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Home»Feature»KOJO targeting global growth in new PMY era

KOJO targeting global growth in new PMY era

Stephen Lord, CEO of KOJO, discusses what becoming part of PMY has meant for the company and its growth ambitions, along with addressing the latest developments and future trends for the venue technology and event presentation sector.
Rob RidleyBy Rob Ridley30th December 20248 Mins Read Feature 469 Views
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With the promise of “redefining the sports and entertainment landscape”, technology solutions company PMY Group in September announced the addition of creative studio KOJO with a view to further strengthening its intelligence, technology, and experience offerings globally.

Originating in Australia and New Zealand, KOJO has developed a portfolio over the past three decades featuring collaborations with sporting organisations such as the AFL, Cricket Australia, NRL and FIFA, while maintaining long-term partnerships with ANZ venues such as Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Suncorp Stadium, and Sky Stadium.

KOJO’s extensive expertise lies in sports presentation, combined with their renowned post-production and VFX work and live experience services. Meanwhile, PMY boasts a presence in 15 countries and a client base of over 1,000 venues, major events, and rightsholders. It has powered cutting-edge technology for the likes of SoFi Stadium, Principality Stadium, the Australian Open and US Open tennis grand slams, and LIV Golf.

TheStadiumBusiness.com sat down with Stephen Lord, CEO of KOJO, at TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2024 to discuss what becoming part of PMY has meant for the company and its growth ambitions, along with addressing the latest developments and future trends for the venue technology and event presentation sector.

TheStadiumBusiness.com: KOJO was brought under PMY’s wing in September. How have things bedded in since then and what changes has this meant for the company?

Stephen Lord: “It’s mainly been around connecting with the wider business opportunities. Operationally we’ve continued to work how we did prior to the transaction, but what we’ve really noticed is just the breadth of opportunities that come, firstly from the existing client-base that PMY has and their global footprint, with the opportunity to bring the KOJO offering into that environment.

“It’s been really well received so far, so it’s now about building out our plans for reaching new markets, which has been the main strategy since we joined.”

TSB: You mentioned the new markets there. Australia and New Zealand have been the main focus for KOJO up to this point. What sort of regions and territories will you be looking to move into?

SL: “Australia and New Zealand are our foundation point, but we have been increasingly doing work in the US, Asia and elsewhere as well. I think the priority markets for us in the immediate future will be Europe, as well as the US and Middle East as important focus points.

“We see huge opportunity in Europe, and we will be looking to move pretty quickly in terms of what that entails for us, how we look to get set up and take advantage of the PMY connections with the likes of WJHW.”

TSB: So there’s definitely some irons in the fire?

SL: “There’s plenty on the go already, which is great. We’re really excited and we think we can hit the ground running quickly. PMY has got some ambitious plans, and we can see great opportunity through that for our business.

“That’s what we’re seeing in the initial conversations with our new PMY colleagues – a lot of opportunity through the existing client-base, plus some other things which will start to come through in the next few months that I believe will really accelerate growth for us.”

TSB: The PMY announcement was big news for KOJO, but what have been the other key business developments or contract wins for the company this year?

SL: “We’ve done a whole range of work across Major League Cricket this year, which has given us a foothold in the US market. This year we did a lot of their brand marketing work, but also PR and also sports presentation across the venues.

“It’s been great to get involved in a developing league, something that is looking to establish itself in what is a competitive sporting landscape. There’s a fantastic base of support in the US, that is largely untapped, so I think there is great potential there.

“Rugby sevens has been another one. We’ve worked across four different markets in the past couple of months, hopefully adding to the atmosphere of these events, as well as building on our strength in Australia and New Zealand.

“The thing for us, and through the coming together with PMY, is around this idea of empowering live. How do we bring together all the different components we can offer to help clients empower the live environment.

“That’s everything from the technology masterplan work that PMY does, the technical design work of stadiums and venues, the data intelligence offering they’ve got and then us adding our event experience expertise.

“KOJO is a very natural addition to the PMY offering, particularly for clients looking for the ability to structure setup and deliver enhanced fan experiences.”

TSB: Looking ahead to 2025 you mentioned attacking the European market. Is that very much a focus for you next year?

SL: “Definitely, yes. We’re already doing some work in our space in Europe. At (Cardiff’s) Principality Stadium we have a team that works on the production of events there. But there’s a whole range of other opportunities, right from the sports presentation element through to supporting the creation of content.”

TSB: Looking more generally, what do you think have been the main developments in stadium and arena events presentation over the past year or so?

SL: “I’ve definitely seen a technology lift across the board. Having recently been to the US and visited a number of venues such as Intuit Dome and Sphere Las Vegas, I think that ability to engage fans in the audience in different, but immersive ways, where they can be involved in the event, is certainly coming through.

“That goes all the way through to digital engagement, mixed reality and AR. So I think that technology piece is very important and we’ve seen a lot here (at the Summit) around the element of fan experience concerning food and beverage, and hospitality.

“Creating zones for people so you can carve out the experience that you want. I think that will continue to happen, not only in venue planning but in how you use technology to help bring an event experience to life.”

TSB: In terms of new trends and developments, what do you think has and hasn’t worked, in your opinion?

SL: “I think it’s going to be interesting to see the take up of the likes of facial recognition technology and how this works in terms of privacy legislation across different markets. It will be about tailoring products and offerings to be appropriate to the requirements in a certain market.”

TSB: What opportunities do you believe stadiums and arenas, along with event operators, have yet to tap into?

SL: “One of the things that we really focus on, and we’ve got a strategy methodology called FanX, is all about understanding the different audiences that you want to connect with and reach, and then being able to tailor experiences to those audiences.

“So you can be quite clear on who you’re trying to reach and how you’re trying to engage with them, at each step of their fan journey. From home, on their journey in and navigating through a stadium precinct and taking in an actual game, interlinking all of this together. That strategy element I think is really important so it doesn’t feel disjointed.

“You’re creating a seamless experience for fans in a lot of ways, while they’re still able to guide themselves on that journey as well. That strategy element is key because it can help clients around making the right investment decisions. So you’re investing at points that are actually going to make an impact for fans.”

TSB: Looking ahead to 2025, what developments in this space should we be looking forward to, or looking out for?

SL: “I think there will be a continual extension of residual interaction, and how that firstly is connecting with the fan experience and elements of the live experience, but also how do we build more personalised connections and touchpoints.

“A unified data platform is a really great way to use that information to a client’s advantage. The way that venues embed technology into their offering will be really important, speeding up the way general operations are approached, such as getting fans to their seats as quickly as possible and really engaged in the game.

“I think it’s a really exciting period for the industry at the moment. We’re seeing a whole lot of focus, development and opportunity, from which innovation will emerge. We’re really keen to see how we can bring our philosophy and approach, particularly to clients in Europe and the US. That’s a big focus for us.”

KOJO PMY
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