December 15, 2016
LaLiga Santander to launch program to help clubs increase attendance and revenues from ticket and premium seating sales
G2 Strategic (“G2”), a boutique consulting firm specializing in the sports, entertainment and venue development sectors, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Spanish Professional Football League, Liga de Fútbol Profesional (“LaLiga”), to launch the LaLiga Ticketing Program.
Under the agreement, G2 will provide consultation to LaLiga and its 20 LaLiga Santander (1st division) and 22 LaLiga 1/2/3 (2nd division) clubs, focusing on three primary objectives – 1) new customer acquisition, 2) customer retention, and 3) customer spend.
The initial phase will include workshops, document exchanges and the development of a comprehensive LaLiga Ticketing Strategy. During the second phase, LaLiga and G2 will select 8-12 clubs, with representation from both divisions, who will work closely with G2 over several months to develop comprehensive business plans that are specific to each club and their respective markets, with the objective of increasing attendance during the 2018-19 LaLiga season.
“LaLiga is one of the top professional sports leagues in the world,” said G2 CEO Marshall Glickman. “We are thrilled to add this prestigious league to our portfolio of European clients.”
To fulfill its mission with LaLiga, G2 has retained Joaquín Blázquez Buisán, who worked closely with Glickman inside Euroleague’s headquarters from 2002-04. Blázquez is currently Head of Digital Marketing & Events for IMAP, and will support G2 in several areas, including providing cultural context, research, and additional interface with the league and clubs.
LaLiga President Javier Tebas said, “Following the completion of our new television contracts, the next step for LaLiga is to help educate our clubs regarding best practices that are implemented by sports leagues throughout the world. We accepted proposals from several firms, but after checking on G2’s work in France and over the years with Euroleague, we concluded that they will bring a fresh perspective to the table, which is exactly what we need. Increasing attendance is now among our highest priorities.”
Glickman added, “Over several years working with European leagues and clubs, we have concluded that the traditional economic model is too reliant on ‘natural demand’ from supporters and avid fans. As the traditional fan base slowly declines, I have had to coach my clients to adapt to an array of global demographic and consumer trends, as well as the economic realities they are all facing. The clubs cannot rely only on increasing payments from television rights.”
“We like what we have seen in England, where the EPL has taken aggressive steps to welcome women, families, Millennials and ethnic minorities,” continued Glickman. “In the States, our leagues have understood for a long time that they cannot only rely on natural demand.”
Glickman added, “I have always embraced the challenge of adapting principles that we have developed over many years working on both sides of the Atlantic, to the cultural, political, historical, venue, and economic realities of each market. No doubt that soccer is king in Europe, so to have the opportunity to work with LaLiga is special for us. Plus, I get to go to the next El Clásico (FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid) – this is a pretty great line of work!
G2 has enjoyed a long-term relationship with Euroleague Basketball, which began in 2002 when Glickman was located in Barcelona for two years, with the mission of helping the upstart league transform from a competition to a business. G2 recently extended its association with Euroleague for the sixth consecutive year.
In addition, this past June, Glickman announced the formation of the G2 Consortium France, which includes six soccer clubs (Paris Saint- Germain, FC Metz, Lille OSC, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Nancy, Chamois Niortais FC), two rugby clubs (Stade Français CASG, Atlantique Stade Rochelais), and two basketball clubs (Antibes Sharks, Limoges CSP). G2 is working closely with these French clubs to develop new market-specific strategies to increase ticket demand.
The formation of the Consortium followed two consecutive years working directly for the French Professional Football League(Ligue de Football Professionnel), also focusing on new customer acquisition, retention and spend.
G2’s clients in Europe have included the French Tennis Federation (BNP Paribas Masters, new Roland Garros stadium), Association of Tennis Professionals,Paris Saint-Germain, CSKA Moscow (new arena and stadium development), Asvel Basket, Groupe Gones & Sports (new arena development in Villeurbanne, France), Turkish Basketball Federation, and several major tennis tournaments, including Dubai Duty Free Open, Matura Madrid Masters, Hamburg Masters, Aegon Open Nottingham, and the Düsseldorf Open.
Mr. Glickman is the former president of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, where he orchestrated the development of the 21,000-seat Rose Garden arena. Later, as founder and chairman of Portland Family Entertainment, Mr. Glickman oversaw the public/private partnership with the City of Portland that resulted in the renovation of Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Field and PGE Park), and the return of the Portland Beavers (Pacific Coast League baseball) and Portland Timbers (Major League Soccer) to Portland.
Contacts
G2 Strategic Marshall Glickman
CEO, G2 Strategic
+1.857.991.9361
marshall@g2strategic.net
La Liga
José Guerra
Head of Financial Services & Research, LaLiga
+34 91 205 50 00 – +34 629 135 387
jguerra@laliga.es