Wiraya 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 Commercial Director Sam Madden 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?
SM: I’m really excited to be here, finally attending an event that specifically focusses on the sports betting industry. The quality of the panel sessions is high, and it’s great to see a real mix of attendees from operators, leading sports brands, and innovative solution providers.
This is testament to the massive growth we are seeing in this space, and the sheer number of attendees shows you how the industry is exploding right now. It’s great to see a number of familiar faces here, and as a team we are really looking to meeting some new exciting brands.
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
SM: Wiraya has been leading the betting industry for a number of years in re-activating passive players and activating new customers. We use our managed mobile customer activation solution, to deliver industry leading conversion rates.
Do you work for a betting brand who want to bring passive players back to your service? Or want to build on your current customer base? Then Wiraya can certainly help. Do you work for a sports team looking to reach your fanbase with personal and relevant communication? Want to increase season ticket renewals or upsell more? Then come and speak to us.
SBC: Where can betting work together more closely with sport?
SM: I can really see the benefit of the betting industry shining a light on more peripheral sports, bringing new consumers to more emerging areas. I think we will continue to see more of that over the next 12 months. The development of virtual sports and the opportunities this provides for the betting industry is also worth keeping an eye on.
For our business, we feel the sports industry already do a really good job of promoting a number of big events throughout the year, that are well organised and clearly communicated. For us that has allowed us to provide hyper targeted campaigns around these key sporting events. The results have proven to be really successful.
SBC: What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
SM: While there are a number of good contenders here, and some of the larger betting brands have had some really innovative campaigns, the emergence of Betsafe to the UK market has really been impressive. With rapid expansion from a limited initial footprint, they have targeted a really interesting mix of sports teams and leading personalities to promote their brand and drive growth.
I’m really interested to see how this develops over the next 12 months. The last year has seen a rapid expansion of sports teams partnering with betting operators, so really interested to see how some of these newer relationships develop.
SBC: Describe your perfect sporting event
SM: Well this is the easiest question! It has to be Everton Football Club in the Champions League Final, with me and my friends sat in premium seats, watching from just behind the dugout, as in extra time Rooney scores an absolute stunning volley from 35 yards to crown us champions of Europe. Earlier in the game Cristiano Ronaldo fluffs a penalty as Real Madrid are finally beaten. Obviously.
