Exploring sports hospitality insights, trends and their drivers

Have you ever thought about what drives individuals to purchase or attend a live sporting event – and what makes them opt for ‘premium’?

For tennis especially, both the U.S. and Australian Open saw record numbers from a general admission and hospitality perspective this year just gone. The Championships, Wimbledon continues to be a huge draw from both sides of the pond, and official hospitality from Keith Prowse sold out this year by the end of March – eclipsing last year’s record. Driven by the American Express presale campaign, a growing number of B2C American consumers are making the trip to London as a key part of their ‘Euro Summer.’

Keith Prowse are the premium Experience Experts, and have been for over 220 years and counting – what started as a theatre ticket enterprise in London’s West End in the 1800s is now the UK’s no.1 hospitality provider. Amongst others, they are the Official Hospitality Partner of Wimbledon, Queens and Eastbourne – they have a content-driven marketing strategy built around perennially maintaining their position as the thought leader in their space, and always providing value - that’s why they recently launched a brand-new whitepaper, as part of an annual approach to thought leadership, entitled Beyond the Game!

Download the full piece via the link below, but here is a summary of the key insights:

• Going out is in; Quality, prolonged time together is a key currency in this day and age – we’re all always busy/ always-on, so coming together for events is ever-so-more valuable.

• Purpose is key; Values as to why we attend events are more disparate – and more innovation/ diverse formats (i.e. the growth trajectory of women’s sport e.g. Red Roses) means more choice.

• Multigenerational days out; With the economic landscape as it is, it is the ‘grandparent’ generation that are ‘premiumising’…but often taking their kids and grandkids along for the ride.

  • There is no better example of this event at Keith Prowse than the Rothesay International Eastbourne tennis tournament. Typically attracting an older-skewing lead booker – both GA and hospitality – due to it’s local pull/ sphere of influence, we notice three-sometimesfour generations enjoying a day at the tennis together on the South Coast of England. Speaking of ‘pull’, a key draw at Eastbourne last year was the amazing Coco Gauff!

  • A favourite genre of event within this trend industry-wide is concerts, which Keith Prowse are witnessing first-hand being the Official Hospitality Partner of BST Hyde Park!

• Premium experiences provide ease (e.g. guaranteed seats), elevation (e.g. better seats/ views of the action) and access (e.g. early, private access for some events).

• Contributors within include luxury events consultants who have worked at the likes of the FIFA World Cup (Fernanda Graeff), Elle, Esquire and Women’s Health Magazines (Victoria Archbold) – and the CEO of the Women’s Sport Trust, Tammy Parlour.

To tie this all together, we’ll leave you with this outro summary from Tom Ravenhill – Senior Marketing Manager at Keith Prowse (focusing on Wimbledon), and one of the key project managers that helped bring this whitepaper to fruition:

“We know that the pandemic especially initiated a shift from prioritising material objects, to prioritising memorable experiences. So as to make ‘time together’ even more special and worry-free, those that can are now more open to ‘premiumising’ – so as to guarantee your day and court of choice at Wimbledon, or to avoid the queues and crowds at concerts, for example.

B2C is definitely the growth market when it comes to premium, and gone are the days of ‘hospitality’ solely meaning ‘white tablecloth’ – whilst we of course still offer this kind of experience, Keith Prowse are also now championing the ‘premium-informal’ experience like the Treehouse at Wimbledon – think roaming Michelin Star plates, open-air balconies and a live DJ within a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for that personal consumer…but that’s not to say that our corporate customers aren’t opting to explore this ‘new notion’ also!”

Download your very own complimentary copy of the full whitepaper, right HERE!