Seeing opportunities and seizing opportunities is what brought Orange and Volley Vlaanderen together in a new partnership. The driving forces behind this project, Jan Van Damme (CEO SmartSN) and Vincent Dejonghe (Shape Mobile Solutions) came to present the concept to the large volleyball public in Volleymagazine.
There are a number of different reasons why Orange chose volleyball as a company. On the one hand, there is a deep-rooted personal connection with volleyball, on the other, Orange believes in the future of Belgian volleyball and in the progress of the federation to take volleyball to an even higher level. Values such as gender equality, family character, continuous innovation and customer focus/member loyalty are high on the list of priorities for both parties.
“How can we ensure that partners can bring more revenue to the club without costing them extra money?”
A concept model was developed based on this thinking question. In a first phase of this model, the focus is mainly on the relationship between a club and its partners. In concrete terms, the club’s partners receive a free analysis and advice of their telecom bill. This analysis is completely non-binding and is made by Orange. The current situation is always taken into account, but they also outline a future picture. For each contract that is subsequently concluded with Orange, an amount goes to the club at no extra cost to the partner on the subscription price. What’s more, Orange and Shape Mobile are committed to allowing the partner to save a certain percentage of its costs. In a second phase, the same concept will be presented to the members of the relevant club. This of course partly depends on the success of the first focus group. For Jan and Vincent this is not a story of quick wins, but they want to realize a structural and long-term cooperation with the federation, but also strengthen the bond between a club and its partners by creating a win-win situation.
During the Club Inspiration Day at the EuroMillions Cup Finals, Vincent gave an extensive presentation about the project to several interested clubs. VC Amigos-Van Pelt Zoersel, among others, has already taken part in this project and there are already introductory talks with several other clubs. During the EuroMillions Cup Finals, the ambiance between the supporter groups was striking and that strengthened Orange even more in its choice for this partnership. Volleyball as an accessible and atmospheric sport in order to grow together to new heights.
The general manager of Volley Vlaanderen, Geert De Dobbeleer, is very enthusiastic about the collaboration and explains the following:
“As a federation, we try to support our clubs in all kinds of areas and with various projects. The project with Orange is very innovative and we are convinced that this partnership is a good model for a long-term cooperation that will benefit both the volleyball clubs and the partners!”
More information about the project can be obtained from Vincent Dejonghe by emailing: info@volley-orange.be or by telephone on +32 474 443 389