Inside the One NZ Warriors with Thomas Harris, Commercial Manager
A newly minted partnership with the One NZ Warriors opens up opportunities for the Icehouse network to share in the success and the energy of our NRL team. A not-to-be-missed Warriors in Business event will be held at the Icehouse in Parnell on May 29th - book here, but be quick!
"Thomas Harris our commercial manager has put the Warriors brand in front of business, and he’s done an excellent job. We want to facilitate a forum where conversations between like-minded businesses can be driven. It’s short, sharp and effective with excellent speakers and it’s a great opportunity to connect and network - we believe we’re successful because of what we learn from other businesses. Being around a winning community absolutely generates a positive energy and if the feedback we get about Warriors in Business is anything to go by, the formula is working!" - Cameron George, One NZ Warriors CEO
Kate de Lautour talked to Thomas Harris and started by asking him how the season was shaping up, from a commercial POV?
The Club’s growing at a rapid pace, and you can see that in the full stadiums and increased merchandise sales. Another obvious area of growth we’re seeing is in the corporate sector and the hospitality inquiry.
People will ask about a one-off box for a game, but this year the traditional hospitality sold out before the season started! Any other stadium in Australasia you would be able to find a box for a select game!
So, in response we’ve started the Speights Clubhouse as an alternative covered hospitality structure, behind the posts on the pitch - and that’s also sold out for the majority of home games.
Your partnerships are fast gaining notoriety for their success - how do you do partnerships differently?
Our level of service to partners rates really highly in our partner surveys. I think Cameron and Glenn did a great job hiring a team that absolutely cares about our partners. We’re always making them feel as included as possible and putting their needs and objectives at the forefront of what we do from a commercial perspective. We’ve got some long-standing partners, the likes of Wendys, Sky, Autex and One NZ who hopefully are seeing rewards for their loyalty. They stuck with us when we were struggling for eyeballs.
What are some of the new initiatives coming out of your commercial strategy?
We’re thinking about fresh revenue streams around our Warriors Old Boys network and the new launch of the Warriors Women’s team and we’re looking beyond the game day product. So, take for example Warriors in Business and our new bar in Kingsland, Full Time.
It’s these ideas that give us scope to grow and make us more resilient if we had another Covid situation where we couldn’t generate tickets from the game.
How’s the new bar going?
Full Time is going well! It’s another connection point for the Club and our customers. It opened in September 2024 just in time for the NRL finals. The engagement piece has been better than we expected, and it’s been a great spot for getting partners together.
Recently we had a partner’s breakfast at Full Time and I take my corporates there for our meetings. You know you’re going to a sports bar and we’re a sports team. It just works.
How do you prioritize different demographics when you’re thinking about sponsors?
If you look at our fan base the largest demographic are in the 16-34 age bracket and we’ve got a 52%/48% male female split. So aside from the All Blacks and Black Ferns it’s the closest gender split you’ll find in a sport in New Zealand. And the age bracket is a lot younger than most sports. So, we have a lot to think about in that space. There’s certainly opportunity in the digital space. The Warriors brand is perceived as very trendy, fun and young. So, it’s about connecting existing partners to that content space. The women’s game is a new demographic for us and a new target market.
If you look at the UK and Australia they’re getting great crowds for the women’s game. But it’s a different fanbase. It’s much more family and community orientated with a festival feel, rather than just being about the product. So, I think the launch this year will give brands the opportunity to talk to a different fan base, with strong family values.
Do you have any plans for Trans-Tasman hospitality?
It’s certainly something we are thinking about. Some of our partners are Trans-Tasman, the likes of Persil and Wendy’s and so we’re considering the different options to connect our members.
We’ve got an ambitious team at the Warriors at the moment and we’re making the most of it so yes, anything is possible!