With the reach of sporting events expanding across the globe and every household,ensuring their smooth functioning and generating optimal return has become a challenging task. The CXOs of the sporting bodies have a tough time taking decisions covering multiple prongs of the event, such as athlete management, ticketing,volunteer management, transport, and stadium management,…to name a few. A comprehensive and foolproof sport solution to manage all of these areas and a consolidated view of the metrics is the need of the hour.

1. White Paper
Maximizing ROI on sporting events
through effective utilization of IT
About the Author Introduction
With the reach of sporting events expanding across the globe and every household,
ensuring their smooth functioning and generating optimal return has become a
challenging task. The CXOs of the sporting bodies have a tough time taking decisions
covering multiple prongs of the event, such as athlete management, ticketing,
volunteer management, transport, and stadium management,…to name a few. A
comprehensive and foolproof sport solution to manage all of these areas and a
consolidated view of the metrics is the need of the hour.
Dilbagh Gill is Head of Sport Business at
Mahindra Satyam and spearheads the FIFA
Technology forms a very crucial part of the whole process involved in managing
relationship for the entire IT solution
development and deployment for the 2010 FIFA and conducting a sporting event. Technology stitches this together to enhance the
World Cup South Africa. Besides this Dilbagh is efficiency of a CXO.
developing the Sport Technology Practice with a
world class team of consultants serving Reducing Operating Costs
customers and events of various scale across all
geographies. He is currently based out of Boston. Executive Issues Business Blueprint Mahindra Satyam Offering
He can be contacted at • How can I Business Capability: • Consulting IT • Knowledge
Dilbagh_Gill@mahindrasatyam.com leverage • Paperless integration Strategy Management
technology to of fan databases and • ERP • Business
integrate all the all transactions Transformation
processes and taking place within • Network Integration
functions within an arena Data Warehousing • Web development
my arena? • Ability to gather and • CRM • Web publishing
• How can I make store information • SCM
more efficient about fan spending • Digital Media
the process of • Integrated Management
transmitting applications for Framework
data about an handling all aspects
event in • Knowledge
of event operations Management
progress?
IT Capability: • Statistics
• How can I • Integration of all
remove costs applications within • Digital Library
from event an arena • Printing Systems
operations?
• Central database of
fan information,
accessible by
multiple systems
(e.g. ticketing, web
eCommerce,
kiosks,)
• Collaborative
applications,
mobility solutions
Inside the issue
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Reducing Operating Costs ............................................................................................................................. 1
Brand Positioning .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Encashing the power of Web ........................................................................................................................ 3
Leveraging assets for developing a fan base .................................................................................................. 3
Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
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2. White Paper
Any sporting event across the world has huge investments in terms of money and
effort. Currently, areas such as transport management, stadium management,
volunteer management make up a major chunk of the spending pie. The CXOs of
the sporting bodies are always looking at ways to reduce the operating costs by the
use of technology or smart applications. They are always looking for ways to reduce
the total cost involved in event operations.
Smart and integrated sport solutions bringing together the costly areas such as
accreditation system, volunteer management, material and space management,
transportation systems and hospitality systems will hugely reduce the operating
costs with very minimal investments (compared to the returns).
An Integrated Sport Solution (ISS) can also help achieve paperless integration of
fan databases and all the transactions taking place within a sport arena. The ability
to gather and store information about fan spending is intelligent pieces of data
which can help the sport companies develop integrated processes and functions
This point-of-view summarizes within the specific sport arena.
the issues faced by the CXO of a
Brand Positioning
sporting body and the
Executive Issues Business Blueprint Mahindra Satyam Offering
technological solution for the • How shall I extend Business Capability: • Brand Strategy • Consulting
same. my brand • Integrated brand Consulting • Web Strategy
• Should The ROI extension strategy • Web applications and
from Web • Understanding and services Implementation
Investment be customers • CRM • E-Commerce
sought in the form of expectations from Applications
cash revenue or the brand • Hosting
brand extension • Smart Stadium • Web traffic
• Collaboratively tracking
• How to enhance the manage • Collaboration
value of the transactions of the Tools • Web
federation member Development
• How can I enable associations • Web Publishing
new ways for fans to tools
express their affinity IT Capability:
for my team/sport? • Wide Area Network
• How must I position • Central data
my sport or team repository for fan
image in order to information
fulfill the
preferences and
needs of younger
fans?
As the global economies are becoming more and more dynamic, consumers are
empowered with more power to spend. This means consumers do not buy a product
because they like it; they buy it because they see a promise being delivered.
Expressing or selling the promise is achieved only through a trusted brand. When
it comes to a sporting event, developing a trusted brand and loyal fan base is very
crucial for the success of the event.
How shall I extend my brand? Should the ROI from Web investment be sought in
the form of cash revenue or brand extension? How can I enable new ways for fans
to express their affinity for my team/sport? How must I position my sport or team
image to fulfill the preferences and needs of younger fans?
The above concerns have created the demand for a new way of developing and
deploying applications for sports companies that would allow standard event
management services to be commissioned on time using minimal set of resources.
