Introducing the Alliance's new Technology and Insight themed month

Head of Policy, External Affairs and Governance, James Allen, introduces our month of content that looks at technology and insight and why it's important the sector embraces new ways to demonstrate impact.

We launched our Fit for the Future campaign in June 2015 to help answer the question of ‘is the sector ready to answer the challenges of tomorrow?’ The launch report considered the changing external environment and what challenges this might bring to the sport and recreation sector. At the time we identified six topics which would be influenced by the changing landscape, these included:

• Public finances and political change
• Legal and regulatory environment
• Leadership and workforce
• Health
• Natural environment
• Participation and impact

To dig deeper and develop our understanding of how the sector can react in order to be Fit for the Future we have been running themed months. This month, we are focusing on technology and insight which will help set the scene as we approach our Sports Summit 2016 in association with Perkins Slade. Evidencing Impact and Using Data is this year’s theme and will really help establish how organisations can better use data to measure beyond just participation numbers.

This is because Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation announced that the sector will now have to report on the broader outcomes that sport can deliver and not simply the number of people participating at any moment in time. The Government recognised five areas that will now be factored into the overall Active lives survey – physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development and economic development. During this month we will kick start the conversation and look at what practices are already out there to help us report effectively.

For the individual, technology has already substantially transformed how easy it is to monitor performance. The sales of fitness, activity and sport trackers are set to rise to 61 million during 2016 with figures set to sky rocket to 187 million by 2020. How can we use this consumer trend to successfully report on the new topics introduced in the strategy, such as the social and community development or even the economic impact of sport and recreation?

Over the course of the next month we will be featuring blogs from experts in technology and insight. There will be a blog from Brian Macaulay from the Outdoor Research Network, on how the outdoor sector is using digital data to improve its offer to customers and a blog from our own Business Development Manager, Luke Roberts on how he uses his FitBit device every day. We will conclude our technology and insight month with our speakers at the Sports Summit 2016 who will discuss how to practically measure an organisation’s impact from a variety of industries.

If you would like to book your place at the Sports Summit 2016 in association with Perkins Slade, please click here.

Keep up to date with the latest articles on technology and insight month by following us on twitter @sportrectweets