The AFL has unveiled its new look Premiership Season fixture, promising a season of unmissable moments and epic showdowns. In a break from tradition, the season will start with just four games on the weekend of March 7-9, two in each of NSW and Queensland. ‘Opening Round’ further cementing the AFL’s ongoing plan to grow the game in the northern states. ‘Gather Round’ returns to Adelaide after a wildly successful debut. The football festival bringing fans right across Australia together for an immersive experience that goes beyond the boundaries of the playing field.

As the AFL’s official digital calendar provider, ECAL’s smart, dynamic ‘Sync to Calendar’ service is the only way to keep ahead of the curve. With an increasingly flexible AFL fixture subject to change, ECAL is the ultimate companion, keeping fans instantly up-to-date and connected with their favourite team fixtures. Footy fans will never miss a moment with match details updated dynamically throughout the season, with direct access to Latest Video, AFL On Demand, Latest News, AFL StatsPro and TV Broadcast details at your fingertips.

With thrilling matchups, revamped rounds, and fan-centric events on the horizon, this season is shaping up to be one for the history books. Can the Pies go back-to-back or will another Victorian powerhouse in the Blues break their premiership drought?

Sync up and get ready for an unforgettable ride! The AFL season kicks off on Thursday 14th March with traditional rivals Carlton and Richmond in action.

Sync the full AFL fixture here.

Rugby league fans, get ready for an NRL season like no other! The 2024 fixture for the men’s and women’s competitions has been unveiled, promising an electrifying series of matches and moments that will have fans on the edge of their seats. As the anticipation builds for epic clashes and thrilling showdowns, there’s only one way to keep in-sync, thanks to ECAL, the official digital calendar partner of the NRL.

For the first time ever, the NRL Telstra Premiership season will kick off with an historic season-opening double-header on American soil. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas plays host as the Sea Eagles take on the Rabbitohs, and the Roosters go head-to-head with the Broncos. It’s an unprecedented event that will mark the beginning of an NRL season filled with excitement and surprises.

ECAL’s smart, dynamic ‘Sync to Calendar’ service ensures fans stay instantly connected to every kick-off throughout the season. No moment will be missed, as timely match reminders and updates keep fans in the loop and engaged with everything the NRL has to offer. Match details are updated dynamically in your calendar, with direct access to Tickets, Latest News, Membership, Shop and TV Broadcast details at your fingertips.

Sync your calendar because the NRL action kicks off on Saturday 2nd March, 2024, and this is one season opener you won’t want to miss!

Sync the NRL schedule here.
Sync the NRLW schedule here.

In 2023, France had the distinct honor of hosting the Rugby World Cup, an event of monumental significance in the world of sports. To take fan engagement and excitement to new heights, organizers turned to the ‘Sync to Calendar’ marketing solution provided by ECAL, a trusted partner of World Rugby.

Empowering Fan Engagement Worldwide

ECAL’s ongoing partnership with World Rugby, spanning various competitions and major events, showcased the power of their expertise. ECAL has mastered the art of connecting global sports federations and major events engaging with global fan bases, to deliver localized content, gathering invaluable insights, driving engagement with diverse products, and supporting vital event partners such as broadcasters, ticket providers, and sponsors.

Integrating ECAL with the Official Rugby World Cup Website

A standout feature of the 2023 Rugby World Cup was the seamless integration of ECAL into the official tournament website. This seemingly simple addition had a profound impact on how fans worldwide interacted with the event. Global displays with language auto-detection featuring 35+ various languages, making it easy for fans everywhere to use the digital calendar service.

Personalized Tournament Schedules

Rugby enthusiasts had the option of syncing the entire tournament schedule or that of their favourite nation to their calendars. No more frantic searches for match times, dates, and venues – everything conveniently at their fingertips. The calendar became a front-row seat to the World Cup’s journey, no matter where you were in the world.

A Gateway to the Heart of the Tournament

ECAL’s magic didn’t end with calendar sync. It provided direct access to the Match Centre, Tickets, Official Online Store, Latest News, and Video highlights. Fan engagement reached unprecedented levels, making it easier than ever to stay informed, purchase tickets, buy merchandise, and catch up on all the latest happenings.

Conclusion

Rugby fans across the globe actively participated in the excitement, from ticket sales to accessing event information. ECAL’s ‘Sync to Calendar’ solution played a significant role in catalysing fan engagement.

The partnership between the 2023 Rugby World Cup and ECAL’s ‘Sync to Calendar’ marketing solution showcased the potential of technology in sports marketing, transforming the tournament into an engaging and memorable experience for fans worldwide. The results speak for themselves, hundreds of thousands of subscribers, tens of thousands of clicks from the calendar and an impressive CTR.

