London Sports Management trip in photos

Last week, a group of La Salle students went to the annual Sports Management Study Tour in London. This was the 5th time the Sports Management Study Tour was arranged, and this year it was Professors Chris Kennett and Dawn Hiscock who led the tour.

During the days in London the students got to visit a variety of important sports stadiums, arenas and sports organizations. They also got to meet industry leaders and managers, and learned about both strategic and day-to-day challenges of managing high level sports events and about managing sports facilities in general.

The first day the group visited Twickenham National Rugby Stadium, where they got insights from the organising committee of the England Rugby World cup about the challenges faced when managing the world’s third largest sports tournament. The group got to listen to a lecture about the operational complexity of security on large-scale events, and they got a guided tour of the stadium.

They also got to see the exclusive stadium suites at the Marriott Hotel, which highlighted the importance of hospitality services surrounding big sporting events. Later the same day the group met La Salle alumni Emelie Nyman, who shared her experience from working in one of the leading sports marketing organizations in the world. On the second day of the trip, the group visited the Reebok Sports Club where they learned about the management and marketing of one of London’s most exclusive gyms. They also got a lesson at the Golf Lab, where they got to try a golf simulator. This illustrated the increasing role of technology within the sports industry.

When the golf session was over, the group went to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at Stratford where BT Sport is based.

There they learned about sports media rights and broadcasting in the UK, and they also had a privileged “behind the scenes” look at sports content production.

The group also took a walking tour in the Olympic Park, where they gained knowledge about the 2012 games and the legacy of the area. They also got to see how the local community now uses the facilities.

The third day of the trip, the group went to visit Lord’s Cricket Ground to learn about the history of the sport, and how the sport has redefined itself in an increasingly competitive entertainment driven industry.

The next visit was to Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea Football Club. There the group enjoyed a full behind the scenes tour of the stadium, complemented with insights about the revenue model of the club.

On the last day of the trip the students and the professors went to the home of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship, where they learned about the history of Wimbledon and its business model. The students got to discuss the unique ticketing strategy and debenture system as well as the new master plan for the re-development of the championship site.

The group also toured the historical site, and learned about the experience of the players, the fans and the media during the two week competition, as well as how the event competes with the other Tennis Grand Slams to maintain its position as a market leader.