Founded in 2023, Beyond Hospitality has already made its mark in the sports hospitality industry, securing several major deals.
Its most notable agreement came in December, with soccer’s world governing body FIFA, as it was appointed the official hospitality provider of this year’s revamped Club World Cup competition.
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FIFA said it appointed Beyond Hospitality “following an extensive selection process.”
This came after the company was selected to sell hospitality for the 2024 Conmebol Copa América national team tournament and appointed by English Premier League side Liverpool to deliver the club’s latest hospitality offering at its iconic Anfield stadium.
Based in the UK, Beyond Hospitality also has other key offices in the USA, Switzerland, and Spain.
Despite competing with established players in the market, Beyond Hospitality has had rare early success in securing such high-profile contracts.
Sportcal spoke to founder and executive chairman Jaime Byrom to analyze how the firm is disrupting the sports hospitality space and the significance of its key early deals.
How significant is the FIFA deal and do you have a sales target for the Club World Cup?
"Being appointed as the official hospitality provider for the FIFA Club World Cup is a major achievement for our newly formed company. Many of our Beyond staff have worked on multiple FIFA tournaments, but delivering it under the Beyond banner brings a unique aspect to this project and it is not only an appointment but a relationship that we are very excited about.
"We have set multiple sales targets for this inaugural tournament and will no doubt continue to elevate our realistic expectations. At this stage we are confident the results will take us to a healthy nine-digit number."
What will be the difference in selling hospitality for an event in the US compared to Europe?
"This will not be our first experience of a major event hosted in the USA. Last June Beyond Hospitality operated and delivered a very successful Conmebol Copa America 2024, which was a great opportunity to establish ourselves in the USA and get our brand in front of the domestic US market.
"There were many positive take-aways from this experience and we certainly established many good relationships which will stand us in good stead with the sales, operation, and delivery of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
"Beyond Hospitality brings together a team of industry veterans with hundreds of years of collective global hospitality sports experience under their belts. Having experienced delivering major events in Mexico, Japan/Korea, Australia, Brazil, Qatar, France, UK, and Russia to name a few, we have learned that each tournament is unique and requires a unique approach. With this in mind, it is less about comparing the US to Europe and more about looking at the unique requirements and appeal of this tournament, in particular the US domestic market, and adapting our approach to maximize our opportunities around that."
FIFA has worked with other hospitality companies before, how will Beyond stand out?
"With our business processes and existing infrastructure, we are able to kick off our operations with great efficiency for any sports event. Excellence and transparency is at the heart of all we do and this allows us to collaborate, capitalize on opportunities, and deliver a product and service that adds huge value, often in challenging circumstances."
You have secured high-profile contracts quickly, what has been the secret to your early success?
"Beyond is fortunate to have a very talented and well-connected staff that is made up of experts in their field and veterans of sports hospitality. Our staff have a proven track record of delivering global, iconic, record-breaking events and strong, enduring partnerships across the industry.
"As a company this allows us to move quickly with confidence and agility. Internally it allows us to innovate and create with speed and precision while externally it gives those we are looking to forge new relationships with, and those we are growing existing business relationships with, the confidence that they are working with a trusted partner – who despite being under a new ‘banner’ have the ability and skill to deliver something remarkable."
How has hospitality in sports evolved over the years and where is it heading?
"Experience engineering is at the heart of what Beyond does, working with a global team of leaders in their fields to create superb end-to-end experiences, from the first touchpoint to the final moment. This means constantly self-evaluating the services we offer and how we deliver, as well as keeping on top of how our audience’s expectations evolve.
"For example, we know that today’s hospitality customers not only want options around how they will enjoy the match in-stadium, but that this also extends to what their experience looks like leading up to and after the match. This is why you will see us offering an increasing number of ancillary services to support the tournament experience in the form of travel and accommodation in the future.
"We are also conscious of the need to future-proof hospitality and make sure that we are listening to the wants and needs of generations who are maturing into wealth, with disposable income. It means adapting the hospitality product to look, feel, and deliver right as well as market correctly to maintain a growing customer base."
How important is the fan experience in sports today?
"The fan experience is the heartbeat of any great event. Deliver a truly moving and memorable tournament experience and you will have a sports follower and hospitality customer for life."
Will Beyond venture into other sports outside of football?
"The collective experience of our staff is across multiple sports, and I certainly see us moving into other sports in the future should the opportunity present itself."
