if the federation’s aim is to elevate the PXFK ORYHG 'DYLV &XS EUDQG RI WHQQLV by ensuring more matches reach more people whilst creating a genuine spectacle that showcases a side of the sport not seen on the tour circuit, that line of WKLQNLQJ SURYLGHV D GHĂ€ QLWH RSSRUWXQLW\ For all the talk of Federer’s ability to draw a crowd, it is safe to assume that ODVW \HDU¡V Ă€ QDO ZDV WKH EHVW DWWHQGHG tennis match of all time not because he was there, but because it was staged in a reworked soccer stadium capable of holding a record number of spectators DQG FUHDWLQJ WKH NLQG RI RQH RII WKHDWUH rarely seen on tour. By promoting the use of this kind of temporary venue, the ITF and host national associations have a clear opportunity to turn heads towards Davis Cup tennis without detracting from the competition’s cherished character. Who knows, even the top players may start to sit up and take notice. @_MichaelLong

Free stadium WiFi: Time to break the mould Free WiFi and rich, profitable content: with intechnologyWiFi, it’s a wide-open goal Each of your fans who own a smartphone is now believed to look at it more than 150 times a day during their waking hours. Consequently, they will be massively frustrated when they can’t connect while in your stadium. Existing cellular networks often have insufficient mast capacity to handle the large volume of users in a stadium environment and also charge expensive data rates for accessing content, so it’s time for a rethink. IntechnologyWiFi is truly breaking the mould for the delivery of stadium WiFi. Not only do we offer a totally free, end-to-end WiFi solution – the installation and management of which comes at no cost – but also a long-term, revenuegenerating partnership with your club, with content created and managed by experts around the clock to ensure your fans are kept engaged. Inside and outside the stadium, on match days and beyond.

tŚLJ ƚŚĞ ŝŶƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJtŝ&ŝ ŽīĞƌŝŶŐ ŝƐ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ZĞǀĞŶƵĞͲŐĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŵŽĚĞů /ƚ ƚĂŬĞƐ Ă ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ ĞdžĐĞƐƐ ŽĨ άϭŵ ƚŽ ŝŶƐƚĂůů Ă tŝ&ŝ ĞŶĂďůĞĚ ƐƚĂĚŝƵŵ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŶĂŐĞ ŝƚ͕ ƐŽ ĞǀĞŶ ŝŶ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ tŝ&ŝ ŝŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂĚŝƵŵƐ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ƌĞƋƵŝƌŝŶŐ ĂŶLJ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ĨƌŽŵ ĐůƵďƐ͕ ŝŶƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJtŝ&ŝ ĂƌĞ ƚƌƵůLJ ƌĂŝƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ďĂƌ͘

The bottom line: Key intechnologyWiFi facts

tŚĂƚ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƐĞƚƐ ƵƐ ĂƉĂƌƚ͕ ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͕ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞǀĞŶƵĞͲŐĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŵŽĚĞů ǁĞ ŽīĞƌ͘ tŝƚŚŽƵƚ ĂŶ ĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ŶŽ ƌĞǀĞŶƵĞ ʹ ƐŽ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞ͕ ǁĞ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ Ă ĐŽŵƉƌĞŚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ĚƌŝǀĞ ƚŚĞ ĞŶŐĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ĨĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ͕ ŝŶ ƚƵƌŶ͕ ƚŚĞ ƌĞǀĞŶƵĞ ƐƚƌĞĂŵƐ ƚŚĞLJ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ͘ Ŷ ŽǁŶĞĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ͕ ĞŶĚͲƚŽͲĞŶĚ Ɛ ŝĨ ĐŽŵŵŝƫŶŐ ƚŽ ŝŶƐƚĂůů ĂŶĚ ŵĂŶĂŐĞ Ă tŝ&ŝ ŶĞƚǁŽƌŬ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ Ăƚ njĞƌŽ ĐŽƐƚ ǁĂƐŶ͛ƚ ĞŶŽƵŐŚ͕ ŝŶƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJtŝ&ŝ ĂůƐŽ ŚĂǀĞ ŽǁŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐŽůƵƟŽŶ ĨƌŽŵ ĞŶĚͲƚŽͲĞŶĚ͘ tĞ ŽǁŶ ƚŚĞ tŝ&ŝ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌ͕ ǁĞ ŽǁŶ ƚŚĞ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ƚŽ ŵĂŶĂŐĞ ƚŚĞ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂĚŝƵŵ ĂŶĚ ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŚĞ ŝŶͲŚŽƵƐĞ ĞdžƉĞƌƟƐĞ ŝŶ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚ ŵŽŶĞƟƐĂƟŽŶ͘ hŶƌŝǀĂůůĞĚ ĐƌĞĚĞŶƟĂůƐ /ŶƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJtŝ&ŝ ŝƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ /ŶƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ƉůĐ͕ ŽǁŶĞĚ ďLJ Ă ƚƌƵĞ ƉŝŽŶĞĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ĂŶĚ ƐƉŽƌƚƐ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĞƐ ʹ ƐĞƌŝĂů ĞŶƚƌĞƉƌĞŶĞƵƌ ĂŶĚ ƐĞůĨͲĐŽŶĨĞƐƐĞĚ ĨŽŽƚďĂůů ĨĂŶĂƟĐ͕ WĞƚĞƌ tŝůŬŝŶƐŽŶ͘ Ɛ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ďĞŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĨŽƵŶĚĞƌ ŽĨ &ƌĞĞƐĞƌǀĞ ;ƚŚĞ h<͛Ɛ ĮƌƐƚ ĨƌĞĞ /^W ĨŽƌ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌƐͿ͕ WĞƚĞƌ ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚ WůĂŶĞƚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů ʹ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ŽĸĐŝĂů ĐůƵď ǁĞďƐŝƚĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƚĞ ϭϵϵϬƐ ʹ ƉƌŽǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵďŝŶĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ĂŶĚ ĨƌĞĞ ƐƉŽƌƚƐ ĐŽŶƚĞŶƚ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ŚŝŐŚůLJ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů͘ WĞƚĞƌ ĂůƐŽ ŽǁŶĞĚ ^ƉŽƌƚƐ /ŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĞŶŚĂŶĐĞĚ WůĂŶĞƚ &ŽŽƚďĂůů ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ďĞƫŶŐ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ ŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚĞĚ ŝŶƚŽ ĨŽŽƚďĂůů ĐůƵď ǁĞďƐŝƚĞƐ͘ dŚŝƐ ǁĂƐ ƐƵďƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ ƐŽůĚ ƚŽ ^ŬLJ ;ŶŽǁ ^ŬLJ ĞƚͿ͘

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THE MARTYN ZIEGLER COLUMN

On the beat with Martyn Ziegler Press Association’s chief sports reporter spies embarrassment ahead for the US Olympic Committee’s Boston 2024 bid.

I

n any race to host a summer Olympics, it would be understandable to assume that an American city has the kind of advantage that would have made Eric ‘the Eel’ Moussambani fancy his chances against Michael Phelps. For a start, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is so in bed with the US broadcaster NBC that in a less openminded world there would be an angry father ordering a wedding at the point of a shotgun. The US$7.75 billion dowry that NBC offered for the four Games until 2032 was so enormous that the IOC did not even consider any other suitors. The money guarantees the Olympic PRYHPHQW¡V Ă€ QDQFLDO VHFXULW\ IRU WZR more decades and the IOC-NBC ties have never been stronger. Then there is the guarantee that the world’s richest companies will be falling over themselves to a get a piece of the sponsorship action from two and a half weeks of sport that will go straight to the heart of the wealthy American marketplace. Finally, from an IOC point of view, an American city should promise a stressfree preparation period, sold-out venues, up-to-date security, good weather, limited opportunities for political embarrassment and plenty of apparently environmentally friendly initiatives. Strange then, that Boston’s campaign for the 2024 Olympics is setting the perfect example of exactly how not to bid for the Games. It is so bad, in fact, that a conspiracy theorist might even suggest it KDV EHHQ LQĂ€ OWUDWHG E\ D ULYDO WR ZUHFN WKH bid before it has even started. At the centre of Boston’s problems is the bizarre decision to hold a state-wide referendum across Massachusetts in November 2016. Given that cities need to register their bids by 15th September this year, that will leave Boston bid leaders facing 15 months of campaigning knowing that the rug may be pulled 10 | www.sportspromedia.com

from under them if the referendum goes against them. Privately, IOC members are shaking their heads in dismay: it is the worst possible tactic. Members decide on their votes for lots of different reasons, but they all want certainty and clarity from a bidding city who can demonstrate unanimous conviction that the Olympics will be a triumph. US Olympic Committee (USOC) chief executive Scott Blackmun insisted in March that the suggestion that an alternative city may be thrust into the race instead of Boston is “simply not trueâ€?. USOC communications chief Patrick Sandusky has backed that up more recently, telling me that such a move “would not be possible due to time constraintsâ€?. Nevertheless, the IOC is being presented with opinion polls showing public support in Boston has fallen from a hardly impressive 51 per cent to 36 per cent, with a strident ‘NoBostonOlympics’ campaign now in full swing. Swiss IOC member Denis Oswald, who led the coordination commission for London 2012, has expressed “surpriseâ€? the USOC did not take more notice about levels of public support when they made their decision. Sir Craig Reedie, an IOC vice president and the man who shepherded London’s 2012 bid to success, says Boston needs to work hard on boosting public support – and soon. “With modest public support at the moment they need to put in place a very good communications strategy so that the people of Boston come onside so that the IOC sees public support improving week by week,â€? he told me. The USA’s problem is not just about Boston and public support, however. Unlike most countries, there is no federal government funding to underwrite any Games and, apart from security costs, DOO Ă€ QDQFLDO EDFNLQJ KDV WR FRPH IURP the state and city authorities – or even

via insurance policies – and that is a big JDPEOH WR WDNH IRU HOHFWHG RIÀ FLDOV )RU WKRVH À QDQFLDO UHDVRQV %RVWRQ has put forward a plan for a temporary Olympic stadium that will be dismantled after the Games. Chicago had a similar plan when it bid for the 2016 Games and IDLOHG VSHFWDFXODUO\ HOLPLQDWHG LQ WKH À UVW round of voting. When New York bid against London for 2012, it did not even have a plan for a stadium in place when the vote was taken – little surprise that it, too, made little headway. Something needs to change if an American city is to make any headway in bidding for a summer Games. IOC members are hopeful that the reforms introduced in December which will allow different regions and cities to bid jointly for Olympics and share the burden will help but, nevertheless, the USOC is facing up to another major embarrassment. The IOC’s executive board will draw up a shortlist of candidates for 2024 in the spring of 2016: at this point it would be surprising if Boston were to be included; indeed, surprising if it is still even in the running at that point. Where else, then, will the IOC look when the vote is taken in 2017 in Lima, Peru? There are already dissenters in Italy about Rome’s bid but it looks as though Istanbul may go again, as well as Budapest and oil-rich bids from Baku and Doha. Hamburg is also being put forward, despite Germany preparing to bid for football’s Uefa Euro 2024 championships. Perhaps the most intriguing is Paris, the serial bid loser that has only just recovered the trauma of narrowly losing out to London for 2012. The 2024 Games will be the centennial of the last time Paris was host – the Chariots of Fire Olympics – and that fact alone may prove hugely appealing. 3UHVV $VVRFLDWLRQ LV DQ RIÀ FLDO SportsPro media partner.

THE ANNUAL REPORT 2015

BIDDING, HOSTING, VENUES & LEGACY Examining the role of sport as a major economic driver for cities, regions and countries.

THE ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Destinations Report 2015 Middle East

ABU DHABI’S SPORTING STAGE By David Cushnan

As the owner of many of Abu Dhabi’s most prized sports facilities and the operator of many of its most important events, Zayed Sports City has established itself both as a global events hub and a focal point of the community.

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ounded and inaugurated by the 8QLWHG $UDE (PLUDWHV¡ Ă€UVW president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan, Zayed Sports City has been a focal point of Abu Dhabi’s sporting landscape since 1980. In the SDVW Ă€YH \HDUV RU VR KRZHYHU QHZ IRFXV KDV EHHQ IRXQG XQGHU WKH RZQHUVKLS RI Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company. =D\HG 6SRUWV &LW\¡V FDOHQGDU RI HYHQWV international and local, has expanded DORQJ ZLWK LWV VWDWXV DV RQH RI WKH 0LGGOH East’s premier sports destinations. ´ ZDV DQRWKHU JUHDW \HDU SUREDEO\ WKH EXVLHVW ZH¡YH HYHU KDG Âľ UHSRUWV general manager Barry Bremner. “Our JURZWK IURP D Ă€QDQFLDO SHUVSHFWLYH FRQWLQXHG DQG LW ZDV DERXW SHU FHQW

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IDFLOLW\ KROGV LQ DQ\ JLYHQ \HDU EHWZHHQ DQG DUH ZKDW %UHPQHU GHVFULEHV DV ´PDUTXHH W\SH HYHQWVÂľ OLNH WKH 1LWUR &LUFXV ::( RU WKH DQQXDO 0XEDGDOD World Tennis Championship. “The other SOXV DUH DOO YHU\ ORFDOO\ EDVHG ´(YHQW VSRQVRUV DQG RUJDQLVHUV DUH JHWWLQJ VPDUWHU Âľ KH DGGV ´7KH\ DUH QRW MXVW SXWWLQJ PRQH\ LQWR HYHQWV DQG looking for publicity, they are seeking SURJUDPPHV DQG HYHQWV WKDW KDYH elements that contribute to the health of WKH FRPPXQLW\ Âľ 7KH =D\HG 6SRUWV &LW\ RI LV PDGH up of an eclectic mix of facilities. The ,QWHUQDWLRQDO 7HQQLV &HQWUH ZKLFK RSHQHG LQ FRPSULVHV QLQH FRXUWV LQFOXGLQJ D VWDGLXP FRXUW IRU VSHFWDWRUV DQG

Soccer training camps are a vital revenue stream, while 2014 and 2015’s events calendar includes major championships in tenpin bowling and tennis

also consists of four beach tennis and YROOH\EDOO FRXUWV WKUHH EDVNHWEDOO FRXUWV D J\P Ă€WQHVV VWXGLRV VKRSV DQG IRRG RXWOHWV .KDOLID ,QWHUQDWLRQDO %RZOLQJ &HQWUH PHDQZKLOH ZDV EXLOW LQ DQG LV WKH ODUJHVW ERZOLQJ DQG WDEOH VSRUWV YHQXH LQ WKH 0LGGOH (DVW DQG 1RUWK $IULFD UHJLRQ ,W LQFOXGHV IXOO\ HTXLSSHG ODQHV and billiard and table tennis facilities. %RWK YHQXHV KDYH EHHQ SXW WR JRRG XVH RYHU WKH SDVW PRQWKV DQG ZLOO EH WHVWHG DJDLQ WKURXJKRXW WKH International Tennis Centre is the host RI WKH DQQXDO 0XEDGDOD :RUOG 7HQQLV Championship, a three-day exhibition WRXUQDPHQW ZKHUH 1RYDN 'MRNRYLF 5DIDHO 1DGDO $QG\ 0XUUD\ DQG 6WDQ :DZULQND FKRVH WR VWDUW WKHLU VHDVRQV at the turn of the year, and this year DOVR ZLOO LQFOXGH D YLVLW IURP WKH :RUOG :UHVWOLQJ (QWHUWDLQPHQW /LYH WRXU .KDOLID ,QWHUQDWLRQDO %RZOLQJ &HQWUH ZDV WKH KRVW RI WKH 0HQ¡V :RUOG 7HQSLQ %RZOLQJ &KDPSLRQVKLS DQ HYHQW ZKLFK %UHPQHU VD\V ZDV WKUHH \HDUV LQ WKH PDNLQJ DQG UHTXLUHG D PDMRU VSUXFH XS RI WKH EXLOGLQJ 7KH ZRPHQ¡V YHUVLRQ LV D KLJKOLJKW RI =D\HG 6SRUWV &LW\¡V FURZGHG HYHQWV FDOHQGDU 7KLV \HDU¡V 0XEDGDOD :RUOG 7HQQLV &KDPSLRQVKLS ZDV D VHOO RXW RYHU DOO three days, but the planning for the next edition has already begun. “The debrief is LPSRUWDQW Âľ %UHPQHU H[SODLQV ´LQ WHUPV RI ZKDW ZRUNHG DQG ZKDW GLGQ¡W ZRUN +H DGGV ´(YHU\ HYHQW ZH GR ZH GR customer satisfaction and customer

VXUYH\V ZKLFK ORRNV DW HYHU\ HOHPHQW RI WKH HYHQW IURP WLFNHWLQJ H[SHULHQFH WR JHWWLQJ DFFHVV LQWR WKH YHQXH KRZ WKH YHQXH ORRNHG FOHDQOLQHVV FDWHULQJ facilities, the price of catering and ticket pricing. We act on the results of these VXUYH\V ZKLFK KDV OHG WR D \HDU RQ \HDU LPSURYHPHQW LQ RXU VDWLVIDFWLRQ OHYHOV Âľ %UHPQHU VD\V UHTXHVWV IRU FRUSRUDWH HYHQWV DFURVV D UDQJH RI VSRUWV KDYH LQFUHDVHG DQG WKDW DURXQG SHU FHQW RI DWWHQGDQFH DW WKH YHQXH FRPHV IURP GDLO\ WUDIĂ€F ZKLOH HYHQW DWWHQGDQFH DFFRXQWV for the rest. $ IXUWKHU FRQVLVWHQW UHYHQXH VWUHDP LV SURYLGHG E\ WKH (XURSHDQ VRFFHU FOXEV DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO VRFFHU WHDPV ZKR YLVLW =D\HG 6SRUWV &LW\ IRU ZLQWHU WUDLQLQJ or pre-tournament camps. “They’re a NH\ FRPSRQHQW Âľ %UHPQHU VD\V ´:H¡YH UHDFKHG WKH VWDJH QRZ ZKHUH ZH¡UH DFWXDOO\ WXUQLQJ WHDPV DZD\ Âľ $URXQG teams, predominantly from England’s Premier League or Germany’s Bundesliga, KHOG FDPSV DW WKH YHQXH LQ SOD\LQJ RQ SLWFKHV ZKLFK KDYH EHHQ VSHFLDOO\

Zayed Sports City’s world-class tennis facilities

WHVWHG DQG YHULĂ€HG WR PHHW )LID VWDQGDUGV DQG IRU ZKLFK =D\HG 6SRUWV &LW\ KDV UHFHLYHG ZLGHVSUHDG SUDLVH 0RUH JHQHUDOO\ WKH HYHQWV FDOHQGDU IRU LQFOXGHV SOHQW\ RI WKH ´UHSHDW EXVLQHVVÂľ ZKLFK %UHPQHU VD\V LV YLWDO QRW RQO\ IRU UHDVRQV RI UHYHQXH EXW DOVR WR instil a sense of consistency for the local SRSXODWLRQ 7KH ::( DQG WKH WHQQLV ZLOO UHWXUQ ZKLOH RQH RIIV OLNH WKH :RUOG *DHOLF *DPHV LQ )HEUXDU\ ZLOO FRPSOHPHQW ORFDO HYHQWV VXFK DV WKH 8$( &URVVĂ€W &KDOOHQJH In the longer-term, Bremner and his team DUH FXUUHQWO\ UHYLVLWLQJ D PDVWHUSODQ IRU H[SDQVLRQ DQG LPSURYHPHQW ZKLFK ZDV FUHDWHG LQ EXW QHYHU H[HFXWHG +H LV also keeping a close eye on other sports and disciplines, trampolining to cite one, that could one day be included as a Zayed Sports City offering. ´:H YHU\ PXFK ORRN WR WKH IXWXUH – looking to add additional partners, LPSURYH RXU FXVWRPHU VHUYLFH DGG QHZ IDFLOLWLHV Âľ %UHPQHU FRQWLQXHV ´<HV ZH KDYH D OHJDF\ DQG ZH VKRXOG UHVSHFW WKDW OHJDF\ EXW ZH VKRXOG EXLOG XSRQ LW DV ZHOO :H GR WKLV E\ GHYHORSLQJ QHZ DWKOHWHV DQG GHOLYHULQJ PRGHUQ KLJK WHFK VHUYLFHV :H KDYH VHYHUDO FDSLWDO SURMHFWV LQ WKH SLSHOLQH WKDW ZH QHHG WR GHOLYHU WKLV \HDU )RU PH LV DERXW FDSLWDOLVLQJ RQ WKH IDFLOLWLHV ZH KDYH ,W¡V DERXW WKH Ă€QH GHWDLOV RI UXQQLQJ WKH IDFLOLW\ ² WKH customer interaction and client satisfaction HOHPHQW ZKLFK ZH FRQVWDQWO\ ZRUN RQ 0\ VXFFHVV ZRXOG EH JHWWLQJ DOO RI WKH YHU\ YHU\ VPDOO GHWDLOV FRUUHFW Âľ

32 | www.sportspromedia.com

The Destinations Report 2015 | 33

Destinations Report 2015 Asia-PaciďŹ c

THE SHOW NEVER STOPS By David Cushnan

Two World Cups and a return visit from the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are the highlights of Auckland’s 2015 calendar, but they are but one element of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development’s well-established, well-honed events strategy.

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ith a population of just 1.4 million, Auckland doesn’t make it onto the list of the world’s largest cities, but New Zealand’s biggest certainly punches well above its weight when it comes to bidding for and staging major events. As 2015 began, it was poised to welcome the Cricket World Cup and, in June, the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Volvo Ocean Race, meanwhile, was due to make a return visit in late February for a 17-day stopover. Combined with an annual V8 Supercars date (the ITM500 Auckland) and the recently-launched Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines, which sees every team in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) make the short hop to New Zealand to compete in a nine-aside tournament, plus a multitude of non-sport and community-focused projects, Auckland’s event strategy has long been regarded as one of the most sophisticated on the planet. Since 2010, the city’s events acquisition arm has been part of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), an organisation formed when eight council bodies were amalgamated into one ‘super council’. It was one of several new bodies created as part of the administrative changes and was immediately thrust into action as Auckland staged 15 of the 48 matches at the Rugby World Cup 2011. Major events planning, tourism and wider economic development now fall under the ATEED umbrella. The approach to major event bidding, acquisition and hosting has been honed

ever since, event by event. In 2014, that translated into a dual approach: international events designed to drive tourism and stimulate the economy, and domestic events with a more local and community focus. “For us, we have a consistent approach ZKHUH ZH FRQVLGHU YHU\ VSHFLĂ€F DWWULEXWHV for the hosting of both major sporting and non-sporting eventsâ€?, explains Rakel Liew, ATEED’s general manager of major events, who joined the organisation in December 2013. “But because we take a whole-of-portfolio approach when it comes to measuring our outcomes, each type of event may contribute in a different way towards achieving targetsâ€? “To provide some examples, cultural events like the Auckland Diwali Festival, $XFNODQG /DQWHUQ )HVWLYDO DQG 3DVLĂ€ND >D FHOHEUDWLRQ RI 3DFLĂ€F ,VODQG FXOWXUH@ capture the attention of the diverse Auckland audience and contribute towards our liveability targets. We FDQ JHQHUDWH VLJQLĂ€FDQW *'3 LPSDFW through concerts and business events. In WHUPV RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO SURĂ€OH VSRUWLQJ events tend to be the best way to achieve our targets. Obviously we always try to make sure we have balance in the portfolio and that all events held in Auckland are relevant to our city.â€? Auckland is one of 14 host cities for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, played across Australia and New Zealand. The responsibility for securing the event sat with the central governments and cricket bodies of New Zealand and Australia; ATEED then led on the process to secure four matches during the

Auckland will welcome back the Volvo Ocean Race in 2015, an event which is designed to showcase the city’s harbour and marine sector

tournament at the city’s 48,000-capacity Eden Park, including a clash between WKH FR KRVWV DQG RQH RI WKH VHPL Ă€QDOV Liew says there are many ways in which Auckland can optimise the opportunities of playing host to one of the largest sporting events of 2015. “What it does present is a very good platform to collaborate with the other cities and at the same time work on attracting more people to Auckland. “Our plan is to activate across the tournament as a whole, not just during the Auckland games, to showcase the city to the world and reinforce our brand positioning, because the world will be watching us.â€? Liew adds that opportunities exist to showcase the city to business leaders

We ensure that every year we have events that globally reinforce our positioning.

“

and to “demonstrate strength as one of the leading cities around the regionâ€? throughout the tournament. That is consistent with Auckland’s positioning for the Rugby World Cup 2011. The elongated format of the Cricket World Cup – the tournament begins on Valentine’s Day and does not conclude until the end of March – means that EHWZHHQ WKH Ă€UVW JDPH DQG WKH Ă€QDO WKH

�

9ROYR 2FHDQ 5DFH Ă HHW ZLOO KDYH DUULYHG in Auckland, spent 17 days there and left, bound for the Brazilian coastal resort of ItajaĂ­. The race came to Auckland, a city sometimes nicknamed the City of Sails, during its 2011/12 edition, a stopover so successful that ATEED promptly signed up not only for 2014/15 but also the next event, in 2017/18. Again, there are VSHFLĂ€F UHDVRQV IRU GRLQJ VR

“We have been very deliberate in looking at the race as a catalyst for Auckland’s marine sector,� Liew explains. “To a great extent, it’s about showcasing our harbour, our marinas, and our marine expertise. The success of 2012 did not just capture the attention of New Zealanders who have a passion for sailing, it also reinforced the position of Auckland as a destination for all things marine and for a return of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover.� This year’s stopover, which begins on 27th February, is scheduled to be longer than in 2011/12, allowing for more footfall in the race village. “We’re anticipating about 400,000 people to come through the race village,� suggests Liew.

50 | www.sportspromedia.com

The Destinations Report 2015 | 51

WWW.SPORTSPROMEDIA.COM

To buy a copy or advertise in the Destination Report please contact us on Tel: +44 (0) 207 549 3250 | Email: info@sportspromedia.com See more at:

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DIGEST | MAY 2015

Next month in SportsPro’s sixth annual rankings of the world’s 50 most marketable athletes will be published in the June edition of the magazine. Previous winners include LeBron James, Usain Bolt, Neymar, and Lewis Hamilton, and once again we’ve

: The Speed Edition scoured the globe for the 50 sportspeople that represent the best bang for their marketing buck over the next three years. Elsewhere in the edition, a business of motorsport special will focus on the evolving commercial challenges faced

by some of the world’s most famous racing venues. And as Azerbaijan counts down the days to its hosting of the inaugural European Games this summer, we preview the event and analyse its preparations.

Team Sky As a cycling outfit, Team Sky are rarely not ‘on the road’ and a motorcade of machinery is central to keeping their wheels in motion. When racing, the team rely on a convoy of cars and buses to carry their coordinators, technicians and support staff, together with the spare Pinarello bikes, parts and rider’s supplies. With Jaguar on board as their innovation partner, Team Sky are also supplied with a host of Jaguar Sportbrakes, XJLs and F-Types, kitted out with roof-racks, TVs and radios. With a number of events held on the European mainland, British-based Team Sky keep a service course in Belgium as home to the vans, trucks and buses, which are owned by the team. Riders will normally fly to race

start-points – large luggage allowances are essential. The bulk of the kit, though, is loaded on to the team’s vans and buses and sent across the Channel via the Eurotunnel and ferry crossings. There’s more to the custom-built Volvo FH500 truck than first meets the eye, with the

23,000kg behemoth containing expandable sections which allow the vehicle to morph into a functioning mobile mechanic workshop, including worktop areas, tool storage, bike racking and park-work stands mounted into the truck floor, together with kitchen facilities. And the two team buses – Volvo 9-700s – include showers, toilets, and comfortable air-conditioned seating/meeting areas for the riders, which double up as physio rooms. These also have their own kitchens with washing machines and dryers to ensure the riders are kept fresh and fed during competition, while Sky TV is hooked up to provide the requisite downtime entertainment.

On the tarmac:

Jaguars: XF Sportbrake, XJL, F-Type

12 | www.sportspromedia.com

Volvo 9-700 bus (x 2)

Custom-built Volvo FH500

Life after sport - Ramon Vega CRICKET WORLD CUP

Then: Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland international soccer player Now: Founding partner, Duet Asset Management Group and Vega Swiss Asset Management (VSAM), co-chief executive of management consultancy From Pitch to Boardroom

49

44

matches

days of competition

2

host countries

1,016,421 total attendance

36 million unique visitors to ICC website

300 million page views (ten-fold increase on any previous ICC event)

4.5 million downloads of ofďŹ cial tournament app

No. 1 sports app in 48 countries

1.38bn impressions of tweets with the ofďŹ cial #CWC2015 hashtag

44 broadcast licensees in 220 countries

+RZ GLIĂ€ FXOW LV WKH WUDQVLWLRQ LQWR D QHZ FDUHHU DIWHU VRFFHU" Generally, for any football players out there, when your time is over it is very GLIĂ€ FXOW LQ WHUPV RI ZKHUH \RX JR QH[W That’s the biggest struggle for any sports professional, because you are totally out of the picture in terms of the day-to-day reality. You often are living in a bubble, you’re working in an environment where things are done for you and afterwards there’s a few guys clapping your shoulders saying they know you or whatever, but then you’re a nobody and you have to start your life from scratch. There should be something in place that people who retire in the sports profession can actually go into in their post-professional playing; something like an academy set-up which makes it easier for them to transition into the real world. Even military people have the same WKLQJ FRPLQJ IURP VHUYLQJ Ă€ YH RU VL[ years in Afghanistan, coming back and having problems to integrate. The sports industry is the same. ,V WKHUH DGYLFH \RX FDQ JLYH WR SOD\HUV ZKR DUH VWLOO SOD\LQJ" First of all, when you are young, don’t believe that your retirement age is far away: your retirement age is round the corner. Secondly, prepare your postcareer in terms of what you are going to do. If you are going to stay in football do your football badges, do your coaching stuff. Or whilst you’re doing your career educate yourself, do some courses. Prepare yourself and make sure that by the time it comes to the end you’re surrounded by good people, because the problem is with football players, GXULQJ \RXU FDUHHU LW LV YHU\ GLIĂ€ FXOW WR surround yourself with quality people. Only sharks are around you all the time. They’re there whilst you’re good and they want to make money with you, and when you don’t make money for them WKH\¡UH JRQH ² Ă€ QLWR 'R SOD\HUV JHW HQRXJK VXSSRUW IURP FOXEV WR GR WKDW"

I don’t think so. I think the clubs should be doing a lot more. The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), they’re saying they are doing something postcareer, but for the lower leagues. But everybody, in the top leagues as well, everybody needs it. Even with the money they are earning now you think, yeah, they have enough. Yeah, they might have enough, but sorry, you can’t live on what you have at 33/34 for the next 20, 30, or 40 years. ,V WKDW VRPHWKLQJ \RX¡YH WKRXJKW DERXW LQ WHUPV RI EULGJLQJ D JDS WKHUH" Well it is a gap and it’s a very tough gap because the problem you’ve got is you’re dealing with agents as well and agents want their cuts. The key is in creating a federation in terms of the players themselves owning that industry, managing that money etc. There’s no middle men. That’s the only way potentially you can create something like that; something independent. Because then players know: ‘Oh, that’s us. We are the people in there, we aren’t going to take the piss out of each other‌ this is our organisation, we’re going to hire the people, we’re now controlling the whole thing.’ That kind of scenario. Obviously you’re engaging somebody in running your business, but your money is being run by somebody you’ve selected to do it and they’re being restricted from what they can do with it. SportsPro Magazine | 13

THOUGHT LEADER | GOVERNANCE

Canada is putting its heart on the podium Chris Overholt

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THOUGHT LEADER | LAW

Third-party ownership: a shift in the landscape Nick Blair and Anil Matharu

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arring any last-minute substantive legal challenges or a political U-turn in Zurich, from 1st May Fifa will prohibit anyone other than clubs from owning any part of a player’s economic rights and every national football association must legislate to prevent its member clubs and players from selling economic rights to third parties. A transitional period will allow existing thirdparty ownership (TPO) contracts between FOXEV DQG LQYHVWRUV WR EH IXOĂ€ OOHG The new regulations will trigger a seismic shift in the economic practices of world football. In Iberia, the Balkans and in South America, TPO is a well-enshrined trade practice. As of 30th June 2014, three TXDUWHUV RI 6/ %HQĂ€ FD¡V PDQ Ă€ UVW WHDP squad were partly owned by TPOs. In the leading eastern European leagues the overall Ă€ JXUH LV EHWZHHQ DQG SHU FHQW RI players. In Brazil it is over 90 per cent. To date, only three national associations (England, France and Poland) have gone VLJQLĂ€ FDQWO\ IXUWKHU WKDQ )LID¡V FXUUHQW requirements, by banning TPO outright. Fifa now wishes to consolidate this position globally. Why TPO is a good thing Used in the right way, TPO serves two commendable purposes: it enables smaller clubs to improve their squads by investing in players which, save for third-party investment, they would be unable to afford; and it improves clubs’ short-term liquidity, enabling clubs to manage their operational costs and service their debts, without having to sell a star player to free up the cash. For clubs in recession-hit countries, or in national leagues which do not sell TV rights on a collective basis, TPO is a lifeline. The problem with TPO A manipulative TPO can do real damage to footballing competition and squad stability. It can complicate and delay transfers or force through unwanted ones. It can cloud the transparency of a club’s dealings, undermine its corporate governance, and, at its bleakest, 16 | www.sportspromedia.com

FDQ LQĂ XHQFH ZKHWKHU D SOD\HU LV SLFNHG RU dropped, rested or transfer-listed. It can encourage unethical creatures to hide behind the corporate veil and use myriad TPO investment funds to foster corruption, illegal JDPEOLQJ DQG PDWFK Ă€ [LQJ ,QYHVWRUV RZQLQJ WKH HFRQRPLF ULJKWV WR D VLJQLĂ€ FDQW QXPEHU of players from the same club can effectively control that club’s playing and transfer policy. 7KHQ WKHUH LV WKH Ă€ QDQFLDO ULVN IRU FOXEV PRQWKV DJR .30* SURGXFHG D UHSRUW which concluded that a club only wins from TPO in the long run if it sells a player DW D SURĂ€ W (YHQ LI D SOD\HU¡V WUDQVIHU YDOXH remains the same on sale as on acquisition, the selling club will probably suffer a net loss because of additional interest repayments due to the investor. If a player’s transfer value depreciates, the club will be considerably out of pocket. Well-drafted TPO contracts have sought to navigate the current Fifa prohibition on WKLUG SDUW\ ÂśLQĂ XHQFH¡ E\ HQGRUVLQJ WKH club’s autonomy to negotiate salary terms with the player and to conclude transfers (but typically TPOs retain the right to actively market players through Fifa agents, and to penalise the club for not selling a player when an attractive offer is received). Typically TPOs will want to realise their investment within two to three years. From this perspective, there is huge scope for 732 WR H[HUW XQGXH LQĂ XHQFH Alternative investments and agents Fifa’s new regulations may lead TPO investors to turn to alternative investment properties such as acquiring smaller clubs in order to lawfully gain control of player registrations and, thus, control of their economic rights. However, club ownership is an increasingly regulated area. Many associations require prospective owners and executives to pass owners’ and directors’ WHVWV DQG WR GLVFORVH VLJQLĂ€ FDQW LQWHUHVWV The Premier League and Uefa prohibit owners of clubs participating in their tournaments from exerting a controlling interest in more than one participating club. Such restrictions may not appeal to

player agencies, which, in the absence of robust TPO regulation, have invested in TPO. One prominent super-agent is believed to partly own the economic rights of up to eight players at the same leading (XURSHDQ FOXE ZKLOVW DURXQG SHU FHQW of all agents worldwide are believed to be engaged in TPO. In deciding to prohibit TPO, Fifa has been mindful of the inherent FRQĂ LFW RI LQWHUHVW WKDW H[LVWV LQ DQ DJHQW having to represent the best interests of a player, whilst owning a share of him. In the space of one month, agents (or intermediaries, as they will now be known) KDYH EHHQ KLW YHU\ KDUG LQGHHG Ă€ UVW ZLWK Fifa’s recommendation that an agent’s commission be capped at three per cent of the player’s transfer value, and now by the ban on the much more lucrative TPO. Another way? )LID¡V FKDOOHQJH KDV EHHQ WR Ă€ QG D proportionate solution which preserves the integrity of footballing competition DQG HQGRUVHV Ă€ QDQFLDO IDLU SOD\ EXW ZKLFK simultaneously addresses the realities RI Ă€ QDQFLDO GLVSDULW\ EHWZHHQ FOXEV DQG the complications of harmonising wellestablished national TPO practices. The UHJXODWLRQV SXW VLJQLĂ€ FDQW UHVSRQVLELOLW\ LQ the hands of national associations, clubs and players to toe the line. Could Fifa be doing more here? The regulations are not binding on the investors themselves so there is still encouragement for those willing to test the resolve of clubs in Ă€ QDQFLDO GLIĂ€ FXOWLHV WR QXWPHJ WKH QHZ rules with clandestine TPO arrangements. Though not without considerable challenges, a consultation process leading to the development of a standardised global TPO contract which permits third-party ownership but which puts in place strict FRQGLWLRQV UHJDUGLQJ WKLUG SDUW\ LQĂ XHQFH would surely offer a more proportionate and effective solution. Anil Matharu is a Senior Associate and Nick Blair is an Associate in the Sports Law Group at Harbottle & Lewis LLP

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SportsPro Magazine | 17

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Movers and Shakers: March 2015 Colin Graves

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Miami Heat star Goran Dragic

MP & Silva founder Riccardo Silva and Sportel chief executive Laurent Puons

Showjumping stars Jessica Springsteen and Beezie Madden

Daniel Cohen of MP & Silva

Boxing champs Jake LaMotta and Lennox Lewis

The NFL’s Mark Waller, Daniel Cohen, and Richard Horrow of NBC

Networking in action on the conference floor

Javier Tebas, president of Spanish soccer’s La Liga

Delegates enjoy some Miami glamour at a pool party

Rider Hannah Selleck, the FEI’s John Madden, Juan-Carlos Capelli of Longines and American Gold Cup winner Jessica Springsteen

SportsPro Gallery

Sportel Miami Leading figures from sport and the broadcast industry were together at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami from 17th to 19th March for Sportel America, the spring edition of the world’s sport content media convention.

