Contracts & Collaborations


Sports Events 365 becomes the world’s first hybrid website for sporting and music events tickets


Sports Events 365 has completed the development of a new supplier’s interface, which allows major ticket brokers who work with the company to access the site directly on an continuous basis As a result, Sports Events 365’s customers will now be able to


receive immediate confirmation for most of the sporting events tickets on the website Thirty percent of the company’s ticket sales are sold through direct relationships with dozens of European football clubs. The remainder will now be uploaded by a selected list of suppliers who are committed to Sports Events 365’s high standards for fulfilling orders Sports Events 365 (www.sportsevents365.com), the international provider of tickets to sports and music events worldwide, announced that it has become the world’s first hybrid website for sporting and music events tickets. The company said it is the first website which allows its customers to enjoy both tickets through direct relationships with dozens of European football clubs, comprising 30% of Sports Events 365’s tickets, and tickets which are directly uploaded by a selected list of suppliers who are committed to the company’s high fulfilment standards. As part of this move, Sports Events 365 has developed and implemented a new interface that will allow customers to receive immediate confirmation on 85% of the tickets on its website, instead of 50% at present.


The company expects the new service will generate $1 million


in additional revenue this year alone. Sports Events 365 reported sales of nearly $11 million in 2018, representing another year of strong growth for the company. The in-house developed interface is available to major ticket brokers who work with the company and now allows them direct access to the site on a continuous basis. The new sophisticated tool allows suppliers to post prices and quantities of tickets for sporting events from a PC or a smartphone app. The user- friendly tool gives Sports Events 365 total control over the entire process. “The ability to obtain immediate confirmation is key to the


travel industry and is expected to greatly contribute to improved efficiency and a better customer experience,” says Sefi Donner, founder and CEO of Sports Events 365. “Immediate confirmation is critical for travellers who want to guarantee tickets for a match before making hotel and or airline reservations. Travel websites, travel agencies, hotel chains and airlines will also benefit from our new service.” The introduction of the new interface for ticket brokers is also


part of Sports Events 365’s B2B momentum. The company has recently announced that over 60% of its revenues last year were derived from B2B ticket sales. The trend toward B2B sales has intensified in the past few years as an increasing number of travel industry providers have discovered how major sports events can contribute to their bottom line.


Paragon Group acquisitions further expands digital expertise


Paragon Group, the leading provider of customer communications, identification and graphics services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Celerity Information Services, ORM and Graft Services in a multi-million-pound move. The purchase of the three businesses, with total turnover in


excess of £30m, will further strengthen the company’s digital communications and identification expertise, whilst bolstering the Group’s business in Europe and the US. Celerity Information Services has three sites in the UK (London), US (Boston) and Spain (Madrid), currently employing 87 people. The investment in Celerity Information Services will enrich the


operational capabilities of the Group in the sphere of customer communications and will complement solutions already offered by the existing team at Paragon Customer Communications, particularly around digital/regulated communications and identification. Established for almost twenty years, ORM has more than 100


staff operating from bases in the UK (London), Poland (Jelenia Góra) and Ukraine (Kiev). Specialising in digital strategy, technology platforms, data, customer experience, design, brand and marketing communications, the company is a digital partner to leading brands globally. With almost two decades of digital and mobile marketing experience, Paragon plans to make ORM a centre of excellence for these activities, enhancing Paragon’s abilities to delivery technology-driven insights for multi-channel customer communications.


Kent-based Graft, founded in 2013, delivers a marketing


concierge service that includes a broad range of disciplines including big data, multi-channel marketing, postal optimisation, direct sourcing and supply-chain management. It has experienced substantial levels of growth serving both corporate and not-for-profit clients. The order book of Howard Hunt City, as well as the company’s


customer base, has also been acquired by Paragon Group as part of the deal. These acquisitions from the Howard Hunt Group, as well


as other recent deals including rcDDM in Germany, and Asf Noyelles in France, have contributed to the continuing strong growth of Paragon Group. In the past three years the Group has nearly tripled in size, employing close to 6,500 employees and recording a pro forma turnover in excess of €850 million. Jeremy Walters, CEO at Paragon Customer Communications


UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome Celerity Information Services, ORM and Graft Services to the Paragon Group, adding their expertise to our full-service range of bespoke market-leading communications solutions.” “The acquisitions underline Paragon Group’s ongoing


commitment to being the market-leading service provider for customer communications. By further strengthening our unrivalled position in digital communications and identification services across the company, we will continue to bolster our reputation as one of the most trusted and reliable service providers in the UK transactional and regulatory communications market.”


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