The Sports Industry is changing

Master digital transformation with UNITY!

...
- Industries
- Sports Industry
AIRIS powered by HEERO

Sports Industry

Design your sports club's digital future!

The challenges in the sports industry are diverse. On the one hand, the operational business must be lean and effective in meeting the requirements of the various customers (fans, sponsors, partners, associations). On the other hand, it is important to exploit the opportunities of digitalization appropriately and efficiently. In the end, both must pay off in terms of strategic goals, such as increasing customer and fan satisfaction, increasing revenue, and reducing costs.

Four key areas of action are crucial for successful digitalization in the sports industry:

Internal Digitalization

Increase internal efficiency by optimizing and harmonizing customer-centric processes across all existing systems and all functional areas.

Digitalization for Fans

Strengthen loyal customer and fan relationships by using available solutions efficiently, such as customer relationship management, social media, platform technologies, website, an app for fans and digital ticketing.

New Business Model Development

Take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization in sports! Increase your sales and develop new services and business models.

Processes, Organisation and Culture

Empower your employees! Assign clear roles and responsibilities and integrate relevant topics such as sustainability into your company.

UNITY has conducted successful projects in the sports industry since 2008. We have developed a broad range of services specifically for digitalization in sports. In doing so, we always pursue the goal of harmonizing the requirements and needs of fans with the goals of the organization.

Action fields for digitalization in sports

In order to be able to meet customer & fan needs in the long term, four key areas of action are crucial. The factors of vision, IT target architecture, roadmap and governance form the comprehensive strategy that controls the various areas of action.

Efficient processes and an established culture in the organization are regarded as the basis for creating a clear distribution of roles, empowering employees, and making sustainability a relevant topic, for example.

From an initial maturity check up to IT implementation, ticketing, membership management or game-day organization can be optimized within the club. At the same time, integrated digital channels and customer data management will become increasingly important for sports clubs in the future. In order to improve fan experience and long-term customer satisfaction, the design and implementation of a holistic CRM and the integration of digital touchpoints along the entire fan journey, such as through digital tickets, eCommerce or (self) services, is indispensable today. In addition, the development of new business models, in the form of innovative sponsoring services, B2B partnering or loyalty programs, shapes the framework conditions for long-term growth.

Consulting Services in the Sports Industry

Internal Digitalization

Increase your organization's internal efficiency and optimize its performance.

How we support you:

Maturity Check: Customer-centric IT architecture / customer data management
Optimization of internal processes (operational excellence) and organizational development including change management
IT implementation - from gathering requirements, system selection and implementation support until rollout (for example CRM, ERP, CMS, merchandising, ticketing, eCommerce and BI/analytics)

Digitalization for Fans

Improve fan experience and increase long-term customer satisfaction.

How we support you:

Concept and implementation of holistic Customer Relationship Management: strategy, organization, processes, IT tool and mindset.
Integration and synchronization of digital touchpoints along the entire fan journey (website, single sign-on (SSO), merchandising, ticketing, app and service)
Development and introduction of metrics-based campaign management

New Business Model Development

Design a framework for long-term growth.

How we support you:

Strategy workshop on “Digitalization” with a concrete implementation plan (Master Plan of Action)
Development of smart product & service ideas and their implementation (for example, a digital stadium)
Conception and implementation of innovative and data-driven Business Models (for example, Platform or Partnering)

Die ORGA App für Sportveranstaltungen

Mit der ORGA App der ORGArena GmbH (ein Beteiligungsunternehmen der UNITY Innovation Alliance) lassen sich Veranstaltungen sicher und effizient planen, durchführen und absichern.

Die App steuert alle bei einer Veranstaltung anfallenden Aufgaben über ein smartes Berechtigungssystem an die jeweiligen Mitarbeiter, die bei der Veranstaltung Dienst haben. Der Veranstaltungsleiter hat dabei stets alles im Blick und bekommt das revisionssichere Protokoll, bei Freigabe der Veranstaltung, auf Knopfdruck.

Die ORGA App hat die Papierchecklisten in der Bundesliga abgelöst und mit Bayer 04 Leverkusen den Digital Champions Award in der Kategorie Prozess & Organisation gewonnen.

Derzeit nutzen 15 Clubs und Vereine aus der Bundesliga und 2. Bundesliga sowie der Schweizer Super League die ORGA APP.

Mehr erfahren

What sets us apart in the Sports Industry

UNITY has been a reliable partner in the sports industry since 2008. We have developed a broad range of services specifically for the current challenges in the sports and arena market. Our expert know-how in this industry provides support in the areas of digitalization, IT architectures, customer relationship management and organizational development. We apply our best-practice approaches successfully to the sports industry from other industries and develop customized solutions from the idea to the market-ready product, together with our customers. This is how we developed the ORGA app – a software solution for game-day organization – together with several Bundesliga clubs.

UNITY has already provided support to more than ten clubs and associations in their digital transformation and completed more than 40 successful projects.

Project Stories in the Sports Industry

Innovative solutions for the sports and health market

...
- Industries
- Sports Industry
AIRIS powered by HEERO

Development of the AI product AIRIS and company setup

AIRIS is an innovative AI solution for the sports and healthcare market. Through new types of algorithms, which are modeled after the human eye, the human body is recognized in three-dimensional space in real time. This results in a wide range of applications, including in the areas of cognitive training, gamification and prevention.

The UNITY Innovation Alliance (UIA) has supported the development of AIRIS from the very beginning. The startup experts of the UIA used the established methods of the UNITY Company Builder to support the AIRIS team in setting up the company and its organizational structures. In doing so, the UIA drew on experts from UNITY, for example in the areas of business model development, customer experience, IT architectures and enterprise architecture. CP contech electronic developed all the AIRIS electronics components and produces them according to defined standards and processes. NEXT Data Service has developed content for AIRIS, e.g. 3D games or dashboards based on its expertise in software development and data analysis. Smart Mechatronics supports AIRIS‘ embedded software development and helps the startup to further develop its artificial intelligence algorithms. Since 2020, the UIA companies have thus contributed to making the AIRIS vision a reality. In doing so, the UIA has been able to contribute its expertise in hardware and software development as well as in the development of innovative business models, making AIRIS not only a technical but also a commercial success.

2 Years from the vision to the finished product

5 UIA companies involved

> 130 Exercises and applications with AIRIS

“During the development of AIRIS, we benefited from the comprehensive expertise of the UNITY Innovation Alliance (UIA) right from the start. From technical issues and support with software development to the development of the company and business model, there was always a competent contact person within the UIA. Although many different UIA companies were involved, it always felt like we were working with only one strong partner.“