Feature FSM


How much of The Oval’s business comes from events?


15-20% of our business comes from conferences and events. We class that as non-cricket revenue. We used to do other sports – as I said,


we hosted the first FA Cup – but cricket is so huge for us that we don’t anymore. We’re the second biggest cricket club in the country and the fourth biggest in the world. So we can’t have anything else on the pitch, at least at the moment. But we are looking into diversifying that. It’s really important for sports venues like


the Oval to monetise their non-sports days. We don’t have cricket playing for about 320 days of the year – we have to monetise that time. So we work hard to be open to as many different clients and events as possible.


How would you summarise the Oval brand?


The Oval is open for business. We will welcome any client, any event, and we will do our utmost to host it.


We have a really dynamic events space


that is unique – both in London and across the country. We’re a well-run operation and have a family business feel, with regards to the way we retain staff. So we’re friendly, welcoming, and hard-working. We’re also a member’s club. We don’t pay


out any dividends or shares: every single penny of profit is reinvested in the club. The more success we have on events, the more money we can put back into the venue. We’re about to spend £30m on this new stand – it all goes to us getting bigger and better.


What have been some of the highlights of your time at the Kia Oval?


Leaders in Sport, one of the biggest sports conferences in the world, came to the Oval a few years ago. That put us on the map as one of the most sought-after sports venues in the world for hosting events. That was really special to be part of. Then there’s the cricket – we’re home to the final test match. Watching Pakistan win


the Champions Trophy; watching England lift the Ashes trophy in 2015. And hopefully seeing England win the Ashes again this year – those are all highlights for me.


What are some exciting things in the pipeline for the Oval?


Our aim is to have no single-use plastic in the venue by the end of 2019, and we’re on track to achieve that in the next few months. Being green is important to us; we’re also cashless and looking into renewable energy. The big one, though, is this new stand. One


Oval Square will be ready in 2021. That will increase our capacity as a stadium by 2,500 people, and it will allow sit-down dinners of 750-800 people. Currently, the only place you can hold those kinds of events is in the big hotels on Park Lane. So this will make us a major player in events and awards ceremonies. This article was originally produced by


Joanna Jones for Business Leader Magazine – www.businessleader.co.uk


Cricket calls in experts


The Cricket World Cup will have enhanced measures in place to prevent unauthorised drones disrupting security efforts for the tournament. The World Cup security team, has


been working with cooperative drone manufacturers, the police and security services and civil aviation authorities about being able to prevent drones, liaising with all 10 host venues. Drone sightings near the runways at Gatwick Airport last December caused around 1,000 flights to be diverted or


cancelled and the competition is the first major global sporting event to be held in the UK since the disruption. The security team has conducted analysis


into likely areas where drones could be flown from, within reach of each venue, and taken significant preventative steps - for instance, attempting to identify potential locations from which drones could be launched that could reach the grounds, and stopping drones from being able to get into the air from such sites. The team has taken various measures to


make the area around venues less amenable to such drones. Authorised broadcasting drones, used in the live broadcast of matches, will be used throughout the tournament. The steps to prevent the use of drones are


regarded as significantly advanced from 2017, when England hosted the Champions Trophy and Women’s World Cup, and among the most sophisticated ever used in sport. But drone technology has evolved too, stressing the need for vigilance. Disruption that could be caused by drones is considered a growing risk across major sports events.


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