Goodform insight and audience engagement propels London 2017 to new commercial record

Detailed audience profiling was one of the key reasons why this summer’s IAAF World Athletics and Para Athletics Championships were the most commercially-successful in history.

That’s the unequivocal conclusion from research commissioned by UK Athletics and undertaken by data and insight agency Goodform. It’s a view shared by Niels de Vos, chief executive of UK Athletics (UKA):

“London 2017 was formed to organise the events and very early on we asked Goodform to take a wider view of the databases across athletics, segment them and look at each group’s buying habits,” he notes.

“This invaluable work enabled us to set a realistic pricing strategy to known groups of people – particularly families. It played a pivotal role in attracting more than 300,000 spectators over the 10 days of the World Para Athletics Championships and 700,000 fans to the World Athletics.

“For the Para Athletics, we sold more tickets than Wimbledon and The Open golf,” he continues. “For a para athletics event that is incredible. Equally encouraging was female spectator levels. Across other sports this tends to peak at 25%. For the World Para Athletics Championships it was 66% and 56% for the IAAF World Athletics.”

Goodform’s analysis also directly informed UKA’s ticket marketing strategy. This was based on bespoke, personalised messages to fan segments at key moments in the sporting calendar. In total, 19 prioritypurchasing groups were identified. There were 26 distinct, targeted email campaigns, which collectively saw more than 16 million outbound e-shots. The net result was £6 million in ticketing revenue in four weeks.

This targeted approach based on engaging content is key, says Goodform owner Alison Dalrymple: “Gone are the days of sending out catch-all e-marketing campaigns, and hoping enough will hit home. We all want to be treated personally when thinking of buying something, but somehow this has taken a while to land in ticket marketing.

“There has also been a tendency to conduct post-event research more as a tick-box exercise,” she says. “But Goodform has been delivering post-event research for UK Athletics since 2013. The analysis provides priceless information, such as attendance drivers, on which UK Athletics can base future commercial growth. For example, in response to the question ‘what prompted you to buy a ticket?’, 53% of respondents said ‘receiving a London 2017 email.”

However, the added-value of retaining Goodform went much further, as de Vos explains: “We also wanted to take learnings from other insight-driven sports events and successful digital marketing methods they’ve utilised. The goal was – and is – to deliver the best data and CRM strategy for athletics.

“Goodform is uniquely-placed to advise us in this area, given the agency’s unrivalled experience of working on world-class events such as the Rugby World Cup 2015 and this year’s British and Irish Lions’ Tour of New Zealand.”

The analysis also isolated the impact of London 2017 on the London economy, providing the city with robust evidence on which to base future bids for major sporting events. It also highlighted the Championships’ influence on future participation in athletics, and the exact type of activities which would appeal – directly informing future participation strategies.

“For example, 72% of 18-24-year-olds surveyed after London 2017 said they were ‘very likely’ to attend future athletics events at the London Stadium – higher than any other age group,” notes Dalrymple. “A huge 67% of millennials also felt the most inspired to take up sport or active recreation more often.

“Overall, 81% of respondents said they would recommend attending similar events to friends and family and gave the London 2017 experience a nine out of 10. Just as encouraging as the research results was the number of responses we had,” says Dalrymple.

“In total across the two events, 31,705 fans took part in the research. This demonstrates the public’s desire to bring major events to this country – and play a part in making them a huge success.”

Overall, Goodform’s work means UKA now knows more about fans of the sport than ever before. It means they are able to plan more effectively, develop new events, and create memorable sporting experiences that inspire the next generation of fans and active participants.

Away from UKA, Goodform’s impressive client list spans the sporting world. The agency’s core services focus on the use of data and insight to drive tangible growth –whether in revenue, participation or membership – or all three at the same time. The range of Goodform services can be viewed here.

Saracens extend Allianz sponsorship deal until 2021

Rugby club Saracens and Allianz have announced a deal to extend their partnership until at least 2021.

The organisations’ original six-year deal was announced in July 2012 and this was followed by the official opening of Allianz Park as the club’s home ground in January 2013.

The home of Saracens is part of Allianz Group’s family of stadiums which currently includes seven stadia around the world; growing to eight in 2019.

