The School of Tourism and Hospitality Management’s (STHM) Sport Industry and Research Center (SIRC) continues to extend itself in innovation and sport management.

SIRC has entered a strategic partnership with Appventures GmbH, a Swiss software developer, to drive fan research, improve fan segmentation and employ social media games to activate fans for leading sports leagues and teams.

Appventures specifically contacted STHM Assistant Professor Thilo Kunkel to help expand its mobile application. “They knew of our research, because Temple has such a huge name and brand Kunkel said.

Appventures’ sports fan engagement mobile app, ARENOO, allows sports fans to access the latest news of their favorite team and gives them the opportunity to earn points and prizes, by completing quizzes, checking in at a game, or playing as a team. Earning points and advancing in the fan leadership board leads to winning prizes, such as discounts on club merchandise or food at stadiums.

The app is currently only geared towards European soccer fans, but Kunkel said that he and those at SIRC hope the Swiss developer to have a US-based partner by the end of 2014.

Kunkel considers this venture a form of “gamified” consumer engagement, as market activities are being turned into games, where users can earn points for their engagement activities. He believes this is a hot topic in marketing, especially sports management.

Through the partnership, both SIRC and Appventures aim to examine how digital fan games engage fans, create a stronger bond with their favorite sport and improve the overall fan experience.

“ SIRC will basically conduct the research,” Kunkell said. “That means looking at consumer data, fan behavior and fan engagement with the team.”

According to Kunkel, this new partnership will be a long, ongoing relationship.

“This opportunity really puts STHM on the map,” Kunkel said. “We want to be recognized as one of the leaders in new technology. This will definitely help the school.”

— Alexis Wright-Whitley