20 | www.sportspromedia.com

Discovery Networks International president JB Perrette

Worcester Warriors chief executive Jim O’Toole

Former England Rugby 2015 chief executive Debbie Jevans

Simon Cummins, managing partner at Odgers Berndtson and SportsPro Live 2015 moderator

LFP chief commercial officer Mathieu Ficot

Ian Metcalfe, the chairman of Commonwealth Games England

Liverpool FC chief media officer Matthew Baxter

British Rowing chairman Annamarie Phelps

London 2017 managing director Sally Bolton

SportsPro Live 2015 Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in north London was the scene again as SportsPro Live returned on 12th March. The second edition of SportsPro’s flagship conference brought together around 450 delegates to discuss how to create the ultimate sporting event.

SportsPro Magazine | 21

Greg DelMonte of Barclays greets Lord Michael Hastings CBE of KPMG

The Red Sox’s David Friedman, Darren Bernstein of Dream Downtown, Kick4Life’s Pete Fleming

Guests enjoy some discussions about sport’s role in society and a laugh

KPMG’s Rita LeBlanc, Lord Hastings and Who’s Got Game founder Dayo Okewale

Leadership on the menu

Christina Weiss Lurie and the NBA’s Kathy Behrens

Monarch’s Barry Klarberg chats to David Friedman of the Red Sox

Weinstein Carnegie Philanthropic Group’s Todd Smith, Streetfootballworld’s Mike Geddes and the NCAA’s Anucha Brown

SportsPro Gallery

Kevin Martinez of ESPN

Beyond Sport founder Nick Keller chats to New York City FC’s Tom Glick and Lord Hastings

ESPN’s Jennifer Paulett and Angela Woods

KMPG chief operating officer Scott Ozanus

Beyond Sport Leadership Dinner Ahead of this year’s edition of Beyond Sport United at Yankee Stadium in New York came the first entry in the ESPN Leadership Dinner Series on 3rd March. The exclusive gathering saw business leaders meet those from charitable and development bodies to talk about using sport for good.

22 | www.sportspromedia.com

Australia captain Michael Clarke with the Cricket World Cup trophy after his final one-day international

Mitchell Starc receives his player of the tournament award from Sachin Tendulkar

Spinner Daniel Vettori (right) considers his options in his last game for New Zealand

Australia celebrate a fifth world title

Australian opener David Warner goes big

paimages.co.uk PAImages

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum congratulates his opposite number, Clarke

Fans of the finalists side by side

Cricket World Cup Final After over six weeks of action and 48 games, the Cricket World Cup ďŹ nal brought co-hosts Australia and New Zealand together in front of over 93,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia prevailed by seven wickets to reclaim their place at the top of the international game.

SportsPro Magazine | 23

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SPORTSPRO WORLD | HOSTINGS AND HAPPENINGS

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Conferences 1

Chicago, USA The Westin Chicago River North will play host to the 2015 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit on 27th and 28th May. Under Armour chief executive Kevin Plank (right) and Facebook head of global sports partnerships Dan Reed will be among those in attendance.

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Cologne, Germany The Sponsors Sports Media Summit will return for its tenth edition on 12th May. 6HQLRU ÀJXUHV IURP DFURVV WKH VSRUWV industry will gather at the CongressCentrum Nord Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany to discuss new concepts in WKH ÀHOGV RI GLJLWDOLVDWLRQ QHZ PHGLD social media, data and CRM.

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Doha, Qatar 7KH ÀIWK HGLWLRQ RI WKH :RUOG 6WDGLXP Congress will be held at the St Regis Doha in Qatar from 18th to 21st May. Over 300 delegates are expected, with speakers including Asia Cup 2015 chief executive Michael Brown and John Harnden, chief executive of the local organising committee for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

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London, UK The BT Centre in London will be the venue for The Telegraph Business of Sport conference on 13th and 14th May. IAAF presidential candidate Lord Sebastian Coe heads a speaker list which also features the likes of BBC director of sport Barbara Slater and Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag.

26 | www.sportspromedia.com

5

Dubai, UAE The Arab Sport Management Summit will bring together visitors from over 22 countries on 27th and 28th May to consider the challenges facing the industry in the Middle East and north Africa. Renault Sport motorsport director Jean-Pascal Dauce and South Africa Football Development Agency chief executive Dr Robin Peterson are among those scheduled to take part.

Themba Hadebe/AP/Press Association Images

A poster in Franceville, Gabon carries a picture of AFCON 2012 mascot Gaguie; Gabon will host the 2017 edition of the African soccer tournament

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Eugene, USA World athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, has awarded the 2021 edition of the World Athletics Championships to Eugene, Oregon. The city lost out to Doha in its efforts to land the 2019 championships. The IAAF took the decision without initiating a bidding race after securing considerable support from the United States Olympic Committee and broadcaster NBC.

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Cuba The National Basketball Association (NBA) KDV EHFRPH WKH ÀUVW PDMRU 86 VSRUWV league to launch activities in Cuba. It hosted a three-day coaching camp and youth clinic from 23rd to 25th April, with former stars Steve Nash and Dikembe Mutombo in attendance. The move followed a presidential order to normalise American relations with the communist country. D

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Lima, Peru The 2017 SportAccord World Combat Games will be held in Lima, Peru. The event, which has previously been held in Beijing and Moscow, is expected to welcome over 2,500 athletes competing in 33 disciplines across 16 combat sports.

Gabon Gabon will host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Confederation of $IULFDQ )RRWEDOO &$) KDV FRQÀUPHG The west African country, which cohosted AFCON 2012 with Equatorial Guinea, beat Algeria and Ghana for the right to replace original host Libya, which pulled out due to its ongoing civil war.

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UAE The United Arab Emirates has been chosen by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) executive committee to host the 2019 Asian Cup, the continent’s elite competition for national soccer teams. The bid saw off Iran to host the tournament, which will EH WKH ÀUVW HGLWLRQ RI WKH $VLDQ &XS WR feature 24 teams. F

Wuxi, China World Snooker has awarded the 2015 Snooker World Cup to the Chinese city of Wuxi. The tournament, which will see 24 teams from 23 countries play for a US$200,000 prize, will be played from 15th to 21st June.

SportsPro Magazine | 27

MINI INSIGHTS | OLYMPICS/EVENTS

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The Tokyo 2020 commercial programme has hit the ground running in its pursuit of JPÂ¥150 billion

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Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has pledged her support to a bid for the 2024 summer Olympic Games

28 | www.sportspromedia.com

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Athletics will be part of the new championships although it will be staged in a different city in 2018

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Airbnb will be an official source of 20,000 rooms for those attending the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

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MINI INSIGHTS | FOOTBALL

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UNItivity – Distributed Antenna System SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE DIAGRAM

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THE TRUE COST OF IN-BUILDING :,5(/(66 &29(5$*( '(3/2<0(176 More than 80% of mobile data sessions are initiated indoors and as a consequence the demand for dedicated in-building coverage is increasing globally at around 25% of CAGR. With a growing demand for optimal in-building coverage, Total Cost of Ownership is a key factor in the decision making process for any in-building DAS deployment. Not only must the initial CAPEX and OPEX costs be taken into account, associated lifetime, upgrade and running costs must also be considered, particularly as the release of the 4G spectrum is an undefined process with no common pattern emerging. UNITIVITY – THE ONE LAYER SYSTEM FOR IN BUILDING WIRELESS AND IP COVERAGE Zinwave’s IBW solution has always offered a lower TCO by comparison to conventional DAS solutions because of its wideband capabilities. Zinwave has just launched UNItivity, a unified connectivity platform to further enhance its already proven offering. UNItivity integrates the company’s unique wideband DAS technology with IP capabilities to deliver an end-to-end solution that supports multiple wireless and IP data services on a single, converged infrastructure. UNItivity supports any service mix, protocol or modulation scheme between 150MHz – 2,700MHz on one hardware Harston Mill, Harston, Cambridge, Ca ambridge, United Kingdom Kingdom CB22 7GG +44 Tel: + 44 (0) 1223 875272

layer. It is modular in design, flexible and scalable so users can quickly upgrade or add new services to existing installations without needing any hardware replacements or cabling refits, offering future-proofing advantages and delivering rapid ROI.

System highlights

IBW COVERAGE CHALLENGES IN SPORTS STADIA Smartphone usage in sports stadia during live events has become an integral part of the overall stadium experience for fans. Operators, owners and neutral host providers face growing challenges to satisfy coverage and capacity requirements expected on match days. A sudden surge in video streaming or social media activity during an event can quickly overwhelm current communications infrastructures. This leaves fans feeling frustrated and disappointed, with venue owners foregoing lucrative business opportunities.

Future-prooff – supports any service

Zinwave’s IBW and IP coverage solution is being increasingly selected as the system of choice by stadium owners and neutral host providers and is delivering mobile operator and public safety wireless services at significantly reduced CAPEX and OPEX compared to coaxbased installations. Zinwave’s wideband capabilities are enabling these high density venues to overcome interference, soft handover and capacity management challenges and better manage peaks and troughs in network traffic.

1430 Tully Road, Unit 403 San Jose, CA 95122 USA Tel: +1 844 744 6363

Avenida Comercial de Macau au FIT Centre, 5 Andar A Posto 1538, Macau Tel: +853 8294 6933

Wideband – 150MHz-2,700MHz frequency range

One layer system – for in-building in-b wireless and IP applications applica mix, protocol protoco or modulation scheme, including MIMO

Insta Install once – no upgrades or cabling overhauls needed ov

Fiber based – low cost, low weight, low space with integrated support for IP services

Full MIMO – all frequencies in any mix simultaneously

TDD and FDD – any mix, any frequency

Low component count – facilitates deployment, reduces costs

Flexible – support all cellular and all public safety bands

enquiries@zinwave.com www.zinwave.com

INSIGHT | CRICKET

Dalmiya returns as Srinivasan declines N Srinivasan’s once immutable hold on the reins of Indian cricket was finally loosened as a familiar figure, Jagmohan Dalmiya, returned to replace him as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Arun Sankar K/AP/Press Association Images

By Eoin Connolly

Jagmohan Dalmiya returned again as BCCI president after a unanimous vote at the body’s AGM

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N Srinivasan (centre) was anointed ICC chairman last year but his influence in India may be dwindling

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The ECB’s Giles Clarke, like Srinivasan, retains an ICC post but has yielded power domestically

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FEATURE | BOXING

AT LAST After years of talking, finally, the fight. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, two of the great sportsmen of their generation, will meet in the richest boxing match of all time on a night that could change the face of the industry.

By Eoin Connolly

here is an advertisement running now on American television, and across much of the internet. It shows two men, bare-chested, walking down an empty Nevada highway in the desert sun. The men approach each other. They are Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, the two outstanding boxers of the last ten years. They turn and look across the sand to the lights of Las Vegas, where they will meet in the ring on 2nd May. It is roughly as subtle as a commercial for pay-per-view boxing can be but it draws on a sense of inevitability about their encounter that, when thwarted, threatened to suffocate all else in the sport. There is the American, Mayweather: brash yet brilliant, a slick defensive master who remains unbeaten but is admired, rather than loved. Then there is Pacquiao: humble but hurtful, the high-energy ‘Pac-Man’ who pursues opponents hungrily across the ring and inspires devotion far beyond his native Philippines. Both have worked furiously to achieve success but each wears it in a different way: Mayweather, the man they call ‘Money’, has built a business empire and is prone to conspicuous displays of wealth; Pacquiao is now a congressman. Yet whenever one has breached the other’s orbit before, they have repelled like two north magnets. Reports emerged 34 | www.sportspromedia.com

Jae C. Hong/AP/Press Association Images

T

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao face off at the Las Vegas media unveiling of their fight

as long ago as 2010 that terms had been agreed on a 50:50 split for a prospective bout, only for discussions to disintegrate into a spurious row over drug testing regimens. Years of big talk and petty DFWLRQV KDYH IROORZHG EXW Ă€QDOO\ WKH SDLU will meet – at the end of their careers, but still drawing relief that what might have been will be after all. 7KH ELJJHVW Ă€JKWV KDYH D KDELW RI FRPLQJ LQWR EHLQJ WKLV ZD\ ZKHQ UHĂ H[HV have slowed but reputations are secure. Ray Leonard kept Marvin Hagler hanging on through much of the mid-1980s, dipping in and out of retirement as he did so. Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson met deep into their 30s. Joe Calzaghe only WRRN RQ KLV KLJKHVW SURĂ€OH RSSRQHQWV Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr, in the last two appearances of an unbeaten 15-year career. None of those contests sparkled as they might have done years before but, equally, none was talked about any less. None earned any less. Mayweather and Pacquiao will take part in the most lucrative boxing match of all time. “It’s great for boxing,â€? said British promoter Eddie Hearn, head of boxing at European heavyweight Matchroom Sport, speaking at SportsPro Live in London in March. “It’s a pay-per-view event throughout the world, particularly with its broadcasters on Showtime and HBO.

John Locher/AP/Press Association Images

Mayweather sports a cap from his own brand, The Money Team, at a Las Vegas press conference

is professional boxing, where anything can stop the biggest deals until nothing can. Showtime head of sports Stephen Espinoza, who joined the broadcaster in 2012, left just enough room for hypothetical negotiation when he spoke to SportsPro in late 2013. “It’s hard for me to construct a scenario in which we would agree to something like [working with HBO],â€? he said, “but if ZH ZHUH WR JHW RQH RI WKH ELJJHVW Ă€JKWV in history, as it was back in 2002, then I guess anything’s possible.â€? In the event, as in 2002, the momentum behind the contest proved impossible to resist. As Ellerbe puts it, “The demand from the fans was that they ZDQWHG WKLV Ă€JKW WR KDSSHQ DQG WKDW¡V what demand gets.â€? Espinoza has since revealed, in a media conference call in February, that Mayweather-Pacquiao has been “a topic of conversation and a goalâ€? throughout

Jae C. Hong/AP/Press Association Images

It’s a US$90 pay-per-view and they expect 3.5 million buyers. They expect the whole event to gross close to US$400 million. ,W¡V D RQH RII Ă€JKW “And that shows you the size of the sport. But that also shows you the demand IRU WKH VXSHU Ă€JKWV 7KH RQO\ WKLQJ WKDW VWDQGV LQ WKH ZD\ RI PDNLQJ D VXSHU Ă€JKW is the politics in the sport between rival promoters, between rival broadcasters. But HYHU\ QRZ DQG WKHQ \RX¡OO JHW D Ă€JKW WKDW will come up like that which is impossible to ignore by everybody who previously had rivalries and egos. “It’s one of the biggest sporting events of all time. It will be pay-per-view in the UK and in many other territories as well. It’s a huge operation, but it’s been built up to this moment. Many boxing fans wanted WKDW Ă€JKW VL[ \HDUV DJR %XW WKH\¡YH SOD\HG it very well. They’ve made their fortunes, and now they’ll cash out.â€? The latter part of that analysis is accepted by many of those involved. ´<HV WKH Ă€JKW LV ELJJHU QRZ WKDQ LW ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ Ă€YH \HDUV DJR EHFDXVH WKHUH¡V EHHQ Ă€YH \HDUV IRU LW WR EXLOG Âľ says Leonard Ellerbe, chief executive of Mayweather Promotions, speaking to SportsPro from Las Vegas in early April. Ellerbe is a long-time associate and FRQĂ€GDQW RI 0D\ZHDWKHU DQG ZKHQ SUHVVHG RQ ZKDW KDG Ă€QDOO\ IRUFHG D breakthrough in negotiations this time, displays the kind of smooth defence of which the boxer would be proud. The only explanation he will commit to publicly is that “timing is everythingâ€?. “It’ll be a history-making event,â€? he says, “and we’re just excited to be a part of history.â€? Leaving aside the posturing and the self-protection, the clearest impediment WR PDNLQJ WKH Ă€JKW KDV VHHPHG WR EH WKH golden handcuffs clapped on Mayweather E\ 6KRZWLPH +H VLJQHG D VL[ Ă€JKW GHDO with the CBS-owned premium network in February 2013 – one which now looks likely to make him more than the US$250 million suggested at the time. Market leader HBO, which had shown Mayweather cards for 15 years, responded by signing an exclusive agreement with Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank Boxing. HBO and Showtime had only collaborated once before, when Lennox Lewis beat the last vestiges of substance from Mike Tyson’s career in 2002. But this

Pacquiao arrives for an open LA training session

his time at Showtime. In fact, he believes WKH LQYROYHPHQW RI RQH Ă€JXUH DW WKH parent company has proved decisive. “One of the main reasons why this deal got done, as opposed to deals in the past, was because [CBS Corporation president and chief executive] Leslie Moonves was a part of the process,â€? he said. “He was deeply committed to making this deal and was someone that all parties in this negotiation really respect. He was really the catalyst for seeing this through and refused to take no for an answer from any side.â€? Other complications had also been removed. Last year’s split between Richard Schaefer, a Mayweather ally, and Golden Boy Promotions meant that Mayweather Promotions would go it alone on its productions. Given the bad blood between the two camps – particularly Top Rank founder Bob $UXP DQG 0D\ZHDWKHU¡V LQĂ XHQWLDO VLOHQW partner, Al Haymon – getting another set of rivals away from the negotiating table can only have helped. Nonetheless, Arum is also emphatic in crediting Moonves. “He was the guy who really wanted to make it happen,â€? he said in an interview with ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “He has enormous experience and talent LQ WKLV DUHD 7KLV ZDVQ¡W KLV Ă€UVW URGHR ,W never would have happened without him. Trust me, it would never happen.â€? Moonves, apparently, sparked the deal into being after a chance conversation with a waiter at one of his favourite restaurants. The waiter, Gabriel Rueda, told SportsPro Magazine | 35

FEATURE | BOXING

BY THE NUMBERS Mayweather v Pacquiao

Moonves last year that Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was interested in a meeting. Rueda’s son is another of Roach’s charges. Moonves met Roach, and then Arum, and WKH VSDUN JDWKHUHG LQWR D URDULQJ Ă DPH Ultimately, two people mattered more to proceedings than anyone else. “I believe that the direct line of communication between Floyd and Manny cleared up a lot of doubts on both of their minds and renewed their FRPPLWPHQW WR JHWWLQJ WKLV Ă€JKW GRQH Âľ said Espinoza. In late January Mayweather and Pacquiao came face to face at the American Airlines Arena, where they were watching the Miami Heat play basketball against the Milwaukee Bucks. Images of their rendez-vous went round the world. By then, both men will have known the stakes. Pacquiao might have been the slight favourite in the recent past, but consecutive defeats to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 – his Ă€UVW ORVVHV LQ VHYHQ \HDUV ² ZHDNHQHG KLV aura and his negotiating position. For Mayweather, taking on Pacquiao now meant being on the right side of a 60:40 split of the purse and, in the closing stages of his Showtime deal, avoiding tricky but less lucrative opponents like Britain’s Amir Khan. The two men signed on 21st February, as did the relevant executives at Showtime and HBO. The pay-per-view will be jointly sold by the two channels in the US, with a 36 | www.sportspromedia.com

UHJXODU GHĂ€QLWLRQ VKRZ VHOOLQJ IRU D record US$89.95 and HD costing ten GROODUV PRUH 7KH Ă€QHU GHWDLOV RI WKH EURDGFDVW KDG QRW EHHQ FRQĂ€UPHG DW WKH time of writing but the networks will pool on-air talent, with HBO’s Michael Buffer and Showtime’s Jimmy Lennon Jr likely to share MC duties in the ring. “The Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis joint SD\ SHU YLHZ Ă€JKW ZDV D JUHDW URDGPDS IRU WKLV Ă€JKW Âľ DGPLWWHG +%2 6SRUWV president Ken Hershman on that media conference call in late February. “It showed that this can be done successfully. There’s a lot of mechanics that go into this when two networks are working together, and those mechanics carry forward in terms of how things operate behind the scenes.â€? Expectations for US pay-per-view buys range between three million and 3.5 million – the current record is 2.4 million IRU 0D\ZHDWKHU¡V Ă€JKW ZLWK 2VFDU 'H /D Hoya in 2007 – while international rights sales are expected to bring in at least another US$35 million. Sky Sports will air the bout on pay-per-view in the UK after winning the latest round of its slugging match with BT Sport. Sky Sport has the rights in Germany; SuperSport in subSaharan Africa; The Filipino Channel will GLVWULEXWH WKH Ă€JKW WR EURDGFDVWHUV 261 and Etisalat in the Middle East; MTN has it in the Nordic region. In Mexico, there is a similar set-up to the US: rival networks Televisa and Azteca have split the rights for a reported US$2.3 million.

Solar Sports picked up the rights in the Philippines for US$10 million although, at Pacquiao’s insistence, coverage will be carried across several major channels. But whatever broadcast details needed thrashing out, there was only ever one likely venue for the main event. “Floyd Mayweather lives in Las Vegas and over the past eight years has fought only at MGM Grand,â€? says Richard Sturm, the president of entertainment and sports at MGM Resorts International. “Manny Pacquiao also has fought at MGM Grand multiple times so it is Ă€WWLQJ WKDW WKH FLW\ DQG 0*0 *UDQG DUH the hosts.â€? When it comes down to it, Mayweather will put his WBC, WBA and Ring magazine welterweight titles on the line against Pacquiao’s WBO belt in front of over 16,000 people at a sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena. It is the biggest permanent venue on the Strip but could QR GRXEW KDYH EHHQ Ă€OOHG VHYHUDO WLPHV over – even with some of the highest ticket prices of any sporting event, ever. The initial target for gate receipts was set at around US$40 million but that has since swelled to US$74 million. The all-time record was posted by another 0D\ZHDWKHU Ă€JKW DJDLQVW 0H[LFR¡V 6DXO Alvarez in 2013. That took a shade over US$20 million on the door. As SportsPro went to press in mid-April tickets had not yet gone on sale, but 1,100 seats were listed at US$10,000, and the cheapest 2,500 at US$1,500. Very few

is not only the MGM Resorts family who EHQHĂ€WV RQ DQ HYHQW VXFK DV WKLV EXW WKH overall impact is felt on a much larger scale throughout the community. 7KH 0*0 *UDQG WHDP ZLOO EH Ă€QDOLVLQJ details right up until the night, but Ă€JKW ZHHN ZLOO KDYH PXFK WR RFFXS\ DOO concerned. Pacquiao’s sponsors, including Nike, will be seeking maximum value from the thousands of global media in attendance. Mayweather has long eschewed brand endorsements in favour of building his own product lines, like fashion label The Money Team. It promises to be a busy week for his camp, too. “It’s going to be a week full of events, starting on the Monday,â€? says Ellerbe. “If you’re coming to Las Vegas, you need to get into town early. It will be a historymaking week. There will be a number of different things going on in Las Vegas. ,I \RX FDQ¡W PDNH LW WR WKH Ă€JKW WKHUH will be closed-circuit tickets available and thousands and thousands of seats in Las Vegas. We can’t wait.â€? Around US$10 million is expected to FRPH LQ IURP WKH Ă€JKW¡V VSRQVRUV ZKR have spent big for short-term exposure. Beer brand Tecate outbid Corona for its spot, committing US$5.6 million to the latter’s US$5.2 million. It is running a mail-in promotion in the US whereby 670,000 fans can get money back on their pay-per-view outlay: US$15 with the purchase of one 18-pack of Tecate or Tecate Light, US$30 with two packs, US$50 with three. It promises to be a heady night. What happens next is harder to say. Many, including Eddie Hearn, expect a rematch as a matter of course. A close decision or a Pacquiao win would likely force one. 0D\ZHDWKHU ZLOO KDYH RQH Ă€JKW OHIW RQ

Jae C. Hong/AP/Press Association Images

will make it to general sale. Secondary ticket markets are warming; Espinoza has repeatedly joked on social media that he will make no new friends in the coming weeks. Hearn made the comparison with his own UK-based showpiece in May 2014: the rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves at London’s sold-out Wembley Stadium. “At Wembley, for the 80,000,â€? he said, “I think our gross gate was about UKÂŁ5 million. For 80,000 people. So you know what the ticket prices are going to be.â€? In any case, Sturm insists that the 0*0 *UDQG ZLOO DSSURDFK WKH Ă€JKW with the same professionalism as ever, and that the personalities involved – including Arum, who launched into the venue last year in a row over advertising a 0D\ZHDWKHU Ă€JKW GXULQJ D 3DFTXLDR Ă€JKW week – have all played along. While HBO and Showtime will rake in the broadcasting dollars, in Vegas – to use the local parlance – MGM will run the tables. The pay-per-view service will be unavailable in Las Vegas hotels. Visitors ZKR ZDQW WR ZDWFK WKH Ă€JKW DQG GR QRW have tickets, will need to go to an MGM resort to watch a closed-circuit broadcast at a reported cost of US$150 a head. Even at that price, there are likely to be far more screenings than usual. It is a massive opportunity for the chain. “Most people believe we are solely a gaming company but in fact 70 per cent of our revenues come from non-gaming sources,â€? explains Sturm. “We are able to provide our guests with an entertainment experience that is second to none, RIIHULQJ PDMRU VKRZ HQWHUWDLQPHQW Ă€QH dining restaurants, high-end retail outlets and daylife/nightlife venues. Ultimately it

his contract with Showtime after 2nd May, DQG LW LV GLIĂ€FXOW WR VHH ZKHUH WKH PRQH\ would come from for any contest other than another with his great rival. Some of the cheekiest speculation has centred on a third entry in a trilogy happening next spring. The word goes that the 20,000-seater Las Vegas Arena, a new venture from MGM and venue operators AEG, would be the ideal setting for what ZRXOG DOVR EH 0D\ZHDWKHU¡V WK Ă€JKW when it opens in April 2016. Mayweather, now 38, does not intend to get that far. In the early build-up he has talked of how the fun has gone out of his boxing; how it has become “a jobâ€?. “I don’t enjoy it like I once did,â€? he said, speaking at a media event in Las Vegas in $SULO ´0\ ODVW Ă€JKW LV LQ 6HSWHPEHU Âľ That may be an act of scarcity-building salesmanship from the highest-grossing boxer of all time. It would be in keeping with the expert manner in which he has built his career. “Floyd’s legacy will be GHĂ€QHG E\ D IHZ WKLQJV Âľ VD\V (OOHUEH ´,Q my eyes, he will go down as the best ever to do it. And also, by far, he’s been the smartest businessman.â€? Similar questions will be asked about how much further a 36-year-old Pacquiao will go. He has long felt the pull of statesmanship back home. Still, for one more night at least, he can be an ambassador for his sport. Boxing is invariably said to be on the precipice of irrelevance, however true that is, but there are signs now that it is creeping back into the mainstream. Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series, which launched this year on NBC and has since been picked up by CBS, is the most concerted effort in decades at getting big-time boxing back on free-toair TV in the US. Across the Atlantic, live world championship boxing returned to ITV in the UK in February, while a recent collaboration between Matchroom Sport and German-based Sauerland Promotion LV DQRWKHU VLJQ RI WKH Ă€JKW JDPH JHWWLQJ its act together. On 2nd May there could be a chance to accelerate that progress, or it could just be another night when the sport’s richest men get richer. But at least, at last, Mayweather and Pacquiao will have WKH Ă€JKW WKDW GHĂ€QHV WKHLU FDUHHUV DQG UHGHĂ€QHV WKH ERXQGDULHV RI WKH EXVLQHVV of boxing. SportsPro Magazine | 37

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

In association with Odgers Berndtson

38 | www.sportspromedia.com

SportsPro Live, the second flagship conference from the team behind this magazine, was held at London’s Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC, on 12th March. A heavyweight assembly of speakers and delegates had their say on how to go about building the ultimate sports event. Photographs by Graham Fudger

SportsPro Magazine | 39

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Relive

P

utting aside the green socks, the enormous, expletive-ridden gateau and hundreds of discarded betting slips, SportsPro Live 2015, in association with Odgers Berndtson, sought to get to the bottom of the sports industry’s fundamental challenge: how to create the ultimate sports event. A compelling day of discussion, debate and information-sharing on Thursday 12th March at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium underlined that it is a complicated business: as well as the well-understood basics like D à H[LEOH ZHOO GHVLJQHG YHQXH VWURQJ sponsorship and broadcast models, and a laser-like focus on customer service and the fan experience, event organisers, be they federations, clubs or teams, are facing new and sizeable challenges. Those challenges are almost entirely driven by technology. Technological advancements have opened up new opportunities to connect with and engage fans, wherever they are and whatever device they use, but there is a trade-off to be struck: as connected stadiums become the norm, the impact on the atmosphere inside venues must be considered; as sports broadcasting becomes more sophisticated and data-rich, the task of selling tickets in venues gets that much more complicated. Technology in all its possible uses was – and this will come as no surprise – one of the overarching themes of SportsPro Live 2015. But in amongst all the discussion of connectivity and content creation – all GHVLJQHG ZLWK WKH HQG XVHU WKH IDQ À UPO\ in mind – it was the human factor which stuck out time and again during the panel sessions, the more intimate gatherings and the set-piece interviews. All the technology in the world will not save your event if the people aren’t right – it might be the television commentator referenced by Seven League’s Daniel Ayers; it might be the army of volunteers marshalled and imbued with positivity for a major event like an Olympic Games or the Rugby World Cup, as highlighted by International

In association with:

40 | www.sportspromedia.com

Olympic Committee sports director Kit McConnell, London 2017 World Athletics Championship chief Sally Bolton and, making what turned out to be one of her À QDO DSSHDUDQFHV DV (QJODQG 5XJE\ World Cup chief executive, Debbie Jevans; or it might be Alan, the man responsible for keeping Silverstone’s toilets clean and therefore, according to sporting director Stuart Pringle, the most important man on the payroll. People matter and in the rush to the next piece of technological wizardry or online platform, it might be wise for some in the sports industry to pause a moment and remember that. People can make an event work in other ways, too: imagine being able to deploy the force of personality of a Barry Hearn or an Ariel Emanuel, star performers both on our stage this year, as a promotional tool in the build-up to a big day. Our thanks go to them and indeed to all our speakers, who KHOSHG SXW WRJHWKHU WKH GHÀ QLWLYH UHYLHZ that follows. The SportsPro team have taken a panel-by-panel look at the biggest issues, the punchiest comments and the key debating points, adding the context and perspective of a little distance. If you were there, it’s your chance to review who said what; if you couldn’t be with us, hopefully it offers a à DYRXU RI WKH GD\ To our presenting partner Odgers Berndston, platinum partner DotFans and event partners Omnigon, Clipper Ventures, Whitestone International, the IAAF and Repucom, our sincere thanks for your continued support. Creating the ultimate sports event is far from the work of a moment, and nor is creating a global sports conference – thanks for attending, and enjoy our look back at SportsPro Live 2015.

David Cushnan Editor-in-chief

Platinum partner:

Partners:

THE REVIEW Gallery

42

In conversation: Ariel Emanuel

44

The Chairmen

50

In conversation: The Hearns

56

Fan Zone

62

The Operations Room

66

The Outside Broadcast Unit

70

The Day in Digital

74

The Front OďŹƒce

76

VIP Suite/On Site

82

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SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Omnigon’s Alex Chamberlen welcomes guests to the VIP drinks

Purple and Red’s Phil Sherwood with Patrick Nally and Kevin Roberts

Consultant Kevin Roberts

Angus Buchanan and Robert Datnow of The Sports Consultancy

Repucom’s UK head of sales Simon Long

European Tour Ryder Cup director Richard Hills

The IAAF’s Alice Annibali

Aecom architect J Parrish

Gallery

James Earl of Pinsent Masons

Ivan Tuen from the World Match Racing Tour

SportsPro Live 2015 Delegates at the second edition of SportsPro Live were able to make use of an interactive networking and exhibition space, The Technical Area. For a full range of galleries and videos, and a live blog from the day, go to www.sportsprolive.com

42 | www.sportspromedia.com

A question from the packed conference floor

New Eurosport chief executive Peter Hutton

Simon Larkin of the WRC with Julian Moore of Pinsent Masons

WME | IMG’s Mary Jane Orman

Deltatre’s Biagio Bartoli

Infront Sports & Media’s Dejah Meldem

Eurosport’s UK managing director David Kerr

The Clipper Ventures team

Stephen Hall of RPMC and Lycamobile’s Omar Khan

SportsPro Magazine | 43

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Portrait of a leader SportsPro Live opened with a bang this year as Hollywood super-agent Ariel Emanuel took to the stage for his first sports industry conference appearance. Emanuel, co-chief executive of the newly amalgamated WME | IMG agency, was in bullish form as he covered off acquisition strategy, culture shifts, leadership and walking treadmills. By James Emmett. Photographs by Graham Fudger.