Introduction

Cricket is more than a sport; it’s a passion that brings people together worldwide. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) is the pinnacle of One Day International Cricket, and in 2023, it’s hosted in cricket-obsessed India, spanning ten iconic venues. The International Cricket Council (ICC) faced the challenge of informing Indian cricket fans about staged ticketing releases and facilitating early sales. Their solution? A strategic partnership with ECAL, leading to remarkable results.

Informing and Engaging Fans

The ICC’s objectives were crystal clear: deliver essential ticketing details, promote CWC ticket release dates for international matches, and streamline sales for Indian matches. ECAL’s strategy involved precise audience segmentation based on location and preferences, ensuring the right information reached the right audience at the right time.

Smart ‘Tickets On-Sale’ Alerts

This strategic approach resulted in six distinct calendar campaigns:

1. For CWC enthusiasts, ‘Tickets On-Sale’ entries were sent, detailing the ticketing process and offering direct access to purchase non-Indian match tickets.
2. Indian cricket fans interested in the CWC received ‘Tickets On-Sale’ entries specific to Indian matches. These entries included match-specific information and direct links for ticket purchases.

Impressive Results

The partnership delivered the following outcomes:

• Over 269,000 calender impressions
• 15,412 clicks on the ‘Buy Tickets’ link within calendar entries demonstrated fans’ eagerness to secure their World Cup tickets.
• The click-through rate (CTR) of 6% for ‘Buy Tickets’ showcased the effectiveness of ECAL’s platform in driving early ticket sales.

This project exceeded its objectives, making the CWC ticketing process transparent and accessible for fans. By targeting international audiences with ticket release information, ECAL and ICC aimed to fill stadiums with enthusiastic fans from various countries.

Conclusion

The partnership between ECAL and the International Cricket Council has been a game-changer in the world of cricket. By delivering smart ‘Tickets On-Sale’ entries directly into fans’ calendars, they have educated, informed, and engaged cricket lovers in India and around the world. The 6% click-through rate to ‘Buy Tickets’ highlights the success of this initiative in driving early ticket sales and ensuring that fans are well-prepared for the upcoming Cricket World Cup. With India hosting the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, the enthusiasm and anticipation among fans is at an all-time high. Thanks to the ICC and ECAL’s collaborative efforts, cricket lovers are empowered with the tools they need to make the most of this grand event.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Final is scheduled for 19th November, so it’s not too late to join the cricket extravaganza. Don’t miss a moment with the official Cricket World Cup digital calendar, powered by ECAL – get it here!

ECAL’s Top Trends In Calendar concludes! ECAL’s special 4-week series has showcased the latest techniques and strategies used by the most progressive brands in calendar marketing at ECAL. Our final episode focuses on trends in Personalisation.

Remarketing & Personalisation

ECAL’s most sophisticated clients are accessing the ECAL ‘link click’ activity data on a real-time (or daily) basis to inform them of user behaviour, interest and intent. This information is used to help build user profiles and personas, as well as for effective re-marketing campaigns by clients, and for the personalisation of future communications and web journeys.

The Summer Series @PLinUSA campaign garnered over 120 million impressions on social platforms instagram and twitter, 1 million followers across all PL platforms and featured 10 bespoke collaborations or captures with NBC.

Sophisticated brands like Premier League also have the ability to personalise the content and advertising you see when you next visit the website, based on your known profile, or in some cases a lookalike profile. For instance, a fan in the United States would likely see a banner promotion for the Summer Series. A known fan who had already synced to calendar, but not yet signed up to Fantasy Premier League would likely receive a prompt to do so.

Language & Content

Fandom is no longer limited by geography. Fans can support and follow their team from anywhere in the world, and they expect a personalised and relevant experience. For major sporting leagues and teams, finding new and better ways to engage with a global fanbase is critical to growth and a major battle ground for hearts, minds and share of wallet.

ECAL’s advanced Sync to Calendar technology engages a global audience on two fronts – by language and content.  ECAL’s smart displays have a language auto-detection feature, that detects a user’s preferred language preference and presents the entire ‘sync to calendar’ journey in over 30+ languages to suit. The events content delivered into a user’s calendar can also be localised, by language and details. Commonly, users will receive localised broadcast details for an event in their calendar to drive tune-in, and if an event is local, then the user will likely see the relevant ticketing information with direct access to purchase tickets to help drive attendance.

Check out how FC Barcelona and the LPGA use ECAL to capture, engage and service fans right across the globe through localised language and content.

ECAL’s Top Trends In Calendar continues! This special 4-week series showcases the latest techniques and strategies used by the most progressive brands in calendar marketing at ECAL. This week we focus on trends in Commericalisation.

