
Hacking the Experience with Ticketmaster Sport
Last month, we hosted our Hacking the Experience event as part of the induction activities.
We were fortunate enough to joined by Ticketmaster Sport who designed the brief for our students which focused on a business problem to solve: how to keep existing sports fan engaged despite stadium closures during the coronavirus pandemic whilst also maximising reach to new sports fans.
The event was run both online and in person with 10 teams of students researching and hacking all day to develop their solutions and ideas to answer the brief. We concluded the day with all 10 teams presenting a 3-minute pitch of their idea to our three judges from Ticketmaster Sport.
Chris Gratton, COO of Ticketmaster Sport and a Loughborough University alumnus, said:
“It was great for Ticketmaster Sport to be part of the Hack with Loughborough University London. Our business thrives on innovative ideas so it was hugely useful to have the teams working on this challenge over the course of the day. All of the teams worked well together and had something to offer us when it came to the pitches. It was a really hard decision to pick the winners but the extra research they had done and the way they positioned their solution was the thing that really set them apart.”
Students presented a range of high-quality solutions including the use of apps, reward schemes and partnerships within communities; our students’ efforts were clear, leaving the judges with a difficult decision to choose one winner.
The winning pitch was chosen as their solution took the different approach to target women’s sports rather than just focusing on the male games. Our judges were impressed by this team’s innovation to utilise this new, growing market and encouraged more inclusive marketing campaigns.
Lauren Heria, a MSc Sport Business and Innovation student and member of the winning team, said of the event:
“Taking part in the hack with Ticketmaster Sport was a great start to my time at Loughborough University London. Our team had to quickly form, make a plan to tackle the problem and come up with a solution all in one day. It was a great opportunity to connect with other students from courses across the campus, build my skills and test myself in a team. Winning the pitch off at the end was a surreal experience. We felt pretty confident that we had a solution that we were passionate about but to get the feedback we did was immense. I can’t wait for more experiences like this.”
The event was hosted by the Future Space team to give our students the opportunity to test their teamwork skills to develop solutions to real-life problems experienced by a business, putting their previous knowledge and experience into practice.
Hayley Jones, Student Enterprise Adviser at Loughborough University London, said:
“With our Future Space and Loughborough Enterprise Network activities, we really like to build our students experience through real world challenges. Our hacks are a great way for our students to throw themselves into what it is to study with us in London. For the teams to have achieved what they have achieved in one day is really amazing.”
The event was enjoyed by all staff and students and thank you to Ticketmaster Sport for their contribution. We would like to say well done to all our students who took part and we look forward to welcoming you to our next hack soon.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.