Bright New Businesses Deemed ‘the Ones to Watch’

Today the Sports Technology Awards (STAs), in conjunction with presenting partner, Sportradar, revealed the winners of the inaugural 2018 STA Startup Awards. The line-up of victors featured new businesses representing all aspects of the sector.

The Startups, which attracts entries from around the world, was judged by a panel of 23 industry-leaders including former NFL Kicker and Starters co-founder John Potter, MD for Microsoft Startups, Warwick Hill, and Sports Connect Africa CEO, Cynthia Mumbo.

The categories and winners are:

Best Startup App Company – Find a Player

Best in Coaching, Athlete Performance and Welfare – ATO-GEAR

Best Equipment and Apparel – Morpher Flat-folding Helmet

Best Web, Digital or Integrated Platform – ATO-GEAR

Best Broadcast and Emerging Media – Metaliquid

Best Fan Engagement – Spalk.TV

Best Sport Commerce – SeatServe

Best in eSports – Drone Racing League

Best Participation – Kinetic Insight Ltd

Best Wearable – REFSIX

Best in Gaming and Betting – PROOF OF TOSS

Best in Fantasy Sports – Sport Whispers

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Awards said ‘We started this initiative because the Start Up category of the Sports Technology Awards was always very oversubscribed, suggesting that there was a clear opportunity to service this sector of the industry better. The system of judging we use has become recognized as an international mark of excellence within the industry so we hope that the companies who have been successful here today will go onto become major players within sports.’

Alex Inglot, Sportradar’s Commercial Director, added ‘Sportradar was delighted to have the opportunity to work with the STA StartUps as this enables us to deepen our link with innovative technology. Technology is at the heart of everything we do as a business so we wanted the chance to demonstrate this as well as showcase our ongoing support of young businesses and entrepreneurs.’

Click to learn more about the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards and Sports Technology Awards Startups.

The Yahoo Sports Technology Awards and the TechTalks are two days away. The aim of the STA TechTalks is to facilitate privileged access to the minds and learnings of international visionaries from across the commercial world. If you are serious about the future of sport, you will want to be in the audience to listen to the insights these visionaries will give you:

 

Benjamin Lickfett, Head of Innovation, Diageo

Transforming Physical Experiences Through AI and Digital Innovation

 

Xavi Cortadellas, Head of Innovation and Design, Gatorade

Unlocking Innovation Working with Pro Teams

 

James Hewitt, Head of Science and Innovation, Hintsa Performance

The Attention Paradox – Improving Cognitive Performance

 

Bill Johnson, Senior Vice President and Design Principal, HOK

How the Latest Architectural Technology is Transforming the Stadium Experience for Fans and Athletes

 

Closing the day will be a Technology and Athlete Welfare panel discussion where the key injury and health topics affecting elite sports people will be reviewed. The panellists are:

 

Bradley Simmonds, former QPR footballer, turned celebrity trainer and social influencer

Wayne Barnes, International Rugby Referee

Mick Fitzgerald, former National Hunt Jockey and TV pundit

Lance Walker, Global Performance Director, Michael Johnson Performance

The event will be opened with a Welcome Introduction from Swiss Ambassador to the UK, Alexandre Fasel. Closing the event will be a roundtable discussion on athlete welfare, featuring industry experts and elite athletes. The mix of industries present on stage will drive a different atmosphere for networking; this isn’t the normal sports industry event where people in sports talk to people in sports about sports. The dynamic will be different in every sense and aims to inspire, inform and entertain.

 

The TechTalks are taking place on 3rd May at the Roundhouse, London. Buy your tickets for the Talks here, or gain free entry by purchasing premium tickets to the STAs, taking place later that same evening.

International Celebration Sees UK Score Five Winners, ROW Achieves 10

Last night (3rd May: London) the winners of the 2018 Yahoo Sports Technology Awards were revealed in a ceremony attended by industry leaders and elite athletes. The event, which has been dubbed ‘The Oscars of Sports Technology’ once again proved its global status with international brands outscoring UK domestic talent by 2:1.

