How LaLiga conquers the world of football through events

A collection of events

With a glocal vision and a clear objective of creating a community of fans around the world, LaLiga has defined an international expansion strategy repairing in branding and customer engagement. In the face-to-face dimension nothing better than events. Therefore, they maintain a program of events aimed at different audiences in different parts of the world. And, in addition, they have a network of 46 delegates distributed in 55 selected countries through a process known as LaLiga Global Network. These delegates work to maximize the image of LaLiga in strategic countries and boost business development.

The internationalization strategy begins with the arrival of Javier Tebas to the presidency in 2013. In 2014 the LaLiga Promises was born by strengthening ties with José Ramón de la Morena Foundation to create events within juvenile tournaments where other international clubs also meet. With this, they show fans around the world the quality of the players of the lower categories and the commitment to them. Subsequently, groups of fans in other countries were detected and Public Viewings began to broadcast specific matches such as the Classic or the Derbis and promote them based on the profile of those fans.

Events that use trends

LaLiga Promises and Public Viewings are the first step of a long tour of events by LaLiga. The list also includes LaLiga ICONS project, presentation events of active players and large icons that have been part of the competition such as Iker Casillas or Andrés Iniesta. In addition, the synergies of social networks, because through their profiles these players are responsible, among other things, for broadcasting LaLiga matches abroad, ensuring digital dissemination.

Social networks are essential today, as is the relationship of event and experience. An event is no longer imagined for simple attendees, but for participants: people who take part, who join with others, participate and experiment. This conception is incorporated with LaLiga Space, multi-day events framed within the opening of international tournaments where fans have the opportunity to live what LaLiga is like through fan zones or interactive zones with thematic games and t-shirt exhibitions, trophies … Tournaments of enthusiastic countries for this sport are organized in both Africa and the Middle East: the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in Dubai and recently the CAF Africa Cup in Egypt.

And, picking up the two previous concepts (social networks and experience), LaLiga Experience is conceived. A project that was born in the 2016/2017 season with the aim of helping international operators to boost the broadcast of the competition in their countries. In this fourth season 2019/2020, international operators will choose famous influencers in their markets and journalists from their chain to live and tell in first person in a total of 19 experiences distributed throughout the season. Campaigns and experiences in Spain will revolve around a new storytelling. The influencers will become “the new star signings” by the official operators. They will live and share the following agenda through social networks: see the training of the local team, interview players, get to know the Club better with a guided tour of the stadium, visit the best of each city, enjoy gastronomy and feel the excitement of a match. “In addition to broadening the notoriety, the collaboration of LaLiga’s international operators with these influencers, allows to reach a new audience, sharing with them an innovative, attractive and different content around the competition.” – says María José Silva, Responsible for LaLiga Experience.

A collection of events … within a strategy

All these events favor the internationalization of Spanish football. Little by little, they have been incorporating trends: social networks, the idea of providing content that promotes visibility and retransmissions of LaLiga on a global scale. The example that combines efforts in internationalization is LaLiga Experience, a project that also adds two other new trends in events. The first: the return to authenticity and the revaluation of cultural origin. The experiences take place in the different cities of the clubs and the activities are focused on getting to know people, culture and gastronomy. The second: the influencers as key figures. Not chosen at random, but after a period in which the chains make a shortlist of popular candidates on their television and social networks so that LaLiga later chooses only those profiles that match with their values. In the last edition, 37 broadcasters with visibility in 148 countries and 47 influencers from 40 countries participated. All the content generated during the experiences can be followed on social networks under the hashtag #LaLigaExperience. And, in general, with the glocal program, according to LaLiga, it reached more than 2.7 billion people worldwide. Major words … So, have the stadium walls been broken?

The conclusion of so much football is that events can be the perfect way to open up to the world. Never as an isolated, disconnected or forced tool. Always within a coherent strategy in which methods, channels and communication actions are established. All without losing stitch, well planned, following trends and fitting with society. Events can be the perfect answer, after the perfect questions.