British Fencing is pleased to announce a partnership with fibodo (find, book, do) that will continue our efforts to keep up with society’s technological expectations, a topical area within the sport and activity sector. The advances in digital technology and our reliance on phones, tablets and computers to support everyday life, means British Fencing is actively embracing technology to provide greater access to fencing.
The fibodo technology was developed to drive organisations into the 21st century by making it easy to find, book and do an array of activities. Other industries have adopted technology that brings their products and services to the consumer, with some areas of the sports industry falling further and further behind with each year of tech development. At fibodo, they are committed to putting sports and activities into the hands of the searching consumers, thus bringing the industry in line with some of the UK’s major successes such as Just Eat and Airbnb.
Megan Sowney, Commercial Director at fibodo, had this to say about the announcement:
“At fibodo we reduce the participant’s journey down to three clicks; find, book, do. This means potential fencing participants can harness their impulse to get involved by instantly discovering their local activity and immediately being able to turn up and play. Paying in advance is a critical commitment by the participant, turning impulse into action by reducing the option of not showing up.
We’re delighted to partner with British Fencing, as they future proof the sport and work with us to support member clubs stepping into the modern world of technology. Their vision of bringing the eclectic sport of fencing into the hands of consumers actively searching for activities means that they follow in the footsteps of some of the UK’s biggest and most well-known brands from other industries who have welcomed innovation. This will no doubt drive participation across the board, that we hope will benefit fencing as well as the consumer.”
James Craig, Commercial Manager at British Fencing, had this to say about the partnership with fibodo:
“Working with Megan and her team at fibodo for the last 9 months has been a fantastic experience as there has been a shared vision about why fencing is not just any other activity that people can try. I have known about this technology coming to the market for a while and, for us to adopt the technology first, as a small NGB, is exciting. At fibodo they believe in the huge appeal fencing has for those who may have never considered sport or physical activity before. The platform will provide a simple promotion, booking and payment solution (if required) for fencing related products and services, initially working with our affiliated clubs.”
The technology package negotiated by British Fencing is valued in excess of £50,000 and is available to affiliated clubs and formal activity partners of British Fencing, giving them access to the latest software, which is provided, maintained and updated by fibodo. These benefits include:
Josef Thomas, Development Officer – Clubs and Regions (England) at British Fencing goes on to say that “…having a platform enabling clubs to advertise fencing products, receive bookings, manage payments and advertise on social media platforms is a great stride forward for a lot of fencing clubs. It is vital that clubs have the opportunity and resources to increase their online presence. For active affiliated clubs it now means that, with no up-front cost, they have a new way to attract participants to start, stay and succeed in fencing. I look forward to working with clubs who would like to embrace this technology.”
The platform is completely free to use as an advertising and booking management tool. The only time a cost is incurred is if a participant wishes to pay online using credit/debit card at which point a 10% fee is taken from the payment i.e. £6 session, £0.60 will be deducted.
All data that is on the activity finder has been taken from the sport80 membership account of any affiliated club that has ‘opted in’ for publicity on British Fencing’s website and to be promoted through relevant partners of British Fencing.
Clubs are encouraged to complete this expression of interest form to finish off creating their profile page, add their logo and activate themselves as an activity ‘host’ under British Fencing’s ‘NGB hub’ account. Clubs will have the opportunity to initially advertise 4 types of bookable activity:
1) Beginners Course – Adult.
2) Beginners Course – Child.
3) Holiday Camps.
4) Turn up and Fence.
We have been working with a number of clubs to start creating their profiles. To view how a club is already using the functionality of fibodo to list their activities please click here. If you would like to set up your profile, please use the expression of interest form and we will be in touch to walk you through it!
Each club will also receive software, support and a CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) accredited CPD (continued professional development) course that can be taken by one or all coaches covering the topics of consumer buying habits, how this affects your club, and how you can use technology to attract and retain new participants. All of which are included as part of your British Fencing membership and we thank fibodo for extending this gesture to our fencing community.
We hope that fencers and clubs are as excited as we are by another way to engage with audiences and get people involved with the fantastic sport of fencing.
Editors Notes:
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