Ben Phillips - Business Development Lead at Outbox
“It’s so exciting to get up and work with amazing sports clients every day”
Having stumbled across a career in sports after taking a job in media sales post graduation, Ben now leads the business development and commercial operations at leading sports ticketing company, Outbox.
Introduce yourself!
Hi I’m Ben, Business Development Lead at Outbox. I am a bit of a sports fanatic, but football has always been my thing, and I enjoyed playing up until around the age of 26 when my knees decided that maybe golf was a more sensible idea. I am a big Leeds United fan and also follow a lot of motorsport including F1. But my passion is more on two-wheels, following the MotoGP and British Superbike series when I’m not out on my own bike pretending to be Valentino Rossi!
Tell us a little bit about Outbox and what your role is there.
Outbox is a white-labeled cloud ticketing system providing innovative event ticketing solutions to the sports and entertainment industry. Our head office is out in Montreal, but in the UK we are a small team of 4 people with big ambitions to establish ourselves as a leader in the sports ticketing space. My job is to lead the company's commercial efforts. My primary role is to build our sports client base beyond existing partners like the European Tour and Ascot, but I also look after our commercial strategy and strategic partnerships, marketing and sales narrative.
Did you take on any higher education courses (university etc?) and if so, how does that relate to what you do now?
Yes! After school I did two years at Sixth Form College before deciding to study Media at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Looking back, at the time I didn’t have any plans to work in the sports industry, in fact I didn’t really have any kind of plan at all! So my choice of course was never geared towards an ambition to do what I do now, and there were certainly no sports-specific modules I was able to take. With that said, there is certainly a lot from my studies that I draw on now. I did my dissertation on the perception of football fans in the media, so I guess I was already merging my studies with sport back then!
“I started looking at how I could take my skill set,
and apply that to a job in sports”
What does your career history look like and how did you get into working in sport?
In terms of full-time work, when I graduated (as I say, with no real plan..!) I went into media sales, building and selling ad campaigns for national newspapers like The Telegraph and The Independent. I did a couple of jobs in that space which I really enjoyed and learned so much from, but I knew it wasn't going to be the end game for me, so I started looking at how I could take my skill set, and apply that to a job in sports. In doing so I came across a role at a small agency selling ad space in the race programmes for MotoGP, F1 and British Superbikes. It was a great fit and that was my springboard into the sports industry. From there as I learned more I moved into the digital sports agency world with InCrowd and Infront where I worked with the likes of SkyBet, the EFL, Premiership Rugby and Chelsea before taking the step into ticketing with Outbox.
What do you enjoy most about working in the sport industry?
The community of people more than anything. It’s so exciting to get up and work with amazing sports clients every day, but the thing that stands out for me is the people. The sports industry is full of incredibly talented, passionate and personable people, and everyone is easy to get along with because we all love sport!
Name one thing that excites you about the future of sport that you have learned from your role?
I think the role personalisation is going to start to play in our viewing experiences is really exciting. The more time we engage digitally with our favorite sports properties, the more they are learning about what we enjoy and how we like to engage with our sports. There is some really exciting stuff happening that I think will elevate the fan experience for those of us that like to go to sports events, and will make the whole experience really personal to us.
“the sports industry is full of great people and there are so many incredible opportunities for people with all types of skills and ambitions”
Share your favourite experience that has come as a result of your work in sport.
It’s a tough one, there have been a few! But as a big MotoGP fan, traveling the world with the race series, working in the paddock and being behind the scenes of a sport I had spent the previous 10 years watching on TV was pretty amazing.
If someone reading this is wondering how they take their first steps towards a career in sports, what would be your advice?
I would start with LinkedIn. Firstly make sure you have a complete profile, then start researching and networking. It’s such a useful tool to start building your sports industry network early, but also to discover the types of jobs on offer at organisations you are interested in. And don’t be afraid to reach out to ask for help and advice from people! It’s a great platform to share your passion and interest, and often people are more than happy to provide advice.
How could someone try to elevate their chances of securing a job in sport?
My advice would be to do whatever you can to get involved in what you are interested in, at any level. Even if it’s voluntary or casual work at first, putting yourself in the right environment is so helpful! My first step into the sports industry was as an intern running the social media channels for a small (at the time) British Superbike team on my weekends whilst at university. Just being involved was so cool by itself, but it also allowed me to make connections in the sport which I still have today!
What is your one rule for success when it comes to developing a career in sports?
Network, network, network. As I said earlier, the sports industry is full of great people and there are so many incredible opportunities for people with all types of skills and ambitions. Connecting with and getting to know people inside the industry, being proactive and sharing your passion and enthusiasm will get you a really long way!
Want to connect with Ben or learn more about Outbox?
You can connect with Ben via LinkedIn, and learn more about Outbox via their website and LinkedIn page