FounderMetrics: Matt Brooke

We’re now into the tenth episode of this second season of FounderMetrics. For this latest instalment, founder and CEO Ifty Nasir sat down with Matt Brooke.

Matt is the Senior Vice President of Global Operations for the worldwide endurance event series Tough Mudder and Spartans.

In this conversation with Ifty, Matt recalls how he and his team were able to pivot to digital experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic when mass in-person meet-ups were prohibited.

He also shares how they maintained team morale and continued to grow their global presence despite unprecedented challenges. You can read the highlights below - or click here to listen to the podcast in full.

A serious sports fan

I've always loved sports, and my first job was in sports presentation, which is when you go to see a show or a sporting fixture, there’s then a show behind the show.

So, you buy your ticket to watch football, rugby, cricket, or whatever it might be and then you have the pyrotechnics, the big screen, and the cam that zooms in on people. 

That kind of started my affinity with sports. It was a way that opened the door to another lens of looking behind the scenes. When I was in that role, opposite us was an agent for Victoria Pendleton, the Olympic cyclist. This was during the 2012 Olympics, a heyday period [for sports]. 

Through her, I discovered a business called Participate. They had an event series called Cycletter, which was women-only cycling. She used her reach and empowerment to get more people active and, ultimately, in the saddle. So, I hopped ships and mass participation sports became my world. 

Since then, I've worked on running events, triathlons, swimming and cycling, both in the UK and across the world, culminating in a role with a big sports agency. Eventually, the business I was with was acquired by the Tour de France.

Tough Mudder and Spartan

Tough Mudder and Spartan are global businesses in the mass participation sports sector. We hold events worldwide that bring people together in multi-terrain settings. Participants experience and overcome physical and mental obstacles in our races and events. 

Currently, we're in 43 countries, and I think it's important for listeners to understand that, while the brand and the business are global, they operate in two different ways. One arm is owned and operated by entities, and the other arm is franchised.

When COVID came

We had a turbulent time as a business through the pandemic.

The nature of our business, which affects all our licensed partners and enterprises around the world, means that one day you're bringing millions of people together in a live event space, and the next day, you're literally doing nothing. 

We’ve had to do a lot of consolidation over the past 12 to 24 months, pre and post-pandemic. The future 12 to 24 months will be about growth through the consolidation we've achieved, rather than broadening our target markets or consumer base.

To that end, we're working with our partners on hyper-focused strategies. The space we operate in now is wildly different to that of 2019 or earlier. Consumer habits, cost of delivery, technology, and the rise of AI have all significantly changed the landscape.

Impact metrics

Nothing says teamwork more genuinely than getting in the mud, overcoming obstacles that require collaboration, and coming out the other side without leaving anyone behind. That is teamwork.

In the UK, a huge proportion of the Tough Mudder audience participates for fundraising and charity reasons. This is because, inherently, our sector has a very active charitable mindset across society, not just in mass participation sports.

If you take this to Indonesia, for example, that mindset is not prevalent. There, people participate because of the power of the group - societies come together through friendships to do things. 

In Italy, for example, one of our highest percentages of post-event photo purchases occurs because people want to showcase their fitness and activity as a social status. It is consistent every single year, and we provide them with opportunities to serve their needs.

We recognise that the consumer set is doing it for a particular objective or desire. So, we examine these factors across the business. We look at social measures and metrics, new customers, repeat customers, and we evaluate the market as a whole.

We do a lot of benchmarking to understand what’s happening in our space and in the broader sporting space.

There's not necessarily one thing; it's a holistic, ongoing process across the board.

Data shows that engagement levels, even in areas like email click-throughs and open rates, are far higher when personalised. We're making a big push in this area.

We're just scratching the surface of what it looks like around membership and creating 365 days of touchable moments, not just during events or training cycles.

Changing lives

We have people who tattoo our brands on their bodies, which means it's been a significant part of their lives. You don't do that on a whim.

Our aim is to change 100 million lives. Change can mean anything, but we classify crossing a finish line as a life-changing event. We strongly believe in that.

Listen now

You'll find Matt’s episode and all the others from this series wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the interview in full on YouTube. Don't forget to like and subscribe!