A lot of times, you go to conference and walk away, not really sure if you've learnt something or just been sold something. You have a few connections that stop after that LinkedIn request and you're overloaded on free coffee that you drink for the sake of it.
This event felt different, thanks to Sports Pundit, in particular Andy Marston, who has found the recipe for a day where everyone leaves with something valuable. The ingredients are important people with genuine things to say, and a mix of senior execs and Academy members (like me), so you get fresh perspectives alongside expert insight.
Andy Marston (Founder, Sports Pundit) and Sanjay Murthy (host, Close of Play) introducing the third panel. [Credit: Jonathan McCallum]
45 minutes wasn't nearly enough to get through everything, but a few points stuck with me from our discussion:
Fan bases are changing, and it's not a 'one size fits all' anymore. F1 has a growing fan base with 60% of the new fans being women. Not all F1 fandom is necessarily about the race day, so the sport and it's teams need to cater for a community around more than just the race days. Matt recounted Aston Martin's fashion pop up as a great example of expanding beyond the sport itself, and other sports should follow suit. Not every fan is the same, and any team that treats them as one group is already on the back foot.
A loyal fan is more than an email sign-up or a social follower. There are thousands of ways that a fan can show their loyalty towards their team but not show up on a club's digital base. You could be a super fan of a football team, for example, who never makes it to the stadium but watches every game in the pub. These are physical touch points that clubs are missing out on recognising. I spoke about how TCS and IYK are surfacing these touchpoints, connecting a fan's physical footprint to a digital one. That way clubs can see past the tip of the iceberg to who their fans really are. As Ed's research showed at Dizplai, clubs know only 24% of their fans by name. That's the gap IYK is built to close.
Panel 1 - Loyalty, Data & Community in full flow [Credit: Jonathan McCallum]
- Understanding what your fans truly want should be a core part of your fan engagement strategy. We uncovered that fans value experiential rewards 13x more than a discount for the merch store. Juliane recounted that after she moved her platform from just live tennis stats to a more social platform, some fans dropped off so the key part is understanding how to bring those original fans back.
Fans don't want another useless app to download, so you need to earn their trust with rewards and content they'll actually value.
However, our panel was just the beginning. Throughout the day there were plenty of sharp discussions, broken up by 15-minute breakout sessions where we discussed the next topic in smaller groups. Another genius move from Andy, as it meant everyone had a genuine stake in the topic before it reached the stage.
A particular favourite of mine was the 365 venue discussion where members from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Fulham FC, Johan Cruyff Arena and more, walked us through the strategy, successes and failures of their respective stadium expansions and how they aim to be more than just a stadium. What stood out is that stadiums are no longer structures that simply house the sport and its matchdays. They should be community hubs that operate throughout the year. Fulham Pier is a brilliant example of this exact thinking. It was designed not primarily as a stand but as a structure that can be used all year round, adding to the community more than simply a football stadium would.
Fulham Pier - not only a football stand but home of riverside market, spa and a restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt. [Credit: Fulham_Pier].
What better place to host this event than at Wembley? As I exited Wembley Park tube station, I was hit with the sight of the arch filling the whole end of Olympic Way. Even on a quiet Wednesday morning, you could almost hear the matchday crowds. Even grabbing a coffee nearby felt exciting, which is exactly the point the 365 venue panel made: stadiums like this should be somewhere people want to spend time all year round, not just on matchday.
So, all in all a day of firsts. First panel, first time at Wembley and first time enjoying a conference! (only joking I secretly love them). A big thank you to Andy and the Sports Pundit team for having me. Looking forward to the next one.