Initial Rewards is sponsoring Betting on Sports 2017, the second edition of the largest international sports and betting trade conference at Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington.
Ahead of the 12-15 September event, we spoke to the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Joe Hall about what he is looking forward to at #boscon2017, his perfect sporting event, and how sports and betting can work better together.
SBC: What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports?
JH: We’re looking forward to meeting senior executives from the sports betting industry and showcasing the digital loyalty solutions that Initial Rewards have built specifically for the sector.
On a personal note, I’m looking forward to some of the panel discussions about the future of sports betting, especially with such a high profile, global c-level audience. Seeing the sector grow over the past 10 years has been fantastic and these SBC events breathe even more life into our already amazing industry!
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
JH: Initial Rewards is the largest provider of digital loyalty and promotional services for the gaming industry outside of the US. We offer a range of services from digital loyalty stores to merchandise branding and global fulfilment.
The look and feel of our digital loyalty solutions are designed to perfectly mirror the operator to create a seamless experience. Whether we are driving online engagement from sponsorship activation, running an on-pack offer, running a VIP program or delivering rewards for top customers, Initial Rewards will seamlessly deliver rewards to your customers all over the world.
SBC: Where can betting work together more closely with sport?
JH: Initial Rewards bridges the world of sport and betting by providing tangible rewards to sports betting customers, usually based on sports. Take the current LeoVegas Premier League promotion where they are giving away Premier League football shirts as an acquisition and retention device.
We understand the emotional relationship between sports punters and the sporting organisations and we’re able to leverage that on behalf of operators. The sporting world should understand the regulation behind the betting industry and accept it rather than look down on it.
SBC: What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
JH: It’s hard to name one partnership so I will give you my top three. Betway and West Ham stands out as of the best activated sponsorship campaigns running for more than one season.
Having worked with West Ham on some of their other partnerships, I can safely say that Betway have squeezed absolutely everything they can out of that deal. The visual in-stadium branding has also been exceptional. Outside of that deal, it’s hard to ignore bet365/Stoke due and I like what EnergyBet are doing with their strategic deals.
SBC: Describe your perfect sporting event
JH: The perfect sporting event would be an NFL/Champions League final double-header at the new White Hart Lane (naming rights not yet sold!) stadium, home of the mighty Spurs. We would do 3pm NFL kick off (Patriots vs Cowboys) on the artificial pitch.
This would be finished by 8pm. Then full on VIP 3 course meal followed by the Champions League Final 9pm KO. The entire thing would be sponsored by bet365 (of course) and Pierluigi Collina would come out of retirement for one game to referee. Good enough?
