For Episode 15 of The Speakeasy, we sit down with Bhavesh Vaghela, Chief Product, Technology & AI Officer at London Marathon Events, to explore what it takes to run a 365-day product and technology operation behind an event that happens one day a year. Oh wait, make that two days! Leaning into Bhavesh's journey through defence, banking, cybersecurity and travel before landing in mass participation sport, we explore how LME builds for a portfolio of 25+ events beyond the marathon itself, why "there's no proxy" for customer empathy, and how the team thinks about AI, and avoiding what Bhavesh calls the "silent graveyards" of over-invested, under-validated AI bets. We also get into the mechanics of sponsor trust, the case against dynamic pricing for the London Marathon, and why Bhavesh believes sport is roughly where banking was in 2008. If you’re interested in how to engage your audiences year-round for your one-off event, and the tech innovations driving that growth, this one is for you.
0:00 – Introduction
0:15 – The numbers behind the ballot: 1.3 million entries and counting
2:00 – Why "inspiring activity" is the mission, not just running a race
3:15 – The enduring power of broadcast in a declining-audience world
7:40 – What London Marathon Events actually does for the other days of the year
8:45 – Inside the year-round product and tech cycle behind race day
12:45 – How LME approached building its app: from blank page to tracking thousands of runners
15:00 – How to choose vendors, and the red flag that ends a pitch
16:50 – How to turn ballot rejections into on-ramps for engagement
20:00 – Why it’s key to build products for every kind of runner
24:55 – Where AI actually will disrupt the most
32:35 – What happens when organisations bet everything on AI
37:25 – How LME builds a roadmap in a fast-moving world
45:35 – What dwell-time data really proves
47:00 – What's next: fusion events and expanding LME's reach