Day: 23 February 2023

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Why is the UK a Top Sports Travel Destination?

Chelsea Stamford Bridge

Here in the UK, we are lucky enough to host some of the world’s major sporting events. Not only is this great for those of us that live here, as we get to see some world-class sports right on our doorstep, but it encourages sports travel and is also a huge boost to our economy.

Sports enthusiasts from all over the world flock to these shores every year for Sports tours to experience these events, and with each trip, they need hotels to stay in, restaurants to eat at, bars to drink in – it all adds up to give a healthy boost to our businesses.

We thought we would dedicate this blog to looking at the impact sports tourism is having on the UK, and what sort of events are drawing people over here.

How important is Sports Tourism to the UK?

Sporting events are a huge contributor to the overall number of tourists that visit the UK. Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that over 1.5 million people travelled to the UK to watch a football match in 2019, and while they were here those visitors spent £1.4 billion. This is a huge amount of money, from just one sport.

These figures have been growing steadily for over 20 years, and they show no signs of slowing down as sports venues, travel companies and luxury hotels all look to capitalise on this ever-growing market, creating bigger and more inventive packages to offer their customers.

Which events are the most popular with International Sports Supporters?

One of the great things about UK sport is just how varied the events are. People from all around the globe can find an event to come and watch, and they can guarantee that there will be plenty of choice when they do. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights:

The Premier League

It’s an obvious place to start for a football trip. The Premier League is broadcast to 212 different countries, with a potential audience of 4.7 billion. The figures are just astronomical, so it is no surprise that football breaks are so popular with people all over the world.

You can see the appeal; get a group of friends together and select one of the many sports travel packages  available – usually including international flights, accommodation and match tickets for the team of your choice. These trips and packages often include a range of different hospitality options – all geared up to convincing the tourists to spend a little more money and make it a truly once in a lifetime experience.

As the league features players from every corner of the globe, you often get sport tourists coming to see players from their home nation. Son, at Spurs, has seen them gain a huge Korean following, whereas under Wenger, Arsenal gained a lot of supporters from France.

Cricket – England Home Tours

Speaking of sporting events with a huge international following, Cricket is one of the most watched sports on the planet, with the Cricket World Cup (hosted in the UK) attracting more than 2 billion viewers in 2019.

That doesn’t happen every year, but England will host tours against international opposition every summer, which attracts a huge influx of sports fans. Tickets for the Ashes matches, in particular, sell out months before they take place, with only hospitality packages available to purchase without entering a ballot.

Many cricket grounds have a hotel attached, or at least very close by, so it makes it an ideal option for sport travel..

Horse Racing

There are three main horse racing events that attract a huge amount of visitors from abroad – although they are admittedly mainly from one country.

Irish fans flock over to these shores to take in the Grand National, Royal Ascot and the big one – Cheltenham Festival. It’s here that the UK and Ireland compete for the Prestbury Cup – although Britain hasn’t won it since 2015, a trend that doesn’t look like changing any time soon.

While horse racing does have some appeal in mainland Europe, especially France, it is the Irish contingent that really makes horse racing the incredible tourist attraction that it has become.

NFL

It may sound strange to list American Football as one of our featured events in the UK’s top sporting tourist attractions, but the popularity of the London Games have really caught the imagination of Football fans all over Europe, and in America.

The excitement of seeing live NFL matches doesn’t seem to be wearing off – London is the only city in Europe that has regular annual fixtures, and travel packages are available from countries all around that wouldn’t normally get an opportunity to see one of these games. With tailgate parties and events throughout the city in the week leading up to it, it’s a great event to get people to really experience London.

Formula One – The British Grand Prix

Finally, the British Grand Prix, at the ‘home of racing’, Silverstone, is another huge sporting event that attracts visitors all over the world.

A massive 401,000 people attended across the weekend in 2022, making it the best attended British Grand Prix in history, and there is hope that the popularity will continue to soar as more effort is put into all-round entertainment and more extravagant hospitality packages.

This is another event, right in the heart of the UK, that foreign visitors will base a UK sport tour  around.

A Popular Destination for Sports Travel

You can see why the UK has become such a popular destination for sports tourists, and we have barely scratched the surface there – there is rugby, snooker, athletics, golf, tennis, boxing, UFC and many more sporting events to choose from. If you plan your trip right, you can tick off a host of sports and make it a trip you will remember for the rest of your life.

