Due to an overwhelming response all the places for Fan Experience Forum have now been filled. Coo, Fan Experience Forum, Angelina Tennino, is delighted with the news.

“I am thrilled with the news. The Fan Experience Forum enables colleagues  from all over the world to network with the aim of happier customers and stronger brand loyalty. I am really looking forward to Manchester.”

If you would like to join the waiting list for Fan Experience Forum please email, Events Coordinator, Oana, including your full name, contact number and organisation. Seats will be allocated on a first come first served basis as/when cancellations occur. Click here to email Oana.

TheStadiumBusinessSummit 2013

There are still places available for TheStadiumBusiness Summit 2013, which is the largest dedicated meeting in the world of the owners, the operators and the developers of the world’s leading stadiums, arenas and major sport venues.

The Summit takes place on 5, 6, 7 of June 2013 in Manchester and also includes a tour of Old Trafford.

View the programme here.

We’ve partnered with Pat Coyle (the Sports Marketing 2.0 guru) to provide a free copy of Coyle Media’s latest report Rise of the Smart Fan to all new bookings to Fan Experience Forum 2013.

The Rise of the Smart Fan report will help sports executives to better understand:

• how fans are using mobile;
• assess emerging opportunities;
• anticipate challenges, and;
• plan future investments in mobile fan engagement.

*Book your place today for Fan Experience Forum 2013 and we’ll give you a free copy (worth €150) of the latest “smart fan” research data collected from over 9,000 US sports fans.

THE RESEARCH

New devices & an avalanche of apps are driving changes in fan behaviors, but the (mobile) sports experience is not keeping pace. If left unchecked, this gap will widen & could lead to diminished fan loyalty and loss of sponsorship revenue over time.

The information and insights inside Rise of the Smart Fan were gleaned from surveying over 9,000 fans of pro sports teams.

“Mobile technology is a disruptive force in the world today, shifting power from brands to consumers, and forcing companies in every industry to recalibrate their approaches to sales, service, marketing and the customer experience,” explains the report’s author Pat Coyle (more on him below). “Sports organizations are insulated, but not immune from the impact of mobile on fan experiences. It’s time for sports marketers to make smarter investments in mobile. Starting with this report…”

THE FORUM

Bringing together more than 140 ‘fan engagement and marketing experts’ from a world of teams, stadiums and sports events, Fan Experience Forum 2013 explores the latest winning strategies and new thinking to enhance, enrich and enliven the matchday experience.

THE OFFER

SPECIAL OFFER: Book your place at Fan Experience Forum 2013 today and we’ll send you a free copy of the complete report. Hurry – This offer is limited to the first 50 bookings only!

Of course, you can buy the report online here. BUT you could also register for Fan Experience Forum 2013 (at £395pp ex VAT) and receive the report for free PLUS:

• learn from the leaders in fan engagement
• network with more than 150 other experts
• meet TheStadiumBusiness Summit audience
• tour Manchester City FC’s award-winning fan engagement at Etihad Stadium
• and much, much more.

SPECIAL OFFER: Book your place at Fan Experience Forum 2013 today and we’ll send you a free copy of the complete report. Hurry! This offer is limited to the first 50 bookings only!

REPORT BACKGROUND

Rise of the Smart Fan is a research report which provides an early report card for sports teams on the mobile front.

Based on 2013 research data collected from over 9,000 sport fans, Rise of the Smart Fan illustrates the way smart devices are changing the fan experiences both in stadiums and at home. The report shines a light on the team mobile apps, and points to a growing gap between what fans are expecting from their mobile experiences and what team are delivering. If this gap is allowed to continue growing, it could lead to trouble for teams and stadiums and sponsors alike. The good news is that we’re in the early days of mobile. It’s not too late to adjust course, and this report will help!

The data in this report may surprise you, and cause you to re-think your mobile strategy. More details on the report here.

Click here for booking details. Once you’ve registered we’ll send you the link to download your exclusive copy of Rise of the Smart Fan. It as easy as that!