 

The Awards, which celebrates tech-led innovations across all sports, attracts entries from over 30 countries representing 50 sports, in 15 categories which are reviewed by 32 leading industry-figures spanning players, athletes, sports governance and business visionaries.

 

The winners, by category, are:

Best App: Ordnance Survey

Best Broadcaster or Live Sports Experience: LevuroAG

Best Digital Development: The AELTC, Wimbledon and IBM Interactive Experience

Best Elite Performance Technology: OptaPro and TruMedia Networks

Best Elite Sports Facility or Venue: Michael Johnson Performance

Best New Concept or Innovation: Modius

Best Participation Technology: ETH Zurich: Cybathlon

Best Technology for Athlete Welfare: Catapult Sports

Best Technology for Fan Engagement: Tata Consultancy Services

Best Technology for Sports Commerce: Adi.TV and Supponor

Most Innovative Sponsor, Rights Holder or Governing Body: ATP and ATP Media

Most Innovative Sports Equipment or Apparel: Carestream Dental Ltd

Most Innovative Sports Partnership: BT Sport and Yospace

Most Innovative Wearable: Fitbit

Sports Technology Agency of the Year: yoveo and UBS

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the Awards explained ‘We are immensely proud that the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards has become the international mark of excellence of the sector, the global nature and stature of the winning brands confirms this. We are also delighted that in partnering with Yahoo Sports we can deliver an even greater worldwide reach for the brands who are shortlisted and win.’

 

Nicholas Petche, Editor in Chief of Yahoo UK, added ‘Technology is shaping sports like never before which is why Yahoo Sport, on behalf of our audience, is so committed to it. The Sports Technology Awards understands this sector like no other event and we are proud to be title partners. The insight and detail available now enables the industry to inform fans everywhere about the latest news and innovations affecting the sports they love.’

 

Owners of the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards, The STA Group, also announced at the ceremony that Charles Russell Speechlys has become its Global Legal Partner in a three-year deal. Keir Gordon, Partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, said ‘This was a great evening to confirm our involvement with the STA Group. Charles Russell Speechlys has a significant track record operating throughout the world across the sport and technology sectors. We look forward to bringing this experience to bear in supporting dynamic, visionary businesses in these fields with their growth – not least of all starting with the STA Group itself.’

Leading Celebration of Tech-Led Innovations in Sports Renamed

Today, The Sports Technology Awards confirmed a partnership with Yahoo Sport, the mobile destination for sports superfans.  Yahoo Sport will become the Awards’ headline sponsor, meaning the event will be known as The Yahoo Sports Technology Awards throughout 2018 and 2019. The Awards will be hosted at The Roundhouse in London on May 3rd.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the STA Group, said: ‘We are delighted to announce the deal with Yahoo Sport, not only is it a meeting of two brands highly committed to showcasing sports innovations, Yahoo Sport’s reach ensures the work of our entries, winners, judges and partners will be seen by an even bigger audience globally.’

 

Nicholas Petche, Editor in Chief, Yahoo UK says: ‘Committed to delivering best-in-class live mobile experiences, we’re proud to bring The Yahoo Sports Technology Awards to sports fans across the globe, with the STA Group. We’re intrigued by the way technology influences every aspect of sport and are excited to facilitate unrivaled insight into this dynamic sector. The Awards reveal worldwide sports innovations unlike any other body and this relationship ensures we are uniquely positioned to inform our millions of Yahoo Sport readers of these game-changing technologies.’

 

The Yahoo Sports Technology Awards ceremony will be hosted at The Roundhouse in London on May 3rd, an experience set to be enjoyed by leading industry figures, innovators and international athletes from around the world.

 

Click to learn more about the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards and Sports Technology Awards Startups.

