Britain’s array of top-class live sport isn’t celebrated nearly enough
We must cherish the live sport offering in Britain and celebrate what it gives us, writes Pitch Experiences chief Neil Bailey.
Many of the days at next year’s Ashes are already sold out, tickets to Ally Pally’s World Darts Championships are like gold dust and yet, here we all are, desperate for a day out. As the festive season approaches, hospitality bigwigs get down to business: the wine list, cocktails and menu are tweaked; the music is mixed for the crowd and even the big moments are designed to make everyone feel special on the day.
Yes, shaping hospitality at today’s big sporting events is increasingly a bit like being a wedding planner. Everything is curated to create talkability, shareability and – sorry to use this phrase – to make memories. It is what sport has become, something people demand more from.
We’ve seen a shift across the hospitality sector already this year; the demand for the major events is bigger than ever. Whether at Allianz Stadium, Wembley, Alexandra Palace or Silverstone, the mega-moment occasions are what’s driving the industry. And that in turn is driving a change in experience demands.
Sporting schedule expands
The ever-growing sporting fixture schedule appears to be causing City corporate spending to focus on the tier one events. Rather than spread the hospitality pound over a series of occasions – such as a season-long box – clients are focused on the elite sporting moments in the calendar. With that switch in focus comes a need to make each one count. Amalgamating all the elements to make the day as special as it can be is the difficult bit.
Sport seems to increase in popularity year-on-year, and the cachet of attending a major sporting event has never been so high. You may be able to see highlights, clips and chat immediately online, but nothing hits quite like being able to say “I was there”. Other than perhaps being able to remind somebody, “I invited you there”.
The desire to attend and host colleagues and clients at the biggest of games means that some of the mainstream events need to work harder to be the draw they once were. World Rugby has innovated to create the Nations’ Championship and the finals weekend at Twickenham is already proving to be popular with Pitch Experiences in the run-up to the Men’s Rugby World Cup next season. The promise of several matches, northern hemisphere vs southern hemisphere clashes, world ranking points and a trophy at the end of it means that it’s more attractive than the usual autumn internationals series that was played until this season. Fans want to see competition and occasions which truly mean something.
Hospitality the way?
Despite a degree of backlash over ticket prices, bookings for next year’s Ashes are well ahead of expectations. Cricket is our national summer sport, and The Ashes is an iconic rivalry unlike any other in the game. It’s the pinnacle for the English players and the one fans want to be at the most. With ticket prices in line with other major sporting events and well below some such as the recent football World Cup – albeit staged in the more commercialised North American market – cricket should be proud that we have a summer-long event that draws the crowds, no matter what. What’s better than a 10-hour sporting hospitality day, after all?
Corporate hospitality at sport may have been unforgettable in the past because of the amount of booze on offer. Those boisterous “boys’ days out” are now long gone, however; at today’s events the wine list gets genuine attention, as do the selection of non-alcoholic beers and mocktails.
But what have we realised fans want, besides a slap up meal and a fancy cocktail or a nice bottle of red? Sports punditry is everywhere on our many screens and seeing the same old names from the past is often just background noise. We’re increasingly involving today’s players in our pre-match build up. Those injured or out of the matchday squad can provide fascinating tactical and technical insight that you can’t get anywhere else. It makes the audience feel in-the-know and ahead of the game.
Change of pace
We’ve also seen a positive reaction to inviting sports industry executives along to chat with guests. You may not like a change in format in cricket or rugby, but nowhere else can you ask the people behind it about it.
We probably don’t celebrate enough the incredible sporting calendar we have here, instead focusing on rules, regulations and ticket accessibility. But we should be unapologetic about what this nation offers its sports fans, and that includes hospitality too – Formula 1 and the British Grand Prix proves that curating experiences to a domestic audience can be top tier. People want to be part of it and an iconic venue resonates with a global audience.
So we should continue to back our Britishness by going to the best events, whether in the rafters or the padded seats.
Neil Bailey is the CEO of Pitch Experiences