Two Circles Strengthens Ticketing And Hospitality Proposition With Sports Ink Acquisition

Two Circles has bolstered its sports ticket and hospitality marketing capabilities with the acquisition of Sports Ink. Following the deal Two Circles is now working on ticketing and hospitality briefs for the next editions of the world’s five most-attended major sports events including the FIFA World Cup.

Since December 2012, Sports Ink has generated over 30 million ticket and hospitality sales worth in excess of US$2 billion for major events including the 2016 Olympic Games, 2017 IAAF World Championships, and 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Sports Ink founder Paul Williamson – who as London 2012 Director of Ticketing, built the commercial team and sales strategy that generated US$1 billion in revenue from 11 million ticket sales – will join Two Circles as a full-time Director. Two Circles will also take on all existing Sports Ink clients and projects, which include the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro in England, 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and 2022 Men’s ICC T20 World Cup.

Gareth Balch, CEO of Two Circles, said: “Post-Covid we project a period of record demand for live sports experiences. Sports Ink’s proprietary end-to-end commercial solutions will enable us to tap into this demand and strengthen our ability to reach new audiences and maximise event-day revenue for our clients’ events. Paul’s experience and leadership will also play a central role in our evolving ticketing and hospitality offering going forward.”

Paul Williamson added: “I’ve witnessed first-hand the impact Two Circles’ marketing strategies and technology have had in attracting more people to live sport and driving sustainable event day revenue growth. The addition of Sports Ink’s major event experience will strengthen Two Circles’ capabilities in ticketing and hospitality marketing, and I’m excited to contribute to the development of Two Circles’ service-led product offering.”

Two Circles helps leading sports rights-owners use data analytics around sports fan behaviour drive commercial growth.