Sports technology innovator and future-of-broadcast keynote

Overview

Ben Taylor is the second-generation innovator behind Virtual Eye, the New Zealand-grown sports graphics technology that has changed how millions of viewers watch the world's biggest sporting events. As a senior leader at Animation Research Ltd, founded by his father Sir Ian Taylor, he brings audiences the inside story of how a Dunedin studio became a global player in sports broadcasting.

Who is Ben Taylor? Ben was born in Dunedin in 1988, the same year his father founded Animation Research Ltd. He grew up around the studio and the unorthodox thinking that built it. At 16 he took himself off to boarding school in pursuit of a tennis scholarship to the United States. He has since moved into a leadership role at ARL, focused on Virtual Eye and the next generation of sports graphics, AI and broadcast experiences.

Career Highlights

• Senior leader at Animation Research Ltd / Virtual Eye

• Closing keynote, Economic Development New Zealand 2024 Annual Conference

• Driving innovation across Virtual Eye's golf, sailing, cricket, motorsport and stadium products

• Keynote speaker on sports tech, AI and the future of broadcast

• Grew up inside one of NZ's most successful homegrown technology companies

• US college tennis scholarship recipient

• Trusted speaker for corporate, government and industry audiences across New Zealand

Key Speaking Themes

• How a New Zealand idea became a global sports-tech standard

• The future of how we watch sport, including AI-driven broadcasts

• Innovation, disruption and family-business succession

• Building a world-class team in a small country

• Backing yourself: lessons from chasing big ideas

What Your Audience Will Gain Ben gives audiences a behind-the-scenes view of one of New Zealand's quiet global success stories and the innovative spirit that built it. They leave with practical thinking on innovation, talent and how to compete on the world stage from Aotearoa.

Ideal For

• Innovation, technology and future-of-work conferences

• Economic development and regional business events

• Sports industry summits and broadcast conferences

• Family business and succession events

• CEO and leadership offsites

Frequently Asked Questions...

What does Ben Taylor speak about? Sports technology, innovation, the future of broadcast and AI, and the story of building a global NZ company.

What is Virtual Eye? Virtual Eye is the sports graphics technology developed by Animation Research Ltd, used across major global broadcasts of golf, sailing, cricket and motorsport.

Who founded Animation Research Ltd? Ben's father, Sir Ian Taylor, founded Animation Research Ltd in Dunedin in 1988.

Where has Ben Taylor spoken recently? He delivered the closing keynote at the Economic Development New Zealand 2024 Annual Conference, among other corporate engagements.

Is Ben Taylor's keynote relevant outside sports? Yes. His themes around innovation, scaling a NZ company globally and adopting new tech apply across most industries.

How long is a typical keynote? 45 minutes is standard with Q&A optional. Fireside chats and panel formats are also available.