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3. White Paper
Encashing the power of Web
Executive Issues Business Blueprint Mahindra Satyam Offering
• What combination of Business Capability: • Consulting • Web Strategy
commerce, • Deliver real time • Net Commerce and
community, and statistics Implementation
content will • E-business
• Enable subscription services • E-Commerce
comprise my web business models Applications
strategy? • Hosting
• Video highlights • Web traffic
• How can I leverage • CRM tracking
the web for IT Capability:
incremental new • Incorporate e- • Web
revenue streams? Commerce into Development
• How do I attract legacy transaction • Web Publishing
more fans to my web capabilities, tools
site? connect web site to
legacy systems
• How can I create
synergy between my • Site scalability
branded site and the • Mechanism/
manufacturers/ resources for
An Integrated Sport Solution sponsors who wish to regularly refreshing
sell to my fan base? or re-launching site
(ISS) can help achieve paperless
• How should I meld
integration of fan databases and my b2b and b2c
initiatives?
all the transactions taking place
within a sport arena. Technology solutions such as smart web application, collaboration tools, e-commerce
applications, a robust CRM, and web traffic analysis will not only help create better
user experience, but also help in analyzing fan base. The Internet is so powerful a
tool that it can increase the ROI on technology by multifold, if used in a logical
manner.
Web applications can be leveraged to develop incremental revenue streams. Imagine
the fans receiving real-time statistics on the sport event website free of cost and
then engaging the fan to buy a photograph of a famous sport legend by paying a
nominal fee.
A website with features such as LIVE updates from the match, mechanisms to
refresh the site data dynamically to present a bouquet of statistics to the fan base
enables new ways of increasing ROI on technology.
Leveraging assets for developing a fan base
Executive Issues Business Blueprint Mahindra Satyam Offering
• How do I develop Business Capability: • Consulting • Knowledge
more intimacy with • Flexibility to offer • Business Management
my customers (fans)? new products and Intelligence • Business
• How can I use services to fans Transformation
• Network
technology to make a • More ways to integration • Web
stadium visit an convey real time development
exciting and friendly information to fans • Data warehousing
place? • CRM • Web publishing
IT Capability:
• How can I better • Repository of • Access Control
acquire customer statistics • Smart Cards
data and use it
effectively to market • Kiosks
to fans during • Arena technology
events?
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4. White Paper
Any sporting event in this world comes with lots of data, statistics and a very strong
fan following of the players. Fans love numbers, facts, memorabilia, pictures, and
videos. They love to feast themselves with statistics and percentages, rare match
photographs of their favorite players. The best place for a sport fan for procuring all
this information is through the respective sporting body. But how?
Technology has made information sharing very easy, but it can only happen if the
information is handled in a smart way. Efficient and smartly managed digital
repositories of the information available with the sporting bodies can help create a
wealth of information for a sporting fan.
A central repository of information also helps develop strategies to reach out to
wider fan base, while giving flexibility to formulate strategies for new products and
services to the fan base. Most importantly, creating smart applications with valuable
assets (data, picture, videos) also help create segmented market plans and deliver a
value-add to the fan when he visits the stadium for the match.
The internet is so powerful a tool Summary
that it can increase the ROI on
technology by multifold, if used
Event Management
in a logical manner. Hardware / So ware/ Accredita on
Back Office
HR, e-mail systems, Stat Analysis
Financial and Accoun ng Schedules
Player Contracts & Sta s cs Coaching Dra
Player Management
Scou ng
Development
Kiosks
Acquisi on
BPO Services
Games Business
Management Intelligence
Systems
Web
Applica ons & Central
Collabora on Media Repor ng
Tickets Services Database
Scoring
E-commerce
Content CIS
Facili es
Management Video
Data Feed
Ticke ng Web Feeds
Digital Library
Venue Services Repurposing
Cabling Coaching Tools
Archival
Network Management
Retrieval
Indexing
License Management
Royalty Management
It largely remains expensive to maintain bespoke applications for managing each
event within the sports arena. The time is ripe for consolidating and integrating of
the sporting process and functions and start offering them as “Integrated Sport
Solution”. The current breed of technologies such as cloud computing allow us
migrate easily to this new model and realize the benefits of centralization.
The new delivery model translates to huge cost savings for each client along with
other benefits such as smart stadia, better management of digital media, and efficient
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5. White Paper
usage of assets to deliver business value. With this model, clients can now focus on
their core business processes rather than having to spend time looking at ways to
manage the technology landscape.
Mahindra Satyam is uniquely positioned to exploit the alternative delivery model
Mahindra Satyam is one of the named “Integrated Sport Solution”. We have positioned ourselves as a provider of
leading information and the requisite Integrated Sport Solution (ISS) and it is backed by many years of
expertise.
communication technology
companies that can help the As part of the brand positioning module of the Integrated Sport Solution, Mahindra
Satyam offers brand strategy consulting and helps the companies create an integrated
sporting body with media asset brand extension strategy which will help in understanding customer expectations
management, digital library from the brand. It also has the capability to develop dynamic e-commerce
services, e-content services and applications connecting the legacy systems.
digital media distribution Mahindra Satyam is one of the leading information and communication technology
services. companies that can help the sporting body with media asset management, digital
library services, e-content services and digital media distribution services. The
company has the much-needed consulting expertise in dynamic and bespoke web-
based applications. Moreover, Mahindra Satyam would remain committed to its
vision of creating more value for its customers using this new model.
For further information please write to rfi@mahindrasatyam.com
www.mahindrasatyam.com
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