Sam Parton
CEO and Founder, Open Play
Best pitch presenter you’ve ever seen
My colleague Nikhil Obhrai – our Business Development Director at OpenPlay - so full of energy and enthusiasm
Best sports marketing campaign (that wasn’t yours)
Beats Headphones when they gave them to the athletes at the London Olympics, such clever marketing to make the most of that international spotlight.
Best agency (that isn’t yours)
Dirt and Glory Media, Nigel and Ben are an awesome team
Best young industry talent
Nikhil Obhrai
Best sporting event attended
Wimbledon final, Pat Rafter - Goran Ivanisevic which went to 5 sets having been rained off on the Sunday
Best sporting event on TV
The Ashes, nothing has the drama, egos, rollercoaster of emotions
Best brand ambassador
Harry Kane, eloquent speaker as well as footballer
Best industry event or conference
Elevate for the fitness industry
Best film containing a scene depicting the sports business
Jerry Maguire, especially when he says “Show me the money”
Best book recommendation
Twenty Something, hilarious diary of being a twenty year old in London even though sadly I’m now not.
Best bar or pub
South London Pacific (now closed down), easily the best bar in London. In second place is Ayers Rock in Lyon, France
Best restaurant
Corleone’s in Colliers Wood, best pizza this side of Napoli
Best holiday resort
Lydia World, Turkey, all-inclusive and has literally everything you could want in one place
Best box set
Peep Show it’s literally timeless
Best influence on your career
Frederic Garner my old boss at Business At Work in Paris, as gave me the courage to start my own business. Very inspirational.
Best dinner companions (min 4, max 6)
While I’d be tempted to put together a really dysfunctional table of guests for a night to remember, I’d have to use it as an opportunity to gather some great minds/influencers in tech and sport to see if we couldn’t encourage some greater collaboration – it’s badly needed! So, what about…
Elon Musk
Mark Zuckerberg
Serena Williams
Jess Ennis-Hill
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England
Best job in the sports biz
Being Lionel Messi
Best professional regret
Not starting a business sooner than I did, when I saw the opportunity to harness data and technology for the leisure industry.
Best skill you most covet
The ability to blag it/fake it until you make it
Best trait you admire in others
Empathy
Best overrated virtue
Persistence
Best ambition
To be considered by my family as a role model father. Still a long way off!