Valencia CF participate in GoDigital Nacional 2020 congress

Valencia CF, represented by Director of Innovation Franco Segarra, participated in the GoDigital National 2020 event organised by Cámara Valencia, with a presentation entitled 'Digital talent and the disruption at Valencia CF '.

In his address to those present, Segarra talked about the importance of data in decision-making, "without losing sight of the fans, who are our most precious asset."

Among the examples given, he explained how the club distributed the tickets for the 2019 Copa del Rey final, taking into account high attendance at matches played at Mestalla that season and loyalty to the club with a minimum of four years as a season ticket holder, instead of making a random draw for tickets. This decision influenced the behaviour of the season ticket holders the following year, with an increase in attendance from 80% to 87%.

The Valencia CF Director of Innovation made reference to Fan Engagement trends, using technological tools that help both to capture attention such as Augmented Reality, eSports, Gamification, Social Networks, Data Driven Storytelling and Highlights, and finding out more about the Generation Z fan to offer them the necessary entertainment to choose Mestalla over the many alternatives offered by the market.

“Entertainment options have multiplied exponentially, and a football match currently competes for attention with other entertainment platforms. Beyond the fact that two teams face each other on the pitch, we are also competing for the attention of our fans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Consumption habits are changing and football is a very traditional and passionate sector, therefore, whilst keeping its essence, we have to adapt our show to attract new fans.”

Another point mentioned was trends in Innovation, such as Cashless, Paperless Ticketing, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality... all with the purpose of making football more entertaining to attract new fans used to immediate stimuli.

Valencia CF have created the 'VCF Innovation Hub' project, committed to young, local talent working together with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, in the search for solutions and innovations that allow the club to respond to the future demands of the fans.

"It is essential, when we refer to Digital Talent, to have a culture based on data, to measure everything possible in addition to having the ability to adapt to change, because technology advances a lot on a daily basis. We tend to have a flatter structure in companies and it is important to become familiar with remote work, because talent demands it," commented Segarra, concluding by saying that “innovation is not just about technology; it is about thinking and doing things in a different way and improving processes. When we refer to Digital Transformation, the important word is 'transformation'. We have a long way to go and the important thing is to focus on people. It is a challenge in our sector to have fans with very different ranges of age and tastes, but we have to innovate without leaving anyone by the wayside.”