- January 30, 2025
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Event News, Home News, Industry News, News, Press Releases
The first SVB LIVE Networking Event of 2025 – hosted at Leopardstown Racecourse – was a great success, with attendees not only afforded spectacular views, but also invaluable insights from the gathered industry peers and exclusive networking opportunities, all whilst enjoying delicious food and drink, courtesy of event partners, Levy Ireland and O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey.
Following on from last year’s hugely successful SVB LIVE Global Networking Events (APAC series) and the 2024 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition at Croke Park, the first SVB LIVE Global Networking Event (European series), took place at Leopardstown Racecourse in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday 23rd January.
This exclusive, one-day event, put networking and learning front and centre, with a host of industry experts providing insights on topics including:
- Customer/Fan/Premium Experience
- Digital Journey & Data Analytics
- Hospitality Technology & Innovations
- Event/Venue Safety
- Sponsorship
Keynote Speaker
Greg Power, Director of Estates, Campus Strategy & Property Development, gave an impassioned and honest keynote regarding the stadium development process and specifically The RDS redevelopment; a transformative €52 million investment programme to elevate the Main Arena, including the construction of the new Anglesea Stand, at the 43-acre campus. He was joined by a stellar speaker line-up.
The SVB LIVE series of events focus on elevating the live experience through Architecture & Design, Customer Journey, Fan Experience, Hospitality, Interiors & Fit-Out, Premium & VIP, Sustainability, Technology and Venue/Event Commercialisation.
The Agenda
14:00 Optimising Sponsorship & the Impact of Data Analytics. Speakers: Vicki Donlon, Commercial Manager, Horse Racing Ireland, Emma Meehan-McCoy, CEO, Down Royal Racecourse and Catherine Downes, Co-Founder & COO, usheru.
14:45 Audiences: A Love Affair. Why the Future of Marketing is Relationships. Speaker: Oliver Fegan, Co-Founder & CEO, usheru.
15:10 The Hospitality Revolution: How the Experience is Being Enhanced Through Technology. Speakers: Harry Ridley, Head of Technology, BUILT by Levy, and Jo Upward, Director of Strategy & Development, BUILT by Levy.
15:45 Cut the Line, Not the Safety: How Advanced Detection is Rewriting the Rules of Stadium Safety. Speaker: Peter Evans, CEO, Xtract One Technologies.
16:15 The RDS Redevelopment & the Process of Stadium Developments. Speaker: Greg Power, Director of Estates, Campus Strategy and Property Development, The RDS.
Vicki Donlon, Commercial Manager, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), who also sits on the SVB LIVE Expert Council, which helps to shape the content for SVB LIVE events, said:
I’ve been privileged to experience many events that Katie McIntyre and Cassandra Calleja have organised, and I was honoured to speak on an all-female panel about ‘Sponsorship & the Impact of Data Analytics’ with the brilliant Catherine Downes, co-founder & COO of usheru, and impressive leader in our industry, Emma Meehan-McCoy, CEO of Down Royal Racecourse, at last week’s SVB LIVE event, which we were delighted to host at our own Leopardstown Racecourse.
Another regular face at SVB LIVE events, Luc Vanhecke, Co-Founder, iXpole, said:
There were lots of familiar faces and some new ones. Most of the speakers focused on our favourite topics: sponsorship, data analytics, hospitality, and community building.It seems like Ireland is also catching up to our views in terms of sponsorship and hospitality management. We got some pretty interesting insights from the people in the horse racing business.
He also highlighted some notable takeaways:
- 🥇 Don’t just create a bronze, silver and gold package. Go out there and talk to your partners. Discover what they are looking for and then work something out together
- 📧 Do not just email that proposal. Hand-deliver it to them. Show them that you are looking to establish a true partnership
- ✍ The more you know about your customers, the better you can personalise the offering
- 🎰 We can learn from casinos. They know very well what their “whales” are into and adapt their offering to those needs so they can keep these customers longer in their casino
- 🏟️ The partners themselves are also interested in information about the people attending the events
- 📲 And a last one: there are so many digital touchpoints capturing data, but who is actually connecting all these dots?