The IMG takeover

In mid-December 2013 it was announced that talent representation and sports marketing giant IMG Worldwide – arguably the only sports agency with an industry-transcending reputation – had been sold to William Morris Endeavor (WME), the entertainment talent agency run by Ariel Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell. The auction process, set up by IMG’s private equity owners Forstmann Little and its then chief executive Mike Dolan, had gone on for months, but a reported offer of US$2.4 billion from WME was enough to land the deal. In bed with WME in the deal were SULYDWH HTXLW\ Ă€ UP 6LOYHU /DNH 3DUWQHUV which had taken a 31 per cent stake in WME in 2012, and the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company. Ted Forstmann, the Forstmann Little founder who had bought IMG in 2004 and run it until his death in 2011, was a friend of Emanuel’s. Before merging their Endeavor business with the William Morris agency in 2009, Emanuel and Whitesell had been offered the chance by Forstmann to take their LA business to New York and run it under the aegis of IMG. “He wanted us to come over and be with him at IMG,â€? Emanuel recounts at SportsPro Live. “But I didn’t want to work for anybody. That’s my personality.â€? 44 | www.sportspromedia.com

When Forstmann died, IMG was left in limbo, with the wider industry expecting it to be packaged and sold at some point. Emanuel and Whitesell, meanwhile, had founded Raine, a merchant bank focused on technology, media, sports and telecommunications, and it was through this endeavour that the real seeds of the takeover were planted. “We had raised a bunch of money,â€? Emanuel says, taking up the story. “And one of the investors was Egon Durban from Silver Lake. Egon and I stayed friends. He then approached me after Teddy passed away, and said, ‘Listen, we’d like to make an investment in you and then go on and go after IMG and think about the synergies between where digital and mobile are going, and content.’ So it took a year and a half of our relationship, and then it came up on the block and we went for it.â€? It is Durban, more than any other individual, who Emanuel credits with getting the IMG deal over the line. “He led the whole strategy behind it,â€? Emanuel adds. “Because of his insight and his institutional knowledge over many years, I think we got the deal done. Patrick and I did the deal with a lot of help from the people on the William Morris side, EXW LQ WKLV VSHFLĂ€ F VLWXDWLRQ ZH KDG QHYHU been at that level. Your job as a leader is to get out of the way when smarter

people are around, and Patrick and I did that pretty easily, and Egon has been an incredible partner. He led the charge and you have to know when to follow the lead of somebody who knows more. Thank God I have great partners.� Silver Lake’s investment history suggests Durban’s bet has been placed well. The company was the lead investor in a US$2.75 billion acquisition of Skype in 2009, selling to Microsoft in 2011 for US$8.5 billion. In 2011 and 2012 it acquired 2.5 per cent stake of Alibaba for US$500 million. Having already sold a fraction of that on for US$279 million, its remaining stake is, according to the Financial Times, worth around US$6 billion now. The evolution of Emanuel’s agency business

“We started the business this month 20 years ago,� says Emanuel at SportsPro Live in March. “At that point we thought distribution was changing – how people were consuming content was changing. “When we started there were four networks: ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. And then there were two more coming on. And at the time we were just a TV agency. We thought that with increased distribution – it’s just supply and demand – prices would go up for content, for people that supplied our content. That happened. The minute

WME | IMG co-chief executive Ariel Emanuel, pictured at SportsPro Live at London’s Emirates Stadium on Thursday 12th March

SportsPro Magazine | 45

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

The WME | IMG-run Miami Open was the scene of several efforts to bring various parts of the agency’s operations together across sport and entertainment

The Emanuel vision for IMG

Under Mike Dolan, who ran IMG for three years up to its sale to WME, the NH\ JURZWK DUHDV ZHUH LGHQWLÀHG DV WKH group’s burgeoning college business, which at the last count included commercial representation of more than 200 US college sports properties, and its joint 46 | www.sportspromedia.com

ventures in four strategic emerging markets around the world: in Brazil as IMX, in China as CCTV IMG, in India as IMG 5HOLDQFH DQG LQ 7XUNH\ DV ,0* 'RøXĂť While Emanuel insists that those particular businesses remain important to WME | IMG, he points out that there is an ongoing process of “realignmentâ€? underway. “College is a great business,â€? he says. “I think it needed some leadership. Patrick is doing that. Patrick is handling the college business; I’m handling events and media; representation is representation. “I see you have an article by George Pyne in your magazine,â€? he says pointedly of an article in the April edition of SportsPro magazine which focuses on the new sports investment vehicle set up by Pyne, who had run IMG’s college business as president of IMG Sports and Entertainment until his departure in August. “He can talk to what his point of view is on it. “I think in our joint ventures there have been some great partners, and some not so great partners,â€? he continues, highlighting WKH SUHFDULRXV Ă€QDQFLDO SRVLWLRQ LQ ZKLFK IMG’s Brazilian joint venture partner Eike %DWLVWD Ă€QGV KLPVHOI ´7KH MRLQW YHQWXUHV are key to us but we’re realigning them. In the movie business, and in the television

Christophe Ena/AP/Press Association Images

we opened the door, Disney and Fox put up US$125 million for writer deals and prices started to increase. “There was a book that I read before we started the agency, by George Gilder, called Life After Television, the world of 10,000 channels. And I’m not sure we’re at 10,000 now but we might be at a lot more. We started out with television and PRYHG LQWR WKH Ă€OP EXVLQHVV DQG WKHQ we saw the landscape continue to change, and we needed more content. So we went to William Morris and they had a music division, a book division, and they could also bolster our television and movie business, make the whole thing bigger. And we could then be a large player in the ZRUOG LQVWHDG RI EHLQJ Ă€YH PDMRU DJHQFLHV maybe we could establish just two. “When we think about the business now – when an advertiser thinks about us or a big media company thinks about us – on a global basis, we touch food, fashion, sports – both internationally and US domestic and college – movies, television, theatre, books and commercials, plus we have an advertising agency. Not that the 30-second spot is going away, because it’s not going away, but advertisers need a different place to attach themselves to video. “As we are building out our content play and our sales and marketing teams and our digital assets throughout the company, I think we’re in a unique position for advertisers to attach themselves to a bunch of stuff that we have with clients, to enhance the value for our clients. And I don’t think that there’s anything like us globally – that’s my pitch!â€?

Zoolander stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in a WME | IMG crossover at a Milan fashion show

business and in the music business, we’ve been operating internationally for a long, long time.â€? Part of the realignment process will be to inculcate processes which bring about smooth integration between the various business departments of the new combined WME | IMG agency. “Mike [Dolan] and George [Pyne] for the last two years were trying to sell the company, and a lot of things were siloed, meaning college didn’t deal with media; media didn’t deal with events,â€? Emanuel explains. “It was very separate businesses. I wouldn’t do that. From our perspective now, everything is interrelated.â€? Emanuel points to this year’s Miami Open tennis tournament, an event owned and operated by IMG, as an example of an area of focus for the manifestation of greater integration across the agency divisions. During the second week of the 2015 tournament – which ran just after SportsPro Live, from 23rd March to 5th April – WME | IMG launched ‘the Miami Open Experience’. The entertainment platform, which ran alongside the tournament, included a glut of WME | IMG clients from a YDULHW\ RI Ă€HOGV D Âś7DVWH WKH 2SHQ¡ IRRG event with WME-repped chefs Tom Colicchio, Scott Conant, Josh Capon; swimwear runway shows by model and designer Tori Praver; and the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball exhibitions, headlined by the three-time Olympic gold medallist Kerri Walsh Jennings. IMG tennis client Genie Bouchard and supermodel client Hannah Davis were on hand for photo opportunities throughout. “Next year, we’ll probably add music,â€? says Emanuel. “We’re not going to be siloed. All boats rise with the tide. We’re building a different culture, where people have to get together and help each other throughout the business. Each division has to run their business but there’s interconnections, so that when Fox

Mark J. Terrill/AP/Press Association Images

Emanuel watches an LA Lakers basketball game with comic Larry David, one of a huge list of Hollywood clients he continues to represent on a daily basis

“All boats rise with the tide. We’re building a different culture, where people have to get together and help each other throughout the business.� wants the Dutch [league soccer] rights in South America, and we do a great deal of business with James Murdoch on the movie and television side, all of that stuff is interconnected. “You just saw on the movie side that we had Zoolander – a movie that we have at Paramount – and we have our fashion business, and there was that big situation that happened at the Milan fashion show [Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, as their characters Zoolander and Hansel, modelled for Valentino on the Milan runway just days before SportsPro Live in a promotional stunt for the release of Zoolander 2]. Now that has nothing to do with sport, but you’re going to see our

company, a lot of the different businesses working together.� The representation game

Emanuel cut his teeth as an agent, not as D À QDQFLHU VWDUWLQJ KLV FDUHHU DW &UHDWLYH Artists Agency (CAA) and going on to become a senior agent at InterTalent and International Creative Management (ICM). He co-founded Endeavor in 1995 and has a client list that includes Michael Bay, Larry David, Dwayne Johnson, Seth MacFarlane, Tyler Perry, Charlie Rose, Sheryl Sandberg, Martin Scorsese, Aaron Sorkin, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Oprah Winfrey and Robert Zemeckis.

When it comes to running IMG, he is more in founder Mark McCormack’s mould than Ted Forstmann’s. It doesn’t come as a surprise that he intends to refocus IMG’s efforts in talent representation. “I think Teddy got out of the client business for whatever reason,â€? he says. “We’re going to push more heavily into what Mark McCormack did in the tennis and golf business. My day starts very early when I’m in Los Angeles. I’m on WKH SKRQH WR (XURSH ULJKW DURXQG Ă€ YH , do all that business until about ten, then I do the WME business, and then at the end of the day I start with Asia. “Since I’m ADHD it’s actually fun for me; I don’t need a lot of sleep, which is good, but I still do the agenting everyday in addition to everything else, just to keep myself grounded. And it helps when I need to think about where the world is going, what they’re exposed to; it keeps me in the moment and on top of what the studios are doing, what the networks are doing, domestically and then internationally. SportsPro Magazine | 47

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

“All our clients have their dreams and aspirations. Our job as their representative is to help them achieve those.� “All our clients have their dreams and aspirations,� he says, when asked what the difference is between managing Maria Sharapova and managing Mark Wahlberg. “Our job as their representative is to help them achieve those and also give them an understanding of what they can and can’t do, and other things that they should be doing. We present, almost as their board of directors, the opportunities.� He says that the agency is currently in the process of building teams around their athlete clients to look at commercial possibilities beyond traditional athlete endorsement deals. “Take LeBron James,� he adds. “We don’t do his deals when he moves to Cleveland but we do all of his marketing deals, all of his TV stuff, and you just saw him coming out in a movie.� The Judd Apatow-directed Trainwreck, which features the Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association (NBA) star in a prominent role, will be released this summer.

I do a mile in a half hour, so there’s no sweating. Just a nice walk.â€? Emanuel says that this year’s retreat was WKH Ă€UVW LQ ZKLFK KLV QHZ ,0* H[HFXWLYHV were brought in. “For me the most important thing about the company is keeping the culture proper,â€? he reveals. “I think culture beats strategy every time. “When we came into William Morris, I don’t think there was great leadership. It was easy to do very small incremental things that helped build culture, and helped build enthusiasm. People got on board very quickly. For two years, [the leadership at IMG] were trying to sell the company. I don’t think people were treated perfectly well. They tried to get the highest price – which they were supposed to do – but they took a lot of WKH EHQHĂ€W IURP WKDW , GRQ¡W WKLQN WKHUH was a lot of investment in the company, a lot of leadership, a lot of strategic planning for the future.

Leadership and working culture

The little-known fact that Emanuel is a keen proponent of a walking treadmill was teased out of him at SportsPro Live. “We do a retreat every year at the beginning of the year for the whole company,â€? he explains. “This year I think it was about 600 people, and it has nothing to do with business. It only has to do with expanding their minds, and in that retreat, we had one theme which was: ‘What does the world look like in 25 years?’ “And there was a doctor there, and he said, ‘Sitting is the new smoking for your cardiovascular system.’ He said a good thing to do is to stand, and better than that is to walk, at a slow pace, all day. I called my assistant straight away and I said, ‘Get me a fucking treadmill desk!’ We couldn’t Ă€QG RQH DQG ZH KDG D SURWRW\SH EXLOW ² with computers, phones and everything. And now in the company there’s probably about 35 to 40. I have one here in London. It only goes up to two miles per hour. 48 | www.sportspromedia.com

Emanuel with fellow co-CEO Patrick Whitesell

“Again, there was a vacuum of leadership, both on the college side and on the overall company, and I think Patrick and I have instituted something and hopefully we do what we said we were going to do and that we’ve given people leadership and a reason why we’re here together as a company. So I think people have embraced it pretty quickly because I don’t think they had it for two or three years.

“You have to do what you say you’re going to do. I think you have to create a place where people think failure is a good thing. If they don’t try new ideas, we’re never going to move the ball down the Ă€HOG DQG LI WKH\ IDLO ZH KDYH WKHLU EDFNV “Here’s what I mean by that. I’m dyslexic. When you grow up dyslexic, you get kicked in the teeth everyday; I was in special ed when I was growing up and never thought I could get out of high school, let alone college. And what I learned is that I need people to help me, and it’s OK for people to help me: that’s not a bad thing. And I think in business now, you have to let a group of people help you to get ahead. “People who think that as a leader you can do it all yourself, they’re full of shit. You just have to make sure that everybody realises that we’re on the same vision, and you’re in the same boat with them and still have some fun. “A little bit of screaming, too!â€? The partnership with Patrick Whitesell

An agent at InterTalent, the United Talent Agency and CAA, Patrick Whitesell became a partner at Endeavor in 2001. He has been the yin to Emanuel’s yang ever since and the pair have formed a formidable business double act. “When he came over, I think it was year three,â€? recalls Emanuel. “He’s the quintessential agent. In addition to being many other things, he’s the best agent in the world. That’s not even close. But the most important thing for our relationship is that there’s no scorecard. I’m not sitting there everyday saying, ‘What’s Patrick doing? Am I equal to Patrick?’ We don’t have a scorecard between us and we never have. “That permits you to do stuff, when I know when he’s doing stuff it’s in my best interests, and he knows when I’m doing stuff it’s in his best interests, and we don’t add up a scorecard. The minute in a relationship where you add a scorecard or you’re thinking about a scorecard, it’s GRRPHG 7KH ODVW FDOO LV KLP WKH Ă€UVW FDOO is him. I trust how he’s going to operate all of his business. If he has any questions he calls me; same with me. So there’s no scorecard. It’s the only way to operate.â€? That being said, Emanuel is no doubt as to who is the better co-chief executive at golf. “I am. There’s a scorecard there!â€?

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SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

The first panel session of the day at SportsPro Live brought together four figures from British sport who are used to being seated at the head of the table. Each was on hand to provide a broad view and some choice insights. By Eoin Connolly

The European Tour’s David Williams, Sport England’s Nick Bitel, Ian Metcalfe of Commonwealth Games England and British Rowing’s Annamarie Phelps

The board

As chairman of Sport England, Nick Bitel oversees public sector and lottery funding to national governing bodies for their efforts in attracting new participants. He also boasts experience of running one of the world’s foremost mass participation events, having acted as chief executive of the London Marathon, while he sits on the boards of elite funding unit UK Sport and the London Legacy Development Corporation, and is a solicitor and sports consultant at Kerman & Co. British Rowing chairman Annamarie Phelps came to the boardroom table via a place in a different kind of seat, winning a world title in the lightweight coxless fours and representing her country at the Atlanta Olympics. Commonwealth Games England chairman Ian Metcalfe is also a former sportsman, having played rugby union for Sale. He has sat on the Rugby Football Union (RFU) Council since 2006. The chairman of the European Tour, David Williams, has taken a different route into his sporting role. He has 50 | www.sportspromedia.com

brought a fresh perspective to the world of golf from his time at Whitbread, PepsiCo and Diageo, serving consumer brands like Pizza Hut and Burger King. Asking the questions was Simon Cummins, who has years of experience identifying the very best leaders as the managing partner of the global sports practice at executive search group Odgers Berndtson. Government and governance

Cummins opened the panel by introducing the topic of government regulation. The former British sports minister Lord Moynihan, he noted, had proposed that the current secretary of state should be able to regulate to ensure higher standards of governance and accountability. “The government does regulate,� countered Bitel. “We’re sitting in a stadium that has to get a licence from the Sports Safety Grounds Authority. Government tells you on occasion what time your match has got to start. It tells

you, very often, who you can sell your product to through listed events. It’s really just a question, I suppose, of balance: how much should it be government regulation and how much should it be left to individual organisations? And I think the government has a role to play, to step in when there’s been what we would perceive as market failure.â€? ,Q WKH 8. WKH LQĂ XHQFH RI WKH government is effectively felt through the distribution of funds drawn from the public purse and the National Lottery by Sport England and UK Sport. These handouts are performance-related and, according to Bitel, there has been “a really good response to the challengesâ€? set to the country’s 46 governing bodies “about modernising their governance structuresâ€?. “The trick for us, I think,â€? added Bitel, “is how do we make those governance changes percolate throughout the organisations so it’s not just at the centre, it’s at the local clubs, it’s at the local regions. I think that’s where we need to see greater pace of change.â€?

Kamran Jebreili/AP/Press Association Images

Williams says that while governance is important, the primary ambition of the European Tour is to find a place for world class golfers like Rory McIlroy

Phelps concurred. “We really welcome the changes to governance and the sort of things that are being suggested,â€? she said. “I think that the trick here, though, for government, is not to assume that everyone is an FA or an RFU, and that there are sizes of governing body with different stakeholders and that there QHHGV WR EH VRPH Ă H[LELOLW\ LQ WKHUH Âľ For Williams, the subject of governance is “hugely importantâ€? but, he argued, secondary to the quality of golf played on the European Tour. “Without the best players in the world you can have all the conversation that you want,â€? he said. “Frankly, I’d rather start with the best players and then I’ll worry about the governance. So we try and keep things a little bit in perspective at the European Tour. Start with the good players, deal with the governance, run a great business.â€? Yet as Ian Metcalfe pointed out, good JRYHUQDQFH DQG JRRG SUDFWLFH WHQG WR Ă€ OWHU all the way down from the boardroom to the dressing room. He cited the example of England’s Rugby World Cup display in New Zealand in 2011, when poor SHUIRUPDQFHV RQ WKH Ă€ HOG ZHUH PDWFKHG by poor behaviour off it. “Before then I wouldn’t have thought WKDW HYHQWV RII WKH Ă€ HOG FRXOG KDYH VXFK D VLJQLĂ€ FDQW HIIHFW RQ WKRVH RQ WKH Ă€ HOG Âľ KH DGPLWWHG ´$W D SRLQW LQ WLPH when the organisation had no full-time chairman, no full-time chief executive and was in some disarray, it’s not altogether surprising that players take a lead from that, however detached they are from that, and you have all of the things that happened in 2011 with people jumping off boats into harbours.â€?

Today’s RFU, he indicated, sets a stronger example, which is also carried through the “huge contribution� of independent directors Helen Weir, Andy Higginson and Andy Cosler, and by national team head coach Stuart Lancaster, “who is completely absent of ego, has a fantastic value set, and is developing and has developed a culture within the team which I think we can all be proud of, with his ambition being to be the most respected team in English sport�. Formats, participation and interest

“It is absolutely the case – in the same ZD\ DV ZLWK FULFNHW ZKHUH WKH Ă€ YH GD\ Test remains the absolute pinnacle – the four-day tournament remains the absolute pinnacle of world golf,â€? said Williams. “But I suspect that younger audiences, the way in which information is now digitally streamed to younger audiences, the way in which people get all their information, means that we’re going to have to give some very careful thought as we go forward to how people might want to present golf in the future.â€? As it tends to do at industry events across the world, the topic of tailoring formats to the tastes of modern audiences was quick to rear its head at SportsPro Live. Williams noted that the subject is “on the agendaâ€? in the world of golf and “comes up now time and againâ€?, and that even for an organisation in the “very privileged position of the European Tourâ€? there is the question of “whether you lead or followâ€?. “It is important that you continue to look and evolve your product,â€? added Bitel, “and I think that goes for whether you’re selling chocolate or you’re selling sport. I

think it’s even more important when you’re looking at participation. I mean, golf is a great example of a sport that has been struggling in recent years to get people out playing 18 holes as traditionally they might have taken the time to do on a Wednesday or a Saturday, and unless it looks at that – and looks at the product and says, ‘What have we got to offer in the modern era?’ – there’s a danger that it’ll become more and more irrelevant. And then where are the players of the future coming from? Where are the fans of the future coming from? “There is a piece, I think, for all governing bodies and event owners to look to the future and say, ‘How do I enthuse tomorrow’s player?’â€? For Bitel, stimulating participation as well as spectator interest is a matter of acknowledging the new “informalityâ€? in sport. “The days of people consuming football by going and playing on a Sunday morning at ten o’clock or two o’clock, that is radically changing,â€? he said. “And I’m not too sure, again, that some sports have quite caught up with that.â€? Phelps believes it is not just formats but form that is at issue. “For too long we’ve had TV covering [rowing] races from the outside – showing what you can see from the bank,â€? she admitted. “Actually, what we need to do is show them what it’s like from in the boat. How do we make it as exciting as it is for those participants? But I’m sure it’s possible to do now. I think technology has come on HQRUPRXVO\ DQG ZH MXVW QHHG WR Ă€ QG WKH right TV production company who wants to take that risk with us and do that.â€? Following on from this lead, Metcalfe broadened the discussion to encompass SportsPro Magazine | 51

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

sports which have already worked with television partners to increase their appeal. “Probably the best current example out of the Commonwealth Games stable is badminton,â€? he suggested, “where Adrian Christy at Badminton England went to the broadcasters and said, ‘What do we need to do to achieve greater media coverage?’ And they said, ‘We need certainty. We need to be able to package your sport into an DUHD RI WLPH XQGHUVWDQG LW ZLOO Ă€QLVK DW that point in time, and if you can do that without destroying the fabric of your sport then come back to us.’ “So they slightly changed the rules – it’s still the same basic game but they had sudden-death points – and they reduced it into a window where TV knew and Sky are now broadcasting the new league, which started this season. They’ve attracted new sponsorship, new commercial revenue, they’re driving their participation as a result of that, and I think that’s a great success story of getting the balance right. They’ve not completely destroyed the game – it’s a very exciting product – and the TV cameras are there.â€? But while events can serve as a showcase for the new viewer – both at the venue and at home – the process of turning a passer-by into a player is altogether more complicated, as Metcalfe stressed later on in the discussion. “Simply because you’ve staged an event doesn’t mean that more people will play rugby,â€? he said, looking ahead to this year’s Rugby World Cup. “You’ve got to work quite hard around the edges of that to make sure that they do.â€? Metcalfe detailed some of the plans that the English rugby authorities have in place, such as a trophy tour and a pretournament rugby festival, to ensure those captured by this year’s global showpiece do not drift away. Phelps also pointed out the importance of a structured approach to participation growth. While “there’s no doubt that big events encourage people to want to tryâ€?, she said, they are a “hookâ€? to get spectators “on a rowing machine and into a rowing clubâ€?. ´$QG WKDW¡V WKH GLIĂ€FXOW ELW ² LW¡V PDNLQJ WKDW WUDQVLWLRQ DQG Ă€QGLQJ VRPHZKHUH that’s local and accessible,â€? she added. Bitel, who noted that tennis participation Ă€JXUHV LQ WKH 8. ´DFWXDOO\ ZHQW downâ€? after Andy Murray’s Wimbledon win in 2013, UHYHDOHG WKDW WKHUH ZRXOG QRZ EH D Ă€QDQFLDO 52 | www.sportspromedia.com

This year’s Women’s Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge took place alongside the men’s event

incentive for British sporting bodies to bring more people into their sports. “You’ve got to work a lot harder at turning that fan, be it a fan watching on television or from the sides of the river or the sides of the street in my case, into a runner, into a rower, into a rugby player,� he said. “And if they’re not going to do it voluntarily, then maybe saying, ‘Well, I won’t get my money otherwise,’ is the driver.� Further and wider

The Boat Race between the senior men’s university crews at Oxford and Cambridge is one of the annual highlights of the global rowing calendar, and the kind of idiosyncratic treat beloved of a certain type of British sports fan. The Women’s Boat Race has been run – or rowed – since 1927, but only this year did it take place along the same Thames course on the same day. ´, WKLQN LW ZLOO GHĂ€QLWHO\ KDYH DQ LPSDFW on the people it touches, not only just on WKRVH JLUOV WKDW UDFH LQ WKH Ă€UVW RQH EXW DOVR WKH SURĂ€OH RI ZRPHQ¡V VSRUW DURXQG the world,â€? said Phelps. “The men’s Boat Race is probably the most viewed rowing race in the world, it probably tops any Olympic race. It’s something like nine million-plus people around the world, seven million viewers in the UK, 300,000 people go down to watch it: I mean, it’s a huge event. To have the women on the same day reaches out to that other 50 per cent of the population, not just for the universities but for the sport of rowing, to say: ‘Actually, women do do this. You may not have realised but we’ve been doing this for years.’â€?

While Phelps took pains to downplay the wider immediate effect of the switch, which she said would have “a slow impactâ€?, she did speak of her hopes WKDW LW ZRXOG JUDGXDOO\ EXLOG FRQĂ€GHQFH among participants in the sporting arena and beyond. Bitel was keen to seize upon the importance of greater exposure for women’s sport. “One of the big reasons that we’ve come across in all our research is that women have a fear of being judged – they don’t see themselves as doing sport,â€? he said. “It’s not normal. And we’ve got a job to do about normalising sport amongst young girls. We’re running a campaign at the moment called ‘This Girl Can’, which I’ll give a plug to – massive campaign; UKÂŁ10 million worth of advertising; running at the moment, it’ll then be off air and come back later this year – to try and say that actually, you doing sport is something that you can do despite what people might think about you. And seeing yourselves, and seeing heroes, playing sport regularly on television is important. We don’t have enough women in sport being shown.â€? At the corporate level, the boards of British sporting bodies are now expected to be at least 25 per cent female and, indeed, at least 25 per cent male: Bitel revealed that “it came as a bit of a shock to netball when we said they had to have 25 per cent men on their boardâ€?. For Williams, coming from the business mainstream, female representation at board level is a given, not least when “50 to 60 per cent of the consumers are femaleâ€?. “I mean, it just struck me as very natural when we were recruiting non-

executives for the European Tour that ZH ZRXOG WU\ DQG Ă€QG WKH ULJKW QRQ executives, and it just so happened that the two most seriously brilliant people that we interviewed were female,â€? he added of January recruits Sophie Goldschmidt, the RFU commercial director, and Jutta af Rosenborg of Aberdeen Asset Management. Sport’s shortfall in diversity, however, extends beyond the matter of gender politics. “I think the greater challenge we’ve got – because I think this now is being understood about the value of having diversity, men and women – you look around this room, I look around the boards of sports that I deal with, the ethnic diversity, I think, is our real big challenge,â€? said Bitel. “It’s just not there,â€? he added, bluntly. ´6SRUWLQJ (TXDOV¡ Ă€JXUHV RQ WKH QXPEHU of people from ethnic minorities on sports boards are shocking, and whether we have to do something like a ‘Rooney Rule’ [by which at least one candidate from an ethnic minority is interviewed for every position] in this country, I think, is an interesting question.â€? While board composition might be addressed by changes in practice, there are still some ways in which sporting action itself can make a positive social contribution. Asked about the challenges facing the Commonwealth Games, Metcalfe spoke of the need to become less of an event and more of a “movementâ€?. ´:H GRQ¡W ZDQW WR EH D JORULĂ€HG WUDYHO DJHQW Âľ KH DGGHG ´ZH ZDQW WR UHĂ HFW WKH ability to drive social change through sport, which I think is important for all of us here: to look at our sports and how we can be an agent for change. If you look at a VLJQLĂ€FDQW SHUFHQWDJH RI RXU SDUWLFLSDQWV in the English team, they will be Muslim, and we look at the challenges within racial equality and the challenges around the world there – we need to make that a positive force for good within the English team and from a broader perspective.â€?

to bear on sport by sponsors. “So it wasn’t until the women could have a programme that was of equal depth and professionalism and everything else that really it became plausible to put them on at the same time so that it wasn’t just a secondary race.â€? The role that sponsors can play is increasingly a source of debate in a sporting environment increasingly overrun with cash but still too often operating by old rules. “I’m an occasional lawyer, for my sins,â€? said Bitel, “and what I’ve seen, actually, is a trend that sponsors are becoming more and more important in the governance of sport because it affects their risk PDQDJHPHQW DQG WKHLU ULVN SURĂ€OH RQ WKH events and the NGBs that they’re funding. If it’s a badly governed sport then their whole investment in that sport is at risk. So I’m seeing things being asked for in sponsorship contracts by sponsors which chime very nicely with what we’re doing with Sport England.â€? The role of broadcasters was also explored, not least the relative merits of lucrative pay-TV contracts and exposure on free-to-air channels. Bitel’s experience as chief executive of the London Marathon, which is broadcast live on the publicly funded BBC, has taught him much about the power of readily accessible coverage but he also conceded that Europe’s comeback in the 2014 Ryder Cup broke out powerfully from beyond the paywall. “It’s about everything coming together right on the day,â€? he said.

Influence of sponsors and TV

“Having the Women’s Boat Race on the same day, at the same time as the men’s race has been talked about for decades between the two universities, but actually having the funding to drive that and make it happen was the key accelerator,â€? said 3KHOSV GLVFXVVLQJ WKH LQĂ XHQFH EURXJKW

England rugby union coach Stuart Lancaster is setting the cultural tone for the whole RFU

Aspects of language and culture

The session ended with a question from WKH Ă RRU DERXW ZKHWKHU VSRUW QHHGHG WR develop a new “languageâ€? to properly express its wider contribution and potential. The panellists, as might be expected, had plenty to say about the positive LQĂ XHQFH RI D VWURQJ VSRUWLQJ FXOWXUH This is something that Metcalfe sees at the RFU – where Stuart Lancaster is working to emulate the New Zealand ethos that “better people make better All Blacksâ€? – and at Commonwealth Games England. “It’s a huge part of people’s lives,â€? he added, “and to be gender equal, to have diversity – the Commonwealth Games is great because we go from 14-year-old gymnasts to 74-year-old lawn bowlers, so age diversity as well. But for all of those people to look to give something back and make the world a better place to live. It might sound like fancy notions but I think it can work.â€? Phelps also spoke warmly of the social EHQHĂ€WV WKDW VSRUW FDQ GHOLYHU ´, JR XS WR Gateshead, to Aberdeen and places and they’re fantastic community places, they really are,â€? she said. “They’re clubs, so yes, they will look at themselves and they will look after their members and whatever else, but they’re keen to bring people in, to look after people. I think we all think the values of sport are great‌â€? Bitel echoed these comments. But, in closing, he underlined the need for sport to make its case more strongly, particularly within the UK. “In the last four years,â€? he explained, “local government – and they are the single biggest funders of sport – have cut their funding in sport from UKÂŁ1.4 billion to UKÂŁ1 billion. In the QH[W Ă€YH \HDUV DV DXVWHULW\ JRHV IXUWKHU and deeper – whoever is elected, this isn’t a political point – funding budgets at a department like DCMS are going to come under scrutiny, and sport has to explain the story of what it can do for the health of the nation, for social inclusion, for educational attainment, for all the reasons that we in this room know that sport’s important. “But I don’t think, at the moment, we’re quite getting that message over. It’s remarkable how little of the budget of Public Health England is going on getting more people playing sport, which is the single thing that they can do to transform the health of the nation.â€? SportsPro Magazine | 53

New thinking and strategic revolution Chris Lightfoot, CEO of Whitestone International, has been working with sports federations and brands for over 17 years and understands the need for strategic and creative innovation in the sector. Here he reflects on how the industry has evolved, his personal experiences working with one of the biggest sports brands, the FIFA World Cup, and where the industry needs to start heading for tomorrow. When João Havelange became FIFA President in 1974, he made campaign promises that had to be supported by commercial income directly to FIFA on a scale that had never been seen before. He turned to Horst Dassler and Patrick Nally, who brought in Stu Cross from Coca-Cola, and what happened next is considered by many to have initiated a wave of thinking that gave rise to a new generation of sports business founded on managing and commercialising rights. At that time, the approach taken by the FIFA team was innovative and, much like the foundations set by the likes of Mark McCormack and IMG, it shaped the sports industry that we know today. However, a new wave of thinking is now required to take the industry to the next level for the future. The driving force behind the need for innovation is the marked change in people’s attitudes and behaviours. In no small part this can be attributed to the technological and communications revolution we are living in and our exposure and access to ever more stimulating experiences directly competing for our time and money – within and outside of sports. Seismic shifts in the public’s attitudes to entertainment are leading to ever-rising levels of expectation and new patterns of behaviour – the response required is one of investment and innovation. In the increasingly competitive and commoditised landscape of sports and sponsorship markets, it’s naïve to assume that what created success in the past will do so in the future and that the industry’s lucrative position can be sustained without adapting to continuous cultural changes.

One of the biggest differences between sports and other industries is the level of continuous investment and inward innovation in products, services and brands. That’s not to say sports is without innovation, but more innovation is required and needs to be driven centrally by the IFs and NGBs in order to fulfil their core mandate of nurturing and growing their sports.

Learning from the past When the first major wave of investment and innovation in sports occurred in the 1990s, I was lucky enough to be working alongside FIFA, the ATP and others, witnessing first hand the significant strides taken in creating a mixture of internal innovation around sports, the pooling and packaging of rights, and substantial investment in brand strategies. This model set a clear direction for the future, the brand and branding that not only challenged the norm but, importantly, was structured to create intellectual property rights and assets that had significant commercial value and leverage. At the heart of the first revolution, Patrick Nally and others recognised that major events and sporting properties were under-capitalised so they set about developing a new competitive landscape and in 1998 fresh thinking was specifically mandated of FIFA’s marketing partner ISL. Investment and innovation followed in many forms. As part of the team tasked with delivering this, I was focussed on generating greater value from the FIFA and the FIFA World Cup ‘brands’ and branding. At the time, I was a director

of Interbrand and working with the team at ISL. When we began, there was almost no connection between the FIFA brand and the FIFA World Cup brand. The Organisers of the World Cups were national, self-funding and largely viewed FIFA as administrators, providers of referees and commercial competitors to their own marketing programmes. This was hard-wired. The time was ripe for strategic and creative innovation and our work was matched with smart politics by those who managed the relationships. Whilst much has moved on since, the original model put in place has not substantially changed.

FIFA World Cups – 2002, 2006 and beyond The FIFA World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan represented a major step change for FIFA on many levels and the opportunity created a new desire for the brand and branding to be something bigger than the former location-date-sport formula. The brand strategy and indeed the branding itself shifted from being ephemeral concepts and became fundamental to the common good, multiplicity of relationships and everyone’s success. The pivotal event in 2002 would be the first to carry the FIFA name in the title and the first to deliver the ‘FIFA World Cup Trophy’ strategy – derivative of the only physical asset that endured each tournament. It essentially had to reflect and satisfy both co-hosts and simultaneously engage two nontraditional football audiences – both full stadia and a vibrant atmosphere were paramount; and the event IP had to create rights and avoid diluting others. Beyond the occasion itself, the strategy had to be enduring to encompass future events.

When it came to the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, I had started Whitestone International, and my team was hired to balance FIFA’s strategy and champion a narrative driven by Franz Beckenbauer. Beckenbauer had seen the success of 2002 and wanted to go beyond the ‘safe’ event that Germany could doubtless deliver, and beyond stereotypes and be ‘un-German’. Working with Beckenbauer, the LOC, FIFA Marketing and local agency Abold, we built a narrative around the emotion of German football and although it would take the German public a couple of years to understand the kind of event that was being planned, Germany went on to deliver one of the greatest FIFA World Cups to date. The identity signalled the event and the event delivered the identity’s message perfectly. Reflecting on how FIFA has since evolved the FIFA World Cup brand strategy and branding, we can see that by 2010 in South Africa, a monolithic structure had been introduced across FIFA’s properties – one that encompassed even its pinnacle event and provided the local organisers with only a central piece to make their mark. By 2014 the event identity reverted to the ‘FIFA World Cup Trophy’ strategy from 2002, with 2018 continuing the legacy. What does this signify about the FIFA World Cup? Will 2022 and even beyond continue to look back rather than advance forward? It is time to re-evaluate the strategy. Given that football is a global sport, is there a need for geographical pioneering? Are there other formats that will appeal to different demographics without seeming to patronise? Could every FIFA World Cup be different – allowing each new event the opportunity to bravely progress its messaging, branding and presentation, thereby developing new narratives that deepen the sport’s impact and potential? Given technological and cultural shifts, perhaps the time has come to challenge everything?

Brand innovation and investment The pace of social change and media evolution is frenetic. We await the next big thing as quickly as we discard the recently new, now suddenly prehistoric. The never-ending appetite for sports, both new and traditional, has to be served to multiple-screen generations with each interface providing added value to the fans and stakeholders.

The case for investment in the brand, and in particular innovation of the brand, is unequivocally a strong one. Revenues of sports brands that invest in innovative strategies and ever-evolving identities and creative expression outstrip those that don’t. It’s easy for an event – particularly a global one – to prioritise infrastructure development over the need to evolve the brand and branding infrastructures. Yet, a strategy that “worked last time” can seriously hinder creativity and innovation across all aspects of the occasion. Each event brand must be built from the ground up through a mix of its unique short, medium and longterm objectives.

The bottom line Whilst the catalyst may be the staging of a global event, the brand strategy is fundamental in attracting partners and building long-lasting commercial relationships. Commercial brands understand how to evolve alongside changing consumer behaviours and recognise the need for investment in innovation. More so than ever before, they want to know that sports brands are taking the same approach and that the commercial objectives of the brand are as embedded in the event as the political and sporting ones. To meet the changing social, commercial and media landscapes, IFs and NGBs need to focus on innovation and use bold strategic and creative thinking. No panacea exists other than hard work and continual evolution, both of which involve the brand as a core asset and sporting, business and consumer tool. With the right expertise and capabilities, the process of insight, development and innovation will usher in a new wave of thinking to rival the strategic revolutions of the past and further elevate sports business to the highest level.

