Fan-focused. Sustainable. Experiences!

Max Gill leads Business Development in EMEA for Just Walk Out at Amazon, which enables retailers to reinvent customer experiences by delivering checkout-free stores

Max has over 20 years’ experience leading and scaling early-stage businesses. He has expertise in bringing disruptive and innovative technologies to market, including 5 years at Amazon Web Services (AWS) transforming the digital strategies for several major UK retailers.

Sean Jarvis initially joined Huddersfield Town in August 2006 before joining the Board of Directors in June 2009. Sean moved from Oldham Athletic to become Director of Business Development of both Huddersfield Town and the Huddersfield Giants in August 2006 before becoming focused on the Football Club on a full-time basis in July 2008, shortly after former Chairman Dean Hoyle invested in the Club. He has been a driving force as the Club’s Commercial Director in developing new income and sponsorship activities. Jarvis’ focus has not only been on commercial aspects, he has also been instrumental in improving relations between the Club and their fans as the driving force behind the formation of one single supporters’ group – now known as the Huddersfield Town Supporters Association. In June 2020, Sean was appointed CEO of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

After a career in the world of global insurance, David commenced his journey into AV visualisation almost 25 years ago.

In the first 15 years, David created digitalisation networks for rail networks, designed visual enhancement delivery in both primary and secondary care, and built a network of technology solutions in retail & shopping malls.

Over the recent decade, David and his business partner Ben, have invested in Bendac, the UK’s leading LED technology group, working in multiple sectors from sports, marine, retail, corporate, leisure, education and hospitality, delivering solutions to a global customer base, covering 20 countries.

T8 Partnerships was set up by Ian Tussie in December 2020 and works with rights owners and brands on partnership and sponsorship strategy and delivery. Ian has over 10 years of experience in partnership strategy, development and delivery across multiple sectors including indoor arenas and exhibition centres, transport operators, visitor attractions, health & fitness and sporting organisations and has been responsible for delivering significant long-term partnership revenues for the likes of ASM Global, ACC Liverpool, TfL, TfGM, Eden Project, Chester Zoo and David Lloyd Leisure and worked with brands such as MasterCard, EDF Energy, Asda, Jaguar, Reebok, Ricoh, Zoggs, AO, Utilita, Kellogg’s, Deezer and JD Sports.

During his career Ian has secured 6 long-term venue naming rights deals: AO Arena Manchester, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Phones 4U Arena Manchester, Bonus Arena Hull, P&J Live Aberdeen and Baker Hughes Exhibition and Conference Hub Aberdeen. To date T8 Partnerships has worked with a number of sports and entertainment clients including YTL Arena Bristol, Brentford Football Club, The LMA, Lancashire Cricket, Human Race and Manchester Central.

George Vaughan is Head of Technology at Ascot Racecourse. Over the last 4 years he has orchestrated a technology overhaul of the venue, including a new audio upgrade with Bose, a 4K TV upgrade with Samsung, a new POS with Kappture and Worldpay, as well as NFC ticketing, which included the innovative Golden Ticket program in partnership with ProntoCX.

Most recently, he launched a global first initiative for racing with voice activated hospitality through Amazon and Audico and has just overseen the installation of the largest portrait screen ever installed in a European venue by Samsung for this year’s Royal Ascot.

Prior to Ascot, George was at Twickenham Stadium, where his worked helped the venue win 7 industry awards between 2015 and 2018.

Tim has worked for technology companies across the globe in London, Barcelona, and Melbourne for the past 15 years. He has held leadership roles in US and Australian start-ups, and for some of the most recognised organisations in the technology sector. Tim is focused on ensuring organisations fulfill their brands potential through utilising digital and data to maximise commercial outcomes.

Peter Watts is the founder of Rockvolt, an operations, sustainability, and facilities consultancy based in the UK and focused on the sport and event sector. He has three decades of experience and has worked at some of the world’s largest, most prestigious and exciting venues and events, including four Olympic Games.

Previously part of Compass Group, Peter oversaw their support service delivery to sport stadiums.

Currently much of Rockvolt’s focus is on working with venues and their journey to operating more sustainably. This includes developing strategy, setting targets, measuring emissions, and progressing the culture to embrace good sustainable practices.  We facilitate positive operational change.

With over 20 years experience within the digital signage market, initially in a signage software start-up that was sold to AMX, Damon then led global signage software leader Scala’s European business, as VP, Europe.

He has worked on digital deployments for brands such as McDonalds, Starbucks and Burger King. He joined Samsung in 2015, and currently is the Head of the UK Display business, which incorporates Samsung’s full suite of Professional Display solutions from DMB’s through to Stadiums. He has worked on recent deployments for Brighton Football Club and The Principality Stadium in Wales.

For more than 25 years Bart has been active in the development of branded centers, museums and theme parks at board level around the world. During these years he has been involved with projects as Heineken Experience, London Eye, Disney Paris and many others. Bart has worked on several sports related experiences.
Based on these years of expertise, he started his own consulting firm TDAC, which advises developers and investors to achieve their business goals when developing or operating their leisure business. Bart strongly believes that the best shareholder value is achieved by putting the guest experience first.