If you would like to book a hospitality package at an event in the UK, get in touch with us today and we can help you find the perfect package to suit your needs

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What to consider when planning a Corporate Hospitality Event

Corp event blog hero image

Before we get into this, let’s clarify something first: When we talk about corporate events here, we are talking about the fun ones. You know, the client-entertaining events where you go to watch something – whether it is a football corporate hospitality or a concert – that kind of thing.

Not a boring corporate event, with break out sessions, team building sessions and keynote speakers, but a sport corporate hospitality event where you can get to know your business associates in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. We believe that in this type of scenario, better connections are made, and deeper relationships can be formed.

There is a bit of pressure on you when you are planning this type of corporate event though – you want to make sure that you are going to make the most of the opportunity and that you don’t waste your time and money. So we have come up with this handy guide to corporate hospitality packages so that for all of your future events, you can make sure you have all of your bases covered.

Why organise a Corporate Event?

corp event blog - whyThere are many reasons why it is useful to host a client entertainment event, but it is important to establish exactly your reason before you start the event planning. This isn’t just as a jolly for you and a few colleagues (although enjoying yourselves is an important part of these events), there needs to be a real purpose or goal.

You might want to be entertaining customers, in order to develop a deep-rooted relationship with them that secures their business for years to come. Or maybe you want to host potential clients in an effort to stand out from the competition. Perhaps you just want to show your team that you appreciate them, maybe to reward them after a particularly busy period.

Whatever your reason for it, there are plenty of steps you can take to ensure it is a successful event.

Choose the right corporate hospitality event for the right guests

This one might sound obvious, but the most crucial step in event planning is planning the right event. So before you book the UFC fight tickets, maybe do a little bit of digging to work out whether your customer or client would actually enjoy watching two people pummel each other in a cage.corp event blog

Horse racing events can be great as you will have the whole day together, and there is plenty of time in between races to talk business. You can impress clients with tickets to sold-out concerts, and tell them to bring their families along – that sort of impression can go a long way. Or how about Premier League tickets at Anfield or Old Trafford, where tickets are hard to come by?

Speak to your proposed guest

First of all you want to establish whether it would be worthwhile taking them to any corporate event – make sure you have a realistic objective for your event. If someone has shown no interest in your product, for example, will one event change their minds?

Once you have established that it would be worthwhile taking them to an event, speak to them about their interests. Some won’t take much probing at all, especially if they are an Arsenal fan at the moment! Others, you may have to dig a little deeper – do they like Formula One, are they huge fans of Peter Kay or is Harry Styles more their cup of tea…?

How many guests?

As part of the planning process, you’ll need to establish how many guests you want at this corporate hospitality event. Do you want a quiet meeting, so you can go over intricate details? Or is it more of a general meet up, with plenty of people to create more of a relaxed atmosphere? The amount of guests will also likely determine the type of package on the day and will of course be determined by the budget you have to spend.

Choose the right venue for Client Entertainment

corp event blog image 2This will be partially informed by what sort of event you are planning, but you may have a choice within that. For example, you want to take them horse racing – is the Cheltenham Festival or Royal Ascot a better option? It’s not just about location – will each venue cater for what you want to provide? Will you require hotel accommodation nearby and can they help you with that?

Premier League football will offer you the best choice – venues all over the country, with so many options in terms of football corporate hospitality packages and facilities. A lot of stadiums offer venue hire when there isn’t a match on, for corporate parties, award ceremonies and other types of corporate events, so it could be beneficial to develop relationships with individual venues.

What sort of atmosphere do you want?

Different venues and events will have a different feel. What is your event’s objective? Do you want table discussions with your guests, where you can go over budget reports and detailed business strategy? Or do you want it to be a relaxed gathering where people can unwind and connect on a more personal level.

If you are looking for a suitable venue and struggling to know where to start, speak to our events team and we can help guide you to the perfect event for you and your guests.

Leave nothing to chance

You don’t need a team of event planners to pour over the finer details, but you should take time to ensure that you are going to get what you want from your event, and that it lives up to attendee expectations.

Communicate with your guests

In the weeks leading up to it, after you invite attendees, make sure you follow it up with event details so that they know what to expect.

 

Nothing makes people uncomfortable like turning up for an event and not knowing what to do, where to go etc. They will arrive tense, and a group of tense attendees probably isn’t going to help you run a successful corporate event.

Let them know every detail – dress code, parking situation, how to get to the event venue, when they will eat, what they need to bring with them (tickets, ID etc), details about hotel accommodation, links to the event website – maybe even an event planning checklist so that they know that they have everything.

