What is Deal4event's mission?
Peio Dubarbier - Deal4Event began operations in January 2014 with the aim of making it easier for businesses to access sporting events. This can involve inviting customers, partners or internal staff as part of incentive operations, companies wishing to use sport as a medium for their operation, or enhancing a business trip with a relaxing moment linked to sport. We provide the four elements that companies are looking for: security, choice, flexibility and advice.
How does the platform work within the company?
Peio Dubarbier - Deal4Event was conceived from the outset as an online platform for distributing VIP sports offers. The aim is to provide access to all the offers, via a sports calendar that allows users to filter the possibilities according to their needs, location and period, in order to identify the sporting events that may be suitable. Our web platform also incorporates a workflow tool, based on user accounts that provide access to information about events, while decision-makers can access a supervisor account to approve or reject requests. We designed the platform to facilitate the sharing of information within the company on these subjects, because searching for events and going back and forth between departments was often time-consuming. Deal4event is the first high-end ticket brokerage agency.
How does this solution differ from a traditional ticketing service?
Peio Dubarbier - We have adapted to VIP sports ticketing methods that work in other fields, adding a notion of advice to adapt to a B to B clientele. That's why an offline platform can also be used to guide customers in their search and answer their questions. Often, companies consult the possibilities online but then want to be put in touch with advisers, just to be on the safe side. The number of VIP offers for the same event is very high. There are four or five different products, including access to a box, a parking space or something else. So you need to be able to set up an exchange with an expert. The platform also offers last-minute deals at discounted prices, to help companies overcome their lack of visibility.
Didn't the existing offerings meet companies' needs?
Peio Dubarbier - In the end, access to sporting events has proved to be fairly complicated in general, because the market for organising sporting events is a fairly opaque universe, which has given rise to a great deal of frustration. Companies weren't getting what they were looking for, namely security with official products, a choice between all the sporting events, attractive prices that didn't involve a season-long commitment, and the possibility of making a decision at the last minute. Often, companies were forced to make up their minds six months before the event.
So companies no longer need to plan ahead to attend a highly popular event?
Peio Dubarbier - For a long time, we told them that they had to make up their minds a year before the event, otherwise the places would be sold out. This does not correspond to reality: there is availability, and I hope to democratise this universe. This is a problem that arises with the traditional model of agencies that buy stocks of tickets, which they then have to sell at any price. The customer then has a timing and a package imposed on him that doesn't necessarily correspond to his needs. My story is a bit like Free's in the telephony market: for years, the incumbent operators explained to consumers that they had no other choice, until someone came along to offer a new alternative at better rates.
Have you ever had to say no to a customer who asked for tickets to a sold-out event?
Peio Dubarbier - To be honest, since we started our business, this hasn't happened. Of course, the notion of price can come into play just before a major event. But for example, for the big France-England match in the last Six Nations tournament, there were still tickets available the day before the event...
Who are your customers?
Peio Dubarbier - There are of course a lot of large groups, but also a lot of SMEs who want to organise a trip for five people to watch a rugby match in Ireland, for example. Deal4Event also has an anti-crisis approach, in the sense that we offer last-minute discounts, so that decision-makers can be smart and react when they need to. Gone are the days when customers bought without counting the cost, anticipating an event a year in advance. Now it's all about return on investment: today's customers are volatile and opportunistic. With this solution and the concept of a user account, I hope to win their loyalty by becoming their reference point for searching for sporting events.
Is the solution limited to ticketing?
Peio Dubarbier - These are usually packages, including a well-placed ticket or a private box to watch the match or the event, a VIP welcome with parking spaces, a catering service before, during or after the event... Packages usually vary between four or five formulas. We can also provide customised services according to the needs expressed by the customer. Companies also ask us for travel services and global packages. In these cases, we act as an intermediary, defining the customer's specifications and calling on logistics service providers specialising in each area. We have to take into account the specific nature of travel organisation during major sporting events, as was the case recently in Brazil: a trip in the middle of the World Cup inevitably involves certain special constraints. We also organise private tours of sports venues, with a service based on a given theme. This is common in certain sports such as sailing or golf, which lend themselves to this type of operation because enthusiasts like to play rather than watch. During seminars, the company wants to get its guests involved in team building. Rugby also lends itself to this approach, to encourage cohesion and team spirit. Secondly, I'd like to diversify our offer by including a cultural component, so that we can offer other types of operation to companies.