For more than 14 years at the Stade de France, I have demonstrated that we can create durable value in stadiums by diversifying the sporting programme with big cultural and popular shows. By proposing spectacular staging, developing bold artistic concepts and unprecedented marketing campaigns, we have gathered more than 1.5 million spectators for great operas such as Carmen, Aïda, Nabucco, Turandot, Verdi’s Requiem or for original creations such as the Celtic nights, Urban Peace, Unighted, Ben Hur and Excalibur. Sharing this experience with stadium operators, proposing great cultural shows, accessible to all while entertaining, this is the goal of live Stadium.

Alan Rownan is Head of Sports and Entertainment at Euromonitor International. Alan leads on editorial strategy, tackling topics ranging from the evolving sports sponsorship landscape to fan engagement trends across the worlds’ largest leagues and events. Alan also advises clients across the commercial spectrum of sports – providing insights to teams and leagues on emerging partnership opportunities and to brands and companies eager to maximise sports partnerships within local and global marketing strategies.

Jo has over 20 years experience in the Sport and Venue sector involved in challenges ranging from new stadium builds to ticketing and digital transformation. In fact Vindico was born in a Stadium and still works from Parc y Scarlets today, along with another office Ice Area Wales. Vindico has since become a tech incubator and software development house for systems that have delivered tailored efficiency and clear visibility of data to venues such as the Principality and Sixways, as well as other sectors such as transport, education, construction and Defence.

Mike Matczak is in his third season working for the 49ers on behalf of E15 Group. In his current role as Regional Manager, Strategy and Analytics, Matczak focuses on 49ers concessions operations including strategy, project management and new technology implementation. He also supports other non-concession related initiatives related to frictionless technologies, fan experience and new revenue streams as part of the 49ers robust and award-winning business strategy and analytics department.

Recently, Matczak has supported the 49ers roll out of their Member Inclusive Menu (MIM), a gameday concessions menu of fan favorites like hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and more, that 49ers season ticket holders can order from at no additional cost. After just one year of operation, MIM has already received serious recognition by being shortlisted by prestigious award programs such as the Sports Tech Awards and TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

In addition to his work with the 49ers, Matczak supports non-NFL events and concerts at Levi’s Stadium from a strategy and operations perspective. His work for E15 also extends to other West coast sports properties such as the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz and more. He previously worked at PIMCO and BNY Mellon in account management roles.

Matczak graduated from Yale University with a BA in Political Science. Originally from New Jersey, he currently resides in Oakland, CA with his partner Cecelia.

Andrew Smith, Sales Director – UK at VITEC, has worked in the AV industry for over 20 years. With particular expertise in the stadium and higher education sectors, Andrew has been working for a number of years with the likes of Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Wembley and Principality stadiums, Southbank University, Warner Brothers’ Harry Potter Tour and many more well-known names across the UK.

Dr. Malcolm Clarke has been involved in the UK national football supporters movement for a quarter of a century. He is the Chair of the Football Supporters’ Association, the representative body for football supporters in England and Wales, which was formed from a merger of two predecessor national organisations in 2018. Malcolm had previously been the Chair of one of those since the turn of the century so has over two decades experience in the role. In 2007 he became the first supporter representative on the English FA Council, a post which he held until reaching the compulsory retirement age last year.

He is a home and away supporter of Stoke City, and if Stoke aren’t playing but York City, his ‘second’ team, are, he’s usually there. He is also a keen cricket fan, and a member of Lancashire County Cricket Club. He thus has a lifelong experience as a user of stadia.

He started his professional career a long time ago as an academic, before moving into public sector senior management for Manchester City, and then as an NHS Chief Executive, after which he became a consultant specialising in advising and assessing organisational quality. He was also one of the founder members of the Information Rights Tribunal, a role he held for 18 years until reaching the compulsory retirement age for members of the judiciary last year.

Along with colleagues in the FSA he has been extensively involved with the Government’s fan-led review of football chaired by Tracey Crouch MP, which reported earlier in the year, and led to the announcement in the Queen’s speech that the Government will establish an independent regulator for football.

Justin is responsible for leading our global revenue strategy while building high performing teams. He is focused on finding new customers to adopt the company’s technology and drive sustainable growth for the company.

Prior to 24/7 Software, Justin was the Vice President of Global Revenue at DigitalEd, where he built and led 5 global revenue teams and was responsible for sales, marketing, customer experience, and channel partners.  Under Justin’s sales leadership, the company went through years of rapid growth that eventually led to a successful M&A activity in 2021.  Justin brings over 20 years of international sales and marketing experience, including executive and leadership roles in high growth software (SaaS) companies such as D2L, Igloo Software, and Miovision.

