KHL grows with use of modern technology
Sergey Dobrokhvalov, the KHL’s Vice President for Marketing and Communications, is confirmed as a speaker at the E.H.C. Hockey Business Forum in Berlin on 30 September. Sergey will talk about how the KHL has dramatically upgraded its use of modern technology to automatically collect data and statistics. This service is used for the benefit of fans and clubs, and also to generate revenue.
As the 12th KHL season got underway, one of the highlights of the coming campaign promises to be the availability of new statistical data about every game, thanks to the installation of sporting telematics in every arena used by the league. The KHL is the first league in the world to use this exciting technology at every venue and every game of the championship.
“The main audience will be our clubs and fans. During the games, the coaching staff can access in-depth analysis which they are can see in real-time, with no waiting to gather and collate information. Fans will see new data via the website, via the app and on our KHL-TV channel,” explained Dobrokhvalov.
The KHL Vice-President will also explain how this sophisticated data collection can be utilized to attract the betting industry. The KHL has continuously improved its attendance figures and last season’s average of 6,397 spectators per game was second only to the Swiss league for competitions outside of North America.
SAP, a market-leading enterprise application software provider, is the KHL’s new technological partner. Together, we are implementing a new system to collect, analyze and manage big data. The KHL is ready to deploy a sophisticated new system incorporating the SAP Marketing & Analytics solutions.
At the E.H.C. Hockey Business Forum, Dobrokhvalov will explain how the SAP Marketing Cloud consolidates and enriches data gathered from varied sources. A distinctive feature of this product is that it maintains a joint database of all information about fans from their clubs’ resources, and the KHL official site, mobile app, online store and other websites, online forums and social networks.
A combined fan profile will bring together all the information about how individual supporters interact with the game: purchases of season tickets, single-game tickets, merchandise; watching games in the arena or via streaming services; activity on social networks and involvement in loyalty programs.
“Within four years we hope to know the face of every hockey fan following the league – and be able to contact each of them personally, said Dobrokhvalov. “The combined efforts of the KHL and SAP will focus on three areas: marketing, sports stats and scheduling games. The KHL is the first sports league in the world to create a unified CRM system and a unified profile of the individuals who follow our sport.”
Sergey Dobrokhvalov came to the KHL in 2014 after working with the executive group that delivered the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. He was initially the Brand and Digital Marketing Director for the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee before assuming the role of Executive Vice-President in 2013.
The 2019/20 season, the 12th KHL Championship, is being contested by 24 clubs from 6 nations: Russia (19 teams), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), China (1), Latvia (1), and Finland (1).