Ticketing

Ticketing is one of ECAL’s most popular use cases, and when done well, can double the normal ticket purchase rate. Very often, when an event such as a music concert is announced, a fan is excited to attend but is simply not ready to buy. Or indeed, an event may be announced, but tickets may not yet be on sale. ECAL’s solution for ticketing allows fans to easily sync single upcoming events into their personal calendar, or their favourite events by category or type (e.g.: favourite sports, teams, music events by genre, events at a venue or in a city etc.). Dynamic updates and sophisticated logic keeps fans informed of any relevant ticket on-sale dates, special ticket alerts or offers, latest event details, ticket pricing, and even ticket status, with direct access to purchase directly from the convenience of their personal calendar.

Knowing when and where to purchase event tickets can be a stressful experience, just ask any parent of a Taylor Swift fan! ECAL’s calendar marketing software allows publishers to communicate directly with an engaged audience, and present the right information, at the right time, to drive action and response.

ECAL’s ticketing solution also extends to the post-purchase journey, adding events just bought straight into the buyer’s calendar, complete with all the latest information to make the most of their event experience, with direct access to upgrades and add-ons. Equally, ECAL’s ticketing solution is used for member groups, to inform them of important ticket access or ballot windows, and to deliver member specific information around an event, such as dress regulations,  access to menus, book dining, guest passes and so on.

Check out how Premier League giants Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC use ECAL to engage and service their membership groups with Ticket On-Sale Dates and Ticket On-Sale Window events into the user calendar.

Latest Accomodation Deals

ECAL boasts a global partnership with online accommodation booking giant, Booking.com. Under the banner of ‘Stay ‘n Play’, the ECAL platform is able to deliver the latest accommodation deals for an upcoming event, for that date, near that venue, directly into the user’s calendar event. For professional sports teams, venues, festivals, community sports and ticketing clients particularly, this is a wonderful way to enhance the event experience and offering for fans, and to unlock an additional revenue stream from success accommodation bookings.

Stay n’ Play messaging is integrated into existing client events, and can be delivered as standalone entries, providing detailed accommodation information, recommended properties, pricing, property ratings and reviews, with a direct link to browse and book the best available stays…  from hotels, homes, apartments and other unique places to stay.

The ‘Stay ‘n Play’ offering also includes the option for clients to host embeddable booking widgets on their website, to extend the reach and impact of the accommodation booking service to site visitors. Stay ‘n Play is a free feature for Professional level clients of ECAL, and a sure-fire way to drive the passion and participation of fans, and drive new commerce.

Ticketek: Make a night of it!

Australia’s leading ticketing provider, Ticketek, delivers a dedicated, personalised ‘Stay ‘n Play’ event entry into the calendar of a ticket buyer, two weeks prior to attending the event. Ticketek encourages fans to “make a night of it”, and provides additional support, to help enhance the overall event experience. These entries are specific to the upcoming event, and list the very best accommodation deals available at the time, for this particular event, near to the venue. Fans can easily browse the range of accommodation options available, and proceed to book online via the ‘Stay ‘n Play’ branded portal, powered by Booking.com.

ECAL’s Top Trends In Calendar continues! This special 4-week series showcases the latest techniques and strategies used by the most progressive brands in calendar marketing at ECAL. This week we focus on trends in Engagement Drivers.

Pre-event Engagement

Fan engagement for sports teams and leagues not only builds an emotional tie between the team, its players and its fans, but through this engagement, fans can fast develop a meaningful, valuable and long-lasting connection to brand, from which a community of passion and purpose builds. The calendar is an important communication and support channel to capture the attention of fans, not only to alert them of when and where their team plays next, but to engage and enrich the fan experience in and around these events. For sports leagues and teams, the pre-match period is a wonderful opportunity to connect with high value, passionate fans, to support gamification initiatives, drive fans on-site, increase web traffic, increase time on-site and facilitate multi-screen in-event activity.

Check out these pre-event promotions by two of the very best brands in world football, Aston Villa FC and FC Barcelona.

Post-event Engagement

Ultimately, fans love it when their team wins! They want to re-live the highs of victory, and the calendar is an important channel to continue communication with fans following the final whistle. ECAL’s dynamic calendar service along with it’s smart business logic, can automate additional content into calendar before, during or after the event. Delivering ‘Scores & Highlights’ directly into the users’ calendar post-match is a hugely popular feature, that works to drive engagement with increased site visits and video views, with greater opportunity for conversion to your paid video subscription service.

Check out how leading sports brand Liverpool FC engages fans after the final whistle with scores and highlights.

ECAL’s Top Trends In Calendar is here! This special 4-week series showcases the latest techniques and strategies used by the most progressive brands in calendar marketing at ECAL. This week we focus on trends in Audience Building.

Pre-Promotion Campaigns

The release of the season schedule has become a highly anticipated event for fans, and presents an important opportunity for brands. It not only keeps fans engaged during the off-season, but a well-orchestrated, well-hyped schedule release event builds excitement and anticipation for the season, and keeps the brand front of mind for longer. Fans with renewed hope and expectation for the season ahead are keen to know the schedule, and plan their lives accordingly! For brands, it is a critical opportunity to connect and engage with high value, passionate fans with the official digital calendar service, powered by ECAL.

