Can we make the ‘Royal-Thomian’ cricket encounter an international brand?
The ‘Royal-Thomian’ is not only a cricket match, but also a large social event with a 145-year-old history being the second oldest continuous cricketing encounter in the world.
Old boys from abroad make it an international event. It promotes friendship and camaraderie, exchange of ideas and communal harmony. Also, it boosts economic activity by bringing in foreign currency due to the participation of diaspora old boys, promotes brands and trade, develops activity management skills and put foundations to create business alliances.
The ‘Royal-Thomian’ can be further developed as an international brand for the benefit of the school and country and also for tourism without losing its aesthetic value.
This too will stimulate other schools to look at big matches in similar lines. It can be a brain gain strategy for cricket crazy Sri Lanka at a time when many Sri Lankans are migrating.
Some points to ponder are – Develop e-ticketing – Have day passes – Have base tent and additional tents – Different pricing models which stimulate movement within tents and family and friends participation. – Sell a certain percentage of the tickets to outsiders / foreigners at a premium price (Even auctioning of limited tickets).
The writer is a past president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Managemen.