May 3rd 2.30pm, The Roundhouse, London

The aim of STA TechTalks is to facilitate privileged access to the minds and learnings of international visionaries from all walks of life, not just sports. These will give delegates the chance to hear extraordinary stories of innovation, examples of daring tech-led implementation, and learn and be inspired by people leading disruption across the world. STA TechTalks consists of presentations given by senior figures, from a range of sectors, who are tangibly changing their worlds through technology. These presentations won’t promote hype and attendees should leave the talks better informed and inspired as to ways they can embrace technologies which have radically altered other sectors, businesses or consumer experiences.

 

Bill Johnson, Senior Vice President and Design Principal, HOK

Bill Johnson is a senior vice president and the design principal for HOK. Recognized as a visionary in the design of sports and entertainment facilities, Bill’s portfolio of work includes professional, civic, and collegiate sports facilities across the country. His approach is defined by his ability to develop integrated solutions that achieve the unique objectives of each client and contribute to the vitality of the broader community.

 

Over the course of his career, Bill has applied his expertise and future thinking to a wide variety of project types to create award-winning projects like Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, MetLife Stadium and collegiate sports facilities across the SEC and Power 5 conferences. Sports Business Journal named Bill on its list of ‘power players’ in sports facility design and development, and he was a member of Sports Business Journal’s inaugural ‘Forty Under 40’ class, which recognizes the best and brightest in sports business. His talk is on the subject of How the Latest Technology is Transforming the Stadium Experience for Fans and Athletes.

 

Benjamin Lickfett, Head of Technology and Innovation, Diageo

Benjamin has over a decade of experience in using technology and innovation to unlock the brand potential of Fortune 500 firms and startups. In his current role at Diageo, he is driving the ‘test & learn’ agenda, and championing digital transformation across a world-class spirits portfolio in Europe.

 

Prior to Diageo, he co-founded the leading financial services comparison site in the Nordics, an e-commerce retailer for non-medical allergy products and the first user-generated cause-marketing platform (one exit, one survivor, one implosion). Benni also spent several years as an innovation consultant for industry leaders including Hilton Hotels, Best Buy, ExxonMobil, Cartier, and Tetra Pak. He holds an MBA from IE Business School and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University. His talk will discuss Transforming Physical Experiences through AI and Digital Innovation.

 

Xavi Cortadellas, Global Head of Design and Innovation, Gatorade

Xavi is in charge of driving the vision, development, and innovation of Gatorade and Propel, and oversees their expansion into technology platforms. Xavi also leads the Brand Design team spearheading the brand look across different consumer touch points including retail theatre, packaging, and build-outs.

 

Xavi was born in Barcelona, where he earned a degree in Architecture. He has a strong sports performance and design background stemming from his 11 years of experience with Nike in Spain, Mexico and Brazil. Xavi’s talk will be on Unlocking Innovation Working with Pro Teams.

 

James Hewitt, Head of Science and Innovation, Hintsa Performance

James is a speaker, author, and scientist. He brings complex concepts to life to explore and enhance human performance. James’ areas of expertise include the ‘future of work’, human performance in a digitally disrupted world, and methods to facilitate more sustainable high-performance for knowledge workers. His work spans consulting for Formula One drivers and teams, advising Fortune 500 C-suite executives, and giving frequent keynotes and workshops in Europe, the United States and Asia.

 

James is based in Switzerland and the UK. In addition to his role as Head of Science and Innovation at Hintsa Performance, James is an active researcher at Loughborough University, ranked as number one in the world in Sport, Exercise, and Health Science by QS World University Rankings. His talk is titled The Attention Paradox – Improving Cognitive performance.

 

Closing the TechTalks will be a panel discussion on athlete welfare. With elite athletes from all sports so vulnerable to a range of issues – head trauma, depression, doping, career or life altering injuries – the STAs are highlighting this with a view to inspiring innovation. Speakers on the panel include ex-QPR footballer, Bradley Simmonds…

 

Bradley Simmonds

Health and wellbeing coach Bradley Simmonds has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. Through the power of social media, Bradley has engineered a wellness platform like no other – providing fitness enthusiasts around the world new workout routines and daily motivational posts.

