World Rugby has announced details of an exciting multi-year partnership with Capgemini for the men's and women's HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Under the deal, the global independent research leader will become the Official Innovation Partner to the series and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, which takes place in San Francisco on 20-22 July.
Rugby sevens is a proven fan-engagement leader, with World Rugby successfully attracting and converting new fans in record numbers thanks to its innovative social media strategy.
Olympic inclusion attracted 16.8 million new fans in six key markets according to post-Games research undertaken by Nielsen, while the total impact is estimated to be upwards of 30 million, led by young audiences in emerging rugby markets.
Capgemini will partner with World Rugby to bring its expertise and passion for innovation and technology to the series with a focus on enhancing the fan experience for current and future spectators.
Capgemini will be providing fans with greater access to deeper insights into sevens, the players and the teams, including the use of data and infographics to augment the tournament experience in stadiums, on television and social.
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: "We are delighted to welcome Capgemini to our growing global commercial family for the men's and women's HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018.
"We are excited about the activations that are planned in partnership with Capgemini, harnessing their expertise in technology, data and insights and their passion for rugby to innovate and enrich the fan-experience, reaffirming sevens as a leader in fan-engagement.'
Capgemini Group Chairman and CEO Paul Hermelin added: "Our sponsorship of the sevens series combines perfectly our heritage with our global reach, in an innovative and inclusive way. It is the next chapter in the story of Capgemini's support for rugby. We are looking forward to enabling our clients to discover this new, fast moving format, and I know that many of Capgemini's 200,000 strong team are excited about supporting and even playing rugby sevens in the months to come.'
The partnership furthers Capgemini's 25-year association with rugby, through its support of French rugby clubs and, on a global level, as a sponsor of Rugby World Cup 2007.
About Capgemini
A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2016 global revenues of EUR 12.5 billion. Visit www.capgemini.com and www.capgemini.com/rugby7.