The very best brands are taking this a step further, with a pre-promotion campaign launched up to seven (7) days prior to schedule release. Standout, takeover creative and editorial messaging encourages fans to sync their calendar now to receive the schedule first, as soon as it’s released, straight to your calendar. This strategy has proven hugely successful in growing your connected calendar audience, whilst working to create a buzz and positive virality around the upcoming schedule release. So, two days of typical promotion turns into two weeks. Check out these pre-promotion campaigns by two of the very best brands in Premier League and International Cricket Council.

Online Member Sign-up

Single Member ID architecture is a growing trend across many leading brands, aimed at providing instant access to a range of premium features, with greater personalisation, more relevant content and deeper engagement.  Keen to convert largely anonymous fans to known and more engaged online members, brands are increasingly looking to provide premium features behind a sign up / sign in form. Your ECAL digital calendar is one popular service that can help you achieve your goal of online member conversion. Ultimately, the size of your calendar audience is likely to be less than normal, but if brands believe in the benefits of building a high value committed online membership, it’s definitely a popular feature that works well to turn the tide of users in adopting your online membership concept.

Check out how leading brand Liverpool FC ‘gate’ their users to sign up / sign in to access their ‘Sync to Calendar’ feature.

Major sports in the UK, particularly football, are well served by ECAL, with the Premier League, The FA, and Barclays Women’s competitions all relying on the world’s leading calendar communications, marketing and data technology.

Last week it was the English Football League’s turn, with the highly anticipated release of their 2023/24 Sky Bet EFL fixtures. For Football fans right across the United Kingdom and abroad, it was a chance to plot their side’s road to promotion (or relegation 👀), lock in key derby dates and upcoming Cup ties.

The ‘Get Ready for Fixture Release Day’ pre-release campaign was pivotal in growing the EFL’s connected audience across the three Sky Bet Competitions. ECAL Founder & CEO, Patrick Barrett explains:

“The EFL’s systematic approach in pre-promoting their digital calendar service across the EFL site network proved to be a highly successful pre-emptive strategy. The ‘Get Ready for Fixture Day’ promotional campaign featured on the EFL website, and on each Club site with distinctive team creative, including mastheads, splash pages and run of site banners.  As a result, thousands of fans took the opportunity to connect their calendar ahead of launch day, so they receive the fixture first as soon as it’s released – straight into their personal calendar program.”

Once connected, ECAL’s advanced technology keeps fans up-to-date and connected always. Users receive the latest match information, with direct access to the match centre, shop, standings, social media and much more, increasing awareness, engagement and sales.

The official EFL ‘digital calendar’ service is the only way to keep up-to-date. Don’t miss a moment this season, sync your favourite EFL team fixtures here.

For football fans across the globe, the release of the new Premier League season fixture is a highly anticipated event. It’s a chance for fans to plan their year ahead, lock in the blockbusters, mark down the rivalries, book weekends away, and reimagine hopes and expectations. After all, the season starts here!

For ECAL, Premier League’s official ‘digital calendar’ provider, the global release to millions of passionate football fans requires a well-crafted and co-ordinated strategy with the League and teams.

The pre-release promotional window is one sure-fire way to build excitement and anticipation for the release, and to cleverly grow your calendar audience. ECAL Founder & CEO, Patrick Barrett explains:

“Premier League does a wonderful job in building the official fixture release to a much-anticipated event, and driving users to ‘sync to calendar’ to receive the fixtures first. It’s a great example for all major sports leagues and competitions.

This year, the Premier League’s ‘Unmissable drama, Made Unmissable’ standout creative was launched with a site takeover campaign beginning on Monday 12th June, ahead of the official fixture release on Thursday. Thousands of fans took the opportunity to connect their calendar ahead of launch day, and tell their friends.”

Creative executions included a dedicated website ‘splash page’ on entry, homepage masthead banner, run of site banners, editorial support, social post campaigns and direct email promotion, with the promise to “get every match delivered to your calendar”.

This resulted in hundreds of thousands of fans subscribing to the official Premier League ‘digital calendar’, with a good proportion connecting to the service in the days prior to the official fixture release, where demand then peaks.

As soon as fixtures are published, they are delivered directly into user calendar. ECAL’s highly advanced technology continues to deliver fans with a rich and dynamic fixture service ongoing. Users receive localised broadcast information across matches, and direct access to tickets, merchandise, video, social media, fantasy and more, to keep them up-to-date, connected and engaged.

The 2023/24 Premier League season kicks off on 11th August, with title holders Manchester City facing promoted Burnley.

Don’t miss a moment of the world’s most popular football league! Follow your favourite team like millions of others, and sync to calendar here.