Bates to lead Sid Lee Sport’s hospitality, ticketing, and events operation for blue-chip clients at the biggest events in sport.
Sid Lee Sport has named Matthew Bates as the company’s new Operations Director.
Bates will lead Sid Lee Sport’s specialist hospitality and events division that has been delivering seamless ticketing and world-class hospitality experiences for sponsors at the biggest events in sport for over 30 years.
From building bespoke guest management platforms to curating unforgettable on-site experiences, Sid Lee Sport handles every detail for the likes of Acer, BYD, Lidl, and Visit Qatar, across both top-tier global and domestic sponsor programmes.
Bates will be responsible for driving the strategy of a hospitality operation that has managed more than 2 million tickets and activated guest experiences at every major FIFA and UEFA event since 1994, in addition to Olympic Games, Men’s Rugby World Cups, and many more.
Amongst current clients, Sid Lee Sport oversees delivery and experience of every Visa Europe ticket across their sponsorship portfolio, including inventory for the Olympic Games, NFL, UEFA, and F1.
Matthew joins Sid Lee Sport from SOUNDBKS where he was VP Brand Marketing for the past year and a half. In the previous 15 years he held a range of marketing and sponsorship roles in sport for the likes of Therabody, Vitality UK, Wasps Rugby, and Infrared, the specialist sponsorship activation and event management company acquired by Sid Lee in 2021.
“Over the past 30 years, Sid Lee Sport has managed millions of tickets as a trusted partner to some of the world’s biggest brands such as adidas, Budweiser, McDonald’s, Sony, and Visa,” said Stephen Hall, Global CEO of Sid Lee Sport.
“Hospitality and event activation are in our DNA and Matthew will spearhead the division with a clear focus on continuing our reputation for seamless operational delivery, whilst driving commercial growth.”
Commenting on his appointment, Matthew Bates said: “Sid Lee Sport has developed an industry-leading offering, adding world-class creativity and deep activation expertise to what was already a powerhouse agency in the hospitality and events space. With an enviable track record in delivering seamless ticketing and world-class hospitality at the biggest events in sport, I’m excited by the opportunity to grow the business globally.“
Sid Lee Sport launched in April 2025 as the dedicated global sports practice of leading multi-disciplinary creative agency, Sid Lee. Headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Montreal and Toronto, the business provides a range of creative, activation and hospitality services for sponsors, rights holders, and sport brands.
Sid Lee Sport is a member of kyu, a collective of top-tier global creative companies established by Japanese advertising giant Hakuhodo DY Holdings in 2014 to invest in all forms of creativity, innovation, and international growth.
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