LDN UTD Partners With The Mayor of London And Samsung KX To Promote Health And Wellbeing

The Mayor of London is again teaming up with London-based social action esports organisation, LDN UTD, and technology pioneer Samsung KX to promote health and wellbeing across the UK, via grassroots gaming.

LDN UTD will be hosting a FIFA 22 and F1 community stream on November 13th at the 20,000-square-foot brand showcase Samsung KX in King’s Cross, London.

Gaming fans are invited to attend All Access Gaming, by registering at the Samsung KX website. At the event gamers will have access to LDN UTD talent, expert health and wellbeing advice and meet special guests. Samsung KX host Chelcee Grimes, the Vamps’ Connor Ball, hip hop/R&B artist Jords, and gaming creators Ria Bish, Sunpi, ItsHaber, Itani, and Kirbz will all be in attendance, alongside LDN UTD’s creators including Merl and Gillytho. More guests will be announced in due course.

For those unable to attend, the event will be broadcast live on LDN UTD’s Twitch page, with viewers able to interactively participate, and win prizes courtesy of Green Man Gaming and Noble Chairs.

CEO of LDN UTD Oliver Weingarten says: 

“This event will showcase both the beneficial aspects of mental and physical activity in esports, and the role tech can play in supporting this. I can think of no better partners than the Mayor of London, Samsung KX and the inspirational talent who’ll be attending, to help us get this crucial message out.”

Connor Ball says, 

“It is fantastic to be involved in LDN UTD’s event that is combining health and wellbeing with my passion for gaming. I’m excited to attend Samsung KX and showcase my skills, as well as talk about my personal journey.”

Ashrita Seshadri, Head of Marketing, Samsung KX says:

“We’re really excited to be supporting All Access Gaming in partnership with LDN UTD and the Mayor of London at Samsung KX. As a hub for innovation, we showcase how to use technology as a force for good and we’re proud to bring together a gaming community of like-minded people to showcase and educate the benefits of health and wellbeing within esports. This is another one of our great skill-sharing events to help Londoners and beyond improve their skills and nurture their passions.”

BT Sport To Remain Home Of Australia International Cricket In The UK, Will Broadcast 2021/22 Men’s And Women’s Ashes

BT Sport has renewed its UK rights deal to broadcast Australian men’s and women’s home cricket internationals until 2025, including the exclusive broadcast of four England tours over the next four years. 

Cricket fans will be able to catch England in action as they look to recapture the Ashes later this year, as well as the Dettol ODI and T20 tours scheduled for 2022.   

All four series between cricket’s biggest rivals will only be available live on BT Sport.

In addition, BT Sport will also show live coverage of all international tours of Australia. After this year’s Ashes, Australia will take on New Zealand and Sri Lanka in a white ball series.

The renewed deal with Cricket Australia builds on BT Sport’s portfolio of cricket that includes exclusive broadcast rights of West Indies men’s and women’s domestic and international cricket in the Caribbean, and New Zealand’s men’s and women’s home internationals.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said “We loved bringing the highs, lows and controversy of the Ashes to our viewers in 2017/18 and relish the opportunity to bring our viewers all the action from both a men’s and women’s Ashes in 2021/22.  BT Sport’s cricket content has continued to grow since we signed our first rights deal with Cricket Australia, and we are delighted to be bringing more world class men’s and women’s cricket from Australia to fans across the UK.”

beIN Sports Continues To Expand Women’s Sports Portfolio Globally With CAF Women’s Champions League Latest beINSPIRED Acquisition

beIN MEDIA GROUP (beIN) has continued the expansion of its women’s sports rights portfolio globally with the acquisition of exclusive rights to the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League across 37territories spanning the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Asia-Pacific and North America. beIN’s flagship sports network, beIN SPORTS, will broadcast the women’s competition across four continents around the world, giving amazing exposure and profile to the women’s game on the leading international sports network.

The eight-team CAF tournament, which got underway on Friday, will showcase the best women’s football in Africa, with the final due to take place in Egypt on November 19th. The rights are the latest addition to beIN’s burgeoning beINSPIRED portfolio. beIN SPORTS will broadcast the tournament across the 24 countries in the MENA region, as well as Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and the US & Canada.

beIN SPORTS launched its beINSPIRED initiative in 2019, aiming to give a greater platform to under-represented sports and talent, with a particular focus on women’s sport. This was followed by beIN SPORTS’ broadcast of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™ in 31 territories globally, more than any other broadcaster worldwide. beIN now holds a range of women’s sports rights across multiple territories.

