Berkeley News: UK and US Update

London Office Move

Berkeley’s UK business will be moving to new offices on Monday 26 November. After 10 years at our 48 Chancery Lane location, we will be moving about half a mile east to a new build office at 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB.

While it will feel a bit of a wrench to leave the cloistered environs of Chancery Lane and our neighbours in Lincoln’s Inn, Farringdon Street will provide us with more space, better video links to clients and our New York office and an opportunity to upgrade our facilities and offer an even better, more flexible working environment. And for those who are familiar with our current office, rest assured that our new space will continue to embody the Berkeley culture – welcoming, inclusive, personable and sociable. Transport links will also be enhanced with close proximity to the new Elizabeth Line and Thameslink hub at Farringdon, City Thameslink on our doorstep, and St Pauls, Blackfriars and Farringdon underground stations all nearby.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the new office!

New York Client Event at the Yankee Stadium

In September, Berkeley US teamed up with New York City Football Club to host an information and analytics event at the Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. In attendance were clients from six different organizations representing the diverse portfolio of US-based businesses with whom we have worked over the last 18 months. The event commenced with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Yankees Stadium which cost $1.8bn to complete in 2009 and makes it the most costly stadium ever built. We were lucky enough to walk onto the playing field itself, getting a sense of what it must feel like to have 50,000 sets of eyes scrutinizing your every move, under the glare of the floodlights.

New York City Football Club is jointly owned by City Football Group (owners of Manchester City, Melbourne, Girona, Yokohama, and Torque in Uruguay) and the New York Yankees. City Football Group run a unique business model that enables them to spot, develop and manage talent across a network of clubs worldwide. Information and analytics plays a vital role in this business model and we had a very insightful presentation from Daniel Fradly, Head of Performance Analysis at NYCFC, who outlined two areas in which information it is applied to drive improved team performance. One area concerned “expected goals analysis” which statistically mapped the outcomes of shots taken on goal from different parts of the pitch to aid decision taking during a game and input into training. Another area concerned squad balance and mapping out the lifecycle associated with playing particular position, using the analysis to both assess the current squad and identify players to target in the transfer window.

Dan McBride, Head of Global Ticketing, then talked about the use of ticketing purchase data to segment the customer base and design ticket packages that maximize appeal and uptake. The sheer volume of data being analyzed at NYCFC was impressive, and the challenges associated with changing the culture of decision making at the club is reminiscent of those faced by many of our clients.

We thank our hosts at NYCFC for a highly informative and immensely enjoyable evening, and our clients for joining us.