Chris Lightfoot CEO Whitestone International Whitestone International is a strategic and creative consultancy specialising in building and commercialising sports brands. Chris Lightfoot worked with his ISL/FIFA colleague Fraser Peett in the preparation of this article.

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Matchroom Sport’s Barry and Eddie Hearn, on stage at a conference for the first time together, charmed the SportsPro Live audience with colourful mid-morning tales and delivered a healthy dose of common sense to the sports industry. By David Cushnan

T

he list of potential questions was long, but, inevitably perhaps, the answers were longer – Barry and Eddie Hearn, teaming up at 6SRUWV3UR /LYH IRU WKH À UVW WLPH DV D SDLU at a sports conference, don’t need much of an invitation to reel off a stream of

56 | www.sportspromedia.com

anecdotes and opinions. Their 45 minutes on stage at the Emirates Stadium, held together admirably by SportsPro’s features editor Eoin Connolly, nonetheless included subjects ranging from the Fifa presidency to the merits (or otherwise) of former British heavyweight Audley

Harrison, taking in boxing, darts, snooker and even cricket along the way. Barry, soon to be 67, is the chartered accountant turned sports promoter who takes sports, repackages them and usually makes a great deal of money as a result, whilst always shooting from the hip. His

son, Eddie, has established himself as something of a chip off the old block, taking impressive charge of the Hearns’ Matchroom Sport boxing division in recent years – a smooth operator with a canny business brain. Both Hearns, in their own ways, know how to work an audience, as they proved once again as Connolly’s questions came their way at SportsPro Live.

ROUND 1: Eddie versus Barry – in the ring A self-made man who founded Matchroom Sport in 1982, Barry Hearn was understandably concerned about the impact his success and wealth might have upon his son. He had an unorthodox way of confronting those fears. Barry: “The fact is that Eddie didn’t have the struggle. He didn’t have the Monty Python-esque struggles that we talk about from our own youth; he came from a different environment. We’re very close as a family and we’re very competitive as a family. My daughter [Katie] runs our TV platforms globally from a production standpoint, and she’s ex-Sky so she’s automatically very, very good. And Eddie – sometimes I close my eyes and I think I’m actually talking. “Your own personality comes out in any business, eventually, but the learning curve was quite straightforward. I didn’t come from a very privileged background, but I’ve been quite successful and I was obviously concerned that my son would end up being one of those posh rich kids that I used to hate when I was young. And ZKHQ KH ZDV , GHFLGHG WR Ă€ QG RXW ´7KHUH¡V RQO\ RQH ZD\ WR Ă€ QG RXW DQG that’s to put the gloves on, go down the gym and have a proper tear-up. And his mother went mental. And I said, ‘I’ve got to know. I’ve got to know what type of kid I’ve got here.’ He went to a public school. When I was young we used to beat up people that went to public schools – automatically. “We went down the gym in Romford. He was up for it; he was a decent heavyweight amateur. And he’s a big lump. I was 48 and I’m always up for it HYHQ LI , FDQ¡W Ă€ JKW $QG ZH VDLG Âś7KUHH two-minute rounds. Gum shield, head JXDUG OLJKW JORYHV /HW¡V Ă€ QG RXW ZKDW you’re made of.’ And the bell went for the Ă€ UVW URXQG DQG ZKHQ \RX¡UH \RX¡YH JRW

no fear so he charged at me like a bull in a china shop and I hit him straight down the pipe with one of the best shots I’ve ever thrown. It was vicious, and it went zinging up my arm, which is a really good sign. And unfortunately he didn’t fall over. I thought to myself at the time: I could have a problem here. “And much to my embarrassment, in the second round he dropped me twice and I’ve never had the gloves on since. But I left that gymnasium a very happy person because I knew I’d got what I wanted and I’ve not been disappointed since.�

ROUND 2: Eddie, Audley and boxing promotion After several years learning his trade in sponsorship and event management, Eddie Hearn joined Matchroom Sport in 2000. Initially he took charge of the golf division and then the poker and gaming arm, before a chance encounter with an Olympic champion changed the course of his career. Eddie: “I was always groomed to do what I’m doing. I think boxing found me, rather than myself going out looking for boxing. I spent a lot of my youth – probably from the ages of nine or ten – up till my 20s in gyms. It was a time when he [Barry] was doing particularly well on the boxing and I was enjoying the ride; I was at all the major events; I was around DOO WKH JUHDW Ă€ JKWHUV RI WKH V

Audley Harrison was an early Eddie Hearn client

“But I found my way into boxing, actually, through online gaming. I was running the poker and online gaming division at Matchroom – we were producing televised poker events – and I bumped into Audley Harrison in Las Vegas, just randomly, at the World Series RI 3RNHU :H ZHUH GRLQJ 3UL]HĂ€ JKWHU DW the time and I felt like Audley Harrison still had the name, still had a draw – he is obviously an Olympic gold medallist – and I thought he’d be great for 3UL]HĂ€ JKWHU $QG KH DVNHG PH WR ORRN out for opportunities for him, and I said, Âś&RPH LQWR 3UL]HĂ€ JKWHU <RX FDQ ZLQ WKDW WKHQ \RX FDQ Ă€ JKW IRU WKH (XURSHDQ WLWOH WKHQ \RX FDQ Ă€ JKW 'DYLG +D\H IRU the world heavyweight title.’ “I didn’t know what I was doing. But I phoned him [Barry] up later and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it but I’ve met Audley Harrison.’ And he just went, ‘I am having nothing to do with Audley Harrison whatsoever.’ So that was it. ´+H ZHQW LQWR 3UL]HĂ€ JKWHU +H ZRQ that. He won the European title, and then KH IRXJKW 'DYLG +D\H RQ SD\ SHU YLHZ and it was probably one of the worst experiences of my boxing career so far because Audley is/was one of the great self-publicists, one of the great selfpromoters in boxing. Unfortunately, he FDQ¡W Ă€ JKW ² DQG WKDW¡V D SUREOHP %XW KH¡V so believable because, actually, throughout that whole camp he was so convincing WKDW , ZDV FRPSOHWHO\ VROG $IWHU WKH Ă€ JKW everyone’s saying to me what a great job you did selling that, pretending he was going to win. And I said, ‘Yeah‌’â€? Barry: ´$W WKH HQG RI WKH Ă€ JKW DV (GGLH and I just stood there and the entire Audley Harrison entourage of wannabes had disappeared, and we were just sitting there embarrassed. I don’t know how much money Eddie made for him, but it was millions and millions too much. “We went to Audley and said, ‘What went wrong?’ And he said, ‘I was trying to WDNH WKH Ă€ JKW WR WKH ODWHU URXQGV ¡ , VDLG ‘You didn’t throw a fucking punch! How FDQ \RX WDNH D Ă€ JKW WR WKH ODWHU URXQGV LI you don’t throw a punch?’â€? “I thought I was the best, until I found VRPHRQH ZKR LV WKH EHVW ,W¡V GLIĂ€ FXOW WR say that about your son, but he [Eddie] is a different class to anything I’ve seen in boxing promotion and the selling SportsPro Magazine | 57

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Barry Hearn handled the likes of eccentric star Chris Eubank as a boxing promoter in the 80s and 90s

RI WKDW Ă€JKW ZDV WKH EHJLQQLQJ RI KLP establishing himself as the major boxing promoter with vision in the world. Not necessarily the biggest, because there’s big guys in the States. But the promotion of a Ă€JKW RU RI D SURGXFW RU RI D VHUYLFH WKHUH are certain basic rules, but you really have WR EHOLHYH LQ LW Ă€UVW EHIRUH \RX VHOO LW $QG , WKLQN WKH $XGOH\ +DUULVRQ Ă€JKW VKRZHG me that you’re capable of belief, even when every single bit of evidence says you’re a loony.â€? Eddie: ´$IWHU WKH Ă€JKW VRPH EORNH IURP

rules in the house of Hearn. If we don’t like the sport, if we’re not passionate about it, we don’t touch it. We have a limited amount of time. We’ve grown IURP ZKHQ LW ZDV PH DQG D VHFUHWDU\ and a part-time Jewish bookkeeper LQWR D VXEVWDQWLDO EXVLQHVV ZLWK RIÀFHV around the world and lots of people. But the rules have always stayed the same: we have to love what we do. I don’t particularly like tennis and I don’t like motorsport, so as a company we will never touch those sports. To do the job properly you have to believe in yourself

and you have to believe in your product. That goes through. “We’ve created a business of promotion from below. We don’t bring in senior management, we grow senior management, and they grow in the ethos of Matchroom, which is: let’s smash everything up; let’s do things other people haven’t thought of; let’s have a massive party when it’s all over; let’s try to make some money but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t. But actually if we’re enjoying ourselves generally we make shed loads. And then let’s share it out. That’s a summary but it works and creates this wonderful buzz. “I’m 67 in June but every day I get to WKH RIĂ€FH P\ KHDUWEHDW JRHV XS DV , JR through the gates. And I think Eddie’s does as well. Every day is exciting and we’re such privileged people, all of us that are involved in any type of sport or events and dealing with the public, trying to give people value for money, trying to make money‌ It’s like SOD\LQJ Ă€YH GLIIHUHQW JDPHV RI FKHVV DW WKH same time: on one table you’re attacking, on the other table you’re defending; on another one you’re messing about a bit, on the other one you’re knocking a few pieces over with your elbow. Put that into owning key sports and key sporting events and you have the best job in the world. Everyone who works for us, I think, enjoys every single day of their life, which is what life should be all about.â€?

ROUND 3: The house of Hearn The Matchroom Sport of 2015 sells in excess of 500,000 tickets annually, across sports such as boxing, darts, snooker and golf. It produces 1,000 hours of original programming a year, across around 150 events. Everything it does is based on its founder’s guiding principles. Barry: “We don’t have a typical Matchroom event; we have some golden 58 | www.sportspromedia.com

Adam Davy/PA Archive/Press Association Images

the UKÂŁ30 seats right up at the top of the MEN Arena [in Manchester], leant right over and said, ‘Hearn!’ And I leant right up. ‘You’re a shit promoter!’ “And I sort of said, ‘Thanks,’ and then I walked out and thought that would be it. But the next day my phone was going mad ZLWK Ă€JKWHUV VD\LQJ WKH\¡G VHHQ ZKDW ,¡G done with Audley Harrison and if I could do it for him, I could do it for them.â€?

Eddie Hearn accepts boxing fans will be “more demanding� after the success of Froch-Groves II

Matchroom’s world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch fought George Groves in two of the most talked-about bouts in recent British boxing history

ROUND 4: Froch v Groves II On the last day of May in 2014, Matchroom Boxing promoted the world super-middleweight title rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves at Wembley Stadium. It was the biggest British boxing bout in years, an 80,000 sell-out, and a special evening for Eddie Hearn. Eddie: “It came around at a perfect time for boxing. We made a move to change the face of the sport. We were running events that were in leisure centres in Widnes – no offence to Widnes – where you could VHH EDVNHWEDOO PDUNLQJV RQ WKH Ă RRU you could see empty seats – no pizzazz, no atmosphere – and we tried to turn it around. And that was about two years before Froch-Groves. We were building up the momentum well before that. “Perception is such a key thing: when you turn on the telly and you watch live sport, you need to feel like you have to be there. And that wasn’t happening in boxing. We moved to bigger arenas; we ZHUH PDNLQJ ELJJHU Ă€ JKWV ´:H JRW TXLWH OXFN\ 7KH Ă€ UVW Ă€ JKW ZDV great. There was the controversy. We had a great partner in Wembley Stadium. And LW ZDV D SXQW +H >%DUU\@ VDLG Âś'RQ¡W JR mad. Think about it.’ And then we signed the contract that night! “I just thought the fact of holding the event at Wembley Stadium probably gave us another 20, 30, 40 per cent on the gate. We had a big promotional plan going up to the tickets going on sale. We made people very afraid that if they didn’t get their tickets

RQ WKH Ă€ UVW GD\ WKH\ MXVW ZHUHQ¡W JRLQJ WR get their tickets. We sold 60,000 tickets in 50 minutes. And then we went on and Wembley helped us to get an extra 20,000. “It was a groundbreaking event, but it was an event. Boxing is a great sport, but it needs to be a little bit more to create that kind of hype, that kind of live event. It was a wonderful atmosphere and one I’ll never forget. It felt like a pop concert. Everyone who was there had a wonderful time. And it’s raised the bar – and that’s the problem because as you grow the sport, the audience grows with you. They’re now more demanding: they want ELJJHU EHWWHU Ă€ JKWV DOO WKH WLPH Âľ

ROUND 5: The darts demographic Barry Hearn acquired a majority shareholding in the Professional Darts Corporation in 2001 and in the years since Matchroom Sport has revolutionised what was previously considered by some to be no more than a pub game. As a mark of the sport’s progress, in 2015 Sky Sports rebadged one of its sports channels Sky Sports Darts for the duration of the world championship. Barry: ´'DUWV FDPH RXW RI D SXE ZLWK fat geezers with tattoos, and now over the last 12 years of work, predominantly through new media, the whole audience mix has changed. It’s a quantum mix of demographics, all been brought about by people coming along, seeing it on TV, seeing the media plans, being involved, trying it and, most importantly, leaving with a smile on their face with an appetite for more.

“Most importantly, we get to a point where from a TV perspective, the world darts championship peaked on Sky at 1.8 million. To put that in context, that is double the peak of the Ryder Cup. That is far bigger than Formula One, and is ELJJHU WKDQ WKH /HDJXH &XS Ă€ QDO OLYH These are quantum changes in perception and evaluation of modern-day sport. “I think you can recognise a Matchroom event. It’s generally an attractive night out. We work on the basis that society today is changing. The three words for how our business is run are target, exploitation and evaluation. At every stage you can see exactly where you’re going. You can literally write it on paper. “It’s not rocket science; most of it is common sense. We have to change the market if we want to make it bigger and, as Eddie said, we have to make it a better customer experience. We have to make sure that we don’t take liberties with anyone – you don’t start going UKÂŁ10 a pint because they won’t like you. You have to understand your marketplace and where these people come from. “And the fact that they don’t have the most exciting life – most people – but what we need is to create something where that person, man or woman, goes home that night or to work the following day with a conversation piece. I’d like it to start with: ‘You won’t believe what I saw last night.’ That’s the land of milk and honey that we’re trying to get to. You won’t get there all the time but if you work on that basis, it’s a very good start.â€? SportsPro Magazine | 59

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

ROUND 8: The power of aspiration Floyd Mayweather’s much-anticipated bout with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in May will be one of the richest nights in the history of sport. Barry Hearn believes it is another example of a sporting event which should inspire youngsters, and indeed the whole sports industry. Barry: “Every kid that starts playing sport

Matchroom Sport has transformed the profile of darts, turning a pub game into a popular spectacle

ROUND 6: Snooker loopy In 1974, Barry Hearn became chairman of Lucania Snooker Clubs, a chain of snooker halls. He set about organising a series of amateur events. After Riley Leisure acquired Lucania in 1982, Hearn, by now close friends with Steve Davies, turned his attention to the professional game, developing talent and securing television coverage. He is currently chairman of World Snooker. Barry: “Without snooker I wouldn’t be ZKHUH , DP WRGD\ :LWKRXW 6WHYH 'DYLV , wouldn’t be here, and I know that. I owe the sport something and I take that to heart. I fell in and out of love with it from an administration point of view. There’s too many blazers in sport; people are useless. People who care about the game, but have no idea about the commercial or social effects that a sport can have on a nation. And sport is something that galvanises interest across an entire nation. “Something like snooker, which I’m passionate about, I went back and bought WKH VQRRNHU ULJKWV DERXW IRXU RU Ă€YH \HDUV ago with the intention of doing that: blowing it up and starting again – giving opportunities to youngsters; making sure that mediocrity is not acceptable. It’s not a boys’ club just for sharing out money: any sport has to be competitive. And it works. The snooker ratings are now rising nicely; obviously we’ve created a massive business in China. “I think every sport is different and I think sometimes you have to say it may not be the target audience you want, it’s the target audience you’re going to get. Snooker has got a slightly older target 60 | www.sportspromedia.com

audience. There’s less people playing snooker, which is a bit worrying. “You put the sport out – build it and they will come. And then you have to make sure that that demographic stay loyal; they get value for money; they come back; they spread the word. When you’ve got darts players earning UKÂŁ2 million or UKÂŁ3 million a year, as they are now, kids are going from youth tour to main tour, when you’ve got a structure, you’ve got an opportunity to change perception, and that, sometimes, brings an opportunity to change perceptions. “Cricket is a great example because it’s almost classless, in certain ways, but it still has predominantly an AB1 following. You’ve got to work on that because I believe the future of sport is about volume. I believe the future is more about blue collar than white collar. I think there’s a lot more customers out there by opening the doors. They’re customers that will stay loyal and will be appreciative of the entertainment that you’ve added to their life.â€?

ROUND 7: Barry Hearn on Fifa Barry Hearn is not the president of Fifa, but he has some advice for world soccer’s governing body as the organisation approaches its leadership election. Barry: “Fifa is in such a mess. If it was any other business in the world it would be subject to so many anti-corruption issues and investigations. Fifa makes boxing look like a children’s kindergarten. I think you have to blow it up and start again. Along with it, obviously the incumbents have to go as well.�

at any level dreams of being a superstar in his or her chosen sport. As a youngster, I always wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world. That was my GUHDP 8QIRUWXQDWHO\ , FRXOGQ¡W Ă€JKW which was a little bit of a setback. “How many kids grow up and want WR EH 'DYLG %HFNKDP" +RZ PDQ\ NLGV grow up and want to be Ian Botham? Fights like Mayweather-Pacquiao focus the attention of living the dream to kids and inspire kids to be better, to live better lives, to train harder, to work harder, to achieve their goals – whether they’re a darts player, a snooker player, a tennis player, it doesn’t make any difference. “All of a sudden you have this massive platform that comes up and the numbers are mind-boggling but with it the whole essence of sport is aspirational. The aspiration of older people is to try to live longer and to try to stay healthy through sport, but the young people want to be Floyd Mayweather. “I look around at our stable, the stable that Eddie’s put together and I look at somebody like Anthony Joshua; I think he’s the best heavyweight prospect I’ve ever seen in 40 years. Better than Lennox Lewis; up there with [Mike] Tyson. The guy’s got everything. It could go horribly wrong, because that’s boxing. But if I’m in the head of Anthony Joshua, a boxer who eventually could be a global asset, I think he looks at Mayweather-Pacquaio with a spring in his step and a pump in his heart to say, ‘One day, how big would me and 'HRQWD\ :LOGHU EH LQ WZR DQG KDOI WKUHH years’ time on the basis of MayweatherPacquiao?’ It sets the bar. It sets all of us a bar so that we can all get better. “Too many people want to share a little tiny cupcake in sport. I don’t want 100 per cent of a cupcake. I want a decentsized slice of a fucking enormous cream gateau. Cast aside the restrictions of mere mortals and let’s show you how we live in our Matchroom intergalactic plan!â€?

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Maximising the fan experience without detracting from the sport is a conundrum all event organisers face. But with event-goers becoming increasingly discerning about what makes a quality spectacle, the question of how best to go about it is open to debate. By Michael Long

Deltatre’s Ciaran Quinn, IAAF council member Irena Szewinska, Ben Morel of the NBA and Lisa Lazarus of the FEI join moderator Richard Gillis

ports fans are a demanding lot. They want to be entertained, to be surprised and excited. They want unforgettable drama and quality production. They want value for money, exceptional food and customer service, unfaltering on-site Wi-Fi, the best security and accessibility, and the ability to watch multiple angles simultaneously. Put generally, they want all manner of things that enhance but never detract from the main sporting spectacle they have paid good money to see. For organisers, then, running a successful sports event is a juggling act - a quest to satisfy made all the more challenging by the fact that the experience of attending or watching a sports event on television is likely to

S

62 | www.sportspromedia.com

differ greatly from one fan to the next. It is an inescapable reality: what pleases the hardcore supporter that watches their club week in, week out is often far removed from the armchair viewer sat at home in front of the television, just as the VIP guest or corporate client in search of a money-can’t-buy experience has different needs to the casual event-goer looking for an entertaining day out. Each of these discerning groups will have their own set of expectations, and catering to them all is no mean feat. So what does the fan experience at the ultimate sports event look and feel like? How can an event owner or sponsor maximise the fan experience, without detracting from the main event? Is innovation always the answer?

To discuss these questions and more, the Fan Experience panel at SportsPro Live 2015 brought together four individuals involved, in one way or another, in running major sports events. Moderated by Richard Gillis, the HVWHHPHG MRXUQDOLVW RI 8QRIÀFLDO 3DUWQHU fame, the panel featured Lisa Lazarus, the outgoing chief of business development and strategy at world equestrian sports body, the FEI; Ben Morel, senior vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the National Basketball Association (NBA); Irena Szewinska, the Polish track and ÀHOG VWDU WXUQHG FRXQFLO PHPEHU DW athletics’ governing body, the IAAF; and Ciaran Quinn, the chief commercial RIÀFHU DW GLJLWDO VSHFLDOLVW 'HOWDWUH

Morel: I have the opportunity every year to go to the NBA All-Star Weekend. >/DVW \HDU ZDV@ WKH Ă€ UVW WLPH P\ NLGV ZHUH coming with me to the All-Star. They had the chance to go backstage, meet the players, take pictures, take videos, there ZHUH ' UHQGHULQJV RQ WKH FRXUW IRU game presentation, etc. So they were taking loads of videos and loads of photos and everything and when I came back home in London, I was discussing with my daughter and she said, ‘There’s only one photo I shared’. And I was like, ‘OK, what was it?’ And she shows it to me. It was a small photo taken from the upper bowl looking courtside with a little circle in red with a little arrow saying, ‘This was BeyoncĂŠ.’ And that’s the only photo that she shared. I was a bit shocked after all that she saw during three days, but that was part of the fan experience, right? That’s what it is all about. Lazarus: I think for a lot of sports rights holders and leagues, the magic is going WR EH IRU WKRVH ZKR FDQ UHDOO\ Ă€ QG WKDW perfect balance between preserving the tradition of the fan experience but yet still EHLQJ LQQRYDWLYH , UHPHPEHU ZKHQ , Ă€ UVW FDPH WR (QJODQG DQG , ZHQW WR P\ Ă€ UVW football match – I was in the NFL for many years before coming to equestrian ² , VDW LQ P\ VHDW DQG Ă€ YH RU WHQ PLQXWHV later I went to get up and get my snack or my drink or whatever and I was completely stunned that nobody actually got up. And I thought, OK, well how do you sell stuff ? As a commercial person,

Technology may bring the venue into the home

are you missing a big opportunity? I think the NFL is one end of the curve and European or British football LV WKH RWKHU , WKLQN WKH PDJLF LV Ă€ QGLQJ that right middle place where you are preserving that fan experience and not willing people to stay home. I think that’s a big challenge that some of the sports leagues have – is the at-home TV experience so fantastic that I don’t actually want to go to the stadium? The panel on‌ the product above all Morel: We can talk about everything we do around it, but attention to the core product is fundamental. The NBA has this internal mantra that people may not know, but it’s ‘the game above all’. 6R WKH Ă€ UVW IDQ H[SHULHQFH FRUH HOHPHQW is the product itself. It’s very important for us as a closed league that a team could win a championship, so we need to work on making sure the competition allows WKDW PDNLQJ VXUH WKH Ă€ QDQFLDO PRGHO allows that, and so to make sure the product is the right one. On top of that, I think basketball presents unique opportunities because of its timeouts – a basketball game will

Mark J. Terrill/AP/ Press Association Images

Quinn: At the London Olympic Games, we did some fantastic things hired by Locog. We built their digital services, website, mobile applications and everything, and the thing that amazed me was that out of the 100-and-something million people who used the digital services, only 15 per cent of them used PRELOH DSSOLFDWLRQV EXW KDOI RI WKH WUDIĂ€ F came from mobile. It was like, ‘Wow, this is it!’ When \RX FDQ JHW KDOI RI WKH Ă€ YH ELOOLRQ impressions from mobile – it was a fantastic, amazing thing, doing what we had set out to do.

Jae C. Hong/AP/ Press Association Images

The panel on‌ the technology debate

For some fans, the presence of star spectators like Jay-Z and BeyoncĂŠ is an attraction in itself

probably last two hours and thirty minutes IURP VWDUW WR Ă€ QLVK EXW LW¡V RQO\ PLQXWHV of actual game. So how do you entertain? What experiences are you going to provide to the fans who are either in-arena or ZDWFKLQJ RQ 79" ,W¡V SDUW RI RXU '1$ E\ necessity because of the sport itself. Quinn: Sport is about sport. What we do as a technology provider, there are three core areas – online, on-stage, backstage – which we do. All three of them are technology-related. When it comes to the fan, we try and create tools which sporting cities, broadcasters, federations can use to help their fans get closer ideally without LQWHUUXSWLQJ WKH Ă RZ RI WKH JDPH Because it is about the game. The panel on‌ the CFO as ‘chief fan officer’ Lazarus: I think it’s an incredibly important concept and its one that anyone involved in sport needs to be thinking about a lot. The way we work at the FEI, because ZH DUH VR JOREDO ² ZH KDYH RYHU events that we sanction every year around the world – what we try to do is collect data and collect fan experiences and then educate our organisers throughout the world, who are actually implementing the sport and implementing these concepts on the ground, to make sure that we can support them to deliver better to fans. Then for our marquee, premium events we have people who are obviously really focused with our sponsors on making sure the fan experience is ultimate. But I agree it’s a really smart and important concept. Morel: I have a whole group in London that really just works on those engagement metrics. It could be how many people are actually playing a video game online – that’s an engagement metric. We measure that differently, so QRW MXVW RXU Ă€ QDQFLDO VDOHV RI WKH YLGHR game but how many people are actually playing it; how regularly are they playing it; how regularly do they go on our gametime app; how many times do they go online; how many times they watch our content with our broadcasters. At the end of the day we know that, as the consumption of sports products SportsPro Magazine | 63

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Lazarus believes sensors could draw fans deeper into events like the FEI World Equestrian Games

and media is becoming more and more individual, you have to maximise your fan engagement in order to maximise your commercial revenue. Things can’t go in separate ways. The panel on… the role of sponsors Lazarus: I think for me one of the things that can really add to an event and make it very special is when the sponsors truly engage with the event and truly add to the fan experience on the fans’ terms, not on their terms. This past summer we had the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. Alltech was our title sponsor. It’s not a particularly sexy company; they make agricultural products – feed for animals, things like that. They thought very hard about how they could contribute to the fan experience. They did some things that were incredibly unique. They had, for example, a pavilion called the Ecosphere where they were able to show people how you go from farm to fork; how the actual livestock get from place to place; and also what the farm of 2050 is going to look like. They also had a music festival every night for fans that was free entry. So they wanted to share their message in a way that was actually fun for the fans and additive to the event. For me, that’s a really important part of making the fan experience positive. Morel: [Sponsors] are really an integral part of the show, so there might be a moment when, you know, for a timeout, the Nets in Brooklyn put the whole arena as a nightclub and that will be sponsored by a relevant brand. These are the type 64 | www.sportspromedia.com

of things that we’ll do as part of the entertainment in an authentic way. Szewinska: The people can sometimes come early just to see what is going on, just to take part in some special events for them. For example, Canon gave souvenirs, some photos, so it is also very nice. We do this ‘Market Street’ to give this possibility to show the brand of our sponsors. The panel on… owning the T-shirt Morel: We like to say that if you’re a basketball player and you’ve played the game and you follow it, then you’re going to follow the best and the NBA is what you’re going to follow at the pinnacle level. But it goes beyond because the NBA is not just a sports league, it’s a brand, and so people follow the lifestyle, the brand values of the NBA. People will say, ‘I’m a fan of the NBA,’ but they will actually buy a T-shirt with the logo on it because it stands for something beyond just a basketball league. That’s quite unique in the world of sport. , WKLQN ZH DUH DOVR EHQHÀWWLQJ IURP WKH fact that basketball, as a sport, is also a culture of its own – that helps our brandbuilding initiative. We have an extremely wide audience that goes way beyond actual basketball players. The panel on… the action beyond the action Szewinska: In Berlin in 2009, they organised in the centre of Berlin, around the Brandenburg Gate, a special culture stadium. Our sponsors were invited, there were tents with our sponsors, they organised special competitions for kids,

for older people, some running and some other events. It was very interesting and very important. There was an IAAF tent; they invited the great athletes like Sebastian Coe, like Sergey Bubka and some of the others. The many people were very happy because they can see their idols. They can ask them for their autographs. They can ask them some questions and they sometimes made some photos with them, so it was absolutely great because the idols came to the people. And I think it is absolutely great SURPRWLRQ RI WUDFN DQG ÀHOG Morel: I’m in a particular situation because the product literally lives in the US for most of the year. In my job, it’s very important that we bring the authentic experience. That’s what people are paying for when we do our regular season in London every year. ‘I want to be in the US for one night and really experience what I can’t have on a daily basis.’ So while we’ll have some localisation, etc, we will really work very hard and that’s why we have to go in the arenas like The O2 – it allows us to replicate that experience and really focus on that. The panel on… the fan experience of the future Morel: I think it’s probably virtual reality – call it maybe ‘real reality’, if you will. Basketball has one of the best seats in sports: the courtside, right there with the action. And I think in the future – and we are doing testing right now – it will be from your sofa, wherever you are. Whether you’re in Tokyo or Istanbul, Rio, London, you will be able, through technology, to be as if you were courtside and literally watch the game live. Lazarus: Sensors are really a cool thing that a lot of sports are now using to measure performance on their top athletes and then really engaging the amateur athlete population to see, especially for sports like equestrian, where they measure up against the champions or the best. Quinn: For most fans not in the stadium, the trend is no more broadcast holes, no more dark markets. Which basically means, if you’re a fan outside, you actually can see what you want to see.

Internet connectivity at sporting events and monetisation opportunities By Moe Hamdhaidari, Head of Online (UK), deltatre

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deltatre is maximising the value of sport

www.deltatre.com info@deltatre.com

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Seven League are working with Spanish soccer club Valencia to improve digital reach at their current home and design a high-class system for a new one

The growth of technology has brought about ground-breaking changes in how we view and interact with sport. Understanding the technological demands of the fans and utilising technology in a way that fosters a greater experience is now a fundamental endeavour for those within the sports industry. By Mike Kennedy

T

he Operations Room panel at SportsPro Live 2015 saw the coming together of several experienced heads from the increasingly prevalent technology side of the sports industry. Liverpool FC’s FKLHI PHGLD RIÀFHU 0DWWKHZ %D[WHU ZDV MRLQHG E\ 1HYLOOH 8SWRQ WKH IRXQGHU RI H6SRUWV EXVLQHVV *ÀQLW\ DQG 'DQLHO $\HUV OHDG FRQVXOWDQW DW GLJLWDO FRQVXOWDQF\ 6HYHQ /HDJXH WR GLVFXVV D EXUJHRQLQJ WRSLF QDPHO\ what the rise of technology means for ULJKWV KROGHUV DQG HYHQWV 0RGHUDWLQJ proceedings was Omnigon UK’s PDQDJLQJ GLUHFWRU $OH[ &KDPEHUOHQ

66 | www.sportspromedia.com

Bringing services up to speed

Ayers and Seven League have been working closely with Valencia FC in 6SDLQ WR EXLOG RXW WKHLU GLJLWDO FDSDFLW\ ZLWK D VSHFLĂ€F IRFXV RQ D FRQQHFWLYLW\ project for both the La Liga soccer club’s creaking home ground and the new venue that has been held back in its delivery DIWHU D VHULHV RI Ă€QDQFLDO SUREOHPV ´7KH 0HVWDOOD LV WKH ROGHVW VWDGLXP LQ 6SDQLVK football and trying to bring connectivity to that arrangement of concrete and PHWDO LV DQ H[FLWLQJ FKDOOHQJH Âľ VDLG $\HUV ´7KHQ ZH KDYH D QHZ VWDGLXP WKH 1HZ 0HVWDOOD ZKLFK ZH¡OO EH PRYLQJ LQWR LQ DQG WKHUH¡V D KXJH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH

SURMHFW WR WU\ DQG EXLOG WKDW RXW ¾ Ayers was asked how much technological knowhow there was in place EHIRUH 6HYHQ /HDJXH DUULYHG ´&RPSDUHG WR RWKHU 6SDQLVK FOXEV LW ZDVQ¡W EDG ¾ KH VDLG ´2XWVLGH %DUFHORQD DQG 5HDO 0DGULG LI \RX ORRNHG DW WKH RWKHU ELJ 6SDQLVK FOXEV ² 6HYLOOD 9LOODUUHDO $WOpWLFR >0DGULG@ DQG %LOEDR ² UHDOO\ WKH\ DUH WZR or three-person operations for all their content channels. Valencia made a lot of FRQWHQW LW DOO FDPH WKURXJK WKH FRPPV team. Part of our job was to go in and set up a dedicated digital team and have the content strategy set through that rather WKDQ WKURXJK WKH FRPPV WHDP ¾

With the new stadium project back on track after the acquisition of the club E\ 6LQJDSRUHDQ EXVLQHVVPDQ 3HWHU /LP Ayers said that Seven League’s objective on coming into the club is to help increase their global communications. ´2XU SULPDU\ WKLQJ LV JURZLQJ UHDFK internationally – I guess that’s the same for a lot of clubs – particularly now we KDYH $VLDQ RZQHUVKLS Âľ KH FRQĂ€ UPHG Growing your following

Continually extending content to new markets and evolving the offering is FUXFLDO WR JURZLQJ WKH IDQEDVH ´:H¡UH MXVW ODXQFKLQJ RXU >H6SRUWV@ :RUOG 6HULHV WKLV \HDU Âľ VDLG *Ă€ QLW\¡V 1HYLOOH 8SWRQ ´:H HVWLPDWH YHU\ FRQVHUYDWLYHO\ ZH¡OO get about 50 million people watching RYHU RXU VHULHV ZKLFK UXQV IURP QRZ WR 6HSWHPEHU ,W¡V GZDUĂ€ QJ D ORW RI WKH WUDGLWLRQDO VSRUWV VR LW¡V YHU\ H[FLWLQJ Âľ :LWK H6SRUWV VWLOO LQ LWV UHODWLYH LQIDQF\ its structure and governance are yet to properly be laid down. Upton said eSports is leveraging improved technology to carve out a new competition. ´7HFKQRORJ\ LV YHU\ FULWLFDO WR RXU VXFFHVV Âľ KH VDLG ´,W¡V JOREDO DQG LW¡V growing very rapidly – our stats show we generally get about a 20 per cent increase RQ WKH HYHQW EHIRUH ,W¡V SLRQHHULQJ ZH¡UH FRPLQJ XS ZLWK DOO WKH UXOHV DOO WKH SOD\HU contracts because it’s all new ground – it’s a bit like the Wild West. ´:H¡UH WU\LQJ WR EH D JRYHUQLQJ ERG\ EXW there’s a few others trying to be governing ERGLHV DQG LW¡V JHWWLQJ FRPSHWLWLYH %XW ZH¡UH PDNLQJ JRRG VWULGHV Âľ

Matthew Baxter of Liverpool FC with Daniel Ayers of Seven League and Gfinity’s Neville Upton

Communication is key

7KH SDQHOOLVWV DOO DFNQRZOHGJHG WKH QHHG to communicate with fans effectively DQG HIĂ€ FLHQWO\ ´7KURXJK ZKDWHYHU SODWIRUP ZKDWHYHU PHDQV WKDW WKH IDQV want to communicate with us through – we call it the Liverpool family – communicating with them is critical for XV Âľ VDLG %D[WHU ´,W¡V DERXW KDYLQJ WKDW personal experience wherever that may EH ZKHWKHU \RX¡UH D PHPEHU ZKHWKHU you’re meeting as part of the supporters’ club in New York or Jakarta and making VXUH IDQV DUH FRQQHFWHG Âľ %D[WHU VDLG WKH IDQ H[SHULHQFH QHHGV WR EH PXOWL IDFHWHG ´,Q VWDGLD DV DQ H[DPSOH Âľ KH H[SODLQHG ´\RX PD\EH KDYH an app that’s about where you go to get a SLH ZKDW WKH ZHDWKHU¡V GRLQJ DQG FDQ \RX VHH WKH JRDOV 7KHQ WKHUH¡V WKH H[SHULHQFH we can give you when you’re away [from WKH VWDGLXP@ ² KRZ FDQ ZH FRQQHFW \RX ZKDW DUH \RX JHWWLQJ ZKDW H[WUD FRQWHQW DUH \RX JHWWLQJ"Âľ

