Sports and the Hospitality Industry: Interesting talk with Ryan Kinnear

Updated On: November 07, 2023 by   Ciaran Connolly

Ryan Kinnear, Irish Account Director for Corinthian Sports, offers his knowledge of the sports and corporate hospitality industry. Ryan himself references his own and families love for sport: “My father was a rugby player, who managed the Ulster European Cup winning team in 1999, and my mother was golf. So, we are a real sports family”. 

Throughout Irish sporting history, we have seen many major successes and events coming to the island. Kinnear compares modern Irish sport to the “Golden Age of Sport”, stating that “we had Barry Maguigan, Northern Ireland football team in 82’ and 86’ at the World Cup and the Republic of Ireland beating England. We had so many sporting heroes out there.”

Kinnear indicates how much the corporate and sports hospitality is changing and how Corinthian Sports are at the forefront of the changing industry. Clients are now wanting the best events that are bespoke, unique and of high quality. He also gave insights into the high-quality expectations of clients and some of the premium packages they offer, one of which is a Monaco weekend watching the Grand Prix on a yacht moored only yards away from the action.

Kinnear shared the process of giving the client the best experience possible. It all starts with an experienced team, who understand the client’s needs. Packages include celebrity guest speakers, one of which was ex-British Lion, Paul Wallace.

With great knowledge in the industry, the expert explains the attractiveness of sports and corporate hospitality to businesses. Corporate hospitality is a great way for a business to advertise and promote its very own brand, which can help a business not only keep their clients, but also gain new clients through organic peer-to-peer sharing. 

He also shares that this style of hospitality is ideal not only for clients, but also employees. This helps employees feel more a part of the business, who are then more likely to go that extra mile for the business in the future. Kinnear also acknowledges that corporate hospitality is a chance for a company to retain staff, as it helps staff morale within the business.

Like all businesses and industries, there are always going to be challenges. The hospitality industry is no exception, as it has seen a lot of evolving over the years. Kinnear refers to Brexit, as it is one issue that will evolve the industry once again. Fortunately, Corinthian Sports have succeeded in difficult times before at the tail end of the 2008 recession. One quote that Ryan likes to make clear on the issue of challenges is: “When you’ve got obstacles, you’ve got opportunities”.

With clients wanting the best experiences, the hospitality industry continues to evolve. Ryan and Corinthian Sports understand that not everyone enjoys rugby, cricket and other sports, so have now started to offer more varied luxury packages for concerts and different shows.

Overall, in reference to the 2019 Open Golf Championship, Ryan shares the importance of the sports and corporate hospitality industry. Big worldwide events such as The Open attract clients from all over the world, and bring a significant injection into the local economy. It is an industry constantly adapting and changing to meet the client’s needs and without it, not many people can enjoy experiences as much as they do worldwide.

After this interesting talk, would you like to read more about Sports or Hospitality? As a further read, why not check our snippet of the History of Irish Rugby and the opportunities we believe HR has in the field of hospitality!