Élan béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez

Beyond the scoreboard: Turning fans into lifelong supporters

How Élan Béarnais strengthened fan loyalty and secured subscription revenue through a powerful CRM strategy.

Use case Élan béarnais

In 2024, Élan Béarnais, one of the most iconic basketball clubs in France, took a major digital leap by partnering with Arenametrix.

The goal : to structure its digital ecosystem and leverage its data to build long-term fan loyalty, strengthen relationships with supporters, and secure revenue streams independent of sporting results. Before launching the project, the club had not yet developed a comprehensive CRM strategy and was clearly underusing its audience data.

Starting in the summer of 2024, Arenametrix’s teams supported the club around four key priorities:

  • Centralize all fan data to make it a true strategic asset for the club

  • Deepen the understanding of different fan profiles to tailor communication and offers

  • Optimize ticketing campaigns to drive higher conversion and revenue

  • Develop an acquisition strategy to grow and engage a broader fan base

Building a data-driven foundation for fan loyalty

The first challenge of the 2024–2025 offseason was to consolidate all data sources — ticketing, online shop, and website — to become the true owner of its audience data. Once the systems were connected, the club gained a 360° view of its contacts.
This centralization made it possible to identify key audience segments: occasional visitors, regular attendees, loyal subscribers, and former season ticket holders. That segmentation laid the groundwork for personalized marketing campaigns tailored to each fan profile.

Throughout the first year of collaboration, Arenametrix’s dedicated support helped the club professionalize its marketing and communication practices:

  • Improved email deliverability

  • Implementation of a structured ticketing sales routine

  • Automated fan journeys (welcome emails, birthday messages, post-game thank-you notes, etc.)

These early wins gradually strengthened the bond between the club and its supporters, setting the stage for a high-stakes 2025/26 season ticket campaign.

A real-life test: the 2025/26 season ticket campaign

As the 2025–2026 season approached, the club faced uncertainty. Following mixed on-court results and an early playoff exit — meaning another year in the second division — the risk of stagnant or declining subscription numbers was high.

To secure renewals and sustain revenue, Élan Béarnais and Arenametrix began designing their strategy as early as April, focusing on three key objectives:

  • Re-engage 2024/25 subscribers

  • Win back former season ticket holders

  • Attract new fans

An additional focus of this campaign was the reallocation of subscribers to the lower bowl of the arena — a move that supported both commercial objectives and the desire to recreate the club’s signature “cauldron” atmosphere near the court.

Keys to a successful campaign

The success of the season ticket drive rested on a data-driven, targeted approach:

→ Precise segmentation: current subscribers, former subscribers, regular attendees, and new contacts located within 15 km of the Palais des Sports

→ Personalized communication: tailored messages by audience type and campaign phase

→ Multichannel engagement: combining email, SMS, and social media to multiply touchpoints

Strategic support as the key success factor

Beyond the technology, Arenametrix’s human and methodological support proved decisive. Throughout the project, Arenametrix customer success helped the club structure its data, professionalize marketing operations, and establish the foundations of a lasting relationship strategy with the fans.

Our 2024–25 season ended earlier than expected with an early playoff elimination, meaning a third consecutive year in the second division — despite strong expectations of promotion. Add to that a highly competitive local sports scene, with Section Paloise qualifying for the Champions Cup and Pau FC performing remarkably in Ligue 2, and we feared losing our season ticket holders.

With Arenametrix’s guidance and expertise, we planned our campaign by segmenting our audiences precisely and adapting communication to each target and offer over time.

After three consecutive seasons of decline, the 2025/26 campaign finally brought growth — around +10% in both volume and revenue!

Jérôme Labarthe, Ticketing Manager - Élan béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
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