2016 Sports Fan Engagement and Fan Experience TrendseSports, Fitness, Virtual Reality and more

@MrBlairHughes

@MrBlairHughes

• Fan: Brisbane Broncos 1992• Bachelor Education & Behavioural Studies• Education: Primary/Secondary/Tertiary Teacher

2007-2013• Music Business: Brisbane Sounds 2006-2012• Sport: The Gabba/ QPR/ audioBoom 99-06 and

2013-Now• Now: PHD Fan Engagement

Fan Engagement Vs Fan Experience

Fan Engagement:“Creative, innovative, fun and inclusive activations, ideas, content and initatives led by teams, stadiums and sponsors who consult and listen to fans in the stadium and online and in local and global markets to foster long term relationship management, add value and increase the emotional loyalty of fans which in turn brings them closer and more connected to the team.”

Fan Experience:“The end to end customer experience that starts before you buy a ticket, encompasses the game and fan engagement activations at the venue and online, continues to evolve and never ends for the fan, club or stadium. It’s about always ‘looking up’ with ticketing, parking, security, Wi-Fi, future scoreboards, merchandise, entertainment, food/bev, seating, FE activations, rest-rooms as well as being valued as part of the team and being loud, participatory and social in the stadium or home fan cave.”

Fan Engagement and Fan Experience Trends 2016

1. Female Focused2. Fitness and Health3. eSports and Gaming4. Smart Future Tech Stadiums5. Stadium/Team Craft Beer and Gourmet Food6. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)7. SnapChat8. Fan Generated Content9. Audio10.Members Loyalty Rewards Programs

1. Female Focused• Women’s sport profile is rising rapidly• Yahoo’s annual report of the most searched athletes of

2015 was dominated by women• FIFA WWC most watched soccer event in US TV history• Increased broadcast coverage• Improved sponsorship deals for female players• Increased attendances from female fans • Female fans spending more time watching sports on TV

Female Focused Fan Engagement

2. Fitness and Health

• Teams/Stadiums being a leader for their communities

• Rising obesity rates gloabally• Depression- Mental Health• Men’s/Women’s Health Focus• Cancer• Climate change

2. Fitness and Health

3. eSports and Gaming• Is it even a real sport? • Competitive video gaming broadcast to a live audience• eSports players winning 2M per year• 64M in prize money in 2015• 400M in investment in 2015• Broadband live streaming has allowed rapid growth• Betting companies now involved• Larger audiences than the Super Bowl• Longer audience viewing times than YouTube• Broadcasters, sponsors, universities jumping on board

3. eSports and Gaming

4. Smart Future Tech Stadiums

• ‘Competing with the couch to get bums on seats’• App’s for way-finding, shortest toilet-lines, in-seat ordering, game

highlights and replays, self-serve beers and food/drink collection• Draft/Fantasy Stats• VR/AR technologies• Sustainability• Free high speed Wi-Fi• Vibrating seats• Louder speakers and sound systems

4. Smart Future Tech Stadiums

5. Stadium/Team Craft Beer/Gourmet Food

• Top reported ‘pain point’ in NFL/NBA• Fans want better quality, cheaper food that’s

easier to access• Craft beer- everyone’s making it and drinking it!• Craft beer consumption rising YOY• Tastes changing, innovation, image

5. Stadium/Team Craft Beer/Gourmet Food

5. Stadium/Team Craft Beer/Gourmet Food

6. Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality

• AR and VR both alter our perception of the world

• VR: Transposes and immerses the user and takes us to another place often through goggles which block out the room and puts our presence elsewhere

• AR: Takes our current reality and adds something to it, augmenting our current state of presence

• Every industry is tapping into this B$ field• Taking storytelling to the next level• The next massive Christmas present craze

6. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

7. Snapchat

• Snapchat is an image messaging multimedia mobile app

• 150M people using the platform each day• Users are watching 10B videos per day• Very young audience- Most popular social

network amongst teens• Teams are using Snapchat to get more personal

with fans• 96% US sports teams are on snapchat

7. Snapchat

8. Fan Generated Content• Teams are leveraging User Generated Content (UGC) in

their marketing strategy• Monetising sports fans content• Teams capitalising on ‘Fan Art’• Using fan’s social comments for fan and club written

match reports• Enhances in-venue experience• Teams are encouraging fans to contribute• Fans feel valued, respected and are closer to the team

8. Fan Generated Content