Our fantastic 2013 attendance list includes:

• Aalesund Football AS
• Agilysys
• Arsenal FC
• AS Roma
• Aviva
• BBC
• Blippar
• Borussia Dortmund
• Brighton & Hove Albion FC
• BSC Young Boys / Stade de Suisse
• Business Objects Software Ltd.
• CAFE (Centre for Access to Football in Europ)
• Cardiff City FC
• CBS Outdoor
• Chelsea FC
• Daktronics GmbH
• Doncaster Rovers FC
• Ear to the Ground
• Everton FC
• Extricom Ltd.
• F.C. Internazionale Milano Spa
• Friends Arena
• Fulham FC
• Global Spectrum Asia, Singapore Sports Hub
• Goodform
• Green 4 Soultions
• Huddersfield Town FC
• KantarSport
• Leisure Support Services Limited
• Liverpool FC
• Manchester City FC
• Manchester United FC
• Marylebone Cricket Club
• Munster Rugby
• Premier League
• Reading Football Club
• Rightreal
• Rugby 2015
• Rugby Football Union
• Rugby League World Cup 2013
• Scottish Premier League
• Seattle Sounders
• SKIDATA AG
• SKIDATA France SAS
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica
• SPORT+MARKT AG
• Sporting Innovations
• SportQuake
• St. Helens R.F.C.
• Stadion Letzigrund
• Tapcrowd
• The Aspire Sport Marketing Group
• The Fan Experience Company
• The Football Association
• The Football League
• Tottenham Hotspur FC
• Two Circles
• Videoton FC
• Wales Millennium Centre
• Warwick Arts Centre
• Wembley Stadium
• Wire and Sky Ltd

and many, many more!

Leading US sports teams are showing us just how this can be executed, with Major League Soccer (MLS) seemingly leading the way.

The most recent example of the implementation of a ‘rewards approach’ comes from the Vancouver Whitecaps, the first team in British Columbia to launch a loyalty scheme, the ‘Caps Card. But it’s not just the programme itself that has caught our eye, it’s the way the club has used its communication channels to educate fans, providing an excellent experience from the off.

At Fan Experience Forum 2013, we are delighted to welcome Bart Wiley, Director of Business Operations, Seattle Sounders who will describe how the loyalty approach fits into their business strategies and initiatives.

He will show how the Sounders have created a fan base of 32,000+ Season Ticket Holders and how they consistently sell out their 66,000 seat stadium.

For more information about the Loyalty solutions used by the Whitecaps and the Sounders, click here or see Green 4 Solutions at Fan Experience Forum 2013.

BOOK YOUR SEAT AT FXF13 HERE

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At Fan Experience Forum 2013, we are delighted to welcome Neil Doncaster, CEO, Scottish Premier League and Andrea Brown, Customer Services Manager, The Football League to the international speaking line up to offer their perspective on how clubs can best engage with families… and earn their lifelong loyalty.

Multiple perspectives on ‘the fan experience’: our unique one-day programme for Fan Experience Forum 2013 includes insight from clubs, venues, leagues, governing bodies, sponsors, brands and more! Download the full programme here >

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About the speakers:

Neil Doncaster has been involved in football for the last 16 years. A solicitor by training, he came into the game when providing legal advice in relation to Bristol City and Bolton Wanderers. In 1997 he joined Norwich City as Company Secretary and, at the age of 31, became their Chief Executive. In his twelve years at City, the Club re-built its reputation with supporters, with season ticket numbers trebling over the period to 20,000 and the Club receiving a number of awards for community, business development and innovation. Neil believes passionately that football clubs should be at the heart of the community as consultative, accessible and family organisations.

While with Norwich, Neil was elected to the Board of the Football League and subsequently to that of the Football Association. In 2009 Neil left Norwich City to become the Chief Executive of the Scottish Premier League. He now lives in Glasgow and is currently leading the League’s efforts to restructure the whole of the game in Scotland including the possibility of:
• A merger of the two Scottish leagues,
• The introduction of play-offs between the top two divisions, and
• A ‘pyramid’ structure for Scottish football.

The Scottish Premier League have recently announced a new, five-year deal with Sky Sports and ESPN with these deals being on substantially improved terms. Neil reports himself delighted with the deal. There are still challenges ahead. The Clydesdale Bank have, after six years in that role, decided to stand down as title sponsor in 2013, but Neil remains upbeat about the future of Scottish football.

Andrea Brown is Customer Services Manager for the English Football League. In her day to day role she provides direct support to the League’s member Clubs and liaises with supporters, supporter groups and other interested stakeholders in relation to customer service, ground safety, supporter engagement and stadium facilities.