Another regular at SVB LIVE events, Rebekah Murphy, Senior Sales Director, 24/7 Software, said:
Safe to say that Katie McIntyre pulled off another awesome networking event in Dublin… not even a ‘weather bomb’ could stop her! On behalf of 24/7 Software thanks for the chance to catch up with industry experts… here’s to the next one!
Event partners for the SVB LIVE Networking Event at Leopardstown Racecourse were Horse Racing Ireland, O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey and Levy Ireland, along with sponsors Accredit Solutions, usheru and Xtract One Technologies. Recently confirmed 2025 Platinum Plus Sponsors, Global Payments, Inc., were among the 50 attendees.
Harry Ridley, Head of Technology at BUILT by Levy, said:
Proud to represent Levy at SVB LIVE last week to talk about the changing landscape of Technology and Customer Experience (CX) within our industry; double the fun on stage with our Levy CX expert/rockstar Jo Upward.
Key Trends driving the Fan/Guest Experience
Harry noted the following trends driving the fan/guest experience:
CX Led:
– 📈 Leisure sector growth: 0.8% in outlets & 3.6% in revenue by 2029
– 🎉 Pleasure principle: Investing more in memorable leisure & hospitality experiences
– 💬 Experiences as social currency
– 🏢 Changing corporate hospitality purchases
– 🚀 Fastest growth in GA+ areas (merge of retail GA and GA+)
– 📲 Easy feedback sharing on venues/experiences
Technology Led:
– 💳 Friction-free transactions: Digital screens, kiosks, App orders and Frictionless kiosks
– 🤖 Embracing automation to speed up transactions, focus on keeping quality
– 🌐 Digital journey consideration from ticket purchase, arrival, event and post-event
– 👥 Refocusing operators on people-focused tasks (hosts)
– 🚫 QR code fraud awareness
– 📡 RFID growth for seamless purchasing & personalisation “invisible tech”
🔎 Leveraging these trends at Built by Levy:
– Data-led problem-solving, space planning, design-build, and focus on CX even before overlaying Technology
– Mapping customer journeys, identifying drop-out points, and queues
– Extending dwell time, aligning space design & tech to experience levels
– Masterplanning & strategic engagement to future-proof investments
– Increasing capacity, upgrading infrastructure, and continuous monitoring data
🚀 Latest Technology launches:
– Birmingham City FC’s St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park: Robust delivery of POS and self order screens, digital screens, beer walls and multiple fanzones
– Aston Villa’s Villa Park: Hospitality Lounge upgrades & further frictionless optimisation
– PSE & Oval: Hot wall trials launching full walls soon!
– JCA/Johan Cruijff ArenA: Retail transformation with upgraded infrastructure, beer, cocktail & food walls
– O2 Arena: Scaling & optimising frictionless bar and experiences
🌟 Incoming exciting innovations (others under strict lock and key 🔐):
Technology Led:
– 🏷️ RFID: Fast adoption in Merch, F&B, tracking in/out coming this year
– 📲 NFC: Replacing QR, expanding reach, storytelling, conference rooms, hospitality
– 🛒 Frictionless: New concepts (other golden nuggets in session, you’ll have to watch to find out!)
– 🤖 Automation: More BOH & FOH systems completing more advanced tasks
CX Led:
– 🏢 Shifting corporate hospitality purchases
– 🎟️ Facilitating GA+ guest curated experiences
– 🌟 VVIP experiences: Behind-the-scenes access, high-end spaces with attention to detail (personal)
The SVB LIVE series of events are organised and delivered by Sports Venue Business (SVB) and feature Global Networking Events, a Webinar Series and the Annual SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition.
Check out the latest sports and entertainment venue development data from across the globe in the exclusive, subscription-only, SVB Global Report here.
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