How digital infrastructure and automation unlocked future growth
Founded in 1988, Summernats is Australia’s premier car festival, held annually in Canberra. Over the years, the brand has grown into a national powerhouse, expanding its event portfolio to include several “Nats” events, MotorEx, Motorvation, and the National Drag Racing Championships, to name a few.
The group also expanded beyond simply operating events, diversifying into media and content through platforms like Street Machine and products such as The Shed Entrant Portal to modernise the management of competitor entrants.
As the organisation transitioned from an event company into a media and marketing-driven business, a new strategic priority emerged: digital growth. This meant improving data management, personalising marketing efforts, and scaling marketing operations for long-term success.
As OTG evolved into a digitally driven organisation, it found itself held back by outdated systems and fragmented processes.
Despite a strong brand and loyal fanbase, OTG lacked the digital infrastructure needed to grow at scale. Customer data was scattered across platforms, making it nearly impossible to gain a unified view of their audience. Their email platform was clunky and restrictive, limiting segmentation, automation, and the ability to deliver personalised campaigns.
With a growing portfolio of brands and events grew, audience complexity increased, but the tools to meet those audiences' needs had not kept pace.
To unlock future growth, OTG asked Sports Cloud Australia to design and implement a future-proof digital strategy that would:
Together with OTG, we developed and delivered a staged digital transformation roadmap, laying the foundation for long-term growth and digital maturity. This roadmap focused on four key focus areas:
We implemented a centralised data warehouse to consolidate customer data from ticketing, merchandise, and participant systems. This gave OTG a complete, unified view of their fans, enabling deeper insights, more effective marketing automation, and reduced reliance on third-party platforms.
We integrated a modern marketing automation system (ActiveCampaign), giving OTG full control over their customer data and the ability to communicate in a more personalised, segmented, and scalable way. This enabled automated campaign flows across brands and events, improving both efficiency and engagement.
We collaborated with OTG to develop and execute a comprehensive marketing and commercial activation strategy. This included targeted campaigns for merchandise, ticketing, entrant onboarding, and partner promotions.
We also built rich audience segments for performance marketing and created a scalable martech foundation to support ongoing growth.
With a national presence and multiple event brands, paid media remains a key pillar in OTG’s marketing mix. To align with their optimised owned media strategy, we developed a data-informed paid media approach focused on efficiency and impact.
We created an integrated that complemented OTG’s owned channels, with clearly defined objectives, consistent messaging, and precise targeting. From campaign setup and media buying to optimisation, we provided end-to-end support to ensure every marketing dollar delivered measurable results.
The Data Warehouse project established a strong foundation for OTG to rapidly grow and enrich its customer database, unlocking opportunities for increased owned revenue, stronger partnerships, and more efficient marketing investment.
With digital foundations firmly in place, OTG is now positioned as a truly data-driven organisation, one that understands its fans, speaks to them personally, and scales with confidence.
Marketing campaigns that once relied on fragmented data and manual effort are now powered by automation, precise targeting, and real-time insights. The team can segment audiences across brands, events, and regions, delivering the right message to the right person at the right time.
Operationally, the transformation has been just as impactful. Tasks that once consumed hours each week are now automated, freeing the team to focus on strategy and creativity rather than data wrangling.
The combined strategy led to increased conversion rates, record-breaking ticket sales, and sold-out events, marking a new benchmark in OTG’s digital and commercial performance. OTG’s digital transformation hasn’t just improved how they market. It’s redefined how they grow.
Do you want more information about this Out There Group case? Feel free to contact Charlotte and Corey
Digital Marketing Specialist
charlottevinecombe@sportscloudaustralia.com
Operations & Business Development Manager
coreymiddleton@sportscloudaustralia.com