Prior to this she worked in the Events team at The League, organising the Football League Finals at Wembley Stadium. Previous to that she spent 8 years at Preston North End Football Club as Community Development Manager, working closely with the Commercial, Marketing and Community departments in attracting and retaining supporters.’

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British-born, Dr Mullin was formerly the CEO Atlanta Hawks (NBA), Atlanta Thrashers (NHL) and Philips Arena; SVP- Marketing and Team Business at the NBA; SVP Business at MLB’s Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates; Vice Chancellor of Athletics at the University of Denver (NCAA); and Business School / Sport Management faculty member at the University of Massachusetts.

Today, Bernie serves as Chairman and CEO of The Aspire Group, a leading global management and marketing consulting business that partners with its clients in implementing “Next-Practices” to produce winning brands, revenue enhancement and strong sales and service cultures. With clients located in seven countries located on four continents, and representing best-in-class leagues, teams and brands, The Aspire Group provides a distinct competitive advantage in maximizing organizational and marketing effectiveness, growing sales and building an avid and sustainable fan base.

And, this June, Mullin will chair the second annual Fan Experience Forum (5 June 2013, at Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium); the specialist one day programme that explores the latest trends, winning strategies and business ideas to enhance the sports fan visitor experience.

Ahead of the Forum, we caught up with Dr Mullin for a quick Q&A on ‘the fan experience’…

The terms ‘customer experience management’ and ‘fan experience’ have become ‘buzzwords’ in the stadium business in the past five years. But what exactly is ‘the fan experience’?

BM: The Fan Experience is commonly referred to as the ‘fan journey’ or what we called at the NBA the ‘driveway to driveway experience’. In the UK, it is more properly called the ‘Doorway to Doorway’ experience; and specificually it refers to every single element of the fan’s experience in participating in or watching the sport, from the moment they leave their home, or place of work, until they return.

For those of us in the Sports and Entertainment business, it is really about the implementation of the principles known by Disney for a long time – the science of customer satisfaction that drive repeat business and hence loyalty, profitability and sustainability. The Disney ‘Guest Experience’ is what has made them the most popular, and most profitable, entertainment destination business on the globe. It is also why they have become one of the most admired companies in the world from a customer and employee satisfaction perspective.

Why has ‘fan experience’ seemingly risen in importance and relevance?

BM: I think there are four main reasons why the fan experience has become so much more important recently:

Firstly, today’s fans are different to those in the past. They want more from their sport experience, and waiting for the phone to ring isn’t cutting it any more. We, as sports executives, have to be proactive and actually learn to sell our product.

Second, more and more sports marketers have begun to realise that the first key to growing attendance is to increase the frequency of games attended by fans, and the main way to do that is to improve the fan experience.

This starts with the fans’ first impressions of travelling to a game, getting in and out of the stadium or venue, and it includes everything in between before they experience the return trip home. At the end of the day the fan votes with their feet – they either come back again, or they don’t! This decision is predominantly based on their perception of value for their money, and value for their time.

Sports marketers have also realised that they must broaden their fan base to attract more businesses, and everyone in the family, not just Dad and the kids. Attracting more businesses means higher quality luxury boxes, club seating or upscale amenities and a much higher standard of hospitality, which in turn means significantly more revenue to the club and/or venue. As player wage bills skyrocket, more revenue becomes increasingly important to stay competitive and indeed relevant. Attracting more women and families demands much better amenities across the board, but in particular better food and beverage concessions choices and service, much better toilets and other facilities, and not being squeezed sideways to go through old fashioned turnstiles.

And fourthly, in turn, attracting a broader audience means that these ‘new fans’ may well be less interested in the game or event itself, and much more interested in the total experience of being with their business associates, family or friends. Hence, in-game entertainment and elements “outside the white lines” that enhance the ‘extended product’, such as video boards with programmed entertainment, and choreographing with dance teams/cheerleaders and live or recorded music become so much more important. Fans do not want to be ‘spammed’ with sponsor messaging during the game, and sponsors want to truly reach fans and grab their attention, so in-game entertainment features that are memorable and more fully activate the sponsor messaging are now the order of the day. What is now required is a comprehensive scripting of the entire game experience, so that clubs will need to have a game producer, much like a West End show, which is how we do it in America.

Instead of ex-cops running our stadiums as pseudo prisons where ‘football hooligans’ are herded around, we now have to treat everyone more as a ‘guest in our home’.

What are they key challenges that clubs face in managing / improving the fan experience?

