Sid Lee Sport appoints Matthew Bates to lead specialist and events division

Sid Lee Sport has named Matthew Bates as the company’s new Operations Director.  He will be responsible for driving the strategy of Sid Lee Sport’s specialist hospitality and events division that has managed more than two million tickets and activated guest experiences at every major FIFA and UEFA event since 1994, in addition to Olympic Games, Men’s Rugby World Cups, and many more.

Amongst current clients, Sid Lee Sport oversees delivery and experience of every Visa Europe ticket across its sponsorship portfolio, including inventory for the Olympic Games, NFL, UEFA, and F1.

Matthew joins Sid Lee Sport from SOUNDBKS where he was VP Brand Marketing for the past year and a half. In the previous 15 years he held a range of marketing and sponsorship roles in sport for the likes of Therabody, Vitality UK, Wasps Rugby, and Infrared, the specialist sponsorship activation and event management company acquired by Sid Lee in 2021.

 “Over the past 30 years, Sid Lee Sport has managed millions of tickets as a trusted partner to some of the world's biggest brands such as adidas, Budweiser, McDonald’s, Sony, and Visa,” said Stephen Hall, Global CEO of Sid Lee Sport. “Hospitality and event activation are in our DNA and Matthew will spearhead the division with a clear focus on continuing our reputation for seamless operational delivery, whilst driving commercial growth.”