Interview with Jean-Baptiste Alliot, Innovation Strategy Specialist at UEFA.
1. How did UEFA decide to start its innovation journey? And why? Could you please walk us through the process?
The UEFA Innovation Hub (UIH) was officially established in 2018 as a response to the ever-changing habits of our fans and an increasingly demanding environment for the football industry. The pace of change in football is relentless. Changes in technology, lifestyle and viewing habits are radically altering the way we experience, consume and even play the beautiful game. Failure to keep up with these changes means being left behind.
UEFA, naturally, is determined to be at the forefront of such changes and so to stay ahead of the game. This is why the innovation journey started alongside the new UEFA Strategy 2019-2024 which was officially presented on 7 February 2019 as a vehicle to support it. The UEFA Innovation Hub is a vehicle for future-proofing UEFA and ensuring we stay one step ahead of the latest trends to shape the future of our sport.
2. Could you tell us a little bit about UEFA Innovation Hub?
Our Philosophy – Innovation is about more than digital transformations and using the latest technologies. It is also about how we catch trends, anticipate the future and operate with agility in order to remain relevant. We provide a framework to facilitate agility towards UEFA’s vision that sits in line with the changing football and entertainment landscapes. Not only does this involve leveraging the technologies and skills of external partners, but it relies on combining this with UEFA’s own talent and unconventional ways of thinking to drive change.
With sports leaders now considering adaptability and embracing innovation as integral success factors for their organization’s future, the time for change is now. Central to this change is a clear structure and strategy that is powered by company-wide cultural support and upskilled staff. Based on these innovation success factors, the UIH has outlined three key objectives to help UEFA in delivering on its strategic goals.
3. Could you name a few innovation mechanisms that UEFA has implemented or is thinking about implementing?
Depending on the objectives the UIH pursues, we have launched various initiatives to either foster a culture of innovation or help UEFA leverage its ecosystem. For the first objective, we have already implemented various schemes such as an intrapreneurship scheme while for the second objective, we have launched a UEFA Start-Up Challenge which has now turned into an Open Innovation scheme. From these examples (to name a few), UEFA demonstrates its eagerness to tap into the amazing wealth of innovation and ideas that exist in thousands of start-ups and small businesses around the world, in addition to its own great work being done internally and with world-class partners.
4. What problems have UEFA faced during the first steps of its innovation strategy?
As for any organization, change does not come so easily. From the buy-in of the top management to embarking on the staff or putting in place new programs and procedures, etc.; you face various issues which are common to all organizations and that all innovation leaders face at some stage. But rather than focusing on the difficulties, I would encourage anyone in a similar position to only focus on the great opportunities that exist and on delivering pilot projects at the beginning of their own journey to drive value to their organization. This ¨quick wins¨ and the showcased added-value are essential to advocate and sustain the innovation strategy. In addition, pilot projects will also help to raise awareness and get a better understanding across your organization and your ecosystems about what actually is innovation for your organization and how they could connect with your initiatives.
5. What’s N3XT? What is UEFA working on?
The UEFA Innovation Hub is always looking for the next opportunities and ensuring we shape the future of football. We are now strengthening our internal initiatives to make UEFA an even more agile and resilient organization while giving a strong push to leveraging our ecosystem with the launch of our Open Innovation scheme. Not only does this mean continuing the collaboration with start-ups, but it also signifies creating strategic partnerships and specific clusters. Finally, we are also exploring our relationships with our academic partners and see how we could reinforce our cooperation to better answer upcoming challenges and better anticipate the future. With that being said, we have always considered that innovation is a team sport whereby the greatest innovations in the sport will very likely come from strategic collaborations between industry leaders and external players. This is why we encourage you to connect with us through our portal if you want to join us and have an impact in shaping the future of football.