 

Bradley aims to motivate millions of people every day to live and maintain a healthy sustainable lifestyle, whilst working with more of the countries credible brands and the worlds’ greatest athletes. His positive attitude and unique approach has attracted many high-profile clients, including the UK’s leading sports and entertainment stars.

 

Bradley’s introduction to fitness comes from his background as a professional footballer for clubs such as Chelsea FC and Queens Park Rangers. From there, he learnt from the best nutritionists and strength and conditioning coaches, which inspired him in his pursuit for a new career as a personal trainer, 3 years ago, aged 20. Several years on, Bradley released his first book this year, Get It Done, an Amazon bestseller and has become an ambassador for brands such as Adidas, TAG Heuer, Maxi Muscle and has appeared in campaigns with Nivea and GQ.

 

The STA TechTalks London series will be brought to you by Switzerland, the partner nation at this year’s Awards. The Swiss Business Hub UK & Ireland is part of Switzerland Global Enterprise the federal invest and export promotion agency supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises from Switzerland and Liechtenstein wishing to export and develop their market presence in the UK and Ireland. The TechTalks will open with a Welcome Introduction from Swiss Ambassador to the UK, Alexandre Fasel.

For anyone serious about sport, the TechTalks are not to be missed.

Switzerland Revealed as Sports Technology Talks’ Presenting Nation

 

Today saw the Sports Technology Awards Group announce that Switzerland will be the Presenting Nation of its inaugural Sports Technology Talks on May 3rd in London.

 

Switzerland, well known throughout the sports sector as the centre of international sports legislation and governance, has seen a buoyant and exciting technology industry develop around it.

 

Marieke Hood, Head of the The Swiss Business Hub UK & Ireland, explained: ‘As part of Switzerland Global Enterprise, The Business Hub supports SMEs from Switzerland and Liechtenstein who wish to export and develop their market presence in the UK, as well as providing free advice to foreign organizations looking to create a presence or establish technological partnerships in Switzerland. We have a vibrant tech community and the Sports Technology Talks event on May 3rd will allow us to showcase the dynamic work being done by our technology firms, to a highly influential and important audience.’

 

Rebecca Hopkins, CEO of the STA Group, added: ‘We are delighted that a country so fundamental to international sport will be the Presenting Nation of the first Sports Technology Talks. We aim to facilitate privileged access to the minds and learnings of international visionaries from all walks of life, not just sports. Delegates will have the chance to hear extraordinary stories and be inspired by people leading disruption across the world. The work being done in Switzerland exemplifies this ethos and I am sure the audience in attendance will be fascinated by the insight offered to them by the Swiss, as well as the event’s other speakers.’

 

The Sports Technology Talks consist of a series of presentations, given by senior figures from several sectors, who are tangibly changing their worlds through technology. These presentations won’t promote hype and attendees should leave the talks better informed and inspired as to ways they can embrace technologies which have radically altered other sectors, businesses or consumer experiences. The talks will be enjoyed by over 300 leading sports industry figures, innovators and international athletes from around the world.

 

In addition to the talks, the day’s events will open with a welcome introduction by Swiss Ambassador to the UK, Alexandre Fasel; closing the day will be a roundtable discussion on athlete welfare, featuring international athletes and sports figures. Confirmed speakers and topics include:

 

Benjamin Lickfett, Head of Innovation, Diageo

Transforming Physical Experiences Through AI and Digital Innovation

 

Bill Johnson, Senior Vice President and Design Principal, HOK

How the Latest Technology is Transforming the Stadium Experience for Fans and Athletes

 

Xavi Cortadellas, Head of Innovation and Design, Gatorade

Unlocking Innovation Working with Pro Teams

 

Further speakers to be announced in the approach to the ceremony

Hopkins added: ‘We hope that the mix of industries on stage will also drive a different atmosphere for networking; this isn’t the normal sports industry event where people in sports talk to people in sports about sports. The dynamic will be different in every sense and should provide a uniquely valuable experience for everyone attending.’

