Hannover 96 Sales & Service GmbH & Co. assumes a service provider role for the Hannover 96 Group. The focus of this activity is the implementation of merchandising, ticketing and central services (such as accounting), as well as brand management and maintenance tasks.
The Hannover 96 Group also includes the sub-units Hannover 96 Sales & Service GmbH & Co. KG (administration, ticketing, IT and marketing), Hannover 96 Arena GmbH & Co. KG (stadium and third-party marketing) and Hannover 96 GmbH & Co . KGaA (professional football with licensing and the youth performance center) and primetec GmbH (services in the area of safety and cleanliness). Other smaller subsidiaries close the football club's circle.
Daniel Lüders
Controlling/Reporting - Central Services
Experience Report
Towards dynamic corporate planning
The main aim of the project was to optimize operational corporate planning in the individual companies of the group. Particularly with regard to planning and reporting, all areas should be adapted to the relevant requirements of the German Football League (DFL).
The new program should also offer the various planning functions in the course of licensing (1st, 2nd or 3rd league) and the possibility of scenario planning. Especially in times of Corona, there were a variety of scenarios that were planned with spectators, without spectators, but also only with some spectators. The individual liquidity plans were then compared, adjusted or created. Several forecasts were created during the year in order to get as close as possible to the expected actual figures or to identify any deviations. The various structures of the DFL, the group or the shortened perspectives were mapped or simplified using the master-client concept. Even a short management consolidation could be established. The match day analysis via the cost bearers showed individual match day key figures (sales per spectator, occupancy rate or average prices, etc.) in detail. An exact cost center structure could be mapped and this served as the basis for the reporting of the individual company areas such as the young talent center and more.
Highlights
The initial expectations were exceeded. The new software solution Corporate Planner OC provides the ideal tools for dynamic corporate planning and offers ideal support, especially in the fast-moving world of football. The collaboration with TD Trusted Decisions also proved to be a complete success thanks to the many years of expertise of TD project manager Philipp Wicke and the holistic support of the project.
Future prospects
For this reason, an additional decision was made to introduce the CP dashboards (Analytics by Qlik) The mapping of legal consolidation with the help of CP Cons is also under discussion: "We have always been able to rely on the very professional and cooperative support of Trusted Decisions," says Daniel Lüders, who is also looking forward to future collaboration.
Case Study
Plan flexibly and make better decisions – thanks to the professional support of TD Trusted Decisions GmbH, Hannover 96 Sales & Service GmbH found the ideal business intelligence software for dynamic corporate planning with the Corporate Planner OC.
The Goal
The focus of the first project phase was on optimizing operational corporate planning in the individual companies of the Group. We started by mapping the company's cost center structure, which is the basis for planning. All scenarios are planned or mapped from here. Further attention was paid to topics such as the planning of match operations (e.g. TV money, spectators or advertising, etc.). All areas should be uniformly adapted to the official requirements and specifications of the German Football League (DFL) with regard to planning and reporting. Furthermore, the various cost centers of the new youth performance center were to be mapped and planned. In the course of applying for a license (1. 2. or 3. league), the possibility of scenario planning was also of central importance in the selection of suitable software. The possibility of automatic deformation in the area of audience planning represented a significant simplification.
The decision-making process
Following a recommendation from a friend, the company soon opted for the Corporate Planner OC software solution. This decision was also supported by the numerous positive references for Corporate Planning AG and the fact that it is a German software provider based in Hamburg. The intuitive software was ultimately convincing thanks to its extensive analysis functions during the free trial phase.
For professional support in the implementation of the new software solution, the decision was also quickly made in favor of the CP-certified consulting company TD Trusted Decisions from Hanover: "With the consulting company TD Trusted Decisions and its headquarters in Hanover, we have short service channels and therefore flexible response times with good consulting quality under the project management of Philipp Wicke," says Daniel Lüders from the Controlling department, explaining the decision.
Implementation and challenges
The software was implemented as an on-premise solution; the program was therefore installed on the company's internal servers. The project goals were implemented quickly and efficiently in individual sprint meetings, always with the support of TD Trusted Decisions: "In addition to individual consulting, we received individual training based on the initial work results so that we could then work even more effectively on further development. This had the advantage that we were able to carry out work on the system very quickly on our own and therefore without incurring any costs," says Daniel Lüders.
There were no difficulties during the implementation phase of the programs, only challenges with regard to the individual program design, for which alternative solutions were always quickly implemented. "We were able to rely on the many years of expertise of project manager Philipp Wicke right from the start and followed his recommendations and implementation suggestions."
Corporate Planner OC
The controlling software was set up smoothly and efficiently thanks to the support of TD Trusted Decisions GmbH. The program itself fulfilled the expectations set at the beginning.
Experience and evaluation
The business intelligence software Corporate Planner OC enabled a remarkable process optimization in the company. As a bridge to the consolidation of the various companies in the Group, the program made operational controlling considerably easier thanks to its pioneering and flexible function. In particular, the level concept and the various planning options of the program were immediately convincing, as was the integrated financial and profit planning.
Daniel Lüders describes the implemented business solution as "intuitive, simple and flexible. It's fun to work with the software."
Example screenshot
Conclusion and outlook: What's next?
The initial expectations regarding the software and the cooperation with TD Trusted Decisions were very good. The new tool provides extremely effective support in day-to-day business, especially in the fast-moving world of soccer.
For this reason, the decision was also made to introduce the CP Dashboard (Analytics by Qlik), which is currently being implemented; the mapping of legal consolidation with the help of CP Cons is under discussion: "We have always been able to rely on the professional and cooperative support of Trusted Decisions," says Daniel Lüders, who is also looking forward to future collaboration.