Francis Casado is one of the founders of Mobile Media Content – 3D Digital Venue and is currently serving as Head of International Business Development. Prior to founding MMC- 3D Digital Venue, that revolutionized Interactive Digital Venue Management for Sports and Entertainment Venue Industry, Francis made his career around the beneficial application of 3D Technology and Virtual Reality for various sectors. Serial entrepeneur, with strong expertise on mobile monetization, VR, AR, Social Media and Sports Fan Engagement platforms.

Nick has twenty years’ global experience in the stadium, event and entertainment sectors working in various executive roles. The past two and a half years since being on the team Nick has led an incessant mission to ensure Eden Park holds its place on not only the New Zealand’s map but also the world stage. Nick immediately identified that Eden Park’s rich sporting history, global profile and worldwide broadcast reach would attract interest from both national and international brands. Nick has been relentless in his commitment to increasing stadium utilisation through innovation which has driven a number of new revenue streams and tourism opportunities at Eden Park which have contributed to the nation’s largest industry. Nick has been committed to enhancing his business acumen and acquiring further technical skills and knowledge throughout his career. Nick has studied in China, Germany and America and holds Bachelor degrees in Business and in the Arts, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Melbourne. Outside of work, Nick played 260 VFL matches and won seven premierships and amongst a number of individual honours, kicked 883 goals in the VFL competition and holds the competition record for leading goal kicker.

David Pritchard is a commercial specialist steeped in sport in a multi-channel, global marketplace. At GroundWOW, he is responsible for bringing world first technology to market and driving brand awareness across an expectant target audience following a five year period in top-secret research and development. David is the primary contact for stadium owner-operators, sports clubs and governing bodies and with deep experience in world-class innovation-led environments, is well-versed in helping his clients to understand and embrace the benefits of bringing ground-breaking technology to their businesses.

Tony Rhoades is Chairman, CEO and Founder of GroundWOW. He is a former Russell Group academic director, award winning inventor of disruptive patented technologies, and specialist in commercialising emerging technology in entrepreneurial new ventures. Tony has held numerous Executive Board & Advisory appointments, including IMechE, Centre for Professional Engineering, and MoD. He combines a deep experience of creating global manufacturing capabilities with extensive knowledge of 3D scanning, robotics and engineering

Mark is a sports fan engagement expert with nearly 30 years’ experience of helping organisations to grow attendances sustainably, i.e., through outstanding levels of engagement in a culture where the needs of the fan come first.

He and his partner Ana founded the Fan Experience Company (2005) and it has since become Europe’s prominent fan experience consultancy, having undertaken more than 3,000 separate assessments at every level of both the men’s and women’s games and delivered projects for a diverse range of organisations, inc. The FAW (Wales), The United Rugby Championship, The EFL, The FA, The SPFL, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, the 3F Superliga (Denmark), the Eredivisie (Netherlands) and FC Barcelona

Founder and CEO, Peter Moore launched into the hospitality sector with his company Consolis in 2007, rebranding to It’s Lolly (Lolly) in 2016. Previously, he held senior roles at technology companies including CEO of Omega Logic, where he saw the future was in integrating electronic point of sale (EPoS) tills and payment technology.

Success in the hospitality sector has provided a springboard into stadia such as Southampton FC, where the Lolly solution removed the need for multiple suppliers and complex integration. The integrated hardware and software, secure and seamless cashless payments, linked kitchen video display and software supporting comprehensive recipe and allergen display requirements made this a perfect fit for the fast and extensive demands of the 32,000-capacity venue.

His former military career has influenced the way he views and manages his business today. His recipe for success is ‘simplicity’ and his attitude is ‘straight to the point’. A visionary, Peter drives his team’s focus on developing technology of value for the hospitality sector. This includes AI and computer vision technology that can be widely used, and affordable for hospitality providers of all sizes.

Steve McArdle joined the team at Global Payments in 2020, following a distinguished career in stadium technology and card payments within the stadia and venue sector. His role as Director of Stadia and Venues has helped shape the new sector proposition, which brings together card payments and EPOS technology, culminating in a unique and innovative solution.

With over 15 years experience within the sports venue space, Steve has personally managed over 80% of the UK’s main sports and entertainment venues. Recognising the need to use data and analytics to drive the new digital era for the clubs and venues reopening post-COVID.

Outside of work, Steve’s passion is live sports, with Football, Basketball and Horse Racing being personal favourites. Steve is based in Manchester and commutes globally.

Ian Nuttall is the owner and founder of TheStadiumBusiness Summit, presented by his Xperiology events business. His working life began in sports hospitality events management (including Formula 1, horse racing and Wimbledon) before pursuing an award-winning career in B2B magazine publishing. He has co-launched and edited numerous business titles (ranging from energy and industrial processes through to airport design and Intelligent Transportation Systems).

He has also founded many of the sports sector’s most respected publications and news sources – most recently TheStadiumBusiness News, delivering the all the latest Stadium Business news, blogs, videos, and up-to-the-minute media coverage from all the leading voices in the Stadium Business industry, all in one place. In addition to his ongoing commitments as a sports business writer and speaker, Ian provides highly-valued, specialist consultancy to the sports and entertainment venue sector.