{"id":584,"date":"2020-10-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/laliga-to-raise-the-bar-with-sports-bars\/"},"modified":"2020-10-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T00:00:00","slug":"laliga-to-raise-the-bar-with-sports-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/index.php\/laliga-to-raise-the-bar-with-sports-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"LALIGA TO RAISE THE (BAR) WITH SPORTS BARS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The men\u2019s top professional football division of the\u00a0Spanish football league<\/strong>\u00a0system \u2013\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 has set in motion a new chain of licensed sports bars around the globe to buttress its international expansion.<\/p>\n

The league has spent the last 14 months developing the concept and brand guidelines for the new hospitality venues with a view to franchising them to specialist hospitality operators.<\/p>\n

The entire concept has been named the \u2018LaLiga Twentynine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 bars as the league was formed in the year 1929 and will blend culinary, entertainment and other sports \u201cin a unique and interactive environment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking at an event to float the sport bar concept,\u00a0\u00d3scar Mayo<\/strong>, Business, Marketing and International Development Director at\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>, said the league plans to open 30 such venues over the next seven years.<\/p>\n

The league has already inked on a pact with\u00a0Barcel\u00f3 Hotel Group<\/strong>, a Spanish hotel chain with more than 252 hotels in 22 countries, granting it exclusive rights to \u2018LaLiga Twentynine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 licenses in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and hinted that the first venues would open in 2021. Media reports stated that the league struck the deal through its Global Licensing Department and did not work with an external licensing agency.<\/p>\n

Mayo said the hospitality concept has been so created so that it is flexible and has been conceived with airports, city centers, hotels and street level locations in mind \u2013 \u2018LaLiga TwentyNine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 will mark a before and after in the world of entertainment. We are combining leisure, sports and gastronomy to offer people something they have not seen before. The key will be the unique experiences that will be on offer in this reimagined sports bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u2018LaLiga TwentyNine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 will be spaces that can be found at street level, in shopping malls, airports, within establishments such as hotels, cruise ships or amusement parks. The first of these spaces is expected to open in Barcelona at the start of next year and after this, inside the\u00a0PortAventura World<\/strong>\u00a0amusement park in Tarragona, Spain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sports bar concept will also allow sports fans to experience a full range of sporting events in a unique and experiential way.<\/p>\n

As part of \u2018LaLiga Twentynine\u2019s<\/strong>, there will also be a multipurpose stand that recreates the stands found in\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0stadia, providing spectators with the sensation of being inside the ground itself, surrounded by other fans experiencing the emotion of live sport.<\/p>\n

Visitors will be able to watch\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0matches and other major sporting events from international and local competitions, such as tennis, basketball, or baseball. Special events will also be arranged with\u00a0LaLiga Santander<\/strong>\u00a0ambassadors or clinics with coaches from\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0clubs.<\/p>\n

Through this project,\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0will deepen fan engagement inside and outside of Spain, while expanding the international image of the competition as well as the\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0brand, going beyond football: It\u2019s not football, it\u2019s\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A common thread which will bind the sports bars is \u2013 changing room tunnel-themed entrances, an interactive\u00a0Beat Center<\/strong>\u00a0where fans can take a walk down\u00a0La Liga<\/strong>\u00a0history and take partake of in interactive quizzes and a multipurpose space designed to look like a stadium stand.<\/p>\n

Some sites will also feature an area devoted to esports from\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0sponsor\u00a0EA Sports<\/strong>\u00a0and a gastronomic \u2018B-eat Experience<\/strong>\u2019 area wherein supporters can get to savor gourmet food and 360-degree projections.<\/p>\n

La Liga<\/strong>\u00a0sponsor\u00a0Santander<\/strong>\u00a0will provide interactive quizzes in the Beat Center while the league\u2019s drinks sponsor\u00a0Budweiser<\/strong>\u00a0will feature in a branded bar area. The league indicated the brands had not paid any additional fees for the increased visibility and that this was being treated as an \u2018added bonus\u2019 for them at this stage.<\/p>\n

Said Mayo, \u201cWe wanted to do something like this really well. We didn\u2019t want to say \u2018this is our brand guidebook, do what you want\u2019. We\u2019ve been working on this for a long time, so [this is] the added value we are giving to the people who want to have a Twentynine sports bar \u2013 the franchisees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayo added, \u201cThe most important thing is that it works, and the customers enjoy the food and drink being offered there.\u201d<\/p>\n

To bring the project to a global audience,\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0has signed an agreement with Barcel\u00f3 Hotel Group, a Spanish hotel chain with more than 252 hotels in 22 countries, which grants it exclusive rights to\u00a0LaLiga TwentyNine\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0licenses in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.<\/p>\n

Sara Ramis<\/strong>,\u00a0Chief Marketing Officer<\/strong>,\u00a0Barcel\u00f3 Hotel Group<\/strong>, said it had signed the exclusive licensing rights for the MENA region because it was of strategic importance to the company. She threw enough hint that the first themed sports bars could open in Morocco or Dubai \u201cvery soon\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ramis added, \u201cFrom\u00a0Barcel\u00f3 Hotel Group<\/strong>, we continue to bet on experiential innovation, creating unique and differentiated experiences in our hotels.<\/p>\n

\u2018LaLiga Twentynine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 is an innovative concept that unites us with a prestigious brand in\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0to develop this new concept of sports bar in which our clients will enjoy surprising experiences linked to sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayo added that the league also wants to open bars in North and Central America, in Russia and across Europe, stressing that international projects are \u201cmore important than local projects\u201d, to act as a catalyst in its expansion and promote its individual clubs.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cLaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0is really working on getting closer to its fans and to increase the excitement during the 90-minute matches. Beyond being just a weekend, we wanted them [the fans] to have other experiences and we wanted to have other points of contact with our fans during the week and other times \u2013 and also in a very different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayo explained, \u201cThis ambitious project represents LaLiga\u2019s commitment to innovation in its international development and the creation of new business lines that add value to our clubs. We are doing this hand in hand with strategic partners that have deep experience in the hospitality or restaurant sector to help take the concept of a traditional sports bar much further through unique user experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0has confirmed that a themed restaurant will feature at the\u00a0PortAventura World theme park<\/strong>\u00a0in Salou and Vila-seca, Tarragona, on the Costa Daurada in Catalonia, Spain.<\/p>\n

Recently, the league announced a joint venture with the theme park operator comprising three phases:<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the same time, the joint venture will sign a licensing agreement with\u00a0PortAventura World<\/strong>\u00a0for the use of the\u00a0LaLiga<\/strong>\u00a0brand and app development. This licensing agreement will run for 15 years and give\u00a0PortAventura World<\/strong>\u00a0exclusive rights in Europe.<\/p>\n

The concept of \u2018LaLiga TwentyNine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 was born as a multidisciplinary space that is adaptable to the specific characteristics of each territory or to the needs of the licensees. That said, \u2018LaLiga TwentyNine\u2019s<\/strong>\u2019 will always have the same look and feel, validated by the league.<\/p>\n

Continue to follow\u00a0Coliseum<\/strong>\u00a0for latest updates on\u00a0venues business news<\/strong>.\u00a0Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Become a member of the only\u00a0Global Sports Venue Alliance<\/strong>\u00a0and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world.\u00a0Apply for membership<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0coliseum-online.com\/alliance<\/strong>\u00a0and make use of the\u00a0365Coliseum Business Center<\/strong>\u00a0including the\u00a0\u2018Get in touch\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0business development support tool and the global\u00a0\u2018new projects\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0database<\/p>\n

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