Whatever you do, don’t just invite them and expect them to turn up without any other communication. You run the risk of them being flustered and uncomfortable on the day, or even worse – a no show.

Book through a company you can trust

Many hospitality packages are available to book directly through the event venue, which can cut out some of the hassle. However, if you are looking at a few different options, it can be beneficial to book through events industry experts – they can guide you through those options, and over time you can build up a relationship with them which can help you get the best deals at the best events.

After the event

As with any project, it is important to review how it went. Did you achieve all of your pre-event objectives? Did it live up to pre-event expectations? What would you do differently next time?

Gathering feedback from your attendees can be incredibly useful, but try to keep it informal. It’s a great chance to call up someone to ask whether they enjoyed it, and then move on to business matters.

All of this will help to ensure that your next event will be another success, and that as event organiser, you are making the most of your time and budget.

Where to book Corporate hospitality Events

If you are looking to host a corporate event in the near future, we can help you. We have a huge array of different events for you to choose from. Whether you want to watch live Premier League matches, secure tickets for sell-out concerts or have a luxurious day at the races – we’ve got you covered.

We can provide you with tickets to events all over the country, and our expert events team can talk you through all of your options so that you can plan the perfect corporate event. Get in touch with us today to find out more.

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What is the NFL London games experience like?

NFL blog hero image

The NFL London games have been a huge success. Last year saw the record attendance for an NFL game in London, as 86,215 fans packed into Wembley Stadium to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play host to the Denver Broncos. I say ‘play host’ because the Jacksonville Jaguars have become the unofficial London team – which we will look into further later.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the NFL in this country. 20 years or so ago the prospect of the NFL London games would have been unheard of – there simply wasn’t the demand for it. So how have these matches become so popular that they sell out within minutes of going on sale, with online queues of around 200,000 people?

In this article, we are going to be taking a quick look at the history of the NFL London games, before explaining what you could expect to experience at a game, as well as the various tickets and hospitality packages that are available.

A Brief History of the NFL London Games

NFL Blog - a history ofThe year is 2005, and the NFL has a problem. The sport has pretty much saturated its popularity in the USA, and due to the nature of the sport and the recovery needed after a game, extending the season wasn’t an option. In order to generate more money for the game, they needed more fans. They needed to take American Football out of America.

There had been tentative attempts to stoke up international interest in the NFL in the past. Matches called American Bowls, which were basically preseason friendly matches between 1986-2005, had been played abroad but they had limited success. So the NFL tried something new, with a regular season match – the first international game played was at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers. Over 100,000 fans turned up – the outside world had its first proper taste of NFL action, and it liked it.

Thus, the NFL International Series was born. In 2007, the first international game was played at Wembley Stadium, where the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins – with the first 40,000 tickets selling within 90 minutes of going on sale. One game a year was played at Wembley Stadium until 2012, when an extra game was added – the first time Jacksonville Jaguars played in the UK. They are owned by Shahid Khan, the same man who owns Fulham FC, and so have a close connection to London. The Jags have played over here every year since (except the pandemic-hit 2020 season), and will continue to until at least 2024.

In 2016, Twickenham Stadium hosted a match, and in 2019, the brand new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium joined the roster of UK venues. Three games a year were now scheduled for the UK. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had agreed a deal to host at least two games a year for 10 years – this was no flash in the pan.

Meanwhile, Mexico has hosted five games since 2016, all in the Estadio Azteca, and all attracting over 75,000 NFL fans.

In 2022, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Seattle Seahawks at the Allianz Arena in Munich, with two more fixtures scheduled to take place there in 2023. The Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots will host one each there.

The NFL International Series has been a huge hit for the game. In a further effort to expand the sport’s popularity, each team has been designated a country in which they market themselves. The NFL will continue to grow all over the world and who knows how big they can get.

Who will be playing in the NFL London games in 2023?

While the fixtures for the NFL in London for the 2023 season haven’t been announced yet, we do know which teams will be hosting the London games. Obviously, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be at Wembley Stadium, while the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans will head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meanwhile the Chiefs and the Patriots will play a game each in Germany, with their opponents to be decided. There will be no game in Mexico this year due to the ongoing renovation work at the Estadio Azteca.