 

The 2018 Sports Technology Talks, presented by Switzerland, will be hosted at The Roundhouse in London on May 3rd. Tickets are available online.

 

Today, the 2018 Sports Technology Awards shortlist was revealed, featuring all facets of the sports sector. The organizations shortlisted represent 44sports and 20 countries, including industry giants such as Puma, Juventus, ATP, Audi, Gatorade, BBC Sport and Sacramento Kings as well as young sector disrupters such as Spalk, Sports Whispers and DNA Fit.

 

Rebecca Hopkins, STA Group CEO, owners of the Sports Technology Awards, said ‘This is now the fifth cycle of the Awards and the breadth of representation across sports, countries and brands reflects the value the global industry places on them. The range of technology submitted varied widely and offered outstanding levels of innovation – we didn’t envy the judges their task. Clichéd as it is to say that being shortlisted is a result in itself, but in this case – give the competition – it is true. Whichever brands win, it will be an amazing achievement, so we look forward to revealing the winners in May.’

 

John Rhodes, Director of HOK Sport and Entertainment, added ‘This was my second year judging, I was impressed last time, this year I have been amazed. The work on show – almost universally – was incredible but, more than that, you can really see how the entries will change sport – if they aren’t doing so already. The shortlist represents a group of highly visionary companies.

The 2018 Shortlist

Best App

ATP Media

Juventus Football Club

NeuLion

Ordnance Survey

Sacramento Kings, Golden 1 Center

The Great Run Company, MYLAPS

 

Best Broadcaster or Live Sports Experience

ATP Media

BBC Sport

IMG, MST and Euroleague

Levuro AG

Pitch International Football Champions Tour

Timeline Television

 

Best Digital Development

DNAFit

Leicester City Football Club, Seven League, Sports Alliance, Pulselive, SeatGeek Enterprise (UK Sport), Digital Boutique and PCS Technology

Leicester Tigers and Clock Ltd

NBA and WSC Sports

OMNIGON and United States Golf Association

The AELTC, Wimbledon and IBM Interactive Experience

 

Best Elite Performance Technology

ILG Business Ltd

OptaPro and TruMedia Networks

SIS Pitches: SISGrass

STATSports Group Ltd

USA Hockey and New Start Mobile

Volt Athletics

 

Best Elite Sports Facility or Venue

Little Caesars Arena, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, HOK and Barton Malow

Warner Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground, Populous and Arup

Michael Johnson Performance

St. George’s Park

 

Best New Concept or Innovation

DAHU

DNAFit

ETH Zurich: Cybathlon

iRewind and UBS

Modius

Spalk

 

Best Participation Technology

Carestream Dental Ltd

ETH Zurich: Cybathlon

Madison Sports Group

Ojee Golf Ltd

OpenActive and Open Data Institute

Teamer, Club Website, League Website and Fixtures Live

 

Best Technology for Athlete Welfare

be.care

Catapult Sports

Gait Up and POMOCA

FC Barcelona

Return2Play Ltd

Swansea City Football Club and Other Media

 

Best Technology for Fan Engagement

Fanpictor AG

R4G Ltd

Spalk and FIBA

Sport Whispers

Swansea City Football Club and Other Media

Tata Consultancy Services

 

Best Technology for Sports Commerce

adi.tv and Supponor

JayThom

KORE Software

Nielsen Sports

Sports Engineers, KNVB/Voetbalmedia and SportsAds

Vizrt

 

Most Innovative Sponsor, Rights Holder or Governing Body

ATP and ATP Media

Audi AG, Brands and Emotions GMBH and ARHT Media

EFL

FleishmanHillard, Gatorade and One Tree Forest Films

NASCAR and Microsoft

Tata Consultancy Services

 