BM: One of the biggest challenges is that many of the Fan Experience Elements are out of our control as venue managers (traffic and mass transit access, parking, the behaviour of home and visiting fans etc.). Then there are infrastructure challenges, and many ancient sports venues are in need of a complete makeover!) Next is providing the financial support to invest in good sound and video board systems, and the staffing for game presentations and Guest Relations is a big challenge.

Finally, the biggest challenge may be a paradigm shift across the industry. Guest Relations training is essential – it turns stewards into fan-friendly personnel who enhance the fans’ experience rather than focusing on keeping fans in seats, stopping them hurling abuse etc. This is a major cultural experience that needs to occur at most venues.

The solution is to focus on the return from increasing the attendance frequency of fans (increased repeat purchase) and the lifetime asset value, so that the sport property’s sustainability and/or growth objectives are met. Specifically, we must focus on how we can achieve a solid Return on Objectives (ROO), ie. growing our fan base and increasing attendance significantly, as well as our Return on Investment (ROI) goals, ie. increasing all business revenues by first driving ticket sales, which then drives concessions, merchandise and sponsorship revenues.

The challenge is about strategic direction, in a changing world where young people today do not want to simply spectate: they want to participate. They don’t want to do what their parents did – the ‘Always Connected Generation’ want to have fresh content, in-venue, delivered by their wireless device of choice, or else they will stay at home.

All of which provides an entirely new approach to reaching our future fans and guests.

How will Fan Experience Forum 2013 help clubs and venues?

BM:The Forum brings together all of the parties that are involved in improving the Fan Experience from just about every industry perspective – sport properties and clubs, venue operators, third-party and outsourced vendors and suppliers, and industry experts and consultants from a wide array of sports and entertainment venues.

The Forum provides the opportunity to explore in very practical detail exactly what the fan experience challenges are, what the solutions to these challenges are from people who have successfully met these challenges, who the solution providers are and what are the resources required to meet these challenges.

In short, the Fan Experience Forum 2013 is a must-attend event for every executive in this business.

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That’s been the philosophy at Cardiff City FC. Since moving to the new Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, the club has been a beacon of best practice in fan engagement and customer experience management.

Winners of the Customer Experience Award at TheStadiumBusiness Awards 2011, Cardiff’s journey started with a focus on families; last year the club’s Commercial Director Julian Jenkins joined the programme at the inaugural Fan Experience Forum to explain how the club had introduced a number of key incentives and activities designed to appeal to families of all ages.

And, this year in Manchester (5 June 2013), we’re delighted to welcome Julian back to detail how, informed by extensive research and fan consultation, the club’s fan experience strategy continues to evolve.

“Customer experience is a journey and not a destination,” comments Julian.

“At Cardiff City FC, we will continue to work with our customers to deliver the best matchday experience. This approach has once again proved highly successful within our corporate areas as the revenues continue grow.”

In video: Join the Journey
Courtesy: Cardiff City FC

Hosted at Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium on 5 June, Fan Experience Forum 2013 will explore the latest trends, winning strategies and business ideas to enhance the fan’s event experience.

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About the speaker:

Julian Jenkins has been working within the Football industry for over 15 years – both on and off the pitch. An apprentice footballer who sustained a serious knee injury an early age, Julian has over 15years experience in the Football Industry. He has also worked in sales and sponsorship both in the public and private sector. It is this experience that has given him the vision and passion to deliver a customer centric experience with the ability to monetise the transition and maximise the commercial opportunities.

Julian joined Cardiff City Football Club in 2001 as Head of Media & Communications, prior to setting up his own company. After two years self-employment, he returned to his role at Cardiff City Football Club, before taking on his current position as Commercial Director. He has won a number of awards nationally, with international recognition for innovation and excellence in his field.

Julian’s customer-centric approach recently saw Cardiff City awarded the Football League’s prestigious Family Club of the Year award for the 2010/11 season. Raising the profile of the Football Club to this standard has been his biggest challenge to date, much of his efforts pulling the Club away from its clouded past to one that now offers a customer experience that is renowned for best practice.

These experiences – and invaluable lessons learnt along the way – have provided Julian with a superb grounding in an often volatile and political industry sector. Turning the historical perception of Cardiff City into the reality of a club who excels in the fan experience, is great testament to someone who has worked hard to achieve what some said was almost impossible during the early stages.