Gfinity is trying to tame the “Wild West� of eSports, the growing competitive video games sector

With so much data to try and make VHQVH RI DQG DFW XSRQ LW PLJKW EH HDV\ for a club to simply make assumptions as WR ZKDW WKHLU IDQV ZDQW %D[WHU VDLG WKDW ZKHQ XVHG FRUUHFWO\ GDWD LV H[WUHPHO\ KHOSIXO ´<RX¡UH DOZD\V GHYHORSLQJ WKDW relationship with your fan and taking WKHP RQ D MRXUQH\ Âľ KH VXJJHVWHG ´:H have a fan journey whether it’s through a ZHHN D \HDU D PRQWK D WUDQVIHU ZLQGRZ or a pre-season and you are consistently learning. You are consistently looking at \RXU GDWD 7KH PRUH GDWD \RX KDYH RQ \RXU IDQV WKH PRUH \RX JHW WR NQRZ WKHP the more we understand the consumption RI FRQWHQW Âľ ´:KHQ ZH ZHUH GRLQJ D SLHFH RI ZRUN DW 9DOHQFLD ORRNLQJ DW WKH WRS 20 European clubs and the different language versions and numbers of GLIIHUHQW ODQJXDJH 7ZLWWHU DFFRXQWV /LYHUSRRO ZDV WRS E\ VRPH GLVWDQFH Âľ proffered Ayers. %D[WHU DGGHG ´6WDWV DUH VWDWV UHDOO\ EXW ZH¡YH JRW SODWIRUPV ODQJXDJHV FRXQWULHV RXU 79 LV LQ million homes in 94 countries. We’ve got VXFK D EURDG DQG GLYHUVH UHDFK ZKHWKHU LW¡V 79 RQ GHPDQG RU VRFLDO SODWIRUPV 7KLV \HDU ZH¡OO EH NHHSLQJ WKDW bandwagon rolling and rolling out more websites and social media platforms. /DQJXDJH LV LPSRUWDQW ORFDOLVDWLRQ LV LPSRUWDQW ORFDWLRQ LV LPSRUWDQW Âľ Upton also highlighted how putting out content in a variety of languages was KXJHO\ EHQHĂ€ FLDO WR ERRVWLQJ LQWHUDFWLRQ ´7KHUH¡V IRXU RU Ă€ YH PDMRU VWUHDPLQJ SODWIRUPV Âľ KH VDLG ´EXW WKH EHVW RQH IRU JDPLQJ LV 7ZLWFK ² LW¡V RQO\ EHHQ JRLQJ a couple of years but Amazon have ERXJKW LW IRU 86 ELOOLRQ 7KDW¡V RXU PDLQ FKDQQHO :H KDYH Ă€ YH FKDQQHOV RQ SportsPro Magazine | 67

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

In serving fans, Baxter says, “Language is important, localisation is important, location is important�

7ZLWFK DQG ZH GR GLIIHUHQW ODQJXDJHV :H ÀQG LI ZH GR DQ\WKLQJ LQ ODQJXDJHV ZH JHW a ten-fold increase in viewership – so it’s DOZD\V ZRUWK GRLQJ ODQJXDJHV ¾ Reliance on technology

7KH GLVFXVVLRQ WKHQ VZLWFKHG IRFXV WR WKH subject of connectivity and the reliance of the younger generations on connected WHFKQRORJ\ ´,I \RX WRRN D 79 DZD\ IURP DQ \HDU ROG WKH\ ZRXOGQ¡W HYHQ QRWLFH Âľ DUJXHG 8SWRQ ´,W ZDV DOZD\V WKH ZD\ P\ SDUHQWV SXQLVKHG PH EXW , WKLQN WKH ZD\ \RX GR LW QRZ LV E\ WXUQLQJ RII WKH :L )L Âľ %D[WHU FRQFXUUHG RQ WKLV DVVHVVPHQW ´2YHU KDOI RI P\ HGLWRUV LQ /LYHUSRRO GR QRW RZQ D WHOHYLVLRQ Âľ KH UHYHDOHG ´ SHU FHQW RI RXU WUDIĂ€F WKHVH GD\V FRPHV WKURXJK D KDQGKHOG GHYLFH ZKHWKHU LW¡V D tablet or a phone. You’ve got to be in the hand of the consumer or the fan. We’ve got to make sure the content is right – we’ve got to be relevant and we’ve got to EH HYHU\ZKHUH Âľ Upton said his eSports business is looking at how it can utilise broadcast technology to take the next step in its JURZWK SODQ ´:H DUH KRSLQJ WR EULQJ TXLWH a lot of what we do on to mainstream EURDGFDVW Âľ KH H[SODLQHG ´:H¡UH WDONLQJ WR EURDGFDVWHUV ZH FRXOG GR 0DWFK RI WKH 'D\ HTXLYDOHQWV ,Q WHUPV RI WHFKQRORJ\ I think we’re quite a long way ahead. :H VWUHDP HYHU\WKLQJ RQ ,379 VR LW¡V REYLRXVO\ YHU\ GLIIHUHQW ,W¡V IDVWHU LW¡V EHWWHU TXDOLW\ WKDQ \RX JHW RQ 79 Âľ 68 | www.sportspromedia.com

0RGHUDWRU &KDPEHUOHQ DVNHG 8SWRQ to go into more detail about streaming ,379 ´7KH WHFKQRORJ\ LV FULWLFDO but it is IP technology rather than EURDGFDVW WHFKQRORJ\ Âľ 8SWRQ VDLG ´7KH FRPPXQLW\ LV FUHDWHG EHFDXVH LW¡V RQ ,3 VR \RX FDQ FRQQHFW DQG LQWHUDFW DQG from a sponsor’s point of view you can PDNH WKH PHVVDJLQJ PXFK PRUH UHOHYDQW because you control the whole stream and WKH FRQWHQW 7KDW¡V ZKHUH WKH WHFKQRORJ\ KDV D ELJ DGYDQWDJH IRU XV Âľ Hitting the mark: knowing what your fans want

7KH SDQHOOLVWV ZHUH LQ DJUHHPHQW RQ the need for striking a careful balance between involving fans with stats and feeding them content without interfering ZLWK WKHLU YLHZLQJ H[SHULHQFH ´<RX¡YH JRW WR HQKDQFH H[SHULHQFH ZLWK WHFKQRORJ\ Âľ VDLG %D[WHU ´<RX FDQ¡W WDNH DZD\ IURP the atmosphere of what’s in front of \RX LW¡V JRW WR EH DQ HQKDQFHPHQW DQG an experience and an engagement. If you JR WR \RXU IDQV ZKDWHYHU WKH HYHQW DQG understand what they want from an event the technology will facilitate what they ZDQW EXW WKH HYHQW LV KDSSHQLQJ LQ IURQW of you and it has to be enhanced – it can’t EH D GHWUDFWRU Âľ $\HUV VDLG ´, JXHVV LW GHSHQGV KRZ WKRVH VWDWV DUH GRQH 7KH DQDO\VLV DQG punditry point – what your friends think at the time the game is going on – is an interesting area. When we asked fans at

Valencia what they would like to do but FDQ¡W GR DW WKH PRPHQW WKH PDLQ WKLQJ WKDW FDPH WKURXJK FHUWDLQO\ IURP D \RXQJHU JHQHUDWLRQ ZDV Âś, ZRXOG OLNH WR EH DEOH WR XVH :KDWVDSS ¡¾ Upton said that the prevalence of mobile and tablet devices should be XVHG WR \RXU DGYDQWDJH ´, WKLQN DOVR HYHU\RQH ZKDWHYHU WKH VSRUW KDV D tablet of some form and you’ve got to link what you’re watching to what you’ve JRW LQ \RXU KDQG Âľ KH DGGHG ´<RX¡YH JRW WR KDYH UHSOD\V \RX¡YH JRW WR NQRZ what the ref ’s saying. At our events that’s QDWXUDO HYHU\RQH LV WZHHWLQJ SRVWLQJ DOO WKH WLPH Âľ $\HUV FRQWLQXHG ´$W WKH PRPHQW LQ (XURSH SDUWLFXODUO\ EULQJLQJ FRQQHFWLYLW\ to stadia is still a thing. Once you’ve done WKDW WKH ELJJHU RQJRLQJ FKDOOHQJH LV ZKDW you do for people when you’re there – I’m not sure people turning up to the ground would thank us just for providing JRRG FRQQHFWLYLW\ Âľ Controlling rights

7KH HYROXWLRQ RI YLGHR VKDULQJ SODWIRUPV VXFK DV 9LQH DQG 7ZLWWHU means fans now expect to have FRQWHQW DW WKHLU Ă€QJHUWLSV LPPHGLDWHO\ Controlling the rights to broadcasting DQG KLJKOLJKWV LV WKXV D FRQWLQXDO EDWWOH IRU WKH ULJKWV KROGHUV ´:H ZRUN YHU\ FORVHO\ ZLWK WKH 3UHPLHU /HDJXH ZH KDYH D YHU\ JRRG UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK WKHP Âľ VDLG %D[WHU ´7KH NH\ SRLQW LV PDNLQJ sure the balance is right between what WKH\¡UH VHOOLQJ DQG ZKDW ZH¡YH JRW DQG then making sure as the media landscape changes that the windows of social or 79 DUH UHĂ HFWHG LQ WKH ULJKW ZD\ Âľ Ayers suggested this is something that QHHGV WR EH DGGUHVVHG ´7KH DUHD WKDW , think is ripe for a new model to come in and change the way consumption is done is in highlight clips and goal clips JRLQJ RXW LPPHGLDWHO\ RQ 7ZLWWHU RU )DFHERRN Âľ KH VXJJHVWHG ´EHFDXVH WKDW clearly happens already through nonlicensed channels: pretty much every goal will be on Vine or natively uploaded and obviously there are people who pay plenty of money to have those rights themselves. %XW WKHUH¡V D FOHDU FRQVXPHU GHPDQG IRU WKDW VWXII Âľ %D[WHU VDLG ´+RZ WKRVH QHZ SODWIRUPV are going to be different in the new cycle JRLQJ IRUZDUG ZLOO EH LPSRUWDQW Âľ

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

14.05: EMIRATES STADIUM

The broadcast specialists chase Going: Soft to yielding, good in places. For the first time, we delivered live sport to SportsPro Live by beaming Channel 4’s coverage of a race from the Cheltenham Festival on to our big screen. Racing UK’s chief executive Richard FitzGerald was on hand to explain its role in British racing – and gift delegates a free bet on the race, won by Call the Cops – before being joined by a trio of experts to discuss the wider world of sports broadcasting and sports rights. By David Cushnan

70 | www.sportspromedia.com

RUNNERS AND RIDERS Richard FitzGerald

Racecourse Media Group/ Racing UK – chief executive

JB Perrette

Discovery Networks International (owner of Eurosport) – president

Simon Denyer

Perform – chief executive

Mathieu Ficot

Ligue de Football Professionnel – chief commercial officer

And they’re off: FitzGerald makes the early running

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BT Sport has stirred up the UK TV rights market

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SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Picking up the pace: JB Perrette makes his move

Mathieu Ficot, JB Perrette, Simon Denyer and Richard FitzGerald on stage at the Emirates Stadium

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Off course: JB Perrette tackles the Premier League rights question

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The entry of BeIN Sports has helped stimulate healthy competition for France’s Ligue 1 rights

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SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

SMS INC. @SMSInc_UK

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Interesting day ahead with the sports industry for @SportsProLive at this beautiful place #EmiratesStadium #SPLive15

Iain Edmondson @IainEdmondson

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Great turnout for @SportsPro #SPLive15 @EmStadium

9:10 AM - 12 Mar 2015

11:00 AM - 12 Mar 2015 09:21 12/03/2015

And we’re off. A warm welcome for Ari Emanuel, who swiftly praises Emmett’s bright green socks. Nice. First question: Ari, what was the thinking behind the IMG acquisition? Emanuel: “It was in our sights for a long time...We are now in a unique situation for advertisers to attach themselves to a bunch of our clients. I don’t think there is anything like us globally.”

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Kevin Roberts @Krobsportbiz

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If Nick Bitel ever gives up chair of Sport England a career as a voice over artist awaits. 10:00 AM - 12 Mar 2015

Unofficial Partner @RichardGillis1

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‘My day starts at 5 on the phone to Europe, I work on IMG|WME through the day, and at night begin with Asia.’ @AriEmanuel

Worth noting: When Andy Murray won Wimbledon, participation in tennis in UK went down, says Nick Bitel of UK Sport #SPLive15

9:37 AM - 12 Mar 2015

10:20 AM - 12 Mar 2015

6 RETWEETS 1 FAVORITE 09:41 12/03/2015

Emmett: There is an element of myth-making around your figure, driven by the Entourage character... Emanuel interjects: The movie is great. You got to see it!

10:01 12/03/2015

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David Williams very stern on @SkySports vs @BBCSport. ‘BBC chose NOT to broadcast the Open. Sky chose to.’ #SPLive15 10:33 AM - 12 Mar 2015

Cummins: How should Sport England captalise on the mass participation market? Bitel: The days of people pursuing football by going on a Sunday morning and playing is rapidly changing. We have to look at the changes and adapt.

3 RETWEETS 1 FAVORITE

10:36 12/03/2015 10:21 12/03/2015

Williams: People are playing golf differently today. They’ll turn up and play 12 holes and they’ll leave. The world is changing. It’s an exciting time.

74 | www.sportspromedia.com

What are your views on the language of sport and how we position it in it’s wider context? Metcalfe: Based on the All Blacks’ mentality that better people make better All Blacks. They have a fantastic value system there. We are trying to replicate that in England Rugby.

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At @SportsProLive where @BarryHearn gives his plan for reforming FIFA: “Blow it up and start again - the incumbents have got to go”... 10:33 AM - 12 Mar 2015

11:31 12/03/2015

Barry hates “lazy bastards” and says that we wouldn’t want to work for him. “I like the golf model,” he says. “I like the fact that if you don’t make the cut, you don’t get paid. It’s a sport for winners.”

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Who will win? Only at #splive15 #racinguk Follow 3:10 PM - 12 Mar 2015

Eddie and I enjoyed @SportsProLive Thanks for putting up with us ! 12:10 AM - 12 Mar 2015

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@SportsProLive Everyone in the audience thinking. Holy moly discovery channel will be major players now

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Wish I could bottle @AlGuido and sell him! Great stats but also great attitude to fan engagement in-venue #SPLive15 15:16 PM - 12 Mar 2015

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@EddieHearn @BarryHearn awesome - rich enough to tell people the truth :) #SPLive15

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Airline model of ‘dynamic ticket pricing’ seems to be working for MotoGP at Silverstone, says Pringle. Paving the way for same model in F1? 3.24 PM - 12 Mar 2015

11:30 AM - 12 Mar 2015 16:43 12/03/2015

12:00 12/03/2015

Gillis: In terms of the role of technology, how does it enhance the fan experience? Quinn: When it comes to the fan we try to create tools which sporting cities, corporations etc can use to get fans closer to the game. You will have the fans disengaged when you connect a stadium to WiFi.

Since 2012, the level of expectation across the board - fans, partners, broadcasters - has been raised “and that is a good thing”.

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14:19 12/03/2015

That’s all, folks. The front office is now closed. Head over to the networking area for The Great Debate and get yourself a drink! #SPLive15

Perrette: “We have a lot of ambition and we have a lot of resources to make that ambition a reality”

5.00 PM - 12 Mar 2015

SportsPro Magazine | 75

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

SportsPro Live 2015 closed with a trio behind three of the biggest events in world sport in the next three years. Debbie Jevans, the outgoing chief executive of the England 2015 Rugby World Cup, International Olympic Committee sporting director Kit McConnell, and London 2017 World Athletics Championships managing director Sally Bolton were all on hand to share insights and offer updates from the top. By Eoin Connolly

76 | www.sportspromedia.com

Tim Goode/PA Wire/ Press Association Images

reasons. That leaves London 2012 as the standout line on her CV, but it is also the event that linked the three panellists in the Ă€ QDO VHVVLRQ WRJHWKHU PRVW VWURQJO\ Kit McConnell had prior contact with Jevans in his time as head of the Rugby World Cup with the International Rugby Board – now World Rugby – but it is in his current role as sporting director of the International Olympic Committee ,2& WKDW KH PXVW KHOS Ă€ QG WKH SURSHU IROORZ XS WR ZKDW ZDV DPRQJ the most successful Games of all time. 0HDQZKLOH 6DOO\ %ROWRQ ZKR KHDGHG XS the organising committee of the Rugby League World Cup in England in 2013, ZLOO RYHUVHH JOREDO WUDFN DQG Ă€ HOG¡V JUDQG UHWXUQ WR WKH 2O\PSLF 6WDGLXP LQ D OLWWOH RYHU WZR \HDUV¡ WLPH ZKHQ /RQGRQ KRVWV

Tim Goode/PA Wire/ Press Association Images

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round two and a half years ago, Debbie Jevans was at the heart of one of the great successes in the modern history of sporting events. Against even the highest grade of expectations, the London 2012 Olympic *DPHV ZHUH DQ XQTXDOLĂ€ HG WULXPSK Today, Jevans has a simple piece of advice for other event teams, stemming from the one overriding regret of her time as sporting director at Locog. “Enjoy the event,â€? she told the DXGLHQFH GXULQJ Âś7KH )URQW 2IĂ€ FH¡ WKH Ă€ QDO SDQHO VHVVLRQ RI 6SRUWV3UR /LYH DW WKH (PLUDWHV 6WDGLXP LQ KHU WKHQ JXLVH as chief executive of the organising committee for the England 2015 Rugby World Cup. “Because when I look back, , GLGQ¡W UHDOO\ HQMR\ RQH GD\ RI LW EHFDXVH \RX¡UH ORRNLQJ EH\RQG ZKDW¡V KDSSHQLQJ RQ WKH Ă€ HOG RI SOD\ , KRSH WKHUH¡V VRPH JDSV LQ EHWZHHQ DV ZHOO , WKLQN WKDW¡V RQH message that you give to the team: it is this one moment in time. “For many in 2012 it was nine years; for PDQ\ RI WKH WHDP ,¡YH JRW QRZ LW¡V EHHQ three and a half years. But actually, when you do get there, make sure you do take WKDW WLPH RXW DQG HQMR\ LW EHFDXVH LW¡OO EH over in a heartbeat. And I think, when I ORRN EDFN PDQ\ RI XV DFWXDOO\ GLGQ¡W VLW EDFN DQG HQMR\ LW <RX¡UH SURXG ZKHQ \RX ORRN EDFN EXW \RX¡OO JHW WROG DERXW Âś6XSHU 6DWXUGD\¡ DQG \RX¡OO WKLQN UHDOO\ ZDV LW that super? I was in the bowels of the VWDGLXP %XW , WKLQN IRU PH LW¡V PDNLQJ sure that I do take time to enjoy it.â€? ,Q WKH ZHHNV DIWHU 6SRUWV3UR /LYH Jevans decided to stand down from her role at England Rugby 2015 for personal

A trophy tour will precede the Rugby World Cup

the 2017 World Athletics Championships. 6KH LV QRZ WKH PDQDJLQJ GLUHFWRU RI WKH local organising committee. “I think 2012 was such a seminal moment for major events and for the FRQĂ€ GHQFH RI WKH 8. LQ VWDJLQJ PDMRU events that it had such an impression on SHRSOH¡V YLHZ RI RXU FDSDELOLWLHV ZKLFK has put us in a very strong position – a) to bid for other major events and b) to stage them,â€? admitted Bolton. “2012 LV DQ LQWHUHVWLQJ LVVXH IRU XV LQ ¡ :H VSHQG ORWV RI WLPH VD\LQJ Âś:H¡UH QRW WKH 2O\PSLFV ZH¡UH QRW JRLQJ WR GHOLYHU ZKDW WKH 2O\PSLFV GHOLYHU ,W¡V GLIIHUHQW ¡ %XW DW WKH VDPH WLPH ZKDW ZH want to do is create a sense that we will be bringing back some of that magic – some of the way you felt when you came to watch the Games.â€? For McConnell, London 2012 is foremost among a clutch of events that have changed the perception of what a sporting occasion can be – not just for the Olympics, but across the spectrum. “Expectations do continue to grow – commercial partners, broadcasters, spectators themselves,â€? he said. 3DUWO\ LQ UHVSRQVH WR WKH GHPDQGV RI the era, the IOC spent much of 2014 developing a new way of thinking. The Agenda 2020 reforms, initiated by new president Thomas Bach and passed in December of last year, have made subtle EXW VLJQLĂ€ FDQW FKDQJHV WR WKH ZD\ WKH Olympics are organised. Chief among the introductions were the decision to cap the number of events and athletes in each Games, rather than the number of sports, and to allow potential joint bids and a

The IOC’s Kit McConnell, England 2015’s Debbie Jevans and London 2017’s Sally Bolton join David Cushnan for the final session of SportsPro Live 2015

greater geographical spread of venues for future editions. ´:H¡YH VHHQ WKURXJK WKH 2O\PSLF Agenda 2020,â€? said McConnell, “the very clear articulation of the need for the ,2& WR EH PRUH Ă H[LEOH LQ WHUPV RI WKH hosting arrangements – touching on the points that have been made right from WKH Ă€ UVW GLVFXVVLRQV DURXQG WKH ELGGLQJ ² and this is already coming to life around the two bid processes for 2022, which is nearing completion, and 2024, which is now just starting. ´$QG LW¡V D PDWWHU RI XV QRW MXVW VD\LQJ Âś+HUH¡V WKH PRGHO KRZ GRHV \RXU FLW\ RU FRXQWU\ GHOLYHU WKDW PRGHO"¡ ,W¡V D matter of us saying, ‘What is the strategy for your city or your country moving forward, and how can we adapt the Games to use it as an opportunity to GHOLYHU RQ WKDW DV D VWUDWHJ\"¡¾ Naturally, this gives rise to the question of whether it is preferable for event organisers to depend on a prescriptive template – with whatever commercial and operational reassurance that offers – or to be given the freedom to make their own choices.

´7KHUH¡V D EDODQFH Âľ -HYDQV VXJJHVWHG “You absolutely have to have clarity in ZKDW \RX¡UH GRLQJ DQG WKH HYHQW RZQHU – in this case, World Rugby – have to defend the rights of the unions, and also the sponsors because they have the commercial rights. Equally, sometimes the rules that are put in place that were maybe applicable for New Zealand, you GR QHHG D ELW RI Ă H[LELOLW\ IRU KRZ WKH\ apply to the host country – that being us as England in 2015.â€? Jevans cited the example of World 5XJE\¡V FOHDQ YHQXH SROLF\ IRU WKH 5XJE\ World Cup, one which it shares with many elite events. The organisers of England 2015 are expected to keep the area in a 500m radius of each ground clear for commercial partners for each matchday, something which can create headaches when different walking routes or the cost of buying up physical advertising space on bus stops and billboards are taken into DFFRXQW ´7KDW¡V WKH VRUW RI WLPH ZKHQ you do need to have a discussion because, cumulatively, that can add up to hundreds of thousands of pounds,â€? she said. ´6R WKHUH¡V QR VWUDLJKW DQVZHU WR WKDW

question but it is important that you have your event organiser and your event owner able to communicate in an open way, and then have that debate behind closed doors and both walk out of that room having an agreed position. I think WKDW¡V ZKHUH ZH DUH DW WKH PRPHQW ZLWK World Rugby, which is a good relationship but if you read the host union agreement DQG VRPH RI WKH GHFLVLRQV WKDW ZH¡YH PDGH WKH\ ZRXOGQ¡W QHFHVVDULO\ EH WKH VDPH 6R \RX GR QHHG WKDW GHJUHH RI Ă H[LELOLW\ LQ D VHQVH WR GHOLYHU D VXFFHVVIXO HYHQW DQG D FRVW HIIHFWLYH RQH Âľ For the very biggest events – and the England 2015 team would number their tournament among those this year – success is about more than what LV KDSSHQLQJ RQ WKH Ă€ HOG RU KRZ PXFK the sporting action has been enjoyed by how many. It is about transcending the sport itself to create something of greater cultural heft. Jevans recalled the beginning of the torch relay in 2012 as the moment she realised “we were going to engage the countryâ€?. ´,W¡V QRW MXVW DERXW WKRVH GD\V RI competition,â€? added McConnell, who SportsPro Magazine | 77

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Event update: The Rugby World Cup

described similar experiences around his QDWLYH 1HZ =HDODQG¡V 5XJE\ :RUOG &XS LQ ´LW¡V DOO WKH VWHSV LQ EHWZHHQ when you launch your ticketing campaign, when you launch your volunteer campaign, when you run your test events, when you do the planning for the torch relay and operate that torch relay. ´7KHUH¡V VWHSV DORQJ WKH ZD\ WKDW JLYH you a taste of what that event will be like, and the messaging that comes along with it – the vision that comes along with it – allows you to be really clear about what \RXU JRDO LV ZKHQ WKH HYHQW LV RQ 3DUW RI that is engaging with people, part of it is to reach new populations and bring the country to life.â€? In recent years, with London 2012 once again providing the template, one of the most effective ways of transferring the atmosphere of an event through to spectators and the local population has been through the volunteer operation. All three panellists agreed strongly that volunteers set the tone for the event, with McConnell expressing his hope that those at Rio 2016 will “have a little spirit because this is what people expectâ€? of the city. Jevans believes that volunteers have an even more important role to play in 78 | www.sportspromedia.com

through where preparations are, and if you look at it from a delivery perspective, WKH SODQV DUH DOO LQ SODFH WKH\¡UH LQ JRRG shape – but the devil is in the detail. ´:KDW ZH¡UH VWDUWLQJ QRZ LV RXU ELJ WHVWLQJ DQG UHDGLQHVV SKDVH :H¡UH XVLQJ WKH 8 V PDWFK DW %ULJKWRQ ZKHUH England are playing France in a couple RI ZHHNV 7KDW¡V RQH RI RXU YHQXHV VR ZH¡UH GRZQ WKHUH ZLWK D ELJ WHVWLQJ SURJUDPPH WKDW ZH¡UH GRLQJ $OO\LQJ WR WKDW ZH GR D ORW RI LQ KRXVH WDEOHWRS H[HUFLVHV EXW , WKLQN WKH ELJ WKLQJ WKDW¡V LPSRUWDQW WR PH LV WKDW ZH¡YH KDG JUHDW support from all of our stakeholders. “One of the big things about delivery is working across your stakeholders. Just last week we signed a good agreement ZLWK 5LFKPRQG &LW\ &RXQFLO VR WKDW¡V all in good shape, and over the coming ZHHNV ZH¡OO EH UROOLQJ RXW ZKHUH RXU IDQ ]RQHV DUH ZH¡OO EH UROOLQJ RXW RXU domestic trophy tour, and also some of

the things around tickets.â€? :LWK WKDW LPPRYDEOH WK 6HSWHPEHU deadline looming, Jevans was asked what might be keeping her awake at night. While that may now no longer be her concern, her answer betrayed the sheer range of smaller jobs that go into managing an event on such a large scale. ´6RPHWKLQJ FRPHV XS HYHU\ VLQJOH day – you think about which teams are going to get through, you think about transport, you think about things that are out of your control,â€? she revealed. “When [fellow panellist] Kit [McConnell of the IOC] was running the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand you had the situation of an earthquake and losing a YHQXH VR \RX¡UH DOVR WKLQNLQJ DERXW WKH unexpected. But the main thing that you can do in delivering an event is ensure WKDW \RX¡UH LQ FRQWURO RI WKH FRQWUROODEOHV and that you have contingencies for those things that may happen.â€?

connecting the event with the sporting community that has given it life. “One thing that frustrates me a little ELW LV WKDW \RX KDG WKH Âś*DPHV 0DNHUV¡ >DW /RQGRQ @ DQG ZH¡UH YHU\ SURXG of [Rugby World Cup 2015 volunteers] Âś7KH 3DFN¡ EXW WKHUH DUH KXQGUHGV RI

thousands of people volunteering for sport week in, week out – otherwise rugby clubs, tennis clubs, athletics clubs, ZKDWHYHU LW PD\ EH WKDW VSRUW FRXOGQ¡W WDNH SODFH Âľ VKH VDLG ´$QG WKDW¡V ZK\ IRU 7KH 3DFN ZH HQVXUHG WKDW SHU cent of our volunteers came from clubs where people are volunteering week in, week out, and then 25 per cent to HQFRXUDJH QHZ SHRSOH LQWR LW 6R , WKLQN with volunteering, those people need to be respected but we also need to acknowledge the amount of time they JLYH RXWVLGH RI WKH ELJ HYHQW ,W¡V QRW DOO about big events.â€? For Bolton, operating at the other end of the organising schedule, the time to think about energising volunteers will come later. At this point in time, she and her nascent team will set about establishing a vision for London 2017. “If you think about your core team, they tend to be the people back of house or back delivering,â€? she said. “The front of house people are often your volunteers, VR LW¡V D ELW OLNH PDNLQJ VXUH WKDW \RXU receptionist is always your best employee because actually they are the face of your organisation. I have a particular hobby horse about grumpy receptionists!

Lionel Cironneau/AP/Press Association Images

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he Rugby World Cup will be the biggest sporting event in England since the London 2012, and about the biggest anywhere in the world this year alongside the Cricket World Cup and World Athletics Championships. :LWK NLFN RII LQ ODWH 6HSWHPEHU DQG competitive international rugby union now on hold for the hosts until then, the organisers can expect a higher level of scrutiny than they have yet experienced. 6SHDNLQJ DW 6SRUWV3UR /LYH outgoing England 2015 chief executive and London 2012 veteran 'HEELH -HYDQV ZDV FRQĂ€GHQW DERXW WKH ongoing preparations. “We are at a good place,â€? she said, speaking in her last major appearance before resigning for personal reasons. ´:H¡UH QRZ RQO\ GD\V WR JR XQWLO the opening ceremony, and we had a big team meeting last week where we went

Thomas Bach has loosened the IOC template

´%XW LI \RX GRQ¡W VHW WKH ULJKW FXOWXUH IURP WKH RXWVHW ZLWK \RXU WHDP LW¡V YHU\ hard to transfer that down to volunteers.â€? 6SRUWV3UR /LYH HQGHG ZLWK D SURYRFDWLYH TXHVWLRQ IURP WKH Ă RRU 3DWULFN 1DOO\ ZKRVH SLRQHHULQJ ZRUN LQ VSRQVRUVKLS WKH V DQG V did much to create the industry as it is today, asked whether those events the panellists were organising should be considered as sporting events or as entertainment.

“Things have moved on without any question but, absolutely, it comes down WR WKH LQWHJULW\ RI WKH Ă€HOG RI SOD\ DQG the sport,â€? said Jevans, expressing what was the clear consensus of the panel. ´:KHQ \RX ORRN EDFN LQ DQG ,¡P sure if we did a poll in this room as to what those moments were, they will be Mo Farah getting his second gold, Katherine Grainger after winning a silver three times getting a gold. I think the memories that you have are absolutely about it being a

sporting event.â€? Jevans introduced the audience to the England 2015 messaging strategy, which puts an emphasis on “spectatorsâ€?, “connectivityâ€?, “rugbyâ€? and “unforgettable moments and memoriesâ€?. “If you look at that,â€? she explained, ´WKDW VSHOOV RXW ÂśVFUXP¡ $QG WKHUH¡V D UHDVRQ ZK\ UXJE\ ² ÂśU¡ ² LV DW WKH KHDUW RI WKDW EHFDXVH XOWLPDWHO\ LI \RX GRQ¡W SXW sport and the athletes at the heart, your event will never be brilliant.â€?

Event update: The Olympic Games

Leo Correa/AP/Press Association Images

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LWK WKH 6RFKL ZLQWHU Games now over a year ago, the Olympic movement is well past the halfway point between its summer VSHFWDFXODUV 7KH EXLOG XS WR 5LR has proved complex and delicate but the prospect of the event itself has been tantalising. Now, the reality of it is getting closer. ´7KLV \HDU ZH¡YH JRW WHVW HYHQWV in Rio, starting in just a few months so, DJDLQ ZH¡UH PRYLQJ LQWR DQ RSHUDWLRQDO phase of the Games – where the Games come alive,â€? said IOC director of sport .LW 0F&RQQHOO DW 6SRUWV3UR /LYH ´6R WKLV is really starting to be something you can feel in Rio. Equally, around Rio, you can see the change the city is undergoing. You can see the infrastructure that has been accelerated, that will provide a legacy for generations to come in the city.â€? 5LR ZLOO EH IROORZHG E\ 3\HRQJ&KDQJ in 2018, the test events for which will begin next year. The Korean organisers have been slow off the mark in securing sponsorship but McConnell enthused about a “fantastic winter Gamesâ€? to come at some “incredible venuesâ€?. “In a wider sense,â€? he added, ´3\HRQJ&KDQJ KDV D UHDO JRDO WKDW WKH\ FDOO Âś1HZ +RUL]RQV¡ DERXW FUHDWLQJ a winter sport hub, both as a tourist destination for Korea and Asia generally, but equally a sporting destination and a sporting hub that can be a winter sports KXE IRU WKH ZKROH RI $VLD 6R WKH\ KDYH D really dual goal of a sporting legacy and a wider tourism and promotional legacy.â€? %H\RQG 3\HRQJ&KDQJ WKH HIIHFW of the Agenda 2020 reforms agreed

Kit McConnell says “you can see the change� brought about in Rio by Olympic preparations

at the end of last year will begin to be felt. McConnell reported that the changes – which will imbue the bid process and sporting programme with JUHDWHU Ă H[LELOLW\ ² DUH QRZ ´FRPLQJ WR life around the two bid processes for 2022, which is nearing completion, and 2024, which is now just startingâ€?. The process of passing those 40 measures, which went from a year of consultation to less than a day of voting in Monaco in December, was “the end of the beginning, rather than the endâ€?. McConnell added: “At the IOC executive board meeting just ten days ago in Rio, we went through a very detailed plan about how each of the 40 recommendations would be implemented – not just over the course of this year, but over the coming years.â€?

The new regulations will also allow the local organising committee for a Games WR SXW IRUZDUG D FRQWHQGHU IRU WKH Ă€QDO sporting programme, something that the IOC is “already looking to take advantage of â€? for Tokyo 2020. “We had detailed discussions with the Tokyo organising committee in January,â€? McConnell revealed. “We had detailed discussions again with the executive board. And we have a process in place QRZ ZKHUH E\ 6HSWHPEHU RI WKLV \HDU Tokyo has the possibility of making a proposal to us for events in sports not FXUUHQWO\ LQ WKH SURJUDPPH :H¡OO WKHQ JR WKURXJK D GHFLVLRQ PDNLQJ SURFHVV DQG E\ WKH ,2& 6HVVLRQ LQ 5LR QH[W \HDU ZH¡OO KDYH D GHFLVLRQ LQ WHUPV RI DQ\ new events in sports not currently in the Olympic programme.â€?

SportsPro Magazine | 79

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Event update: The 2017 World Athletics Championships

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– and then much more quickly as we progress towards the event. I think ZH¡OO HQG XS ZLWK D FRUH WHDP RI DERXW 70 to 75 people.â€? 7KLV \HDU¡V 5XJE\ :RUOG &XS ZLOO PDNH XVH RI 7KH 6WDGLXP DW 4XHHQ (OL]DEHWK 2O\PSLF 3DUN LQ 6WUDWIRUG EXW PRUH WKDQ DQ\ RWKHU HYHQW LQ WKH 8. LW is the World Athletics Championships that will draw comparisons with London 2012. That may provide a nostalgic ERRVW LQ WKH HDUO\ EXLOG XS EXW LW DOVR creates the challenge of putting a distinctive mark on the 2017 event. ´&HUWDLQO\ Âľ VDLG %ROWRQ ´ZH¡YH been talking to the IAAF already about looking to move forward the way that DWKOHWLFV LV SUHVHQWHG DQG WKH\¡UH YHU\ keen to work with us on that; very keen to look at different ways of doing things and to modernise some of the way that the sport is presented.

