Tales from the print room

AN INTERVIEW WITH: Andrea Pinchen CEO of Leicester Tigers

Every print job has a story behind it. In this regular feature, our print partner Soar Valley Press introduces Niche Magazine to the Leicester-based people they work with, to absorb

the tales from when their projects go to press WORDS BY TOM YOUNG

ALeicester Tigers matchday experience is very exciting. An opportunity to see elite-level sport by one of the game’s powerhouse teams, sumptuous food in the hospitality suite, and a killer atmosphere in the stadium. When everything’s great, you don’t want any element to drop the ball – top quality print work from a reliable company is a vital addition. Niche spoke to Tigers’ CEO, Andrea Pinchen, about why their working relationship with Soar Valley Press adds so much value to the visitor experience.

“In sport, we talk about the one percents,” says Pinchen. “There’s rarely one big change that makes a great impact, but if you can improve a lot of things by one percent, it quickly adds up.”

Soar Valley Press’s contribution to the visitor experience at Welford Road is certainly more than one percent. Print permeates every facet of a match day, especially in hospitality.

“If you’re coming to a matchday, you’d receive our literature pack in advance. Upon arrival, you’d see our pop-up banners. In the hospitality suite, you’d receive our menus and wine lists. In the stadium, you can pick up a matchday programme. By the time the players are on the pitch, you might’ve had more interaction with SVP than the Tigers!”

Pinchen emphasised how important a stress-free working relationship with their suppliers is.

“Chris and the team have our absolute trust. They understand the needs of the business and you never feel like you can’t call them. During times of crisis management, such as the pandemic, it’s so important to have reliable business partners who make life easier. They’ve always given us a quality product and are great about catering to last minute changes.”

Those last-minute changes are no joke; in professional sport, last minute can mean last minute.

“Our team sheets are everywhere on match days. They go in the matchday programmes, the opposition dressing rooms, the hospitality suites, and to all the media outlets. Sometimes the team is changing up until the morning of the match, but SVP are amazing at delivering quick turnarounds.”

Welford Road is also a popular venue for corporate events and conferences, and even the Tigers’ end of season awards night can be subject to last minute changes.

“We have a tendency to push and push and push the print deadline,” says Pinchen. “At the 11th hour, attendees will tell us they can’t make it and someone else is taking their place. This means we need to change our displayed seating plans. On at least one occasion, Chris has personally driven down to the stadium to make sure we get the new print on time.

“Suppliers like SVP make us look swan-like – calm and serene on the surface, but lots of work going on below.”

BY THE TIME THE PLAYERS ARE ON THE PITCH, YOU MIGHT’VE HAD MORE INTERACTION WITH SVP THAN THE TIGERS!