The session will examine how Aviva – the world’s 6th largest insurance provider – is transforming its global customer service operations through ‘Systems Thinking’: a way of looking at a business from a customer’s perspective, and challenging the traditional logic about how a service organisation should be run.

“‘Systems thinking’ was really born out of the idea that traditional thinking about the design and management of service organisations actually makes service worse, from a customer’s point of view,” explains Rob.

“Functionalised structures; targets; incentives; front office/back office; automation…..these “command and control” approaches and management interventions are typically based on notions of ‘lean’ or ‘six sigma’; but this is a manufacturing mind-set that doesn’t apply well in service organisations.”

“Making cars and dealing with living customers in a call centre environment, or in a physical service encounter, are fundamentally different things.”

Customer satisfaction and employee engagement

Working with the Vanguard organisation, Aviva first started rolling out a Systems Thinking approach within its UK Business Operations five years ago; fundamentally transforming their performance.

“The results that we’ve seen across the business in the UK have been exceptional,” continues Rob.

“The two metrics that we always see increase significantly when we’ve introduced Systems Thinking to an area are customer satisfaction ratings, which we measure through Net Promoter Score, and also employee engagement scores. But we also see substantial cost savings and revenue growth, as we focus on doing what matters to the customer, and cut out unnecessary activity.”

“Whatever the context, service organisations essentially have common challenges; improving service in the face of growing customer expectations and budgetary limitations.”

“We have real evidence that Systems Thinking can fundamentally improve service operations. And I look forward to sharing our story in Manchester.”

Hosted at Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium on 5 June, Fan Experience Forum 2013 will explore the latest trends, winning strategies and business ideas to enhance the fan’s event experience.

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About the speaker:

Rob Wilson has over 15 years’ experience leading large operational and contact centre teams with Aviva and RAC.

He is passionate about creating an environment where employees and customers are the priority.

After successfully transforming the performance of Aviva’s biggest UK Contact Centre operation in 2012, Rob is currently working with teams across Aviva’s global customer service operations, using Systems Thinking methodology to improve the way that Aviva serves its customers around the world.

Dortmund current boasts the highest average attendance in Europe, with 80,000 fans per game attending home matches at Signal Iduna Park (pictured). The club also recently broke the European record for season ticket sales for the third year in a row, with more than 54,000 season tickets sold for the 2012/3 season.

But what are the secrets behind such successes? And precisely how has Die Borussen gone about engaging with supporters?

Brand identity

“As I’ll discuss in Manchester, our fan strategy all stems from our ‘brand identity’; which is crucial for us all at Dortmund,” explains Scholz.

“The Dortmund identity is based on ‘intensity’, and the supporting terms of ‘authenticity’, ‘bonding force’ and ‘ambition’. This is the crucial starting point for us whenever we look to engage with our supporters.”

In addition to detailing how the club has enhanced the in-stadium experience for fans, Benedikt’s presentation at the Forum will also detail how Dortmund is connecting with the wider fanbase, too.

“We’re proud of our stadium and, of course, attending a match is the best example for us to show the intensity of our football experience,” continues Scholz.

“But our fan strategy also involves implementing initiatives outside the stadium; through digital media, video, our football schools, and many other ways that we reach our fans.”

“Everything we do in this regard aims to engage with our supporters and to bond fans with our club.”

“I look forward to discussing some of the steps we have taken in Manchester!”

Fan Experience Forum explores the latest trends, winning strategies and business ideas to enhance the fan’s event experience.

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About the speaker:

Benedikt Scholz joined Borussia Dortmund on October 1, 2010 to work in Sales and Marketing.

Responsible for new business generation and international business development, the 29-year-old has played a key role in the development of commercial projects at BVB.

Scholz, a graduate in sports management, was previously employed by SPORTFIVE, an international sports marketing agency based in Hamburg, and by PUMA, Borussia Dortmund’s current kit supplier.

Exploring the latest trends, winning strategies and business ideas to enhance the fan’s event experience, the second annual Forum will be hosted at Manchester City FC’s Etihad Stadium on Wednesday 5 June 2013.

Last month, organisers Xperiology unveiled the first line-up of speakers confirmed for the programme (see First speakers announced for Fan Experience Forum 2013)

Now, the full PDF preview of the conference programme for Fan Experience Forum 2013 has been released; detailing the full programme of events scheduled for Manchester.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD (PDF, 2MB)

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