There are three games in London this season, the first at Wembley and the following two at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There are then two games in Frankfurt – the first time they have hosted NFL games – with the Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs a truly mouthwatering prospect. The fixtures are:

1st Oct – Atlanta Falcons v Jacksonville Jaguars – Wembley

8th Oct – Jacksonville Jaguars v Buffalo Bills – Tottenham 

15th Oct – Baltimore Ravens v Tennessee Titans – Tottenham

5th Nov – Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs – Frankfurt

12th Nov – Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots

What’s it like at the NFL London Games?

NFL Blog - what is it likeThe fun for the NFL London games always starts in the week leading up to the match. A whole host of events take place around London in the build up.

Last year there was the Super Bowl exhibition space on London’s South Bank. This featured cheerleader performances from the visiting NFL teams, the chance to meet former players and the opportunity to take part in NFL training activities. The Vince Lombardi trophy was on display, as well as Super Bowl rings and plenty more. These are great events for the whole family.

On game day, though, things step up a notch. American Football is about much more than the match itself – it is a spectacle for the whole day. Let’s start with the tailgate party.

In America, this is where the fans turn up into the car parks of the stadiums, open up their boots and eat and drink with other fans. There are BBQs, kegs, picnics – it’s just one big party. Of course, their stadiums tend to be out of town, with plenty of space. In this country, you rarely get a stadium with ample parking. But that doesn’t mean we can’t tailgate…NFL Blog - what is it like 2

The NFL London version of tailgating is basically to have a load of food and drinks stalls set up outside the ground, loads of activities, some live music, some special guests and a fantastic carnival atmosphere. Wembley has the Boxpark to add extra space, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gets around their lack of room by closing down the roads nearby.

When you finally make your way into the stadium and to your seats, the same buzz and excitement that you felt outside follows you in. While you don’t need to be an NFL expert to enjoy the game, you’ll find yourself getting caught up in the game as the teams go head to head, even if it is your first ever trip to watch the NFL. The hits are hard, the sprints are quick and the catches often defy belief.

You’ll find fans of all NFL teams in the stadium – it isn’t segregated and people just like to come and watch an NFL match, whoever is playing. You’ll get New Orleans Saints fans sat next to New York Giants fans sat next to Minnesota Vikings fans – all there to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play the Green Bay Packers. And that doesn’t take anything away from the enjoyment at all – it just adds to the party atmosphere.

There’s plenty of music, food and drink to enjoy during the match, and the four quarters will fly by. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Hospitality Packages for NFL London

As we mentioned, getting tickets for an NFL London fixture can be difficult. The games will all sell out, so you have to hope that you’re lucky on the day they are released.

If you aren’t however, there are other options. Hospitality packages and VIP tickets can be purchased at any time once the fixtures are announced, for whichever stadium you want to attend. It’s a great way to ensure your seat at the match, as well as enjoying a more luxurious experience. Here are just a few of the options for you to consider:

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

NFL Blog - Tottenham HospitalityThe Spurs stadium was built with hospitality in mind – it is a stunning venue with world-leading facilities.

Premium Restaurant

Eat an exceptional three-course meal in this bustling restaurant, before taking your mid-tier seats near the 50-yard line. Half time and full time snacks, as well as inclusive beer, wine and soft drinks, with prosecco on arrival.

The H Club

These exclusive VIP tickets will grant you prime seats on the 50 yard line, snacks at half time and full time, inclusive beer, wine and soft drinks and Champagne on arrival. The main event, though, is a stunning three-course meal in The H Club.

Wembley Stadium

NFL Blog - Wembley hospitalityWhere better to watch an event than our national stadium? Wembley is a modern venue, with plenty of hospitality options, including some tailored to the NFL games:

Touchdown

Take in some exclusive NFL entertainment, with live music, before sitting down to a private table to enjoy some street food as well as the fully inclusive drinks before kick off. You’ll get premium seats on the 50-yard line, as well as post-game savouries and a souvenir programme.

Final Word

NFL London is becoming one of the major sporting events in the UK. American football has never been so popular, and we are lucky to be able to see the best teams in the world play over here.

Don’t miss out this year. If you are interested in purchasing premium tickets for one of the NFL London games, get in touch with us today and we can help find the right packages for you and your guests.

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Football Corporate Hospitality Packages – Good for Business?

VIP Hospitality

Client entertainment is one of the oldest techniques when it comes to getting business done. Having that one-to-one time with someone, away from formal offices, has always helped people develop relationships with prospective customers and generate more business. There are many benefits of entertaining business associates with football hospitality tickets, and even if your client’s or colleagues aren’t football fans we take a look at some of the best hospitality packages available in the UK.