Most Innovative Sports Equipment or Apparel

2nd Skull, Inc

Carestream Dental Ltd

Gait Up and POMOCA

Magnes

VEXATEC

Wattbike Ltd

 

Most Innovative Sports Partnership

BT Sport and Yospace

Cardiff City Football Club and Tripleplay

Forcetech Mouthwear, Rhino Mouthwear, Carestream, Fairbanks Dental Laboratory and Wessex Dental Laboratory

Genius Sports and Lega B

Right to Dream Foundation and Ghana Tullow Oil Plc

Sportradar and EHF

 

Most Innovative Wearable

Bragi

Catapult Sports

Fitbit

Magnes

Puma

STATSports Group Ltd

 

Sports Technology Agency of the Year

Monterosa

Seven League

The Goat Agency

WePlay

yoveo and UBS

 

In keeping with the tech-forward nature of the Awards, all shortlistees were given a sneak, Augmented Reality preview, 24 hours before the official reveal. This came courtesy of AR app, skignz, who placed a digital announcement in the sky outside each successful brands’ office.

 

The 2018 ceremony will be hosted at The Roundhouse in London on May 3rd, an experience set to be enjoyed by leading industry figures, innovators and international athletes from around the world.

 

Click to learn more about the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards and Sports Technology Awards Startups.

A Q&A with Rebecca Hopkins: Launching the STA Startups

Rebecca Hopkins, founder of the Sports Technology Awards, spoke to us about the decision to reward innovation and excellence from start-up companies in particular.

 

The new STA Start Up Awards include 15 separate categories and are open to the whole range of new sports tech businesses, from bootstraps to those with newly received Series A funding.

 

How long has the Sports Technology Awards been going?

 

The first awards were launched in 2013, with the first ceremony taking place in 2014.

 

What prompted you to form the awards?

 

Throughout my career, I have worked on a variety of awards, including Van of the Year and the International WINE Challenge, then I started the Sports Industry Awards in 2002 before selling it to start ENS, my PR agency (which is now the UK’s longest-standing, independent sports boutique).

 

This meant I knew the power of a good awards initiative and, having seen the degree to which innovative tech was changing the sports sector, spotted the gap in the market and went for it. We also enjoyed the added benefit of giving ENS a different dimension.

 

You have recently spun off sports tech startups as a separate category – can you tell us more about what prompted this move?

 

We’ve always been pleased by the degree to which SMEs have been able to compete with very large, established organisations at the Sports Technology Awards (35% of all winners are SMEs), but we were concerned that the awards weren’t providing a robust enough platform for start-ups across the board. The term ‘Start Ups’ covers everything from bootstraps to Series A and we felt that we could serve this sector a lot better with awards just for them.

 

What type of companies are you hoping to attract within this category?

 

The Start Ups will have 15 categories spanning all key aspects of sports and will be open to any start-up business:

which is funded at any level from bootstrap to no more than three months from receiving a Series A

which is less than three years old

whose board includes at least one founder with majority shares

which has annual revenues of less than $10m.

The judging process will be the same as at the Sports Technology Awards – i.e. online, impartial and expert, but will be different in that we will stream entries by declared annual revenue.

 

Entries into each category will be split into two groups: US$0–$3m and $3.1m–$10m. Both groups will be reviewed and a winner will be determined. The two ‘winners’ of each group will then be compared to determine an overall winner.

 

What will a start-up company gain from entry, and ultimately, what will the winner receive?

 

Having seen the difference that success at the Sports Technology Awards has made to shortlisted or winning companies, we know that the STA Start Up Awards has the power to do the same. Our brand is now an internationally recognised mark of excellence, which provides a tangible, commercial point of difference, meaning winning companies can use their award’s success to accelerate sales, elevate customer conversations, inspire employees and assure/attract investors.

Sports Technology Awards ‘Start Ups’ Celebrate ‘Innovation from Inception’

The Sports Technology Awards Group has announced the launch of the STA Startups, its latest initiative which is dedicated to young companies globally.