Jon Dye, CEO of Allianz Insurance, said: “There is an excellent cultural alignment between ourselves and Saracens, so I am delighted we are continuing our relationship.

“We are both achieving considerable success in highly competitive environments and our shared belief that this is only achieved through our people is another example of the good fit that exists between us.”

Saracens Chairman, Nigel Wray, added: “We are delighted to renew our sponsorship and indeed our partnership with Allianz, one of the world’s great companies, who share our values and our desire to really mean something in our community. There’s so much more to do and with Allianz we will be doing it.”

Etihad Airways partners with Team England for the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Etihad Airways, the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, is set to fly Team England to the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline is synonymous with sport, having flown thousands of elite athletes, coaches and supporters around the globe from Manchester City’s first-team squad to England Cricket’s T20 2016 runner-up team.

Team England Chef de Mission, Sarah Winckless, said: “Team England strives to facilitate the very best preparation for our athletes to deliver their best on the Gold Coast. It’s fantastic to know that with Etihad, Team England will be in best possible hands on our journey to Australia.

“Etihad is renowned the world over for the quality of its service so we can be sure that our Commonwealth Games will get off to the best possible start the second the athletes begin their journey.”

Commonwealth Games England Chief Executive, Paul Blanchard, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Etihad Airways to the Team England family. Etihad’s support shows that there is a real appetite amongst the most prestigious companies in the country to get behind England at the Commonwealth Games.

“With the potential of hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as well as the Gold Coast Games just months away, this is a really exciting time to be involved with Commonwealth Games England and our athletes.”

James Harrison, General Manager for Etihad Airways in the UK, commented: “Etihad Airways is proud to be the preferred airline for Team England. The UK market is very important to us.”

Etihad Airways will be transporting over 650 Team England athletes and support staff to Australia next year. Team England preparations begin in Brisbane with a holding camp from 19 March and the Games themselves get underway on the Gold Coast on 4 April 2018.

iSportconnect signs off on 2017 in style at London Directors’ Club

iSportconnect, the largest global private network of sport business executives, signed off on 2017 in style at the London Directors’ Club.

Over 100 high-ranking delegates were present at Jellyfish‘s Shard offices, which offered superb views over the capital’s Christmas skyline.

Guest speaker Andrea Radrizzani kicked off proceedings with an engaging discussion on his previous achievements – and future aspirations. The Italian businessman also shared expertise on Eleven Sports’ strategies before evaluating the current digital media rights landscape.

Audience engagement led to further debates on iFollow – the EFL’s new streaming service – Leeds United and Italian Football. Conversations continued throughout a series of networking sessions, which were complimented by Shake ‘N’ Serve cocktails, while Global Infusion Group provided a selection of canapés.

Guests reconvened to hear Rory Anderson, CEO of 12BET, discuss the future of the betting industry, plus new innovations such as personalisation and machine learning, both of which are set to have a big impact in the near future.

Delegates were delighted with the level of attendees in the room, leading to plenty of valuable discussions, new connections and potential business partnerships.

Bob Hope, Commercial Director, British Basketball League: “I thought it was really excellent with fabulous guests and I’ve enjoyed the whole experience. I’ll definitely be back.

“The speakers were great – I spoke to Andrea afterwards – he has something that suits our sport and we’re going to have further meetings – so it’s been excellent for us.”

Dave Barton, Head of Communications, British & Irish Lions: “I thought it was a fascinating event. It was great to come to an impressive venue like this but also to gain insight into part of the sport business that perhaps you’re not normally exposed to.

“To listen to Andrea talk about his career and involvement at Leeds United and to hear from Rory about 12BET and their involvement in sport was really interesting. There was a nice blend between a couple of speakers with enough time to meet different people, chat and network in between. It was really worthwhile.”

Rory Anderson, CEO of 12BET: “As always there were great networking opportunities at the Directors’ Club. The evening was both informative and enjoyable – it was really good to see so many sporting bodies represented in the room.”

A stellar lineup of iSportconnect events have been planned for 2018, starting with February’s Broadcast Masterclass.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in future iSportconnect events.