Times have changed, though. It’s no longer a case of men in stuffy suits with briefcases, packed into dingy bars, drinking brandy and handing out cigars. These days, there are so many different ways that you can host client events, that you really can tailor the experience to suit the individual that you would like to impress.

Sport corporate hospitality, and in particular football hospitality tickets, have become increasingly popular, and increasingly varied. With the money that has been poured into the Premier League over the last 20 years, clubs have turned their attention to providing official hospitality packages – often including fine dining, a complimentary bar and entertainment before kick off. It’s a way to increase a club’s revenue in limited stadiums, and it means that we can experience Premier League football in new and exciting environments.

Why Football Hospitality Packages can be great for business

Football Hosp blog introVIP tickets for a Premier League game are one of the most popular football hospitality experiences going. It’s the most watched league in the world, with millions of people tuning in to watch the matches live. With general admission tickets usually selling out a long time before most people get a chance to buy one, being there for a Premier League match day (particularly at the bigger clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea etc) can seem difficult for a lot of people.

So you can make quite an impression on people by offering them tickets to the biggest games of the season. Or even an UEFA Europa League Game… People just want to be there, to feel the electric atmosphere, to witness the incredible moments in person. And with the football hospitality packages available, you can make it a day out to remember for a very long time.

Of course, you need to make sure that it will be worth your while. Return on investment can be difficult to calculate when you are entertaining clients – it’s not just about what they spend immediately, but about building a relationship with them for years to come. But you can have a rough idea – if you are spending, say, £500 a head on a private box, can you envision you will get more than that money back from an extra sale or two in the coming months?

There’s more to it than that, obviously. That client will go on to tell other people in the industry about their day at, say, Old Trafford experiencing Manchester United hospitality, and suddenly your name is getting mentioned by more people. You become a company that people want to be involved with.

The Best Official Football Hospitality Packages

Liverpool Corporate Hospitality Packages – Anfield

Premier Club Package-liverpoolThey may not be having the best of times at the moment, but the matchday experience at Liverpool is unrivalled. Seeing The Kop belting out You’ll Never Walk Alone never fails to give you goosebumps. Tickets are difficult to come by, so if you have a Liverpool fan as a client, they would absolutely love a trip to this famous old ground. UEFA Champions League games, under the lights, are spine-tingling.

One of our favourite packages: Premier Club

Gain access to the exclusive suites (Paisley and Shankley) as well as a two course buffet meal, half-time tea and coffee, pre-match entertainment and, best of all, executive padded seats in the upper Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand – some of the best tickets in the house!

Tottenham Hotspur Corporate Hospitality Packages – The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

spurs loungeQuite simply, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium is one of the best in the country, if not the world. Even non-Spurs fans can’t help but be impressed by the stunning facilities that they have here – this is the pinnacle of football hospitality. VIP packages are incredibly popular here – it’s a great place to take clients.

One of our favourite packages: Premium Experience

Enjoy live entertainment and appearances from Spurs legends before the match, along with unlimited light bowl food, before you take your seat in the Premium Tier for the match. Plus, you’ll get a complimentary drink and sweet snacks at half time.

Chelsea Corporate Hospitality Experiences: Stamford Bridge

It would be misleading to suggest that all of Chelsea’s recent spending spree was funded by their wonderful hospitality tickets, but they must have helped a bit – right? One thing we love about Stamford Bridge is the location – you’re in the West End of London, so there are plenty of options before and after a game.Under the bridge chelsea 2

One of our favourite packages: Under The Bridge

Access the exclusive ‘Under The Bridge’ Lounge before the match, with hot and cold food available, alongside the complementary bar. For the match, you’ll be sat in the West Stand Upper (a great view) and then you’ll be back in the lounge after the match for more food and drink. A fantastic matchday experience.

Wembley Stadium Corporate Hospitality

Okay, so not the Premier League, but who wouldn’t be impressed with a trip to one of the most famous stadiums in the world. The home of football. The Emirates FA Cup Final, the League Cup final, England games and even a Champions League final every now and then (the next one is the 2023/24 season). A game at Wembley is one of the best football hospitality experiences going.

Wembley - Bobby Moore Club view

One of our favourite packages: Bobby Moore Club

 

A Champagne reception, fully inclusive bar, exquisite three course meal, the chance to meet legends of the game and premium seats for the match on Level 1, by the halfway line near the dugouts. The best way to secure an official ticket at Wembley, and to really impress your clients.