Access Collins announce exclusive bookings partnership with sports giant MatchPint
Access Collins, an Access Group company, and part of one of the UK’s leading reservation and enquiry management systems, has announced an exclusive and strategic bookings partnership with pub finding website and app, MatchPint. The partnership brings together two of the biggest names in on-trade at a crucial time for the hospitality industry.
MatchPint is an online and mobile service that attracts over 5.4 million users per year, showing sports fans which games are being televised in pubs based on location. Since lockdown eased, they have recorded a substantial spike of 31% in MatchPint users seeking to book ahead. Matching a large client crossover across the UK, Ireland and Australia, MatchPint pinpointed Access Collins as one of the UK’s leading reservation and enquiry management systems and the number one choice for a successful, long-term bookings partnership.
Leighanne Bent, Marketing Manager at DesignMyNight, states that “the partnership with MatchPint has come into play at a crucial time for our Access Collins clients. This partnership will help drive covers for booking partners at a time when pre-booking is critical to many businesses. The real beauty of this partnership is that nothing changes operationally for the venue - no extra admin, just more customers for live sporting occasions”.
Sophie Herbert from Beds and Bars, who have already signed up for the partnership, has commented that “This integration will not only provide a better experience for customers but also strip out additional operations processes and reduce admin errors. We expect to see a higher conversion of sports enquiries coming through the MatchPint platform and as a business built on sporting occasions, this will deliver some great results moving forwards.”
After a record decline at the start of 2020, consumer confidence levels are finally beginning to rise, with key dates and times for venues becoming harder to book. New features that went live on Access Collins in response to COVID-19, such as the ability to request and temporarily store contact details of all guests made under every booking, are aiding venues in complying with new government guidelines.
“Re-opening pubs safely is of vital importance as the industry looks to plot a route back to prosperity. We’re thrilled to be able to offer The Access Group’s industry-leading tech to all our pub customers. This is only the beginning of the strategic partnership and we’ll be announcing more ways that existing Access Collins customers can enjoy the benefits of MatchPint’s unique marketing platform for pubs”, said Leo MacLehose, co-founder of MatchPint.
As the hospitality industry moves into the new normal, a strong booking system is essential to not only help venues cope with reduced capacity but to comply with GDPR practises when recording information for the NHS Test and Trace scheme, alongside creating a safe environment for customers thanks to smart floor plans and table management.
Find out more about the Access Collins and MatchPint partnership.
For any further commentary on the partnership, please contact [email protected] and [email protected].
About Access Collins
Access Collins is a booking and enquiry management solution for the bar, pub and casual dining market and processed over 40 million bookings over 6,000 clients in 2019. MatchPint will be the newest addition to Access Collins’ partner network which currently includes Google, Trip Advisor, Time Out, Afternoon Tea and Bruncher.
About MatchPint
MatchPint has been bringing fans together to watch sport since launching in London back in 2011. Today, it is the biggest platform for sports fans, pubs, and drinks brands in the world.
Sports fans use the free MatchPint app and website to find great places to watch sport with their friends. Pubs, bars, and restaurants use MatchPint's innovative content management system to organise, advertise, and analyse the success of live sports events on TV. Partnerships with selected sponsors further enhance the user experience through gamified activations such as prediction games, sports quizzes, and digital vouchers. In 2019, MatchPint launched in Ireland, before acquiring the French platform ‘Allomatch’ and then expanding to Australia in 2020. MatchPint's mission is to bring people together to watch sport at its best - surrounded by friends.