The Jockey Club extends sport’s first ever mini-bond after five years, retaining 96% of original investment

Investors in The Jockey Club’s highly popular Racecourse Bond – which was the first ‘mini bond’ issued in British sport – have chosen to retain more than £23.6 million (96%) in the financial product after they were offered the opportunity to rollover or extend their investment in the scheme.

The Jockey Club, which stages several of the most popular events in British sport, including the Randox Health Grand National, The Cheltenham Festival and The Investec Derby, raised nearly £25 million from issuing its Racecourse Bond – almost £10 million more than its original target – and won a series of awards when it was launched in 2013.

This was used as capital towards state-of-the-art development at its flagship Cheltenham Racecourse, which centred on the creation of the highly-acclaimed The Princess Royal Stand.

The Racecourse Bond was initially issued for a period of five years, which concludes in June 2018. After The Jockey Club decided it is working so well they would be happy to continue to support the mini bond, bondholders were given three options: firstly, to sign up for a further guaranteed three years, secondly to allow their investment to rollover until they give notice to withdraw or The Jockey Club closes the scheme or, finally, to withdraw their funds at the end of the five-year minimum term.

Bondholders chose to extend £14.61 million for a further three years, rollover £9 million and redeem just £1 million when the original term ends. The Racecourse Bond instrument is not transferable or tradeable, therefore this extension offer was not open to new investors.

The Racecourse Bond provides quarterly cash interest payments at a rate of 4.75%, as well as a further 3% interest in the form of Rewards4Racing points.

The nature of the product is such that bondholders have increased their frequency of visit to and spend at Jockey Club Racecourses, which helps to fund the scheme, while they are being provided with excellent returns on their investment.

Nevin Truesdale, Group Finance Director of The Jockey Club, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to offer investors the opportunity to extend our relationship. The response has been fantastic as a result of the experience we’ve been able to provide, the excellent returns we have delivered and the continued trust in The Jockey Club as a good partner.

“It really is win-win because as well as those positives for bondholders, we as the issuer have enjoyed increased loyalty and them spending with us as customers, helping towards the financial equation involved.

“Bondholders were a huge part of our £45 million development at the Home of Jump Racing and I’m delighted both they and British Racing will continue to benefit from their investment with us.”

British Triathlon signs partnership with safeguarding experts

British Triathlon has today announced a new partnership with the UK’s leading provider of essential duty of care and safeguarding training, EduCare.

The agreement will see all the National Governing Body’s staff, including the Home Nations and the Triathlon Trust, commit to undertaking online training courses including Child Protection, Safeguarding Young People and Equality & Diversity.

In addition, all British Triathlon Affiliated Club Welfare Officers will be offered access to 14 different training courses, free of charge. British Triathlon qualified coaches and permitted event organisers are among those who will also be able to access training at a discounted rate.

Andy Salmon, British Triathlon Chief Executive, said: “As a national governing body, we have an obligation and a desire to ensure the highest possible standards around essential governance topics such as welfare and accessibility and, here at British Triathlon, we want to show we are leading the way in best practice.

“The support of EduCare will be invaluable in meeting these objectives.”

Keir McDonald MBE, founder of EduCare added: “Safeguarding participants is vital and club staff need to know how to spot the signs of abuse, and equally importantly, how to report concerns.

“Governing bodies need to lead on this and EduCare already work with other leading NGBs to do so. We are delighted to be developing this programme with British Triathlon and trust that it will help deliver our ultimate mission to keep sport safe.”

Host cities for 2020 and 2021 European finals to be appointed simultaneously

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) have announced that they will appoint host cities for both the 2020 and 2021 EPCR finals weekends together next year after unprecedented interest in staging the events. An announcement is expected in summer 2018.

The pan-European appeal of the showpiece matches in the Champions Cup, Challenge Cup and Continental Shield was highlighted earlier this year with 18 expressions of interest received from across Europe for the 2020 finals.

The next two editions will be held in Bilbao and Newcastle respectively, with more than 48,000 tickets already snapped up for next May’s Finals weekend at San Mamés Stadium.

EPCR Marketing and Commercial Director, Carsten Couchouron, said: “A range of cities have engaged with our robust and detailed bidding process in recent years and we have been innovative with our decisions for venues which have helped to continually develop the footprint of our competitions.

