- October 22, 2019
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Case Studies, Event News, Featured Articles, Features, Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
PTI Consulting are helping Connacht Rugby evolve to fully realise their opportunity to create commercial growth through Data Monetisation strategies.
Building upon the foundation the club has been able to create through clever partnerships with the local community and University, the team had already built a series of useful data dashboards to provide valuable insight on fan engagement.
PTI will continue to help drive the growth in data democratisation, data capture and analysis. This relationship, alongside utilisation of existing infrastructure and leveraging supplier relationships will combine to deliver the strategy.
Brian Mahony, Head of Commercial & Marketing for Connacht Rugby, said:
We feel that PTI Consulting are an ideal service provider of Data Monetisation solutions to Connacht Rugby. They have a team of consultants who have been there, done it, in sporting contexts so they were quickly able to speak our language and adapt to our constraints whilst delivering value. Understanding our customer data is crucial to our strategy to engage the local community and create deeper more valuable relationships.
The story of Connacht Rugby is one that dates back to 1885, when six small edgling clubs met to form the Connacht Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and with it the Connacht Senior Provincial Team. Their ambition was to grow the game of Rugby in Connacht and to provide a platform for the county’s best talent to shine at provincial and ultimately international level.
PTI Consulting are helping Connacht Rugby evolve to fully realise their opportunity to create commercial growth through Data Monetisation strategies. Building upon the foundation the club has been able to create through clever partnerships with the local community and University, the team had already built a series of useful data dashboards to provide valuable insight on fan engagement.
PTI will continue to help drive the growth in data democratisation, data capture and analysis. This relationship, alongside utilisation of existing infrastructure and leveraging supplier relationships, will combine to deliver the strategy.
First step
PTI Consulting were engaged to review the role of technology in delivering commercial return for the proposed new stand at The Sportsground, including assessing the use of data right through to the technology infrastructure. A gap around the utilisation of customer data was identified as an area of concern when assessing the commercial strategy plan. PTI were then engaged to deliver a Data Monetisation project to help provide recommendations on how to solve this issue.
The Challenge
The club is currently one of the smallest in both size of internal team and the commercial revenue. This does create limitations on how the club can approach technology engagements.
Solution
PTI Consulting’s Data Monetisation solution has assisted in reviewing all existing data processes as well as technology vendor selection. They have designed a data strategy and action plan that is both meaningful in the immediate term and actionable regardless of the funding plans for the new stadium – a double win!
Next Steps
PTI Consulting have delivered a detailed Data Monetisation strategy report outlining the key pillars to drive data monetisation. This has provided a set of recommended solutions along with a project delivery schedule.
€34.4 economic contribution
Independent research conducted by Economic Consultants KHSK (2016) states Connacht Rugby makes an Annual Contribution of €34.4m to the Regional Economy. This report also concludes the delivery of a Fit for Purpose home for Connacht Rugby at The Sportsground will lead to a further uplift in economic activity.
Understanding Customer Data & How PTI are helping Connacht Rugby
The proposed Sportsground development will have a far reaching impact on the club and the wider community. Creating an environment of customer engagement and data capture and utilisation will be an essential to success. At present, 70% of current attendees are unknown to the club.
PTI have designed routes to capture more attendee data and help the club deliver an ambitious new commercial plan:
- Sell eight new corporate boxes
- 740 new premium seats
- Sell up to 750 multi-year season tickets
- Increase season tickets sales to 4,500
- Increase attendee capacity to 12,000
- Sell the new conferencing facility for 320 days per year
The club are currently in the process of applying for funding to deliver an enhanced physical infrastructure at The Sportsground, comprising of a new stand development and a new build training and event space. With increased capacity comes a need to widen the sales funnel and get ahead of the curve.
PTI Consulting has delivered a full strategy outlining five key pillars and how these will combine to deliver data monetisation:
• Data Infrastructure
• Data Democratisation
• Data Capture
• Data Enrichment
• Analysis
Daniel Brown, Lead Data Strategist at PTI Consulting, said:
The key to fully realising your commercial opportunity is your understanding of the data you have and the data you need to capture. PTI will help Connacht Rugby create the infrastructure and process that will create the platform for data growth and their ability to use this data to engage the local community.
The Sportsground: Social & Commercial Impact
Connacht want to create a powerful and inclusive story of rugby success, where everyone who feels a connection with Connacht
can be part of and enjoy. A key cornerstone of realising this strategy and vision is having facilities to match the ambition, “in particular delivering a fit for purpose stadium and high-performance centre at The Sportsground – the proud home of Connacht Rugby since 1927.
130 people are employed by Connacht Rugby. This includes Professional and Academy players along with non-playing staff, making Connacht Rugby a significant employer in the West of Ireland.
The project will deliver a stadium with a capacity in the region of 12,000 people.
Connacht Rugby has an army of loyal and passionate supporters in every town and village across the Province. The club has the largest Social Media following of any brand in the West of Ireland with over a quarter of a million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms.
Mike Bohndiek, Managing Director, PTI Consulting, said:
PTI Consulting are proud to work alongside Connacht on this exciting project and journey. We will ensure that the club is well prepared to go on its new sales journey and realise the new commercial opportunities it brings. In our delivery for Connacht Rugby we’ve helped them consider data from a wider angle – from personal to meta data and anything in between.
Understanding customer data is crucial for all modern organisations, but especially those competing against larger clubs with larger budgets. Connacht have created strategies that will allow them to compete and we will help take them to the next level.
For the full case study, click here.
Sports Venue Business is delighted to welcome PTI Consulting on board as one of our latest VIP Sponsors. Simply click on their logo below to find out more…
Connacht Rugby’s Brian Mahony and PTI Consulting’s Mike Bohndiek are just two of the 50+ industry expert speakers from across Europe and North America that will be sharing their invaluable insights during ALSD International – Europe’s one and only event dedicated to the Premium Seat & Hospitality sector – coming to Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, October 28-29.
The stellar speaker lineup will provide insights on how to increase revenues through new builds, renovations and service expansions, as well as via the latest F&B and technology offerings. This, coupled with the some 200+ high-level industry executives to be in attendance, including delegations from Connacht Rugby, 3Arena, Formula E, Brighton & Hove Albion, Marylebone Cricket Club, Scottish Event Campus, Stockholm Live, The O2 and YTL Arena Bristol, makes this the must-attend event for all those involved in Premium Seating & Hospitality.
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