´6LPLODUO\ ZLWK WKH ,3& >,QWHUQDWLRQDO 3DUDO\PSLF &RPPLWWHH@ 2I FRXUVH ZH¡UH VWDJLQJ ERWK RI WKH ZRUOG DWKOHWLFV FKDPSLRQVKLSV LQ 7KH ,3& LV similarly very open to different ways to present their sport – largely to attract QHZ PDUNHWV DQG , WKLQN WKDW¡V YHU\ much the objective of both of the organisations.â€? The vision for the championships will take shape over the months and years to come but Bolton is determined to GHSHQG RQ ´ZKDW WKH 8.¡V EHVW DWÂľ DQG create an event that athletics fans and the wider public will embrace. ´, WKLQN LI WKHUH¡V RQH VLQJOH WKLQJ WKDW we can do in 2017,â€? she said, “it will be to bring that incredible atmosphere – very, very memorable experiences both for those who compete and for those ZKR DWWHQG WKH HYHQW , WKLQN WKDW¡V something quite unique.â€?

Bolton argued that in reaching beyond the traditional spectator into the mainstream, major sporting events had FUHDWHG D ´PXWXDOO\ EHQHĂ€FLDO UHODWLRQVKLSÂľ between the audience and the performers. ´6R WR JHW EH\RQG WKH FRUH DWKOHWLFV IDQV ZH¡UH JRLQJ WR KDYH WR VHOO DV DQ event beyond just the sport,â€? she added, “but I think what that does is create the potential of amazing atmospheres at the

stadium. I think that then plays to athletes being able to perform at their very best. But at the heart of that, you need to FUHDWH DQ HQYLURQPHQW WKDW LV DWKOHWH focused, enabling them to perform at their very best because otherwise, what people are seeing has no integrity and events very quickly lose their value.â€? McConnell said, “At the end of the day, LW¡V FDOOHG SportsPro ZH¡UH WDONLQJ DERXW

sport management and sports events, it is about sport and the athlete.â€? He stressed the importance of bringing athletes into every stage of event organisation, and on committees within the IOC and national and international IHGHUDWLRQV ´,W¡V D IRFXV RQ WKH DWKOHWHV but involving the athletes also in the planning and delivery of the event,â€? he said. “Absolutely critical.â€?

80 | www.sportspromedia.com

Matt Alexander/PA Wire/Press Association Images

IWHU GHOLYHULQJ (QJODQG¡V Rugby League World Cup as general manager of the organising committee in 6DOO\ %ROWRQ ZLOO OHDG WKH 8. LQWR WKH Ă€QDO VWUDLJKW RI LWV UHPDUNDEOH decade of sporting events in just over WZR \HDUV¡ WLPH 6KH LV WKH PDQDJLQJ director of the London 2017 World Athletics Championships organising committee, which is preparing to take the baton for the IAAF showpiece from Beijing later this year. ´7KH ELJ EHQHĂ€W IRU XV LV WKDW ZH GRQ¡W KDYH DQ\ VLJQLĂ€FDQW LQIUDVWUXFWXUH EXLOG Âľ VDLG %ROWRQ ´:H¡OO EH XVLQJ WKH IDQWDVWLFDOO\ LFRQLF 2O\PSLF 6WDGLXP That does reduce an awful lot of risk, not having those kind of things to do. 6R QRZ LW¡V DERXW EXLOGLQJ D WHDP ,W¡V YHU\ LPSRUWDQW WR Ă€QG DQ H[FHSWLRQDO team of individuals to help us deliver in ¡ 7KLQJV OLNH GHYHORSLQJ WKH EUDQG ´,W¡V UHDOO\ SLFNLQJ XS WKLQJV WKDW were in the bids for the two events and moving those forward, and putting some strong foundations GRZQ :H¡UH VWDUWLQJ WR GR VRPH RSHUDWLRQDO SODQQLQJ LQ DUHDV OLNH URDG race courses, looking at cornerstones of the operational aspects of it – accommodation plans, transport plans, WKRVH NLQGV RI WKLQJV 3XWWLQJ GRZQ Ă€UP IRXQGDWLRQV RQ ZKLFK ZH FDQ EXLOG over the next two and a half years.â€? The team as it stands is “very lean DQG PHDQÂľ ² ZLWK MXVW WZR IXOO WLPH PHPEHUV VR IDU ´:H¡UH YHU\ PXFK supported by the team at British Athletics, providing support in a range of different areas,â€? Bolton explained. ´:H¡OO JURZ IDLUO\ VORZO\ WR VWDUW ZLWK – probably with a very small core team

Britain’s Mo Farah back on the track where he won two Olympic golds during London 2012

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Two post-lunch panels at SportsPro Live homed in on some of the essentials of any major sporting event: a well-structured ticketing strategy; a flexible, well-planned venue; the customer service experience; and, for those with a little more to spend, the creation of a memorable high-end hospitality product. By Michael Long and David Cushnan

82 | www.sportspromedia.com

A fan’s journey to a sporting event begins with the acquisition of tickets. A WLFNHW RIÀ FH RU ZHEVLWH LV WKHUHIRUH OLNHO\ WR EH WKH À UVW SRLQW RI FRQWDFW EHWZHHQ FXVWRPHU DQG HYHQW RU WHDP $Q\ Á DZV LQ WKH WUDQVDFWLRQ SURFHVV ² GHOD\V GXH WR WHFKQLFDO SUREOHPV KLJK GHPDQG RU VLPSO\ SRRU VHUYLFH ² DUH QRW RQO\ IUXVWUDWLQJ EXW WHQG WR EH UHPHPEHUHG “A decent ticketing strategy needs to be DOLJQHG ZLWK D GHFHQW PDUFRPPV VWUDWHJ\ DQG D À QDQFLDO VWUDWHJ\ DV ZHOO µ H[SODLQV 6WHYH .LWFKHU D PDQ ZLWK D ELJ EURDG MRE WLWOH KHDG RI WLFNHWLQJ PHPEHUVKLS DQG UHWDLO IRU 6XUUH\ &RXQW\ &ULFNHW &OXE DQG LWV KRPH JURXQG /RQGRQ·V .LD 2YDO ´<RX QHHG WR NQRZ ZKDW WKH HQG UHVXOW LV \RX QHHG WR NQRZ \RX FDQ GHOLYHU WKH VDOHV SURYLGH D GHFHQW H[SHULHQFH ZKLOH WKH\ DUH SXUFKDVLQJ tickets and try to make that transaction DV VPRRWK DV SRVVLEOH ZKLFK FDQ EH FKDOOHQJLQJ VRPHWLPHV .LWFKHU·V MRE DV KH WHOOV WKH 6SRUWV3UR /LYH DXGLHQFH GXULQJ WKH 9,3 6XLWH EUHDNRXW VHVVLRQ LQFOXGHV ERWK orchestrating a ticketing strategy for a showpiece occasion such as the Ashes

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3ULRU WR ODQGLQJ DW WKH 2YDO .LWFKHU worked on the ticketing team tasked with VHOOLQJ /RQGRQ VRFFHU WLFNHWV DFURVV WKH 8. /LNH *ODVJRZ ·V D FRXSOH RI \HDUV ODWHU /RQGRQ ·V WLFNHWLQJ operation was subject to criticism – both HYHQWV VWUXFN GHDOV ZLWK 7LFNHWPDVWHU ´,W·V DOZD\V GLIÀ FXOW ZKHQ GHPDQG RXWVWULSV VXSSO\ µ VD\V .LWFKHU ´$W WKH 2YDO IRU VRPHWKLQJ OLNH WKH $VKHV SHRSOH VHH LW DV YHU\ VLPSOH ¶:K\ FDQ·W , EX\ D WLFNHW"· 2Q WKH RXWVLGH SHRSOH ZRQ·W QHFHVVDULO\ NQRZ WKDW WKHUH·V RWKHU SHRSOH WU\LQJ WR EX\ WLFNHWV IRU GD\ RQH ,W·V YHU\ GLIÀ FXOW WR JLYH HYHU\RQH DFFHVV WR D ZHEVLWH VWUDLJKW DZD\ VR LW·V DERXW PDQDJLQJ H[SHFWDWLRQV µ .LWFKHU DGGV WKDW DQ DJLOH UHDFWLYH LQIRUPHG VRFLDO PHGLD WHDP LV HVVHQWLDO LQ PDQDJLQJ WKH SURFHVV DQG GHDOLQJ ZLWK IUXVWUDWHG ZRXOG EH FXVWRPHUV “Some of the strategies that have been criticised on the outside have been very VXFFHVVIXO EXVLQHVV PRGHOV À QDQFLDOO\ DQG GHOLYHUHG JUHDW VDOHV µ KH FRQWLQXHV ´,W FDQ EH TXLWH IUXVWUDWLQJ ZKHQ \RX DUH UHOLDQW RQ D WLFNHWLQJ SDUWQHU :H·UH ZLWK 7LFNHWPDVWHU DQG ZH·UH IRUHYHU FKDOOHQJLQJ them to come up with new ways of

Nigel French/EMPICS Sport

Tickets please

SportsPro Magazine | 83

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Surrey CCC’s Steve Kitcher, Silverstone sporting director Stuart Pringle, and Legends president and chief operating officer Shervin Mirhashemi

84 | www.sportspromedia.com

WLFNHWV EXW LW·V VHOOLQJ LW·V PDUNHWLQJ :H KDG D IDLU ELW WR SOD\ ZLWK EHFDXVH ZH KDG VROG UHDVRQDEO\ ZHOO WR EHJLQ ZLWK DW D KLJK WLFNHW SULFH :H NQHZ WKH DYHUDJH WLFNHW SULFH ZH QHHGHG WR DFKLHYH ZH NQHZ WKH YROXPH ZH ZHUH SOD\LQJ ZLWK µ 3ULQJOH LV FRQÀGHQW DERXW VHOOLQJ RXW RQ UDFH GD\ DQG TXDOLI\LQJ GD\ 6LOYHUVWRQH·V IRFXV LV LQFUHDVLQJO\ RQ ´JHWWLQJ WKHP LQ RQ )ULGD\µ D GD\ ZKLFK KH DGPLWV LV ´XQGHU VXSSRUWHG DW WKH PRPHQWµ SDUWLFXODUO\ LQ WHUPV RI KRVSLWDOLW\ )RU $XJXVW·V 0RWR*3 UDFH PHDQZKLOH 6LOYHUVWRQH LV WULDOOLQJ D PRUH G\QDPLF WLFNHWLQJ VROXWLRQ PRUH DNLQ WR D EXGJHW DLUOLQH WKDQ D PDMRU VSRUWLQJ HYHQW ,I VXFFHVVIXO WKH PRGHO FRXOG EH UROOHG RXW IRU QH[W \HDU·V )RUPXOD 2QH UDFH $FURVV WKH $WODQWLF LQ WKH 1DWLRQDO )RRWEDOO /HDJXH 1)/ $O *XLGR KDV D GLIIHUHQW FKDOOHQJH DJDLQ VHOOLQJ RXW WKH 6DQ )UDQFLVFR HUV· DOO QHZ /HYL·V 6WDGLXP 7KH HUV· FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ

RIÀFHU RYHUVDZ D FDPSDLJQ ZKLFK VDZ DURXQG 86 PLOOLRQ JHQHUDWHG WKURXJK WKH VDOH RI SHUVRQDO VHDW OLFHQFHV SULRU WR the opening of the arena and has been OHIW LQ QR GRXEW DERXW WKH LPSRUWDQFH RI ZHOO VWUXFWXUHG WLFNHWLQJ VWUDWHJLHV ´,Q WKH SDVW ZKHUH \RX ORRNHG DW VSRQVRUVKLS DQG media as your two big buckets or revenue VWUHDPV LW·V FKDQJHG WKH VFRSH QRZ µ *XLGR VXJJHVWV VSHDNLQJ DV SDUW RI WKH 2Q 6LWH SDQHO QH[W GRRU WR WKH 9,3 6XLWH “Suites and tickets have become such PDVVLYH UHYHQXH VWUHDPV :KHQ , JRW LQWR WKLV LQGXVWU\ \RX ZHUH WKRXJKW RI DV ORZ OHYHO LI \RX VROG D WLFNHW $QG QRZ LQ WKLV GD\ DQG DJH FHUWDLQO\ LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV , ZLOO WHOO \RX WKDW WKH WLFNHW SHRSOH DUH DOPRVW DV H[SHULHQFHG LI QRW EHWWHU WKDQ WKH VSRQVRUVKLS IRONV DUH EHFDXVH \RX KDYH VHDWV WR VHOO DQG \RX KDYH VXFK VXSSO\ GHPDQG LVVXHV EHFDXVH RI WKH WHOHYLVLRQ H[SHULHQFH µ Arming the venue

Martin Stephens/ PA Archive/Press Association Images

VHUYLFLQJ SHRSOH TXLFNHU RI GHDOLQJ ZLWK SHRSOH ZKHQ WKH\·UH LQ D TXHXH ² ZKDW HOVH FRXOG WKH\ EH GRLQJ LQVWHDG RI ORRNLQJ DW D EODQN VFUHHQ" ,W·V DERXW WU\LQJ WR PDNH WKH H[SHULHQFH DV JRRG DV SRVVLEOH EXW WKH HQG UHVXOW KDV WR EH WKDW \RX·YH GHOLYHUHG WKH ULJKW DPRXQW RI VDOHV µ $URXQG PLOHV QRUWK RI WKH 2YDO another major British sporting venue has LWV RZQ WLFNHWLQJ FKDOOHQJHV 6LOYHUVWRQH LV ZHOO NQRZQ DV WKH KRVW RI )RUPXOD 2QH·V %ULWLVK *UDQG 3UL[ DQG ZLOO LQ DQG DW OHDVW DOVR KRVW WKH %ULWLVK URXQG RI WKH 0RWR*3 ZRUOG FKDPSLRQVKLS 7KH PDMRU GULYHU RI WLFNHW VDOHV IRU LWV ELJJHVW HYHQW KRZHYHU LV WKH IDFW WKDW D %ULWRQ /HZLV +DPLOWRQ ZLOO UHWXUQ WR WKH FLUFXLW LQ -XO\ DV ZRUOG FKDPSLRQ ´7KH VLQJOH ELJJHVW LQÁXHQFH LQ \RXU PDUNHWLQJ VWUDWHJ\ LV FRPSOHWHO\ EH\RQG \RXU FRQWURO µ SRLQWV RXW 6WXDUW 3ULQJOH WKH QHZO\ DSSRLQWHG VSRUWLQJ GLUHFWRU RI 6LOYHUVWRQH &LUFXLW /WG ´%XW WKDW·V WKH JDPH ZH·UH LQ µ $IWHU D PDQDJHPHQW UHVKXIÁH DW WKH WXUQ RI WKH \HDU 3ULQJOH DQG QHZ FKLHI H[HFXWLYH 3DWULFN $OOHQ D IRUPHU VHQLRU PDUNHWLQJ H[HFXWLYH DW 7KH &R 2SHUDWLYH *URXS UDLVHG H\HEURZV E\ UHOHDVLQJ D VPDOO EDWFK RI WKUHH GD\ WLFNHWV IRU WKH *UDQG 3UL[ DW MXVW 8. D FRQVLGHUDEOH UHGXFWLRQ RQ WKH SULFH RYHU WKH ODVW IHZ \HDUV ´3DWULFN KDV EURXJKW D IUHVK VHW RI H\HV WR LW µ 3ULQJOH VD\V ´+H XVHG WR VHOO EDQDQDV QRZ KH·V VHOOLQJ *UDQG 3UL[

Demand for London 2012 tickets caused tension

6SRUWV YHQXHV GHÀQH DQG DUH GHÀQHG E\ their events. Beyond the main sporting VSHFWDFOH WKH\ DUH ZKDW IDQV UHPHPEHU DQG WKH\ KDYH WKH DELOLW\ WR PDNH RU EUHDN DQ HYHQW <HW D VXFFHVVIXO YHQXH LV PXFK PRUH WKDQ WKDW 3HUKDSV WKH PRVW LPSRUWDQW VLQJOH FRQWULEXWRU WR WKH IDQ H[SHULHQFH YHQXHV SURYLGH D SK\VLFDO VHWWLQJ IRU WKH VSRUWLQJ GUDPD ZKLOVW bringing together everything that is

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

John Rhodes, Ana Loreto Vasquez and Al Guido

WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ Ă RZ RI \RXU VWDGLXP ZD\ Ă€QGLQJ ² DOO RI WKRVH WKLQJV PDWWHU no matter how glitzy or glamorous your stadium is. Always try to remember that fan experience is still paramount.â€? Ana Loreto Vasquez, another member of the three-strong On Site panel, agrees. As director of global sports overlay at DUFKLWHFWXUH DQG HQJLQHHULQJ Ă€UP $HFRP KHU MRE LV WR GHĂ€QH DQ HYHQW¡V ORRN DQG feel whilst ensuring competition venues are integrated into the overall operation of an event within the host city. In that sense, as she tells the SportsPro Live audience, the venue must be viewed as just one part of a much wider-reaching master plan that extends far beyond the sporting event being staged.

“You can have an amazing stadium and amazing technology; if your train breaks down and you end up getting late or getting stressed on the way out it ruins your day,â€? says Vasquez, who is currently ZRUNLQJ RQ WKH %DNX (XURSHDQ Games. “You can never forget that everything is interconnected. It’s the same transport system, it’s the same security strategy, and the operation of every single area is an organisational plan that goes for the whole event itself.â€? Overlay, continues Vasquez, is a key element in ensuring an event runs VPRRWKO\ IURP VWDUW WR Ă€QLVK ´:H talk about architectural overlay and the Ă€UVW WKLQJ WKDW FRPHV WR PLQG LV WHQWV containers and temporary elements,â€? she adds. “Overlay actually goes much beyond that. With the overlay design, we need to understand all the operations of the event, we need to go deep into that and put ourselves in the place of not just the spectator but the athlete, the cameramen, the press representatives and all the clients and try to make the best for all of them. ´<RX¡OO QHYHU EH SHU FHQW PHHWLQJ the expectations of every client group involved, but you can try to make the

Marcio Jose Sanchez/ AP/Press Association Images

ancillary to the live event, from broadcast and media facilities, hospitality areas and public spaces, to food and beverage concessions, sponsor enclosures, parking, technology, and transportation links. For a venue to best serve the fan, all of these multifarious elements must be LQWHJUDWHG ZLWK VHDPOHVV HIĂ€FLHQF\ %XW it is often the smallest details that make the difference. Guido’s 49ers provide a timely example of the way some elements are occasionally overlooked in the building of a new venue. The team moved into their new home, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, just south of San Francisco, last summer. The 68,500-seat venue is armed with the kind of hi-tech gadgets and gizmos one would expect from a stadium in the heart of Silicon Valley. In the early months of their tenure, though, the 49ers encountered issues ranging from loose turf and Wi-Fi problems to two-hour parking delays and fans being forced to endure searing heat in the stands. The experience taught Guido several key lessons. “Ah, jeez, there are so many!â€? he says. “Don’t ever give up and don’t ever think that the small things don’t matter. Parking,

Guido and the San Francisco 49ers are working to push the Levi’s Stadium into the elite group of US venues that are “brands unto themselves�

86 | www.sportspromedia.com

PA Wire/PA Archive/ Press Association Images

Silverstone is releasing a UK£99 weekend ticket for this year’s Formula One British Grand Prix and will soon trial airline-style pricing for other events

best for all of them and I think the venue plays a big part in it.â€? )RU -RKQ 5KRGHV ² WKH VHQLRU YLFH president of sports, recreation and entertainment at design, architecture, HQJLQHHULQJ DQG XUEDQ SODQQLQJ Ă€UP +2. ² WKH WDVN RI PD[LPLVLQJ D YHQXH¡V hosting capacity and potential begins at the design and planning phase. His view is that while it is essential, on a practical OHYHO WR UHPDLQ Ă H[LEOH WKURXJKRXW construction in order to allow for delays and other unforeseen changes, such as in budgets or the price of steel, it is equally vital to come up with a workable design WKDW Ă€WV ZLWK WKH ZLGHU HYHQW VWUDWHJ\ underpinning the venue. “You need to look to the wider market in terms of other events that you might ZDQW WR DWWUDFW ² KRZ DSSHWLVLQJ LV LW WR JR there?â€? he suggests. “I think there is a lot to be learned from the arena market on that front, where you have an arena that is essentially a house that you hand over to a promoter every week. Consequently you’re making those spaces appetising to a promoter so they can come in and it’s easy for them to change over and use that space because they’re used to that space and have everything they need.â€? %URDGHQLQJ RXW WKH HYHQW EDVH DQG EXLOGLQJ RXW D UREXVW FDOHQGDU ² DQ integral strategy for any modern-day YHQXH ² KDV EHQHĂ€WV IRU ERWK WKH HYHQW goer and the venue owner, with venues

now seen as multi-use community hubs as much as sporting theatres. Levi’s Stadium, for example, has the capacity to host over DGGLWLRQDO HYHQWV SHU \HDU EH\RQG LWV VODWH RI 1)/ JDPHV ZLWK VTXDUH feet of club space enabling the venue to “essentially become our own convention centreâ€?, according to Guido. ´:H¡OO GR RYHU 86 PLOOLRQ RI JURVV revenue just by using those club spaces year-round,â€? Guido reveals. “We looked at it like the ten 49er games are obviously importance number one; importance QXPEHU WZR LV EXLOGLQJ D Ă H[LEOH EXLOGLQJ so you could host other events, so if we only needed to do a 45,000-seat venue we could. We can just tarp off the upper bowl and do the lower bowl only for the event. Or if we want to do a 300-person catered event we can do that as well.â€? Ultimately, though, Guido believes VXFFHVVIXO YHQXHV ² WKRVH ZKLFK VWDQG RXW IURP WKH FURZG ² DUH WKRVH ZKLFK regularly attract the marquee events. “If you go to the States, there are venues that are brands unto themselves: Madison Square Garden, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park,â€? he says. “We want Levi’s Stadium to become that. “When people think about Levi’s 6WDGLXP WKH\ WKLQN DERXW WKH 6XSHU %RZO or they think about WrestleMania or they think about the outdoor NHL game or an MLS game, or we had Mexico-Chile in there earlier this year. They think about the

fact that it’s not just for the 49ers. This year we’re going to host teams from the Premier League in our building, so we want the people over here to understand what the Levi’s Stadium brand means, and we want that to be attractive for folks to come to. “I give [Dallas Cowboys owner] -HUU\ -RQHV D WRQ RI FUHGLW ² WKDW ZDV his thought, that was his vision: that Cowboys Stadium was going to be the eighth wonder of the world. Jerry is sort RI D 37 %DUQXP KH EXLOW LW DQG SHRSOH came. We had a similar thought process. It wasn’t as big as everything is in Texas but we wanted to be on the cutting edge, not just from a technology standpoint and a green standpoint but from an events perspective, we wanted to push the envelope a little bit.â€? Customer service

When it comes to customer service, there is a widely held belief within the industry WKDW 1RUWK $PHULFD GRHV LW EHVW %XW LV that really the case? “That’s a tough question,â€? says Shervin Mirhashemi, the American president and FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ RIĂ€FHU RI KRVSLWDOLW\ company Legends. “I think there are some things we do better and some things we do worse, and some of that is GULYHQ IUDQNO\ E\ WKH ODERXU ODZV ² ZKR you can hire, how you can train them. “Our business is really about customer service: how do you take a mass SportsPro Magazine | 87

FRQĂ XHQFH RI SHRSOH ZKHUHYHU WKH\ may be, whether it’s a concert, a sporting event or an attraction, and elevate the customer experience? And then ultimately monetise that for an asset owner? That all comes back to service, quality and creating the unexpected.â€? Fans nowadays expect the highest levels of customer service, but ensuring that is what they get is not always easy when so many stakeholders are involved in running a sporting event. With many teams and venues outsourcing crucial services like security, stewarding and catering, quality control is often out of an organisers’ hands. “You have to be so careful with your brand,â€? adds Pringle. “You are trusting the crown jewels, so you have to pick your SDUWQHUV FDUHIXOO\ ² DFURVV HYHU\WKLQJ :LWK FDWHULQJ EDG IRRG LV D VXUH Ă€UH way to alienate your customers. We’ve just recently taken our security operation in-house, which was a very conscious decision. We don’t have a security SUREOHP ² LQGHHG IRU PRVW RI RXU FOXE meetings, we’d be better off opening the gates and get a few people off the A43. %XW LW¡V DOO DERXW FXVWRPHU IRFXV DQG customer welcome. “I’ve said to our staff there’s only two jobs that matter in our business: Alan, who’s been cleaning the lavatories at 6LOYHUVWRQH IRU DERXW \HDUV DQG WKH guys on the front gate, because they’re the ultimate point of contact. It’s a big risk to put that in the hands you might not have direct control over.â€? Generally speaking, the challenge of maintaining control is made all the more GLIĂ€FXOW ZKHQ YROXQWHHUV DUH LQYROYHG More and more event organisers, especially those running major global showpieces like the Olympic Games, are now positioning volunteers as the face of WKHLU HYHQW ZLWK /RQGRQ ¡V Âś*DPHV Makers’ programme an oft-cited example of how such an approach can work and work well. There remains, however, an element of risk involved in employing a front-line workforce not on the payroll and therefore not necessarily invested in the organiser’s philosophy. “You’ve got to have a good core team in place, you have to have your core values culturally ingrained into everybody,â€? says 3ULQJOH UHĂ HFWLQJ WKH ZLGHVSUHDG YLHZ WKDW good customer service comes down to effective training and education. “You have 88 | www.sportspromedia.com

John Buckle/EMPICS Sport

SPORTSPRO LIVE 2015

Surrey use data from events which sell out the Kia Oval to improve sales for those that do not

to have people out on the ground, a really good group of key people driving home the standards through their management FKDLQ (YHU\ERG\ LQ \RXU RUJDQLVDWLRQ has to be attuned to not turning the other cheek, not walking away. I spend my life EDUNLQJ DW SHRSOH VD\LQJ Âś<RX MXVW ZDONHG past a piece of litter.’ That’s what we do. It’s just relentless.â€? Adds Kitcher: “The people who work at the ground can make or break someone’s day. For all the work that goes into an event, that man on the gate is absolutely key so we push the welcome, we try and lead from the top: we had a thing internally called the Kia Oval Welcome, where at the time the gates opened on a matchday there’ll be the chief executive, myself, anyone go to welcome people. You have to lead by example as well.â€? SportsPro Live attendee Phil Sherwood RYHUVDZ /RQGRQ ¡V VXFFHVVIXO *DPHV Makers programme. Positing his views IURP WKH Ă RRU LQ WKH 2Q 6LWH VHVVLRQ he believes clubs can do more to ensure better customer service by acknowledging the importance of, and investing proportionately in, the people that work in the venues. ´,¡P QRW WDONLQJ DERXW Ă€QDQFLDO investment, but about training,â€? says 6KHUZRRG ZKR QRZ UXQV VSRUWV VWDIĂ€QJ consultancy Purple and Red. “You’ve

actually reinforced what I’ve seen globally of late with various clients in that we are now spending billions on venues, we spend millions on sports production and presentation, and we do workforce on the cheap. “Most of the clubs, in different departments, they will only train their people for what they do. If you’re a burger Ă LSSHU \RX¡OO EH WUDLQHG WR EH D EXUJHU Ă LSSHU ,I \RX¡UH D WLFNHW FROOHFWRU \RX¡UH trained to be a ticket collector. What I’m getting at is we’re talking about hosting; bricks and mortar don’t host, connectivity and lights don’t host, people host.â€? “It’s super-important,â€? Guido replies. “I don’t want to say you’re right or wrong ² , WKLQN LW MXVW GHSHQGV RQ WKH FOXE )RU us, it’s of extreme importance. We survey our fans after every time they walk in the building, whether it’s event day or not. I think when you do that, you, one, have to be willing to get the feedback and two, have to be willing to act on that feedback, which is actually more important because sometimes when you check the box and ask for it, you are just checking the box and asking for it.â€? Sherwood goes on to suggest that leagues should consider implementing GLVWLQFW SURJUDPPHV GHVLJQHG VSHFLĂ€FDOO\ to train ground staff. “Imagine something OLNH WKH 3UHPLHU /HDJXH D Âś3UHPLHU /HDJXH +RVW¡ TXDOLĂ€FDWLRQ Âľ KH VD\V ´,W¡V a no-brainer, I think.â€? Guido responds: “You bring up a good point in the sense that it’s not just the teams. Sometimes you employ outsourced vendors, you employ a concessionaire ² WKLV LV ZKHUH HYHU\ GHDO WKDW \RX KDYH to do, you have to try to ask yourselves WKH TXHVWLRQ RI WKH IDQV Ă€UVW )RU D ORQJ time concessionaire deals were: how do teams get the biggest guarantee they could possibly get? Well that’s great for the team, but then the concessionaire is striving to meet that guarantee so they’re cutting margins and they’re cutting staff and they’re employing people, and so what you have to ask yourselves at all times is: is it only about the margins? Is it only about the revenue?â€? Hospitality

In an era where the focus of any event owner, venue operator or club or team is to give every fan who comes through the gate the most memorable, comfortable,

team are somewhat restricted in what they can offer hospitality-level guests in DQG DURXQG WKH %ULWLVK *UDQG 3UL[ 0XFK of Formula One’s corporate hospitality is retained by the central rights holder, although Pringle insists that Silverstone has over the years carved out a “fair chunkâ€? to sell itself. “In truth we haven’t been very good at refreshing it for the past few years,â€? he admits, “but it’s something that we very much want to do.â€? Like many venues in the UK and beyond, Silverstone is also restricted by anti-bribery legislation, introduced in *UHDW %ULWDLQ Ă€YH \HDUV DJR :KDW PLJKW once have been offered or sold as a corporate jolly must now, at the very least, be shaped into more of a business-tobusiness offer. “We are having to do that,â€? says Pringle. “It’s certainly not helping us, that’s for sure. I’m sure there were lots of good reasons why that law was framed as LW LV EXW LW¡V QRW LGHDO IURP ZKHUH ZH VLW ² so, yes, we’re having to evolve.â€? Mirhashemi, whose company works with all manner of venues and teams on both sides of the Atlantic, is cognisant of a changing marketplace and believes LW LV EHLQJ UHĂ HFWHG LQ WKH QHZ JHQHUDWLRQ of sports venues. “In the States pharmaceutical companies were a huge driver of the premium purchases,â€? he UHĂ HFWV ´7KHUH ZHUH UHVWULFWLRQV DQG safeguards put in place so they couldn’t go and entertain the doctors to whom they were trying to sell and pitch their

Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport

entertaining and engaging experience possible, the challenge for hospitality package providers such as Legends is to ensure that the high-end offer remains special, unique and worth the extra cost. “You’ve got to refresh the concept periodically,â€? suggests Mirhashemi, who MRLQHG /HJHQGV IURP $(* D \HDU DQG a half ago. “It can’t be the same stale product every year. You’ve got to evolve and you’ve got to innovate.â€? In Legends’ case, the reinvention of its products happens, at least in part, through D VFKHPH FDOOHG WKH Âś$UW DQG 6FLHQFH RI Cuisine’. “For any one of our clients we do a review on a quarterly basis and the best part of it is we get a party bus, go and get the asset owners and create a day out together,â€? Mirhashemi reveals. “We drive to pubs or restaurants or breweries, whatever is the new trend in the region, DQG LW KHOSV XV DOO Ă€JXUH RXW ZKHUH ZH should be going with our food and beverage offering, so that it’s not the same year after year. “I think that resonates with our existing clients and new clients that we’re pitching,â€? he continues. “Typically, they don’t hear from senior management until LW¡V WLPH WR UHQHZ ² WKHQ DOO RI D VXGGHQ you’re engaged and everyone’s got great LGHDV %\ GRLQJ WKLV QRW RQO\ GR ZH PDNH sure we keep ourselves honest but they really appreciate the fact we’re evolving and looking at what the trends are.â€? Over at Silverstone, Stuart Pringle and

Mirhashemi insists that delivering high quality across a hospitality offering, including food, is vital

wares to. That took out a huge section of the premium market. “It’s becoming harder and harder and they are shrinking the pool of people you can go after, so you have to be innovative and creative. It’s changed the product. If you look at new facilities out there, you’re probably not going to have as many VXLWHV DV \RX ZRXOG KDYH WHQ RU \HDUV ago. You’re seeing more mini-suites. The product is changing with the times so that you’re hitting different markets: it’s not just about US$300,000 suites, it’s about offering something to a medium-sized company who can’t afford that.â€? Mirhashemi concedes that everyone talks about customisation and the need to be unique, but adds that a tailored approach to high-end, elevated offerings is the only option. “Your customer in Dallas, for instance, is vastly different to your customer in New York,â€? he says. “You have to be great at barbecue down in Texas, but a carved steak sandwich in New York is a much bigger sell than, say, in Dallas. You have to customise for your FRQVXPHU ² ZKDW ZRUNV LQ /RV $QJHOHV LV not necessarily going to work in Atlanta and what we’re going to do with AS Roma, one of our clients going forward, is going to be very different to what we do for Manchester City. The same quality and service will be there, but I think the offerings have to be customised.â€? He also warns against venue owners selecting one company to sell premium hospitality packages and another to supply, for example, food and beverage. ´,I \RX¡UH SD\LQJ 86 WR EX\ a premium product,â€? he argues, “I guarantee food and beverage is a huge component of that and if you’re not getting a high-level food and beverage experience, you’re going to be pissed off and make sure the person who sold it to you knows about it and certainly make the event owner accountable. What we tell a client is that we can help on the food and beverage, but we think we can help with both. If we’re doing one part and give the food and beverage experience to someone else, we have no idea what we’re going to deliver. “I think everything works hand in hand together, and if you get it all together and in the right place you can charge, quite frankly, a huge premium and really drive revenue streams.â€? SportsPro Magazine | 89

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PROVIDING CONNECTED FAN EXPERIENCES WORLDWIDE

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YOUR VENUE CAN BE THE MOST CONNECTED IN THE WORLD Contact us today at wifi@horizon-com.com or visit horizon-com.com. Horizon Communications | 113a Jermyn Street | St James’ | London SW1Y 6HJ | www.Horizon-com.com

) Wi-Fi and DAS Deployment ) Site Analysis, RF and Network Design Services ) RF Testing, Analysis and Performance Optimization ) RF Performance Benchmarking and Auditing ) Network Diagnostics, Troubleshooting and Repair ) Problem Remediation and Reporting ) Network Service and Maintenance ) Smart Building

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SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

Ensuring spectators receive a comfortable, connected, safe experience, while also guaranteeing commercial deliverables are met, is a challenge that fills the minds of stadium owners and operators the world over. SportsPro selected five particular spheres and sought the expertise of sector-leading companies to paint a picture of the perfect modern arena. By James Emmett and David Cushnan

Wi-Fi

Nowhere is stadium technology evolving IDVWHU WKDQ LQ WKH Ă€HOG RI FRQQHFWLYLW\ Consumers, for the most part, now expect to be connected 24/7, wherever WKH\ DUH )RU WKH PRGHUQ VSRUWV IDQ WKH ability to use a smart device to enhance the in-stadium experience – whether it be to check scores and information from other sporting venues, interact with friends, or take advantage of connected amenities and offers around the venue ² LV EHFRPLQJ LQFUHDVLQJO\ LPSRUWDQW Arguably, it has segued from ‘nice to have’

WR ÂśQHHG WR KDYH¡ LQ WKH ODVW IHZ \HDUV Stadium operators around the world are plugged into this trend, and investments are being made to bring connectivity OHYHOV XS DFURVV WKH ERDUG %XW WKH VSRUWV industry rhetoric often falls short of the UHDOLW\ H[SHULHQFHG E\ PDQ\ VWDGLXP JRHUV Insiders suggest that when an operator claims to have delivered ‘the most connected stadium’, that claim is never EDVHG RQ SHU FHQW FRQQHFWLYLW\ And with the cost of installing cuttingedge equipment in a 50,000-capacity VWDGLXP UXQQLQJ WR D PLG VHYHQ Ă€JXUH

dollar amount, the current shelf-life of D KDQGIXO RI \HDUV IRU :L )L WHFKQRORJ\ is simply not long enough for many to MXVWLI\ WKH H[SHQGLWXUH Mike DeGraw is president of Horizon Communications, a leader in telecommunications infrastructure design, installation, and management in the 86 DQG WKH 8. +H FRQWHQGV WKDW WKH Atlantic is not the only division between the US and the UK, but that there is a cultural chasm when it comes to attitudes WRZDUGV FRQQHFWHG YHQXHV DV ZHOO “In the US, some of the leagues have

Horizon Communications president Mike DeGraw believes AT&T Park is the world’s best-connected stadium but that there is a gap between the US and UK

