CheckinLine Expands Presence Amongst NCAA Institutions

New innovative fan engagement platform collected one year’s worth of fan data in five days in test at Arizona State, Now Ready To Engage With Over 30 Schools Nationally

CheckinLine, the newest and most innovative fan engagement and data collection platform, today announced its continued expansion into the American college market, with The Aspire Group recommending to their 25 colleges to join the committed schools already on the platform. The announcement follows CheckinLine’s highly successful U.S. Beta test with Arizona State University and the successful launch in Australia with Hawthorn FC, Stadium Australia (ANZ Stadium), Etihad Stadium, Octagon and St Kilda FC. Other committed schools include The University of California-Berkeley, Boise State University and Illinois State University with a host of new partners coming later in the second quarter of 2014.

“Our goal was to prove the concept we have is exactly what the U.S. college marketplace needs, and the test with Arizona State verified what we had seen in the professional market in Australia,” said Ben Flavel, CheckinLine Founder and CEO. “Imagine a captive audience that is waiting in a physical queue to buy tickets or to win a prize; now imagine walking along and talking and engaging with these fans as they wait in the queue. CheckinLine has created this opportunity in a virtual world – making data collection easy and targeted and giving fans what they want; a simple reward for their loyalty. There are no more passionate and loyal fans as those who support their schools.”

“All sport properties struggle with efficient ways to collect fan contact data and use it to reward their most loyal supporters. Colleges in particular with their resource limitations feel this pressure the most and CheckinLine has found a simple and fun solution,” said Bernie Mullin, Chairman and CEO of The Aspire Group, whose staff supported the independent test with Arizona State University. “We think that CheckinLine have created a resource that all sports properties around the world, will find simple and invaluable.”

CheckinLine evolved from Flavel’s frustration after trying for 12 hours to access tickets for an elite cricket match in Australia. The aim was to apply “queuing theory” and create a fair, transparent online environment where the most passionate fans gained priority over other fans; a real world solution to an online problem.

The business creates a mobile environment where fans “check in” on a daily basis and participate in a virtual online competition to prove their affinity and improve their chances at getting tickets and special access to a wide range of events. It was after early testing on the platform that it became obvious that this check-in was a great way to talk to every fan in line and that fans will line up for virtually anything – not just tickets – on the gamified platform.

Select Universities are able to access the CheckinLine platform for free and run specially designed competitions, enabling them to connect with and understand their fans like never before. The test with Arizona State involved offering a game day “money can’t buy” experience for their first home football game of the season. Over 600 fans, 25% of which were current students, were required to check-in once a day over 5 days and were asked questions to determine what triggered game day attendance. Data analysts then applied structured equation modeling and other research methodologies to deliver real, actionable insights at a fraction of the price of traditional research methods.

“Through CheckinLine, we were able to collect more data in one week than we have collected all year about our fans’ interests and affinity, ” said Abbey Carter, Director of Database Marketing and Analytics for Sun Devil Athletics. “We know how to run a simple competition and CheckinLine delivers rich, actionable insights.”

About CheckinLine

Created by serial entrepreneur Ben Flavel, CheckinLine is a fun, simple data platform that gives properties and events the ability to collect targeted information from engaged consumers who are already looking to attend an elite event, or access a prize or reward. The platform has an average consumer engagement time of over two minutes per check-in because of the transparent environment and targeted opt-in questions that are used. Consumer satisfaction grows with each daily check in. CheckinLine creates a new digital asset for properties, creating new revenue generating opportunities. It bridges the gap between raw fan data and fully analyzed, actionable insights, while providing fans with fair and honest access to things they love and want. The platform is free to consumers, and partners are charged a fee for data capture and analysis. Launched in 2012 in Australia, clients include Hawthorn FC, Stadium Australia (ANZ Stadium), Etihad Stadium, Octagon and St Kilda FC, as well as a growing number of NCAA institutions, including Arizona State University of the Pac 12 Conference. For more details go to www.checkinline.com.

About The Aspire Group

The Aspire Group is a global sports and entertainment firm founded by Dr. Bernie Mullin that partners with its clients to maximize revenue, people, organizational performance and opportunities. The Aspire Group’s more than 200 full time employees service over 120 iconic sports properties in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia, by providing ongoing strategic and implementation support in executing and maintaining highly innovative sales, marketing, management, and operational systems and programs. The Aspire Group has become the leader in revenue enhancement with over 38 collegiate and 39 professional properties partnering with Aspire. This is best embodied in The Aspire Group’s fastest growing division, Fan Relationship Management.

For more information, please visit: www.theaspiregroupinc.com.