“We welcome submissions for venues in both traditional and emerging rugby markets and hope that by running the 2020 and 2021 bids together, we will have the chance to engage with a range of cities to provide the very best venues for fans to enjoy European club rugby’s blue riband event.”

The simultaneous bidding and assessment processes will again be conducted with The Sports Consultancy. Parties who have already expressed an interest have until early 2018 to formalise their applications.

Continental becomes official partner of the Tour de France

Continental AG has agreed a five-year partnership with the Tour de France.

The German tyre brand will put all its technology and expertise at the service of the prestigious cycling competition from 2018 to 2022.

As part of the agreement, fleet vehicles used by ASO will be fitted with Continental tyres while the brand will enjoy significant visibility around the course.

Serge Bonnel, Managing Director of Continental France, said: “We are honored to become the Official Partner of the Tour de France. Among all the international cycling events, the Tour de France remains the most popular event, putting the best riders in the world but also the tires to the test.

“It is a privilege to partner with ASO, and to share our technology with one of the most prestigious events in the international sports arena. By becoming Official Partner of the Great Loop, Continental affirms its will to continue to develop on the territory, history which began already for more than 125 years.”

Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, added: “Welcoming Continental on the Tour de France is an honor. That a company of international stature, whose know-how endures for 145 years, and which remains at the top in its sector of activity and in its know-how wishes to be associated with the biggest race of the bicycle of the world is a beautiful symbol for cycling.

“ASO’s commitment to safety on cycling races combined with Continental’s research to develop ever-improving tires confirms the merits and logic of this partnership. The tire is the first and only point of contact between a bike and the road, it is therefore a key element in the practice of this sport.”

Premiership Rugby to be shown on terrestrial TV for the first time

Premiership Rugby has confirmed that history will be made at Twickenham Stadium later this month with Harlequins vs Northampton Saints set to be the League’s first match to be broadcast live on terrestrial TV.

In a landmark move for the sport, the match will be simulcast on BT Sport and Channel 5, the first of five matches to be shown by the terrestrial broadcaster this season.

The fixture comes as part of a new four-year deal, which includes a Sunday evening highlights programme showcasing the best of Aviva Premiership Rugby.

Channel 5’s coverage will be presented by Mark Durden-Smith and former England prop David Flatman, who said of the upcoming game: “There’s always a huge buzz during the festive period when the fans turn out in big numbers at Twickenham.

“It’s a privilege to see in the New Year with some of the top performers in a head to head battle.”

The Big Game, hosted annually by Harlequins as one of their regular home games, takes place each December at Twickenham.

Channel 5’s coverage at Twickenham Stadium will be produced by Sunset + Vine who has been producing live coverage of the Premiership since 2009.

Commonwealth Games Federation ‘close’ to 2022 host city decision

Birmingham could face an extended wait until next year to find out if it will be chosen to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said today that they are “confident” a city will be chosen within four weeks before adding the decision deadline is flexible.

Louise Martin, President of the CGF, said in a statement: “When the CGF General Assembly took the difficult decision to reallocate the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it delegated the Federation’s Executive Board the responsibility to award the Games.

“It is essential that we have fully examined all aspects of the cities’ bid submissions and expressions of interest, and that we are fully satisfied that the ultimate host for 2022 is capable of staging a Games that fully delivers for Commonwealth athletes and host communities.

“The CGF is close to making a decision to select the host city of the 2022 Games. We thank all nations who have participated in the process. We are also close to achieving significant Games legacy objectives, however we have been asked to provide a little more time in order for these to be realised, and in the interest of good partnership we have decided to allow this.

“The CGF is confident that we will make a final decision regarding the selection of a host city for 2022 before the year-end, but we will continue to remain flexible and collaborative in a true sense of partnership with potential hosts so that, above all, we have a decision that the entire Commonwealth can get behind.”

The bidding process has been plagued with problems after the South African city of Durban was originally awarded hosting rights before being stripped of the event for not meeting the CGF criteria.

Birmingham’s subsequent bid was also deemed to have failed to meet criteria, leading the CGF to extend the deadline for bids. Last week, the CGF confirmed it had received updates from Australia, Canada and Malaysia – but stopped short of confirming any official bids.