92 | www.sportspromedia.com

category 6a copper [cable] where three years ago we were putting in category H ² WKDW FRXOG FKDQJH 7KH DFFHVV SRLQWV themselves could change – we’re putting LQ $& :L )L DFFHVV SRLQWV QRZ DQG WKDW has changed, but if you build the core infrastructure properly you can always swap RXW WKH HGJH 7KH FRUH FDQ ODVW IRU \HDUV “We haven’t seen a stadium that we KDYHQ¡W EHHQ DEOH WR SXW :L )L LQ ² \RX can get into drilling, coring, but it can be GRQH DQ\ZKHUH ,W¡V MXVW D ORW HDVLHU DQG cheaper if a new stadium has those cable SDWKZD\V DQG WHOHFRP FORVHWV EXLOW LQ Âľ Lighting

A recent Musco Lighting installation at Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby union

mandated certain levels of connectivity so many of the stadiums have proceeded in the last year with putting in robust, highGHQVLW\ :L )L Âľ KH VD\V ´,Q WKH 8. LW¡V still the case that the dollars involved are WKH FKDOOHQJH Âľ DeGraw explains that both the National )RRWEDOO /HDJXH 1)/ DQG 0DMRU /HDJXH %DVHEDOO 0/% LVVXH WKHLU FOXEV ZLWK D VHW RI :L )L JXLGHOLQHV ZKLFK GLFWDWH WKH minimum standard required – “x amount of access points per x amount of people, WKH QHHG WR DGGUHVV ERWK Ă€YH JLJDKHUW] DQG JLJDKHUW]Âľ ([WUHPH 1HWZRUNV LV WKH SUHIHUUHG :L )L PDQXIDFWXUHU RI WKH 1)/ DQG +RUL]RQ KDV EHHQ ZRUNLQJ ZLWK the company recently to install systems at &HQWXU\/LQN )LHOG LQ 6HDWWOH DQG /DPEHDX )LHOG LQ *UHHQ %D\ “In the UK, I haven’t seen a good ZRUNLQJ :L )L QHWZRUN LQ D VWDGLXP WKHUH \HW ² DQG ,¡YH EHHQ WR D ORW RI WKHP Âľ 'H*UDZ QRWHV %XW LW LV $7 7 3DUN LQ &DOLIRUQLD KRPH WR WKH 6DQ )UDQFLVFR *LDQWV 0/% team, that DeGraw points to as the ´PRVW FRQQHFWHG YHQXH LQ WKH ZRUOGÂľ closely followed by state-mate Dodgers 6WDGLXP KRPH RI WKH /$ 'RGJHUV ´,¡P biased because we did both of those LQVWDOODWLRQV Âľ KH VD\V ´EXW , GRQ¡W WKLQN \RX¡OO Ă€QG DQ\ EHWWHU (YHU\WKLQJ ZRUNV VR WKDW :L )L LV MXVW D XWLOLW\ ,W¡V DQ HQDEOHU Âľ DeGraw has not yet seen evidence of VWDGLXP DUFKLWHFWV EXLOGLQJ :L )L V\VWHPV

into their initial designs but he doesn’t YLHZ WKDW DV D SDUWLFXODU FKDOOHQJH ´,W comes down to having the telecom closets RU URRPV ZKLFK ZH FDOO ,')V SODFHG LQ strategic locations throughout a stadium, DQG WKHQ KDYLQJ VLQJOH PRGH Ă€EUH UXQ from the main data centre within the venue RXW WR HDFK RI WKRVH ORFDWLRQV Âľ KH H[SODLQV ´7KDW¡V WKH FRUH RI DQ\ QHWZRUN WKDW ZH build and that’s not going to be replaced DQ\ WLPH VRRQ ZLWK DQ\ QHZ WHFKQRORJ\ “If you’ve done that, when you put the access points in the only thing that will change is that right now we’re putting in

3UHPLHU /HDJXH VRFFHU VLGH $UVHQDO¡V (PLUDWHV 6WDGLXP RSHQHG LQ LV widely regarded as one of the most WHFKQRORJLFDOO\ DGYDQFHG LQ (XURSH %XW VXFK LV WKH SDFH RI FKDQJH LQ WKH Ă€HOG that just nine years into its existence, WKH (PLUDWHV ZLOO XQGHUJR D VLJQLĂ€FDQW technical refurbishment this summer, ZLWK D QHZ VHW RI /(' Ă RRGOLJKWV LQVWDOOHG LQWR WKH VWDGLXP¡V URRI Oskaloosa, Iowa-based company 0XVFR /LJKWLQJ KDV ZRQ WKH FRQWUDFW for the job, having worked on high SURĂ€OH SURMHFWV DW 7ZLFNHQKDP 15* 6WDGLXP LQ +RXVWRQ WKH %LOOLH -HDQ .LQJ 1DWLRQDO 7HQQLV &HQWHU LQ 1HZ <RUN DQG WKH %DKUDLQ ,QWHUQDWLRQDO &LUFXLW -HII 5RJHUV SUHVLGHQW RI 0XVFR :RUOG says that the conversion from traditional arc tube lighting to diode lighting is a ´SKHQRPHQRQÂľ ZKLFK LV VZHHSLQJ

Musco Lighting fitted LED lighting at the Bahrain International Circuit in time for the 2014 F1 race

SportsPro Magazine | 93

SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

Temporary seating solutions from Arena and others have led to the development of flexible venue designs in iconic settings for events like London 2012

DFURVV VSRUWV YHQXHV WKH ZRUOG RYHU ´, ZRXOG VD\ WKH Ă€UVW PDMRU VWDGLXPV and venues were converted probably in 2013 and we’re seeing it with virtually DOO RI WKH QHZ IDFLOLWLHV ² /(' DV WKH SULPDU\ Ă€HOG RI SOD\ OLJKW VRXUFH ² DQG many of the existing [venues] are being FRQYHUWHG Âľ KH VXJJHVWV ´7KH /(' V\VWHP Âľ 5RJHUV H[SODLQV ´LV MXVW D ORW PRUH Ă H[LEOH LQ EHLQJ DEOH WR create the environment that you want for WKH IDQ DQG WKH SOD\HU Âľ 7KH EHQHĂ€WV RI VZLWFKLQJ WR /(' DUH PXOWLIDULRXV )LUVWO\ the system allows for an instantaneous VZLWFK RQ DQG RII 6HFRQGO\ WKHUH FDQ EH VLJQLĂ€FDQW HQHUJ\ VDYLQJV $QG WKLUGO\ WKH light itself is enhanced, both for the fans inside the stadium and for the television LPDJHV FDSWXUHG WKHUH ´7KH SRLQW VRXUFH QDWXUH RI DQ /(' DOORZV XV WR FUHDWH UHĂ HFWRU SDFNDJHV DURXQG WKH /(' WKDW UHGXFH JODUH WKDW would normally go up into the sky or LQWR WKH IDQV¡ H\HV Âľ VD\V 5RJHUV ´:H can redirect that on to the playing VXUIDFH DQG WKDW FDQ HQKDQFH WKH SLFWXUH 7KH HOHFWURQLF QDWXUH RI /(' OLJKWLQJ DOORZV \RX WR HOLPLQDWH Ă LFNHU ZKLFK LV D SUREOHP ZLWK VXSHU VORZ PR FDPHUDV Âľ 5RJHUV H[SODLQV WKDW IRU D PHFKDQLFDO installation at a ground the size of the FDSDFLW\ (PLUDWHV WR GD\V 94 | www.sportspromedia.com

RI RQ VLWH ZRUN LV QHHGHG 0XVFR ZRUNV on around 20 stadiums at any one time, with another 20 at various stages of GLVFXVVLRQ DQG SODQQLQJ 7KH FRPSDQ\¡V WHDP RI VSRUW VSHFLĂ€F HPSOR\HHV ZRUN RQ DURXQG SURMHFWV SHU \HDU 5RJHUV H[SODLQV WKDW HDFK VWDGLXP – and each sport – has its own set of XQLTXH UHTXLUHPHQWV ,Q EDVHEDOO IRU example, the pitcher-batter dynamic demands an optimum level of lighting to enable the crowd and the television audience to pick out the ball across a UHODWLYHO\ VPDOO VSDFH DW VSHHG “Motorsport probably has the most unique and challenging set of application UHTXLUHPHQWV Âľ 5RJHUV FRQWLQXHV ´7RGD\ they have so many different camera angles ² Ă€[HG FDPHUDV RQ ERDUG FDPHUDV 7KH lighting system has to complement and it has to be safe for the driver at high speeds whilst also trying to develop the kind of EURDGFDVW TXDOLW\ WKDW )RUPXOD 2QH DQG 0RWR*3 DUH DIWHU :H UHFHQWO\ Ă€QLVKHG WKH %DKUDLQ )RUPXOD 2QH FLUFXLW DQG WKDW was done at a standard that sets the bar SUHWW\ KLJK Âľ Temporary seating

As far as major one-off events are concerned, the trend for a sustainable approach – for temporary, demountable

YHQXHV ² LV QRZ ZHOO HVWDEOLVKHG 8. headquartered Arena Group provides event overlay services, designing and delivering complete temporary environments at sporting and cultural HYHQWV DURXQG WKH ZRUOG $FFRUGLQJ WR the company’s international business GHYHORSPHQW GLUHFWRU -RH 2¡1HLOO ´WKH JDPH¡V PRYLQJ WRZDUGV XV Âľ Arena’s client list covers multiple golf, tennis, horse racing and multi-sport event organisers, as well as recent work IRU )LID LQ %UD]LO EXW 2¡1HLOO VD\V WKDW the majority of the company’s work this \HDU LV JRLQJ LQWR SUHSDUDWLRQ IRU WKH 5LR 2O\PSLFV ´7KH UHTXLUHPHQW WKHUH is for in excess of 200,000 demountable VHDW SRVLWLRQV Âľ KH H[SODLQV ,Q SDUDOOHO WR that work are discussions with the local RUJDQLVHUV RI WKH 7RN\R 2O\PSLFV DURXQG WKHLU UHTXLUHPHQWV Ă€YH \HDUV IURP now, as well as conversations with major HYHQW RUJDQLVHUV LQ 3\HRQJ&KDQJ *ROG &RDVW DQG 4DWDU Despite the fundamental ethos of demountable seating – that it can be taken down, packed away and reused elsewhere in the future – there is a gradual and ongoing degree of technological LQQRYDWLRQ ´, WKLQN WKH LQQRYDWLRQ LQ WHFKQRORJ\ KDV WDNHQ RYHU WKH KDUGZDUH Âľ H[SODLQV 2¡1HLOO ´7KH WUDGLWLRQDO

hardware allowed one or two viewing angles and there was no requirement to SUHGHWHUPLQH D VLJKWOLQH ´7KH VLJKWOLQH LV XOWLPDWHO\ VRPHWKLQJ WKDW DVVLVWV WKH VSHFWDWRU H[SHULHQFH ,I you pay all that money for a ticket, you go somewhere and you’re not seeing WKH DFWLRQ WKHQ \RX¡UH D ELW SLVVHG RII 7HFKQRORJ\ DQG LQQRYDWLRQ KDV FRPH LQWR WKH WUDGLWLRQDO KDUGZDUH ,W¡V EHHQ GULYHQ by the architectural fraternity alongside WKH ULJKWV KROGHUV )LID DQG WKH ,2& advocating the use of a ‘minimum see’ YDOXH 6R WKHUH¡V DQ DQJOH RU VLJKWOLQH WKDW¡V WKH PLQLPXP UHTXLUHG RU DFFHSWDEOH “We were the forerunners in developing and evolving a demountable system that enabled us to generate and install a structure that was the most economical LQ WHUPV RI RSHUDWLQJ FRVWV EXW IXOĂ€OOHG that requirement for a see value required E\ WKH KRVW FLW\ SOXV WKH ULJKWV KROGHU 7KDW¡V ZKDW RXU &OHDUYLHZ SURGXFW KDV GRQH DW /RQGRQ LQ 6RFKL IRU WKH *DPHV DQG LQ %UD]LO IRU WKH &RQIHGHUDWLRQV &XS :H KRSH LW ZLOO LQ %UD]LO 5XVVLD DQG 4DWDU Âľ O’Neill explains that a tie-up with a global scaffolding company means that the only thing Arena ever has to ship is the superstructure – the platform, the rails, the seats: everything that sits on top of WKH VFDIIROGLQJ )RU WKH 5LR *DPHV D QHZ UXOLQJ SXVKHG WKURXJK E\ WKH %UD]LOLDQ Ă€UH DXWKRULWLHV ZLOO VHH WKH PLQLPXP thickness of the plastic on temporary seats

LQFUHDVHG 7KH VXUIDFH RI WKH VHDWV KDV DOVR LQFUHDVHG LQ UHFHQW \HDUV “Historically they were about 46 centimetres and now they’ve gone to D FP SHU VHDW SRVLWLRQ Âľ VD\V 2¡1HLOO ´7KHUH¡V PRUH SODVWLF HQJDJHG ZLWK WKH ERG\ QRZ ,W¡V DERXW GHOLYHULQJ FRPIRUW XOWLPDWHO\ Âľ Security

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A drone interrupts a soccer match between Serbia and Albania; Arsenal built stadium security into the aesthetics at their Emirates Stadium home

SportsPro Magazine | 95

SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

The patented 3D CamCarpets from Denmark’s LogoPaint give brands unique and prominent pitchside exposure on broadcasts of 15 different sports

7DUELWW SLQSRLQWV F\EHU VHFXULW\ DQG drones as the next big challenges facing PDMRU VSRUWLQJ HYHQWV DQG IDFLOLWLHV $V IDU as the former is concerned, he says the W\SH RI LQYHVWPHQW PDGH E\ WKH %UD]LOLDQ JRYHUQPHQW LQ ,7 VHFXULW\ WHFKQRORJ\ DKHDG RI ODVW \HDU¡V )LID :RUOG &XS provides an example for future major HYHQW KRVW QDWLRQV 7DUELWW VD\V WKDW GXULQJ the opening game of the World Cup, WKHUH ZHUH ´UHSRUWHG FUHGLEOHÂľ F\EHU DWWDFNV ´7KH\ WULHG WR DWWDFN WKH lighting, the power supply, the surveillance system, the ticketing system, getting into WKH EURDGFDVW Âľ KH DGGV ´7KH\ WULHG HYHU\WKLQJ Âľ %XW WKH\ ZHUH IRLOHG Drones, on the other hand, are something for which he does not EHOLHYH WKHUH LV D FOHDU VROXWLRQ ´, WKLQN UHJXODWLQJ GURQHV LV UHODWLYHO\ HDV\ Âľ KH DUJXHV ´2I FRXUVH \RX KDYH WR HQIRUFH DQG SROLFH LW ZKLFK LV FKDOOHQJLQJ %XW the real question is how you respond to GURQHV 6R \RX¡OO HLWKHU KDYH DQ DQWL GURQH drone that will go and take the other drone out, or you’ll have some sort of MDPPLQJ GHYLFH WKDW ZLOO FXW WKH VLJQDO ´<RX KDYH WR VHH WKDW D GURQH LV DSSURDFKLQJ \RXU IDFLOLW\ 6R \RX QHHG some sort of radar detection system SLFNLQJ WKLV XS <RX KDYH WR EH DEOH WR respond very quickly before it becomes an actual threat to your facility, and if you do take the drone out you have to be aware WKDW WKHUH¡V D FRQVHTXHQFH :KHUH GRHV that drone fall and what’s attached to it? It 96 | www.sportspromedia.com

could be a container of acid, it could be an explosive device, it could be a nuclear VXEVWDQFH LW FRXOG EH DQWKUD[ Âľ On-pitch advertising

'HQPDUN EDVHG FRPSDQ\ /RJR3DLQW owns the patent to a piece of branding WHFKQRORJ\ LW FDOOV ' &DP&DUSHWV 6SHFLDOO\ GHVLJQHG IRU 79 WKH WHFKQRORJ\ enables a 2D painted image – either on a FDUSHW RU GLUHFWO\ RQ WKH Ă€HOG RI SOD\ ² WR DSSHDU WKUHH GLPHQVLRQDO RQ VFUHHQ 8VHG in 15 different sports and at more than 500 soccer stadiums around the world, the company’s technology has become FRPPRQSODFH DFURVV WKH VSRUWV LQGXVWU\ ´7KH FDOFXODWLRQ LV GRQH IURP WKH SRLQW ZKHUH WKH PDLQ Ă€[HG FDPHUD VWDQGV to the point on the surface that you ZDQW WR SXW WKH ORJR Âľ H[SODLQV &KDUOLH Grave, who heads up international VDOHV IRU /RJR3DLQW ´(YHU\ VTXDUH LQFK of that logo is measured to create the WULJRQRPHWU\ WKDW FUHDWHV WKH FDOFXODWLRQ If you’ve got an undulation or a slope, \RX¡YH JRW WR IDFWRU WKDW LQ “It’s become the number one asset that sponsors ask for in their inventory of rights, really because it’s the only bit of branding they can get where their logo is completely VHSDUDWHG IURP DQ\RQH HOVH¡V ,W¡V RQ LWV RZQ it’s bigger and it is in positions where it is constantly being seen in the middle of the SLWFK DQG LQ WKH LQ JRDO DUHDV “On a cricket match you’ll see it at either end behind the stumps, behind the

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+ & % % # Now that is what your ears encounter in a stadium while trying to separate PA announcements from spectators noise. This is annoying and fatiguing not only for the ears but also for the brain. Even worse it can stress the brain and can make people aggressive.

This is probably not what you want and certainly not what your partners expect while their expensively produced commercials are being presented on your full HD 16/9 LED boards.

So what can be done?

New technologies allow for highly precise coverage of the spectators area which helps to # & & ( % # , % $ # ' # # % $ & % !&% % $ & ( # % $ % the ears of the spectators. Give your ears what they deserve. A modern and high quality sound.

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&$ ( # !!* % ! audioconsulting.ch to see what we already did. audioconsulting.ch

Case Study

PEPSI CENTER, DENVER COLORADO, US BACKGROUND

The Pepsi Center is a multipurpose sports venue and concert hall situated in Denver, Colorado and is home to the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Mammoths. It comprises a basketball court, a soccer pitch, a hockey rink, three restaurants, TV recording studios, retail outlets as well as premier conference facilities. The site occupies a total area of more than 45 square acres and has a seating capacity of over 19,000 during sports events and 21,000 during concerts.

THE OPPORTUNITY

A public tender was issued for in-building wireless coverage at the Pepsi Center. A fundamental requirement was the ability to support all legacy commercial frequencies (CDMA, 2G, 3G) as well as LTE frequencies (700MHz, 850MHz, 1,900MHz, 2,100 MHz), delivered over MIMO antenna systems, offering a positive experience for fans on game days.

Zinwave’s in-building distributed antenna system is the only true upporting all frequencies wideband active DAS available in the US, supporting ess of protocol or modulation between 150MHz-2700MHz, regardless ure-proof and offering rapid ROI. scheme, making it completely future-proof

THE SOLUTION

The installation comprises prises 12 x primary hubs that are connected rier base stations, 18 secondary hubs, for service directly to the carrier rem distribution and management purposes, and over 140 remote units, discretely installed alled throughout the arena to optimise signal-outputs during peakk network usage. Its straightforward htforward design means that the remote units (used to optimize ze signal-outputs) can be easily iinstalled throughout the arena and seamlessly existing fiber cabling infrastructures, eamlessly integrated with existin resulting savings. lting in significant cost savings

WHY ZINWAVE?

Zinwave’s wideband DAS was selected because of its flexibility, open architecture, and its ability to support all the required frequencies on a single hardware layer.

System Highlights Wideband

Flexible Easy expansion, service upgrade and resectorization capabilities for capacity or coverage enhancements

150MHz - 2,700MHz frequency range

Fiber-based

Future-proof

Low cost, low weight, low space solution that provides integrated support for LBS, Wi-Fi and other IP devices

Supports any service mix, protocol or modulation scheme, including MIMO

Total cost of ownership 30 - 50% CAPEX and 50 - 75%OPEX reduction over COAX

Harston Mill, Harston, Cambridge, Ca ambridge, United Kingdom Kingdom CB22 7GG +44 Tel: + 44 (0) 1223 875272

1430 Tully Road, Unit 403 San Jose, CA 95122 USA Tel: +1 844 744 6363

Public safety Supports public safety and security services in addition to mobile operator services on the same infrastructure

Avenida Comercial de Macau au FIT Centre, 5 Andar A Posto 1538, Macau Tel: +853 8294 6933

enquiries@zinwave.com www.zinwave.com

Case Study

TYPICAL SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE DIAGRAM

PROJECT SUMMARY PROJECT DATA: Building type – multipurpose stadium and concert hall

TECHNICAL FEATURES: Fiber optic connectivity

Seating capacity – 19 000 - 21 000

Single or dual star architecture support

Service type – All commercial cellular services

Protocol/modulation scheme-agnostic

Operator – All MNOs

150MHz-2,700MHz frequency range

IN-BUILDING COVERAGE AREAS: All public seating areas and concourses

Low component count Full MIMO

All corporate hospitality and media suites

Web-based GUI for remote management

All back office and maintenance areas

SNMP interface for integration to higher level NMS systems

All car park areas

Hot swappable modules

EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW: 12 primary hubs – connected to carrier base stations 18 secondary hubs – for service management and disrtibution 140 remote units – for signal-output optimization

Auto setup and link calibration

Harston Mill, Harston, Cambridge, United Kingdom CB22 7GG Tel: +44 (0) 1223 875272

1430 Tully Road, Unit 403 San Jose, CA 95122 USA Tel: +1 844 744 6363

MMF and SMF utilization Rj-45 Ethernet and serial management interface Local monitoring capabilities via LEDs

Avenida Comercial de Macau FIT Centre, 5 Andar A Posto 1538, Macau Tel: +853 8294 6933

enquiries@zinwave.com www.zinwave.com

SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

Ever-innovative planners are increasingly conceiving new ways of adapting once single-purpose stadiums to satisfy the demand for showcasing an array of top-class sporting spectacles. Transforming an old bullring, steeped in tradition, into a tennis arena and creating a volleyball court amid a hulking soccer stadium are two such examples of this adaptability in action. By Mike Kennedy

The Carrier Classic takes college basketball to the USS Carl Vinson; the Veltins Arena hosts ice hockey in 2010; Petco Park welcomes Davis Cup tennis

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Nussli was commissioned to convert the bullring at El Coso de Los Califas for the Davis Cup semi-final between Spain and France in September 2011

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SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

BY THE NUMBERS El Coso de Los Califas

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BY THE NUMBERS Stade Pierre Mauroy

SportsPro Magazine | 103

SPECIAL REPORT | STADIUM TECHNOLOGY

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63,000 fans were packed into the converted Warsaw National Stadium, home of Poland’s national soccer team, for world championship volleyball last year

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COMPANY PROFILE

Projecting power Quince Imaging is a firm of speciality image designers that has made a name for itself in the sports industry with its dramatic and jaw-dropping 3D projections. “

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rom the very early stages we fancied ourselves as different,â€? laughs Scott Williams, owner DQG FKLHI RSHUDWLQJ RIĂ€ FHU RI Quince Imaging, when asked to explain the thinking behind the name of his company. When Williams and his partner, Ron &XUULHU VHW XS WKH Ă€ UP DV D VSHFLDOLW\ LPDJH design agency in the 1990s, he wanted to stick out in a sea of companies called “AV this or Projection thatâ€?. Williams’ business is, and always has been, several rungs up on the creativity ladder from the typical AV or image projection company. “We weren’t an AV company and we didn’t want to be LGHQWLĂ€ HG DV RQH Âľ KH VD\V ´6R LQ WKDW YHLQ of being different, we chose a letter – Q – and a word that was not vastly used. Now it’s become fairly well known and we’re pretty proud of that fact.â€? Now in its 18th year of business, Quince Imaging has made a name for itself through its spectacular image projection techniques. An event at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena last year provides an awe-inspiring case study. The National Basketball Association (NBA) team approached Quince with an idea for a half-time show during a game in March to celebrate the retirement of their much-loved centre Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The elaborate light show Quince conceived and executed for the ceremony – with the arena’s hardwood court seeming to ripple, pulse, fall away and build itself up again over a vigorous and mind-bending programme – reached a crescendo that drew audible gasps from the packed house. Although sport accounts for roughly a third of Quince’s business, alongside corporate events and public installations, there has been plenty of work in the sector for Williams and his team over the past 12 months. Separate to the Ilgauskas one-off, Quince installed a permanent court projection system with full interactivity at the Quicken Loans Arena.

108 | www.sportspromedia.com

Scott Williams is the owner of Quince Imaging

It did a similar thing at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the Philadelphia 76ers, before building out a content programme for that NBA team to run with their new hardware. Quince also installed permanent systems at the Philips Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and the Prudential Center, which currently plays host to the New Jersey Devils National Hockey League (NHL) team. In terms of special events, the Quince team put together shows for the NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, the Sacramento Kings’ opening week in SleepTrain Arena, the Calgary Flame’s opening event at the Scotia Saddledome, the Jordan Classic at the Barclays Center in New York, and the Miami Heat NBA championship ring ceremony. But it was the Ilgauskas celebration that ranks as one of the most impressive SLHFHV RI ZRUN :LOOLDPV EHOLHYHV KLV Ă€ UP has ever done. “Typically for an NBA or NHL game you get a minute or two of exposure,â€? explains Williams, “but this was a special event where the court projection was much more featured. That was the most impactful thing we’ve done.â€?

The expertise behind Quince’s work is necessarily technical. Williams himself is a 33-year veteran of the industry. His background is in the science of projection WHFKQRORJ\ DQG KH VSHQW WKH Ă€ UVW \HDUV of his career in display and engineering design. “I was designing display systems for military applications 50 per cent of the time,â€? he explains. “We studied the height and width of characters and the viewing distance of characters, and what type of contrast of characters on to screens worked best for admirals and generals in command centres to be able to make very quick ‘friend RU IRH¡ DVVHUWLRQV LQ EDWWOHĂ€ HOG FRQGLWLRQV Âľ When Williams and his partner struck out on their own in the 1990s, the business was initially centred on the distribution of the brightest video projector in the world at the time. As the technology evolved, so did Quince, adding new personnel, new expertise – design engineers, display engineers, creative technicians – to the team. Now, 4XLQFH¡V VROH PLVVLRQ FDQ EH GHĂ€ QHG in one sentence: “to be engaged with customers who have challenging and impactful image applicationsâ€?. Williams adds: “The one thing that hasn’t changed is that in the special events industry, the imaging business, through the entire chain of an event – whether it be an NBA All-Star Game or a Fortune 100 company corporate event – the last thing the attendees see is a projected image onto a screen or surface. How you go about deploying that image has changed radically. From composite video to component video, to serial digital to HD, to higher than HD, to 4K to 8K. “Our philosophy the entire time has always been to embrace higher resolution, newer technology, and to bring this technology to the market as quickly as possible.â€? A one-off Quince project will almost always include hardware, set-up, and content conception and execution. Depending on the level of content

This show at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, is an example of the kind of 3D effects Quince Imaging is able to produce

input, costs can range from between US$100,000 and US$250,000 for projection in an indoor arena. Outdoor projections, in football or soccer venues for example, are doable, but bigger, more GLIÀFXOW DQG PRUH FRVWO\ For a one-off special event such as the recent NBA All-Star Game, Williams says that the process would typically begin 60 days out from the event. In this instance, a team of NBA producers – “a very advanced crew who build media and content” – approached Quince a little bit further out than that. The All-Star event, Williams notes, is particularly challenging simply because of the competition IRU ÁRRU DQG ULJJLQJ VSDFH ´7KHUH·V D permanent stage, a semi-permanent stage; there’s semi-permanent displays that are used for the half-time celebration and the pre-game celebration,” he says. “There’s a lot more that goes in the arena in the way of technology and rigging.”

After scrutinising the building grids and undertaking a site survey, Quince ascertained what the requirements and limitations of the project would be. “The projection systems cannot be too far off-axis,” Williams explains. “You want to project from an angle as high as possible – for basketball, typically, it would be somewhere between ten and 15 feet off the sides of the court. Your design also has to include angle of incidence and how the projectors receive signals, how they’re networked. The angles have to be locked down because you can’t go up and move the projector two inches to the left.” At that point, the Quince engineers build a wireframe of the court, including the precise paintwork that will feature on the day, and pick up momentum on content planning. “That part of it is typically a highly collaborative effort,” says Williams, “and takes about 30 days. It would

QRUPDOO\ LQFOXGH IRXU RU ÀYH 4XLQFH creative guys. There would be a creative director, then there would be an animator, then there would be a Cinema 4D artist and a creative producer. In a permanent installation, it’s typically a single operator who could have other functions.” In tandem with the NBA producers, the Quince team unpacked their trunk of 3D projection secrets to put together a show that made strong use of the drama of false perspective. Those 3D elements – the breaking away, falling in and rising up of surfaces – are Quince’s speciality, but Williams is happy to reveal the fundamental mechanics behind them. “The images need to be bright enough to provide the contrast ratio that is high enough so that when the elements of the court move, your eye follows the projected image of that element of the court, and not the element on the court itself,” he says. “Once you attain certain brightness levels, certain pixel resolution, part of the secret is to project the image of the court onto itself and then to force movement in those areas – like the three-point arc, or the foul line, or other graphical elements around the court that DUH VSHFLÀF WR WKH WHDP RU WKH OHDJXH You use those to your advantage. “That’s one of the ways that we force three-dimensional viewing.” To contact Quince Imaging Call: +1 888-252-4960 Email: info@quinceimaging.com Or visit: www.quinceimaging.com

Quince Imaging produced light displays for the NBA’s All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden

SportsPro Magazine | 109

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DEALS

DEALS REVIEW

Foster + Partners awarded Lusail Stadium design contract British architects Foster + Partners have been chosen to design the Lusail Stadium, WKH SURSRVHG KRVW YHQXH IRU WKH Ă€QDO RI the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. The London-based company has been awarded the contract by Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the state body overseeing the delivery of all stadia and infrastructure that will be used during the controversial tournament in seven years’ time. As the design architect on the Lusail project, Foster + Partners will carry out the architectural design work as part of a team of designers that also includes Arup and Populous. The company was VHOHFWHG IURP D FRPSHWLWLYH Ă€HOG RI bidders that ‘involved some of the world’s leading architects and stadium design consultants’, according to the SC. “It is an honour to design this centrepiece stadium – we are delighted to have won the international competition,â€? said Lord Foster, the company’s chairman and founder. “This is an exciting step forward in VWDGLXP GHVLJQ ² LW ZLOO EH WKH Ă€UVW WR break the mould of the free-standing

suburban concept, and instead anticipates the grid of this future city, of which it will be an integral part.� The 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, the largest proposed venue for Qatar 2022, will be located in Lusail City, a planned conurbation 15km north of Doha. Like other venues in the Qatar 2022 stadium programme, the venue will incorporate a cooling system to keep spectators and players at a comfortable 26C (78.8F) during matches. It is slated to host the tournament’s opening ceremony as well as WKH ÀQDO $W SUHVHQW ÀYH VWDGLXPV DUH FXUUHQWO\ under construction for the World Cup, which will take place in the northern KHPLVSKHUH ZLQWHU IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH HYHU

112 | www.sportspromedia.com

Andrew Milligan/PA Archive/ Press Association Images

Pitch perfect for Fifa’s new weekly soccer magazine show Pitch International is to produce and distribute a new weekly magazine show on behalf of Fifa, world soccer’s governing body. )LID )RRWEDOO ZLOO ODXQFK LQ WKH ÀUVW week of May and cover soccer in all its forms, including the men’s, women’s and

youth games, as well as human interest stories and football development projects from around the world. The half-hour show will be distributed to broadcasters across the globe and will replace Fifa’s long-running Fifa Futbol Mundial programme, which had been produced by IMG. “Starting a new show is always exciting and Fifa Football is no different,â€? said Jonathan Rogers, the managing director of Pitch International. “We have a newly formed production team, fresh editorial approach, new graphics, and a host of stars, footage and features to connect with fans. We hope Fifa Football will become a trusted voice IRU GHOLYHULQJ D ZHHNO\ Ă€[ RI WKH EHVW moments and interesting stories from around the world of football.â€?

Paul Sakuma/AP/Press Association Images

Sports industry deal-making highlights from March 2015

Michael Jordan stays in Upper Deck Basketball legend Michael Jordan has agreed a long-term renewal to his partnership with Upper Deck. The trading cards and collectibles company will continue to serve as the exclusive provider of licensed Michael Jordan memorabilia, including autographed merchandise. 52-year-old Jordan, now the owner of the Charlotte +RUQHWV Ă€UVW VLJQHG ZLWK 8SSHU 'HFN while playing for the all-conquering Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Over the past year, Jordan has been FRQĂ€UPHG DV WKH Ă€UVW IRUPHU DWKOHWH WR become a billionaire. He retains a number of key sponsorship deals, including the mammoth partnership with Nike that led to the creation of the Jordan brand. “We are honoured to be the exclusive provider of Michael Jordan collectibles,â€? said Upper Deck president Jason Masherah. “We have worked diligently to bring the highest quality, most innovative Jordan memorabilia to collectors and we will continue to maintain the same level of service and authenticity that fans and collectors have come to expect from Upper Deck.â€? Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, Jordan is joined in the Upper Deck portfolio by the likes of LeBron James, Wayne Gretzky, Rory McIlroy and Muhammad Ali.

Missy Franklin signs with WME | IMG American swimming star Missy Franklin has turned professional and joined the books at global management agency WME | IMG. The four-time Olympic gold medalist and double world record holder, 19, embarked on her professional career in March after leading the University of California, Berkeley team to a recent NCAA women’s team championship. She will be managed at WME | IMG by Mark Ervin, a senior vice president in the company’s IMG Clients division. “I think what WME and IMG have built across the last year is really G\QDPLF DQG , IHHO OLNH LW·V WKH ULJKW À W for me as I turn professional,” Franklin said in a statement. “My focus in the pool is going to be pushing myself day in and day out to be my best self and achieve my goals and I know that my new team at WME | IMG will help me use the platform I have been given to make a difference.” Franklin shot to fame in 2012 when, at just 17 years of age, she won four gold medals and a bronze in the pool at the London Olympic Games. In 2013, she

was ranked at number 20 in SportsPro’s list of the world’s 50 most marketable athletes, rising to eighth in last year’s list. Franklin was included in the ranking for her huge marketing potential. Having chosen to remain an amateur post-London, she has not been eligible to sign personal sponsorships and therefore remains a blank canvas, despite

Majestic Athletic renews MLB uniform deal Major League Baseball (MLB) has extended its licensing deal with Majestic Athletic. The new agreement will see Majestic UHPDLQ WKH RIÀ FLDO GHVLJQHU DQG VXSSOLHU of all MLB uniforms until 2019. It will DOVR FUHDWH RIÀ FLDO UHSOLFD MHUVH\V DQG other merchandise for baseball fans. 0DMHVWLF À UVW EHJDQ SURYLGLQJ XQLIRUPV to MLB in 2005, while the wider association between the two parties dates back 30 years. Financial terms were not released but Forbes reports that there is ‘double-digit growth’ between the new deal and the one it replaces. 7KH À UVW GHDO WR PDNH 0DMHVWLF WKH exclusive uniform supplier of the

league was thought to be worth around US$500 million. “The Majestic partnership goes beyond a licensing agreement,” said MLB executive vice president, business, Noah Garden. “It symbolises the value of collaboration with a leadership team that’s illustrated a tremendous commitment – and product – to generations of Major League Baseball fans. “The Majestic brand has become synonymous with Major League Baseball uniforms and apparel and it’s important we continue one of the most successful and tenured partnerships in licensed sports.” Jim Pisani, the president of Majestic Athletic, added: “We’re excited to announce the renewal of this premiere VSRUWV OLFHQVH DQG EHOLHYH LW·V D UHÁ HFWLRQ of mutual trust and seamless partnership with Major League Baseball Properties. We have achieved strong historical results due to our associates’ tremendous passions and commitments to the business. Their efforts have resulted in elevated product design and development, marketing, and distribution of MLB products.”

speculation that she could have earned some US$2.5 million in endorsements since the Games. Heading into next year’s Olympics in Rio, Franklin is set to be one of the faces of the Games in the USA, with US Olympic broadcaster NBC having secured a batch of swimming rights for events taking place during its pre-Olympic build-up.

