4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

NIGEL CURRIE
DIRECTOR,
BRANDRAPPORT
KEVIN ROBERTS
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR,
SPORTBUSINESS GROUP
NIGEL RUSHMAN
FOUNDER,
RUSHMANS
“There is much more that needs
to be done. Younger generations
of fans have grown up with the
developing technology in sports
coverage and see it as an integral
part of sport and entertainment.”
“While the sports events sector
clearly has work to do to enhance
the live experience, they have one
thing very much in their favour.
It’s the passion, bordering on
madness, of fans.”
“In the past the received wisdom
was that you couldn’t beat being
at a major event because of the
atmosphere. But that alone is not
really enough any more.”
IT IS HUMAN NATURE to want the biggest and
best available - and it is that which is turning the
committed sports fan into a very demanding one.
Armchair sports fans now get a very good
service while fans attending a sporting event have
a lot to contend with. Of course television can’t
match or replicate the atmosphere (yet) of actually
being at a major sporting event but certainly
questions are being asked of events organisers
and whether they are offering enough to the fans
coming through the turnstiles.
Ticket prices need to be looked at closely but
in particular there needs to be a major effort to
provide a much broader experience. If you go to
a major live event now, the minute a significant
incident occurs the whole crowd look to the
“Big Screen” for clarification and are invariably
disappointed that the particular incident can’t be
replayed in case it compromises the officials or
upsets players, official or fans. However there
must be alternatives.
Modern stadiums have improved out of all
recognition and facilities much better than a few
years ago. But there is much more that needs
to be done. Younger generations of fans have
grown up with the developing technology in sports
coverage and see it as an integral part of the
sport and the entertainment. They expect it to be
incorporated at the live event.
Options such as referee links and live TV/radio
commentaries are available but it is yet another
cost for the long suffering fans. Venues need to
be looking at ways of cutting prices and providing
better value. Match programmes could be scaled
back in terms of production and provided free
with the seat.
But most importantly venues need to find a way
of giving the paying spectator some of the benefits
on offer to the ‘stay at home’ fan. There must be
ways of incorporating pictures and sound consuls
into the backs of seats at matches. By doing this
fans at matches would get all the information,
sound and pictures that they would get at home
while being able to experience the genuine
atmosphere and excitement of the live event.
IT’S TUESDAY NIGHT and it’s cold…and raining.
The food you’ve bought is also cold but the beer is
strangely warm. The massive guy next to you more
or less envelops your own seat and the stadium PA
system is so distorted don’t know whether they’re
announcing team changes or the outbreak of war.
Oh…and on the field your team is getting
slaughtered. Just what’s needed before a sodden
trudge towards a 40 minute wait to get out of the
car park before an hour-long drive home.
Welcome to the wonderful world of live sports
events. You get all this and the chance to pay
upwards of $60 each for the privilege. Why wouldn’t
you stay at home and watch in high-definition on a
big screen with the help of expert commentators
and pundits, action replays and all the other
gizmos that make sport such compelling
television? Who wouldn’t choose the couch, the
remote and the fridge full of beer and snacks
against this self-inflicted misery? What’s not to like.
But let’s fast forward.
Another Tuesday night and it’s cold and raining.
The fat bloke next to you is still invading your space
and the food is still rubbish. The PA’s not been fixed
and there’s that tedious journey home to look
forward to. But your team is winning…creaming it.
Now the cold doesn’t matter and the food hasn’t
actually killed you. You hug the fat guy and anybody
else you can get hold of. You wouldn’t have missed
this for the world!
You were there and that’s what it’s all about.
While it would be mad to suggest that the
continuing attraction of sports events can be taken
for granted, there is something very special about
being part of the experience, of sharing moments
of triumph or despair with other fans. It’s about
being there when history is made, and when
records are broken.
And while the sports events sector clearly has
work to do to enhance the live experience, they
have one thing very much in their favour. It’s the
passion, bordering on madness, of fans.
THERE IS NO DOUBT that advances in technology
are changing the way that live sport is viewed, but I
believe the issue goes way beyond the introduction
of 3D television and other breakthroughs.
We live amid a whirlpool of change which
is being felt across every aspect of our lives.
Critically, we now have an ‘experience economy’ in
which we don’t simply buy a car or a cup of coffee,
we buy an experience.
This means sports of all kinds have to establish
themselves as a valuable and meaningful
experience in the broader scheme of things,
whether it is consumed on television, on a
handheld device or at a stadium.
And because consuming sport via various
media has become so rich and immersive, those
of us who operate in the live events business have
to ensure that the experience we offer is distinct
and memorable.
In the past the received wisdom was that you
couldn’t beat being at a major event because of
the atmosphere. But that alone is not really
enough any more.
We have to offer a live experience that is built on
a series of additional benefits for the stadium
audience. That means bringing the crowd closer to
the action by making sure that the technical quality
and level of service delivered by stadium big
screens is exceptional, by ensuring that the talent
(competitors and management) make themselves
more available before and after competition to
engage with the crowd, and making sure that
press conferences are shared with ticket holders.
These are just a few of the things which could
be done simply to give live events the intimacy
that is achieved through the media and there are
many other practical steps around seating,
queuing, catering and transport which must also
be addressed as the live events sector evolves.
It is important that we get it right because I feel
we are entering an era in which live events will
become particularly important. With so much
communication and conversation taking place via
social networking sites, there is a growing
appetite for opportunities for where these
communities can meet face-to-face. Sports events
have an opportunity to be an important part of this
trend, but only if we ensure that the experience we
deliver not only matches but exceeds expectations.
SportBusiness International • No.160 • 09.10 81