 

Building on the success of the original Sports Technology Awards, the Startups celebrate tech-led innovation across 15 categories in sports, and is open for entries immediately. Startups of all sizes eligible for entry, from bootstrap through to Series A.

 

STA Group CEO, Rebecca Hopkins, explained the launch: ‘The Sports Technology Awards attracted a wealth of entries from younger companies, so it was clear there was a gap in the market to serve them better. The aim of the Startups is to create a widely recognized mark of excellence that companies can use to attract potential investors and customers. This will be achieved through a judging process which is rigorous, conducted by experts and is fair to entries of all sizes and types.’

 

As well as young tech businesses, the STA Startups is looking to identify the stars of the sports’ investment community, with specific categories for Angels, VC/PEs and Accelerators; there are also categories for eSports, fantasy sports and betting.

 

The 2018 Categories

 

1. App Company
2. Broadcast and Emerging Media
3. Coaching, Athlete Performance and Welfare
4. Equipment and Apparel
5. eSports
6. Fan Engagement
7. Fantasy Sports
8. Gaming and Betting
9. Participation
10. Sports Commerce
11. Wearables
12. Web, Digital or Integrated Platform
13. Accelerator
14. Angel Investor
15. VC / PE

Entries close on 28th February 2018 with the winners being announced via a Live Stream on 21st March.

Are Apps Sports’ Best Friend or Worst Folly?

Last week saw London Sport host the first Sports Technology Awards Debate, in association with Pioneers in Sport. With all parties sharing a keen interest in how tech-led innovations are influencing sport, it made sense to combine our networks to share insights as well as showcase the impressive new Sport Tech Hub, by London Sport.

 

Nearly 100 guests, from all aspects of the sports and tech sectors, enjoyed a lively discussion featuring a very insightful line up of panellists, which I was delighted to moderate. These were Archie Woodhead, COO, InCrowd a fan marketing company; Simon Ryley, Founder and CEO RightNow Digital, which creates fan engagement apps for sponsor brands and rights holders; and Teresa Aguilar, CEO of Pivot Sports which delivers Marketing Strategy and Execution using Big Data Analytics.

 

The theme of the discussion was ‘Apps – Sports’ Best Friend or Biggest Folly?’, not only were there a few hotly contested points, importantly, most guests felt that they learned something tangible and practical. Here were some of the main points covered

 

• An app is not always the right solution for the end user so don’t commission an app for the sake of it. Consider exactly what challenge or issue needs addressing, then work out if an app would solve it

 

• One of the main benefits of an app is that it can control the features of your phone e.g. accessing contacts, location, camera. If your brand’s app is just going to replicate web content then don’t bother, there are better things your organization can do with the budget

 

• Collecting behavioural data within the app is important but location, age and gender are still key bits of information for brands

 

• Think about how people behave – if they have time on their hands and need content, your app won’t be used if it doesn’t offer large quantities of information

 

• Apps are evolving in the way websites have. Originally websites had to be built from scratch but now people can access low-cost, off-the-shelf solutions. Apps aren’t quite there yet but in the near future, they will be built on top of mobile content management system platforms that provide key features out of the box

 

• Apps are not delivering any value for sponsor brands and need to align with their objectives as well as the rights holder’s. With a well-designed app, canny rights holders can also extend their digital assets and, consequently, improve financial yields from these.

 

Finally, if you are considering commissioning an app, these are the main things our panel suggested you remember:

 

1. The key part of the brief to the designers is demonstrating the challenges you are looking to solve with an app, the developer should come back with their approach to solving these

 

2. If you are a sponsor brand who is paying for the app to be built, ensure that it allows you to deliver on all the objectives of your sponsorship in an integrated manner, rather than being a stand-alone activation

 

3. Think about exactly what you want the app to do and how the success of this will be measured. Put these metrics in place at the start of the build, that way you can measure return on investment properly.