For more information on these deals and daily updates from across the sports industry, visit

www.sportspromedia.com SportsPro Magazine | 113

DEALS

DIRECTORY OF SPONSORSHIP DEALS SIGNED IN MARCH 2015 Toyota joins IOC TOP tier 7R\RWD KDV FRQÀUPHG LWV GHDO WR EHFRPH a global sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Japanese car manufacturer has signed an agreement worth a reported US$835 million to join the IOC’s TOP sponsorship programme until after the 2024 Olympic Games. It is the third Japanese company to join the IOC’s highest tier of partners, and WKH ÀUVW FDUPDNHU 7KH VSRQVRUVKLS ZDV FRQÀUPHG DW DQ HYHQW LQ 7RN\R DWWHQGHG E\ IOC president Thomas Bach and Toyota president Akio Toyoda. Toyota joins fellow newcomer Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonalds, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung and Visa in the IOC TOP programme. Another Japanese carmaker, Nissan, is a sponsor of Rio 2016. Length of contract: 9 years Annualised value: US$92.78 million Overall value: US$835 million Sport: Olympics Chelsea sign club record shirt deal English soccer club Chelsea have agreed D QHZ ÀYH \HDU VKLUW VSRQVRUVKLS GHDO with the Yokohama Rubber Company. The Japanese group, best known for its Yokohama Tire brand, will have its logo on the front of the Premier League leaders’ matchday shirts from the start of the 2015/16 season. The sponsorship UXQV IURP WKH ÀUVW WHDP WKURXJK DOO youth levels of the club. Reports in the UK suggest it could be worth close to UK£40 million a year, which would be the second most lucrative in the English game behind Manchester United’s partnership with carmaker Chevrolet. According to the Daily Telegraph, this would more than double Chelsea’s current deal with Korean consumer electronics brand Samsung. A statement from the Roman Abramovicowned club noted the importance of the deal in helping Chelsea meet Uefa Financial Fair Play standards. Length of contract: 5 years Annualised value: US$60 million Overall value: US$300 million Sport: Soccer 114 | www.sportspromedia.com

Under Armour adds São Paulo to portfolio Under Armour has made further inroads into soccer thanks to a new kit supply agreement with Brazilian club São Paulo. The Baltimore-based sportswear giant will provide match kit and training wear to the club for a multi-year period beginning this coming May. It will also produce a replica kit to be made available worldwide through the company’s RIÀFLDO VWRUH *ORER (VSRUWH UHSRUWV the new deal to be worth a total of R$135 million (US$41.2 million) - with R$15M ($4.6M) in cash each year and an annual R$12M ($3.7M) in value in kind. São Paulo, champions of Brazil on six occasions, join Under Armour’s growing roster of soccer clients, which already includes Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, Mexican clubs Cruz Azul and Toluca, and Chile’s Colo-Colo. Length of contract: 5 years Annualised value: US$8.24 million Overall value: US$41.2 million Sport: Soccer Nike ties down Uni of Kentucky to 2025 The University of Kentucky’s athletics department has reportedly extended its equipment contract with Nike for a further eight years, taking the association to at least 2025. The new deal is estimated to be worth some US$30.6 million to the university, according to the Portland Business Journal. Kentucky will continue to receive US$1.8 million in cash from Nike in each year of the new contract, while the value of its equipment allowance will rise incrementally from the current US$1.725 million annual fee to US$2.125 PLOOLRQ E\ WKH ÀQDO \HDU RI WKH GHDO 7KH contract also includes a US$2.4 million signing bonus. Kentucky’s current deal with Nike, signed in April 2013, had been due to expire in 2017. The Kentucky deal is thought to be Nike’s seventh largest in college sport. Length of contract: 8 years Annualised value: US$3.825 million Overall value: US$30.6 million Sport: College sports

Bayern to replace Bwin with Tipico Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are set to replace outgoing betting partner Bwin with Tipico. Executives at Bwin, a long-time partner of the Bavarian club, have indicated that they do not intend to renew their deal when it expires at the end of the current season. According to German sports industry news portal Sponsors.de, Malta-based gaming company Tipico is set to step in on a four-year deal worth up to â‚Ź5.5 million annually. Tipico already has sponsorship deals in place across the Bundesliga, notably with Hamburger SV and Hoffenheim. It is also the title sponsor of $XVWULDQ VRFFHU¡V WRS Ă LJKW ,Q UHSODFLQJ Bwin, it would take a place alongside the likes of Phillips, DHL and Lufthansa in Bayern’s second tier of partners. Length of contract: 4 years Annualised value: US$6 million Overall value: US$24 million Sport: Soccer Red Star Belgrade on verge of Gazprom lifeline Serbian soccer side Red Star Belgrade DUH UHSRUWHGO\ RQ WKH YHUJH RI Ă€QDOLVLQJ an extension to their sponsorship agreement with Gazprom. According to Inside World Football, the debt-ridden club will soon announce a renewal with the Russian gas giant ‘valued at more WKDQ ½ PLOOLRQ RYHU D Ă€YH \HDU WHUP¡ Gazprom has been the club’s main sponsor since 2010 and its current deal is due to expire this summer. The new deal will ‘kickstart a restructuring of WKH FOXE¡V Ă€QDQFHV¡ VD\V WKH UHSRUW EXW should they fail to agree the extension Red Star will face relegation to Serbia’s second tier. Red Star, who won the old European Cup in 1991, were prohibited from entering this season’s Uefa Champions League after falling foul of the continental governing body’s Financial Fair Play rules. Length of contract: 5 years Annualised value: US$4.2 million Overall value: US$21 million Sport: Soccer

BAM: Victor seals new badminton deal The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has signed a sixyear sponsorship deal with Victor. The racket sports brand will become %$0·V RIÀFLDO HTXLSPHQW VXSSOLHU LQ a partnership which will see Malaysian players participate in research and development projects, with some ‘adopted’ for commercial support for six to eight years. Victor has committed RM60 million (US$16.45 million) to the partnership. The new agreement sees BAM end a 15-year association with Yonex. World number three player Lee Chong Wei will continue to use Yonex products under the terms of an ongoing personal deal. Length of contract: 6 years Annualised value: US$2.74 million Overall value: US$16.45 million Sport: Badminton Aldi becomes first supermarket of the BOA $OGL KDV EHFRPH WKH RIÀFLDO VXSHUPDUNHW of the British Olympic Association (BOA). The discount retail chain has signed a four-year sponsorship deal with the BOA that will take it through the Games in Rio in 2016 and PyeongChang in 2018. Reports in the UK indicate that Aldi will commit between UK£6 million and UK£10 million over the course of its deal, which would represent the company’s biggest ever spend on a single marketing campaign. Length of contract: 4 years Annualised value: US$3 million Overall value: US$12 million Sport: Olympics

Picture by: Eugene Hoshiko/AP/Press Association Images

Tirebank takes KBO naming rights The Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO) has named Tirebank as the new title sponsor of the KBO League. The South Korean retailer has signed a three-year deal with the KBO for the naming rights to the country’s top baseball division, worth an estimated US$6.4 million a year. Tirebank replaces probiotic dairy drink brand Yakult as the title sponsor of the KBO League, which, according to yonhapnews.co.kr, drew over six and a half million fans last season. Length of contract: 3 years Annualised value: US$6.4 million Overall value: US$19.2 million Sport: Baseball

Toyota president Akio Toyoda and IOC president Thomas Bach announce their accord in Tokyo

Mercedes brings in Qualcomm 7KH 0HUFHGHV WHDP KDV FRQÀUPHG Qualcomm as a new technology partner for its defence of the Formula One world championship. Qualcomm logos featured on the team’s new W06 car throughout winter testing in Spain, but the deal was RIÀFLDOO\ FRQÀUPHG LQ 0DUFK 6RXUFHV value the deal at around US$9 million to the team, believed to be a mix of cash and value-in-kind services. Length of contract: 1 year Annualised value: US$9 million Overall value: US$9 million Sport: Motorsport IPL secures CEAT as timeout partner CEAT Tyres has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The RPG Enterprises-owned company will sponsor the ‘strategic timeouts’ in each innings of each game of the franchise-based T20 league from the 2015 edition onwards. According to India’s Economic Times, CEAT will pay between Rs12 crore and Rs15 crore (US$2.4 million) a year. The deal was reportedly brokered by Professional Management Group and by Sunil Gavaskar, the former India batsman who served as interim president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with responsibility for the IPL last year. Length of contract: 3 years Annualised value: US$2.4 million Overall value: US$7.2 million Sport: Cricket

Mumbai Indians sew up new deal The Mumbai Indians Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team have signed a two-year sponsorship deal with household consumer durables manufacturer Usha International. Usha, part of the Siddharth Shriram Group, will have its logos on the leading side of the Mumbai Indians’ playing caps and helmets. According to reports in the Indian press, Usha intends to spend up to US$3.2 million a year on the partnership, including activation costs. Length of contract: 2 years Annualised value: US$3 million Overall value: US$6 million Sport: Cricket Tecate signed for Mayweather-Pacquiao 7HFDWH KDV EHFRPH WKH RIÀFLDO EHHU RI Floyd Mayweather’s boxing match against Manny Pacquiao. The Mexican brand, a sponsor of Pacquiao’s bouts in recent years, has seen off competition from Corona, which has backed a number of Mayweather’s cards. According to Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank Boxing founder Bob Arum, Tecate will pay US$5.6 million IRU WKH ULJKWV WR VSRQVRU WKH ULFKHVW ÀJKW of all time. Corona bid US$5.2 million. “Tecate’s bid is by far the record,” Arum said, speaking to ESPN. “We’ve never seen anything like that on a beer sponsor. Both companies were after it. It’s a huge number.” Length of contract: 1 year Annualised value: US$5.6 million Overall value: US$5.6 million Sport: Boxing SportsPro Magazine | 115

John Minchillo/AP/Press Association Images

DEALS

May’s Nascar Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway will be known as the SpongeBob SquarePants 400

Bowers & Wilkins steps up BHA sponsorship Bowers & Wilkins will be the primary sponsor of Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) driver Gabby Chaves’ Dallara-Honda for the 2015 Verizon Indycar Series season. The sound and electric company’s branding will adorn the livery of the rookie’s number 98 car, beginning with pre-season testing at Barber Motorsports Park. According to industry sources, the deal could be worth an estimated US$5 PLOOLRQ 7KH À UVW UDFH RI WKH ,QG\FDU season was the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg on 29th March. Length of contract: 1 year Annualised value: US$5 million Overall value: US$5 million Sport: Motorsport

EFF scores ‘biggest’ Heineken deal Heineken has renewed its sponsorship of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) for a further four years. The Dutch brewing giant will reportedly pay a total of 56 million Birr (around US$2.74 million) over the life of the agreement, according to diretube.com. It is thought the deal, DQ H[WHQVLRQ RI D SDUWQHUVKLS Ă€ UVW DJUHHG in December 2012, is the biggest in the EFF’s history. Heineken will use the association to push its Walia Beer brand, having previously promoted Bedele Beer at Ethiopian national team matches. Length of contract: 4 years Annualised value: US$685,000 Overall value: US$2.74 million Sport: Soccer

1. FC Nßrnberg renew with Wolf MÜbel Wolf MÜbel has renewed its sponsorship of German soccer club 1. FC Nßrnberg. The 2. Bundesliga side will continue to wear the furniture brand’s logo on the front of their matchday shirts until the end of the 2017/18 season. The club À UVW DJUHHG WHUPV ZLWK :ROI 0|EHO for this year’s campaign and the next. The extension was brokered by 1. FC 1 UQEHUJ PDUNHWLQJ SDUWQHU 6SRUWÀ YH Wolf MÜbel is reportedly committing around ₏1.7 million (US$1.86 million) a year. Length of contract: 2 years Annualised value: US$1.86 million Overall value: US$3.72 million Sport: Soccer

Comcast joins Joe Gibbs Racing 2015 challenge Comcast is to sponsor Carl Edwards’ Joe Gibbs Racing entry at four Nascar Sprint Cup races this year. The media giant’s Ă€ UVW RXWLQJ DV SULPDU\ VSRQVRU ZDV DW /DV Vegas in March, with promotional activities focused around its Comcast Business brand. It was also a sponsor at April’s Bristol race. &RPFDVW¡V ;Ă€ QLW\ EUDQG WLWOH VSRQVRU RI Nascar’s second tier, will sponsor Edwards at New Hampshire in September and Martinsville on 1st November. Comcast is likely to be paying around US$2 million in total for its four races. Length of contract: 1 year Annualised value: US$2 million Overall value: US$2 million Sport: Motorsport

116 | www.sportspromedia.com

Bilbao Basket secures welcome funding Top tier Spanish basketball side Bilbao Basket has signed a deal with locally headquartered industrial group CIE Automotive. The group will title sponsor the team through its mostly owned subsidiary Dominion, a 6,000-employee company which offers technological VHUYLFHV LQ WKH À HOGV RI HGXFDWLRQ health, sustainability, transportation, and communication from its 28 bases across the world. According to a report in Spanish newspaper AS, the two-year sponsorship deal is worth ₏1.6 million, but also includes a shareholding in the club, which has been teetering on the brink of insolvency. Dominion will have representatives on the board of Bilbao Basket. Length of contract: 2 years Annualised value: US$875,000 Overall value: US$1.75 million Sport: Basketball Partizan Belgrade ink Telekom Srbija deal Serbian soccer club Partizan Belgrade have signed a sponsorship deal with telecommunications provider Telekom Srbija. According to the Inside World Football website, Telekom Srbija will serve as the club’s main sponsor until the end of 2016 in a deal worth ₏1.2 million (US$1.29 million). Telekom Srbija’s logo will feature on the players’ shirts during this period. The news of this sponsorship agreement follows steps taken by the club to cut the operations and maintenance costs of their facilities in Belgrade as part RI DQ RQJRLQJ À QDQFLDO RYHUKDXO Length of contract: 2 years Annualised value: US$645,000 Overall value: US$1.29 million Sport: Soccer SpongeBob SquarePants to sponsor Nascar race May’s Nascar Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway will be known as the SpongeBob SquarePants 400, thanks to a new sponsorship deal with Nickelodeon. The sponsorship will help promote the QHZ 6SRQJH%RE À OP 6SRQJH 2XW RI Water, and is the latest tie-up between Nickelodeon and Nascar. The deal is OLNHO\ WR EH ZRUWK D À JXUH LQ WKH UHJLRQ of US$500,000. Length of contract: 1 year Annualised value: US$500,000 Overall value: US$500,000 Sport: Motorsport

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INDEX

Index of companies and people 32 EQUITY

28

Bersou, Thiago

18

Cosler, Andy

50

FIBA

100

Hoffman, Eva

18

ABC

44

Bienert, Nicole

18

18, 32

FIFA

82

50

Biner, Sven

18

Hollande, Francois

28

Biswal, Ranjib

32

CRICKET AUSTRALIA

32

16, 28, 56, 92, 100

HOK

ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT

CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF BENGAL

Abrutyn, David

18

Bitel, Nick

50

18

ADIDAS

18

CSM SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT

FIRSTV1SION

Blackmun, Scott

10, 28

Cummins, Simon

50

FIS

Bolton, Sally

40, 76

Dalmiya, Jagmohan

18, 32

Daniel, Xavier

AECOM

82

AEG

17, 34, 82

Bouchard, Genie

50

Bradley, Timothy

34

AFC

26

100

Agag, Alejandro

26

BRAZILIAN VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION (CBV)

AIRBNB

28

BRITISH ROWING

50

Al Thani, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad

17

ALBRECHT SPORTS & CONSULTING AG

120

af Rosenborg, Jutta

44

ALLEN & COMPANY

18

Allen, Patrick ALLTECH ALUGUE TEMPORADO

28

Alvarez, Saul

34

Apatow, Judd

44

ARENA COVENTRY LTD

18

ARENA GROUP

92

Armstrong, David

18

ARSENAL FC

40

Arum, Bob

34

AS ROMA

82

ASAHI

28

ASIAN CUP 2015

26

ASICS

28

ASPIREINFRONT

18

AT&T

92

ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO

66

ATOMIC

120

ATP

8

AURORA MEDIA WORLDWIDE

18

Austin, Rob

122

AVP

44

Ayers, Daniel

40, 66

120

Horne, Alex

18

FIVB

100

HOTEL URBANO

28

100

FORMULA E

26, 122

Hurwitz, Fredda

18

Dauce, Jean-Pascal

26

FORMULA ONE

92

HWL EBSWORTH

18

David, Larry

44

FORSTMANN LITTLE

44

IAAF

Davis, Hannah

44

Forstmann, Ted

44

26, 40, 62, 76

Davis, Steve

56

FOX

44

ICC

32

ICM

44

ICSS

92 18, 44

34

18

92

FRENCH TENNIS FEDERATION (FFT)

100

DeGraw, Mike

BRUIN SPORTS CAPITAL

18, 28

DELOITTE

18

Froch, Carl

34, 56

IMG

DELTATRE

62

12

IMG CONSULTING

18

BT SPORT

34

FROM PITCH TO BOARDROOM

Dennis, Ron

18

IMG DOGUS

44

BTCC

122

DENTSU

28

IMG RELIANCE

44

IMX

44

Bubka, Sergey

62

Di Montezemolo, Luca

28

BUFFALO BILLS

28

DIAGEO

50

Buffer, Michael

34

DISNEY

44

BURGER KING

50

Dolan, Mike

44

DOTFANS

40

82 62

17

92

44

De La Hoya, Oscar

120

ALIBABA

34

HORIZON COMMUNICATIONS

FINANCIAL TIMES

26

Brown, Michael Brown, Zak

Albrecht, Kilian

44

Hopkins, Bernard

CAA CAF

44 26

Downton, Paul

FUJITSU

28

Ganguly, Sourav

32

Gebbia, Joe

28

GFINITY

66

34

DRAFTKINGS

122

CANADIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

14, 18

Dravid, Rahul

32 12

CANON

28

Gilbert, Dan

28

Gilder, George

44

Iniesta, Andres

17

Gillis, Richard

62

100

GLASGOW 2014

82

INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

Glenn, Martin

18

INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION

8, 76, 100

Glover, Jim

18

Goldschmidt, Sophie

50

Gosal, Bal

14

Capon, Josh

44

DUET ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP

Cardinale, Gerry

28

Durban, Egon

44

Gow, Alan

122

CBS

44

Eastwood, Nick

18

Grainger, Katherine

76

CBS CORPORATION

34

EBU

28

Grave, Charlie

92

CCTV IMG

44

ECB

18, 32

Graves, Colin

18, 32

CENTURYLINK

92

EIFFAGE GROUP

100

Groves, George

34, 56

Chamberlen, Alex

66

Ellerbe, Leonard

34

Guido, Al

82

Chaudry, Amitabh

32

Emanuel, Ariel

6, 40, 44

18, 32

EMBRATUR

28

Hagler, ‘Marvelous’ Marvin

34

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Christy, Adrian

ENDEAVOR 50

44

ENGLAND RUGBY 2015

76

Espinoza, Stephen

34

32 18

INFRONT SPORTS & MEDIA

32

Calzaghe, Joe

INDIA CEMENTS

Hamilton, Lewis Hansen, Svein Arne

82 28

CITY FOOTBALL GROUP

18

CITY FOOTBALL JAPAN

18

ESPN

32

Harrison, Audley

56

Clarke, Giles

18, 32

ETISALAT

34

Harrison, Tom

18, 32

Clarke, Michael

32

EURO 2016 SAS

100

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

28, 44

EUROLEAGUE

17

HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

EUROPEAN ATHLETICS

28

Haye, David

EUROPEAN TOUR

50

EUROTUNNEL

12

Harnden, John

26

Harper, Stephen

14, 18

INTERTALENT

44

IOC

10, 17, 28, 40, 76, 92

IPC

76

IPL

18, 32

Isner, John

8

ITV

34

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

28

JAGUAR

12

James, LeBron

44

JERRY JONES

82

Jevans, Debbie

40, 76

Johnson, Dwayne

44

Jones, Roy Jr

34

Joshua, Anthony

56

18

JUST MARKETING INTERNATIONAL

18

JX NIPPON OIL AND ENERGY

28

56

Haymon, Al

34

KERMAN & CO

50

Haynes, Chris

18

Khan, Amir

34 82

AZTECA

34

Bach, Thomas

17, 76

BADMINTON ENGLAND

50

CLIPPER VENTURES

40 66

120

CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID

Batista, Eike

44

Coe, Lord Sebastian

26, 62

EXTREME NETWORKS

92

HBO

34

KIA

Baxter, Matthew

66

Colicchio, Tom

44

FACEBOOK

18, 26

Hearn, Barry

6, 40, 56

Kitcher, Steve

82

Bay, Michael

44

Collier, David

18, 32

Farah, Mo

76

Hearn, Eddie

34, 56

Knowles, Beyoncé

62

BBC

26, 50

50

FARMERS INSURANCE

17

Herrero, Lluis

100

KPMG

16

18, 32

COMMONWEALTH GAMES ENGLAND

17, 66

Hershman, Ken

34

Kraft, Robert

28

BEIN SPORTS

8, 17

Conant, Scott

44

FC SCHALKE 04

100

Hidalgo, Anne

28

Kroenke, Stan

17, 28

BEN AINSLIE RACING

18

CONCISION LABS

18

Federer, Roger

8, 100

Higginson, Andy

50

LA DODGERS

92

Benaud, Richie

122

CORONA

34

FEI

62

HINDUSTAN TIMES

32

Lancaster, Stuart

50

BARILLA

BCCI

118 | www.sportspromedia.com

FC BARCELONA

Lazarus, Lisa

62

MTN

34

LEGENDS HOSPITALITY

28, 82

44

LEICESTER CITY FC

18

MUBADALA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

LEKI

120

Mudgal, Justice Mukul

32

Murdoch, James

44

Lennon, Jimmy Jr

34

Leonard, ‘Sugar’ Ray

34

Lessenich, Thomas LEVI’S Lewis, Lennox

92

Mutombo, Dikembe

26

Nally, Patrick 66 62, 76, 82

50

LONGINES

120

LONRHO

18

Lord Moynihan, Colin

50 100

Praver, Tori

44

PREMIER LEAGUE

16, 17, 66, 82, 92

Pringle, Stuart

40, 82

34

UNDER ARMOUR

17, 26

SKY SPORTS

32, 34, 50, 56

UNITED BISCUITS

18

UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

10, 26, 28

UNITED TALENT AGENCY

44

Upton, Neville

66

USSA

120

VALENCIA FC

66

VALENTINO

44

44 16

NBA

18, 26, 44, 62

Slater, Barbara

26

Quinn, Ciaran

62

Smith, Steven

18

NBC

10, 25, 34, 44

Rafael, Dan

34

RAKUTEN

18

NEC

28

REAL MADRID CF

66

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

28

REDBIRD CAPITAL PARTNERS

28

NFL

18, 28, 62, 92

Reed, Dan RENAULT SPORT

28

NIKE

17, 34

28

12

REPUCOM

18, 40

SPORT ENGLAND

50

Vega, Ramon

12

REUSCH

120

SPORTACCORD

26

VINE

66

RFU

50

SPORTING EQUALS

50

VOLVO

12

Rhodes, Jon

82

Wahlberg, Mark

44

56

SPORTS GROUNDS SAFETY AUTHORITY

50

RILEY LEISURE

Walsh Jennings, Kerri

44

Ringuet, Claude

18

Sreesanth, Shanthakumaran

32

Ward, James

8

RIO 2016

28 34

Srinivasan, Narayanaswami

18, 32

Roach, Freddie

ST LOUIS RAMS

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

100

Mayweather, Floyd Jr

34, 56

NRG

92

Rogers, Jeff

92

92

Rongier, Julien

100

28

Rose, Charlie

44

100

Roth, Jeffrey

18

92

100

34

Meiyappen, Gurunath

32

OAKLAND RAIDERS

17, 28

ROYAL SPANISH TENNIS FEDERATION (RFET)

MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB

18

OAKLEY

120

Rueda, Gabriel

Metcalfe, Ian

50

40, 50 40, 66

OSN

34

Oswald, Denis

10

Overholt, Chris

14

Pacquiao, Manny

34, 56

Park, Chris

18

Pawar, Sharad

32

MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

34

MIAMI DOLPHINS

18

MIAMI HEAT

34

MIAMI MARLINS

122

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

100

MICROSOFT

44

PEPSICO

50

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

34

Perry, Tyler

44

Mirhashemi, Shervin

82

Peterson, Dr Robin

26

MIZUHO FINANCIAL GROUP

28

PFA

12

8

17, 28

WBA

34

44

WBC

34

34

WBO

34

SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP

28

Weir, Helen

50

SUPERSPORT

Stiller, Ben Sturm, Richard

WHATSAPP

66

34

WHEATIES

120

SURREY COUNTY CRICKET CLUB

82

WHITBREAD

50

Whitesell, Patrick

6, 44

Szewinska, Irena

62 92

WHITESTONE INTERNATIONAL

40

Tarbitt, Malcolm

SALE SHARKS

50

TECATE

34

Whitmarsh, Martin

18

SAMSUNG

28

TELEFONICA

17

WILLIAM MORRIS

44

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

17, 28

TELEVISA

34

44

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

82

Tendulkar, Sachin

32

WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR

Thakur, Anurag

32

Wilson, Owen

44

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

92

THE CO-OPERATIVE GROUP

82

Winfrey, Oprah

44

Wirz, Hansjörg

28

Sandberg, Sheryl

44 10

THE FILIPINO CHANNEL

34

Sandusky, Patrick SAP ASIA PACIFIC

18 18

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

18

Sarafa, Vincent

18, 100, 122

10

SAUERLAND PROMOTION

34

Phelps, Michael

MLB

92

PINARELLO

12

Schaefer, Richard

34

MLS

82

Piotrowski, Mikolaj

Scorsese, Martin

44

50

18

Wawrinka, Stan

18

50

PIZZA HUT

WASPS RFC

RUGBY LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION

Phelps, Annamarie

100

82

VEGA SWISS ASSET MANAGEMENT

34

OMNIGON

18

Vasquez, Ana Loreto 17

MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS

ODGERS BERNDTSON

Vallée, Carl

Spieth, Jordan

NOMURA

O’Neill, Joe

44

26

34

NUSSLI SPAIN

Sorkin, Aaron

32

26

6, 34, 56

NTT

SONY

34

26

MATCHROOM SPORT

NRL

SOLAR SPORTS

SOUTH AFRICA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

Marquez, Juan Manuel

34

50

SKY SPORT

SL BENFICA

17

Moonves, Leslie

16, 100

UK SPORT

SKYPE

28

MLB

UEFA 12, 18

82

82

34, 56

SKY

18, 28, 44

NHL

66

Tyson, Mike

82

Pyne, George

NFL ON LOCATION

TWITTER

SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT LTD

PURPLE AND RED

NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE

6

44

26

NIKE FC

McPherson, Ian

SILVER LAKE PARTNERS

18

18, 82

18

32

Nash, Steve

44

MCLAREN

12

Shukla, Rajiv

NASCAR

MANCHESTER CITY FC

44

18

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

76

MacFarlane, Seth

McCormack, Mark

Toshishige, Takao

34

50

56

40, 76

120

SHOWTIME

PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND

LUCANIA SNOOKER CLUBS

McConnell, Kit

Shiffrin, Mikaela

56

92

LONDON LEGACY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

100

PROFESSIONAL DARTS CORPORATION

34, 56 66

LOSC LILLE METROPOLE

MUSCO LIGHTING 82

LIVERPOOL FC

LOGOPAINT

8, 50

18

Lim, Peter

LOCOG

Murray, Andy

POLISH VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION (PVF)

SEVEN LEAGUE

66

THE MONEY TEAM

34

THE NATIONAL LOTTERY

50

THE RING

34

Theron, Charlize

44 28

34

Morel, Ben

62

PL.2012+

100

Sharapova, Maria

44

MOTOGP

92

Plank, Kevin

17, 26

Sheahan, Paul

18

TOKIO MARINE & NICHIDO FIRE INSURANCE

Moussambani, Eric

10

Plouffe, Marc-André

18

Sherwood, Phil

82

TOP RANK BOXING

WME | IMG

6, 44

WORLD RUGBY

76

WORLD SNOOKER

26, 56

WORLD SPORTS GROUP

32

WPP

28

WTA

8

WWE

122

Yadav, Shivlal

32

YORKSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB

18, 32

Zemeckis, Robert

44

SportsPro Magazine | 119

SHOW ME THE MONEY | MARKETING

Mikaela Shiffrin A

t just 20 years of age, skier Mikaela Shiffrin is already being touted as America’s next great winter athlete. From debuting on the FIS World Cup circuit in 2011 aged just 15, to beginning this year as the reigning Olympic, World Cup and world champion in slalom, the young American’s rise to superstardom has been both swift and spectacular. For the past three seasons, Shiffrin has dominated her discipline. In March, she EHFDPH WKH Ă€ UVW ZRPDQ LQ KLVWRU\ WR ZLQ both the slalom world championship title and the discipline’s overall World Cup crown in successive seasons. Away from the slopes, Shiffrin’s success has seen her assemble an enviable endorsement portfolio containing a mix of endemic companies like Atomic, Leki and Reusch, and international brands such as Barilla, Longines and Oakley. “We’d like to have a handful of preferably powerful and ideally global partners,â€? says Kilian Albrecht, the former ski racer who now acts as Shiffrin’s agent and manager. “It’s LPSRUWDQW WKDW WKH EUDQG Ă€ WV 0LNDHOD¡V image so that she can stand 100 per cent behind the product: authenticity is key.â€? For the vast majority of winter athletes, relatively few of whom enjoy year-round visibility and therefore relevance for sponsors, capitalising Ă€ QDQFLDOO\ RQ WKH VSLNH LQ LQWHUHVW WKDW typically accompanies an Olympics is paramount. Thankfully for Albrecht, then, the hype surrounding Shiffrin heading into last year’s Games in Sochi was impossible to ignore. “The interest in Mikaela going into Sochi and after Sochi was big, especially from media,â€? he recalls. “There was GHĂ€ QLWHO\ VRPH LQWHUHVW RQ WKH VSRQVRU side as well but it’s never easy to convert it into endorsement deals.â€? Shiffrin won the gold medal in her favoured discipline in Sochi to become 120 | www.sportspromedia.com

the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. She returned home a national darling, and was soon appearing on breakfast tables in homes across America as the face of Wheaties cereal. Though the Olympic buzz has now faded, Shiffrin’s stock has continued to rise. Last October, she became an ‘Ambassador of Elegance’ for Longines, the luxury watch brand keen to secure the signature of a racer widely considered the future of women’s alpine skiing. Yet even for one of the sport’s standout stars, signing endorsements has its challenges. With the majority of companies visible on a racer’s clothing during World Cup competitions signed by either the FIS – skiing’s global governing body – or the athlete’s respective national association – which in Shiffrin’s case is the US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) – even the best performers are restricted in terms of the visibility they can offer their personal sponsors. That essentially leaves the headgear position, where Shiffrin currently sports the logo of Italian pasta brand Barilla, as the only available inventory beyond equipment. “For the rest, you need to be really creative,â€? says Albrecht. “It’s mostly up to the respective national governing ERG\ DQG KRZ WKH\ GHĂ€ QH HYHU\WKLQJ USSA is a lot better than other national ski federations but there are still many FDWHJRULHV ZKHUH WKHUH LV D FRQĂ LFW Âľ By way of an example, Albrecht reveals that at one point he had two car companies interested in signing Shiffrin but the USSA’s existing deal with Audi ruled out any possibility of an agreement. “It just means if the respective USSA sponsor in that category does not want to have a separate agreement with Mikaela and she wants to do something else it can get complicated,â€? he adds. “On the other hand the money that the US Ski Team gets from these sponsors will be used to

pay for Mikaela’s training and coaches.â€? If Albrecht has his way, Shiffrin’s worldwide Longines deal – which includes social media obligations as well as appearances in print and TV advertising campaigns – is a sign of things to come. Speaking in early March, he reveals that he is talking to “major global brandsâ€? in the “sportswear and outerwear fashionâ€? sector about a potential new deal. “Another category that I really would OLNH WR Ă€ OO LV WKH beverage category,â€? he adds, “where a company can get great exposure, also, from a visibility standpoint.â€? Any company vying for Shiffrin’s signature can expect WR VWXPS XS D Ă€ [HG DQQXDO sponsorship fee plus bonuses IRU LI VKH Ă€ QLVKHV LQ WKH WRS three at World Cup events, wins an overall title, or medals at an Olympics or World Championships. Consistent success has, however, begun to shift the remuneration package she receives in her favour. “The total is very performancebased still,â€? says Albrecht, “but, with the success, it’s shifting and companies are willing to pay more retainer.â€? Industry speculation puts Shiffrin’s potential annual endorsement earnings at upwards of US$3 million, on par with other top skiers. And though he UHIXVHV WR GLVFORVH VSHFLĂ€ F WHUPV $OEUHFKW VXVSHFWV WKDW Ă€ JXUH LV QRW too far off the mark. “I think it can go to that or even over, but we’re not there yet because she’s still so young,â€? he says. “When she maxes out her contracts with all the bonuses, then there is a great chance to make really, really good money. It all depends on her, how much she wants to do. Money is not everything.â€?

Endorsements:

Estimated 2014 earnings

Mikaela Shiffrin

Atomic, Leki, Oakley, Reusch, Barilla, Longines

Prize money: US$316,440

Nationality: American Born: 13th March 1995 (20) Turned pro: 2011 Career highlight: reigning Olympic, World Cup, and world champion in slalom

Agent:

Endorsements: US$1.5 million to US$2 million

Kilian Albrecht, Albrecht Sports & Consulting AG

Total: US$1.82 million to US$2.32 million

Barilla Food brand: signed November 2012 until September 2016

Oakley Eyewear: signed in 2012; extended on 1st Jan until April 2018

Reusch Gloves: signed in August 2014 until 2018

Leki Equipment: expires in 2018

Atomic Skis: signed in 2011 until April 2015

SportsPro Magazine | 121

DIARY

by The Scribbler

Fiona Hanson/ PA Archive/Press Association Images

What a waste Formula E arrives in London this June, with two races planned on a temporary circuit around Battersea Park. For the operators of Battersea Evolution, the temporary venue best known as the host of the annual Sport Industry Awards knees-up, it means shutting up shop a week earlier than normal at a not LQVLJQLĂ€ FDQW FRVW $V VRPHRQH FORVH WR the site mused to the Scribbler recently, Formula E might have been better off hiring the venue and using its hospitality expertise rather than paying to have it closed down.

Richie Benaud The death of Richie Benaud after a long illness brings to an end one of the great sporting lives. As an Ashes-winning captain of Australia, pioneering journalist and broadcaster, and champion of players and SD\LQJ VXSSRUWHUV KH KDG DQ LQĂ XHQFH on cricket that few, if any, could match. For many of us, his passing also silences another of the voices through which we came to know sport in the TV era. But as Richie, to his eternal credit, always realised, the game never fell silent when he did.

Tailoring for tinkers

Let’s start again... After Spring Training, you’d expect Major League Baseball’s teams to be primed and ready to go by the time Opening Day comes around. Not so in Miami, where the 0DUOLQV¡ Ă€ UVW JDPH ZDV PDUUHG E\ D PLQXWH GHOD\ FDXVHG E\ UDLQ ² QRW D SUREOHP if you have a retractable roof, unless, as the Marlins somehow managed, you forget to close it. And not so in Chicago either, where renovations at Wrigley Field rendered several vital facilities out of service, leaving many furious Cubs fans forced to ‘spend a cent’ in public concourses. If only pre-season had lasted that little bit longer.

Don Feria/AP/ Press Association Images

Mind the draft

122 | www.sportspromedia.com

The already-ubiquitous DraftKings, a daily fantasy sports platform as far as the Scribbler understands, linked up with World Wrestling Entertainment in May with the aim of developing a series of FR EUDQGHG FRQWHVWV %XW QRW IRU WKH À UVW time, the Scribbler is left confused: isn’t pro wrestling a fantasy sport anyway?

The Scribbler can’t help but have a sneaking admiration for British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) driver Rob Austin’s audacity. BTCC rules say drivers draw their grid slot for the second race of each meeting. At April’s Brands Hatch opener Austin pulled out the pole position ball, but only after sneaking a look into the bag. Caught on camera, he was forced to apologise and series chief Alan Gow hastily organised a re-draw – where he SURPSWO\ GUHZ $XVWLQ RXW RI WKH KDW À UVW allowing him to start from pole after all. Two lessons: cheats sometimes prosper, and tinker with your sport’s format too much and you will encourage little tinkers.

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