Xperiology delivers Session IV of FIGC Stadium Development Programme

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

This week, in beautiful Verona, Xperiology (the organisers of TheStadiumBusiness Summit) hosted over 45 stadium business experts, representing leading Italian football clubs from Serie A and Serie B, in a series of Customer Services and Sales & Marketing exercises.

Under the auspices of the governing body of Italian football FIGC – and in partnership with local delivery partner Studio Ghiretti – Xperiology delivered the latest session of its national Stadium Management development programme, which began earlier this year and continues into 2012.

Joining Xperiology were experts from UEFA, Serie A and Aspire Sports Group, along with independent training specialists. This week’s workshop built on the lessons from the October session at the new Juventus Stadium in Turin.

“In previous sessions, we have focused on new stadium developments,” explains Ian Nuttall, co-founder of Xperiology, and chair of TheStadiumBusiness Summit. “But in Verona we took a different approach and focused on how to maximise returns from existing stadiums, no matter their age and condition. This is particularly relevant in Italy where new stadiums are undoubtedly in demand but there will be some time before they are a reality. We encouraged clubs to make the most of their current stadium assets by focussing on the ‘low hanging fruit’ that is out there: ie. customer service, sales teams, fan engagement.”

Allen Roberts, former head of training at AEG Facilities in London and most recently with Arsenal FC, took the group through the fundamentals of customer service. Roberts, whose track record in training teams for service excellence also includes The Savoy and Disney Cruise ships, emphasised the importance of staff engagement and reward in today’s sports stadium guest experiences.

He was joined by Dr Bernie Mullin, the guru of Sports Marketing and former CEO of the Atlanta Thrashers and Hawks major league franchises. Mullin provided a full day of sales and marketing training based on his Aspire Group‘s latest TIMSS™ fan retention programme.

Joining Xperiology’s guest trainers was Thierry Favre, Head of National Associations Development at UEFA. Favre outlined the stadium development work undertaken by UEFA through its KISS initiative, whilst also highlighting that much further stadium development work was still needed in many emerging European markets.

Local high-level input was provided by Michele Uva, Director of Development at FIGC and Marco Brunelli, Director General of Italy’s top football league Serie A.

Xperiology’s partnership with FIGC extends into 2012 with two further two-day sessions in March (expected to be in Milan) before returning to Rome in April. The FIGC Stadium Development programme began in Rome, before moving on to FIGC’s Technical Centre in Coverciano, Florence.

“Our firm has also been invited to produce a series of specialist workshops and ‘best practice’ guides on stadium business development to further assist the development of Italy’s much-needed stadium renaissance”, commented Ian Nuttall, co-founder of Xperiology.

For further information on the FIGC Stadium Development programme (in Italian) please contact Studio Ghiretti: Segreteria organizzativa e informazioni – Tel: 0521 – 1911461. Or web.

RELATED POSTS

• Session I was held in Rome in March 2011. [Read more]
• Session II was held in Florence in April 2011. [Read more]
• Xperiology organised a stadium tour of leading UK facilities in September 2011 as part of the programme. [Read more]
• Session III was held in Turin in October 2011. [Read more]

>>The largest dedicated meeting in the world of the owners, the operators and the developers of the world’s leading stadiums, arenas and major sport venues, TheStadiumBusiness Summit will be held in Turin from 14-16 May 2012.