Live Experiences Are Driving Corporate Customer Retention

In an era defined by digital fatigue, the corporate sector is renewing its focus on in-person experiences to build more robust business relationships. What used to be an executive perk has become a strategic tool.

The elusive ROI of corporate hospitality is growing more concrete, as firms increasingly leverage unforgettable, exclusive experiences at the world’s premiere events to connect with their clients on new levels.

The experience economy accelerates

“How do you excite people who have everything?” asks Heimo Schirgi, Chief Operating Officer of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

This question defines the challenge for many companies jockeying to differentiate themselves in crowded markets, like the sports and entertainment industries, especially when courting high-net-worth clients who have seen it all.

The answer, increasingly, lies not in what companies give clients, but rather in how they make them feel. The experience economy has matured into a sophisticated customer retention strategy; winning new clients can be up to 25 times more expensive than retaining existing ones, so for many companies, the investment is worth it.

Sports tourism, particularly at global events that transcend cultural boundaries, offers something unique: universal emotional resonance paired with exclusive access.

“There is a legitimate fear of missing out when it comes to bucket-list experiences like the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics and the Super Bowl,” notes Paul Caine, President of On Location, a premium experiential hospitality company that serves as the official hospitality provider for all three events, and is partnering with FIFA to deliver enhanced hospitality packages for the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Premium means going beyond the corporate suite 

The high-end hospitality landscape has dramatically transformed, even in the last decade. Free parking and all-inclusive drinks, once the hallmarks of premium experiences, are now table stakes. Today’s corporate clients demand something fundamentally different: personalization, proximity and impossible-to-replicate experiences.

On Location creates bucket-list opportunities: bringing fans onto the field at the Super Bowl to celebrate as confetti rains down; setting up personalized meet-and-greets with WWE legends in the ring at WrestleMania; and, as planned for FIFA World Cup 2026™, giving guests the opportunity to make a goal kick on the pitch after a match.

“Everyone can come up with ideas,” Schirgi explains, “but to actually deliver it at scale, that is the big challenge.”

For FIFA World Cup 2026™, the largest single-sport event in history, spanning 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 cities across three countries, that challenge is unprecedented.

On Location’s approach to creating singular opportunities for connection and memories at FIFA World Cup 2026™ centers on what it calls getting “closer than ever”—not just to the game, but to the entire sensory experience.

“One thing we keep top of mind when curating hospitality packages is catering to all of the senses,” says Caine. “Guests are used to watching or listening at an event. But what about putting your feet on the playing field? Or interacting with a chef as they prepare a dish and hand you a bite to smell, touch and taste?”

FIFA shares this vision for the event.

“We are pushing the hospitality boundaries, from food to entertainment to access,” says Schirgi, touting offerings built in partnership with On Location that range from chef-curated, localized menus at each of the 16 host venues to series packages that allow guests to follow their favorite team across the tournament’s constellation of stadiums or to attend every match at their venue of choice.

Experiences strengthen bonds between customers and companies 

These exclusive amenities function as designed touchpoints that signal investment in the relationship, and corporations are increasingly considering the costs of premium hospitality against traditional customer acquisition cost (CAC) metrics.

“Businesses view premium live experiences as one of the most effective ways to strengthen relationships, reward loyalty and stand out from competitors,” says Caine. “For some businesses, that means turning a concert stage or game court into a conference or networking space. For others, it involves a special appearance by a star athlete.”

Companies can field customer satisfaction surveys to compare the relative strength of relationships and level of consideration from clients who have—and have not—had the opportunity to connect with corporate teams in person at memorable events. On Location’s clients attest to the benefits, in terms of boosting their bottom lines and building connections. 

“We use premium hospitality as a sales incentive and a way to reward our top performers,” says Steve Yaeger, Senior Director of National Accounts at Cydor, a firm which purchased hospitality packages at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. “It’s a first-class event. Even non-sports fans love it.”

There’s also the emotional component, which matters precisely because it defies easy quantification.

Those are bonds that transcend transactional relationships, which is a return few investments can give. As Caine explains, events like the FIFA World Cup 2026™ are “where relationships are forged, deals are done and lifelong memories are made.” 

For companies courting high-spending clients and fostering enduring relationships, these memories have a robust ROI.

The 2026 opportunity

There may be few events as powerful in the creation of those lifelong memories as the FIFA World Cup 2026™, which represents an unprecedented opportunity in the hospitality landscape.

The last North American World Cup, hosted by the US in 1994, was a watershed for sports marketing, attracting major brand sponsors for the first time. Today, the tournament’s scale has tripled, global reach has exploded—including in the US, where the number of first-time soccer fans has increased 400% year-over-year, according to a 2024 survey by For Soccer—and stadium technology has transformed how fans experience the game. Six million people will visit the US for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, according to the US Travel Association, with millions more traveling to Canada and Mexico for matches.

“The scale means that companies can activate locally for their clients while still being part of a truly global moment,” says Caine.

The 16-city footprint will enable companies to create hospitality experiences wherever their key relationships are based, from Vancouver to Miami to Mexico City.

As FIFA World Cup 2026™ sets a new bar as the biggest-ever hospitality event, the companies that understand how to turn a sporting event into a relationship accelerator will develop client relationship-building capabilities that extend far beyond any single tournament.

The question facing business leaders is whether they can afford not to invest in premium experiences while their competitors do. In a world where everyone has access to the same digital tools and data, differentiation increasingly comes down to one thing: how a company makes people feel and how close they can get their clients to the action.