In addition to the newly announced CAF Women’s Champions League, beIN is also the official broadcaster of: the UEFA Women’s Champions League; the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022; the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Paris 2024 Summer Olympics; every women’s tennis Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon & the US Open) and the WTA Tour all across MENA; the Billie Jean King Cup 2021 – the World Cup of Women’s Tennis – in Australia, France and MENA; the W Series in the US, Canada and MENA, a range of Paris Saint-Germain Féminine games in various markets; as well as key women’s events from handball, basketball and swimming, to name just a few.

Mohammad Al-Subaie, CEO of beIN MENA said: “We are pleased to have secured the rights to broadcast the CAF Women’s Champions League across 37 countries worldwide. 2021 has been a successful year for beINSPIRED, where we’ve broadcast the UEFA Women’s Champions League; the 2020 Tokyo Olympic; the best of women’s tennis – including the WTA Tour, all Grand Slams and the BJK Cup; W Series; and much more to millions of fans around the world. beINSPIRED is a core part of our Group’s efforts to shine a light on under-represented sports and inspire the next generation of athletes and fans – regardless of gender, race or background. We are proud that this initiative continues to grow.”

Global Sports Leaders Urged To Collaborate On Post-Tokyo 2020 Momentum At Virtual IF Forum

The international sports movement can emerge from the pandemic in stronger shape if International Federations (IFs) continue to work together to build on the momentum of Tokyo 2020, delegates heard at today’s Virtual IF Forum.

More than 400 sports leaders from over 125 IFs gathered for the virtual, invitation-only event, which was organised by SportAccord under the theme of ‘Tokyo 2020 – Learnings and Take-Aways for the Future’.

With the IF Forum’s programme driven by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the packed agenda featured key contributions from a range of expert speakers.

Delegates heard from IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell, who highlighted key learnings from Tokyo 2020, while Dr. Pau Mota, the IOC’s Senior Manager, Medical and Scientific Department, discussed a number of medical issues that emerged in relation to this year’s Olympic Games.

World Archery Secretary General Tom Dielen and International Golf Federation Executive Director Antony Scanlon also offered engaging insights into the experiences of Tokyo 2020 from the perspectives of IFs.

“I truly believe that if we build on this togetherness and sense of community, sport will accelerate its development to emerge even stronger in the years ahead,” said Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, the President of SportAccord and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), who provided the IF Forum’s welcome and closing addresses.

“Let us continue to make progress as a sports movement, focusing on every level of participation for the sake of a healthy future. Of course, there will always be changes, as this is how sport continues to innovate and improve. Our challenge is to work together to ensure that these innovations bring the best out of sport and encourage participation at all levels.”

Dr. Raffaele Chiulli also expressed his hope that the essential take-aways will help to set the broader agenda for further discussions with a wider pool of influential decision-makers at the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2022 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

IF Forum 2021 Host City partners are: City of Lausanne and Canton de Vaud and the Official Partners are: City of London, Marsh, OnePlan, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Deportivo and Sport Event Denmark.

SportAccord 2022, which will take place from 15-20 May 2022, will reunite the global sports movement, allowing all of the industry’s leading figures and stakeholders to gather in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Ooredoo Signs Up As Regional Supporter Of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ And FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™

Telecommunications company Ooredoo has been unveiled as the Official Middle East & Africa Telecommunications Operator of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and the upcoming FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021™.

The Qatari operator’s agreement strengthens the company’s long-standing commitment to FIFA’s leading events. Ooredoo was also a National Supporter of the 2019 and 2020 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup™ in Qatar.

Nick Brown, FIFA’s Director of Commercial Revenue, said: “We are delighted that Ooredoo has returned, this time as a Regional Supporter, for these two amazing tournaments in Qatar. With Ooredoo by our side, we are looking forward to hosting memorable events that will connect followers of the beautiful game in Qatar and across the globe.”

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad bin Nasser Al Thani, the Chief Commercial Officer at Ooredoo, said: “We are beyond proud to be working with FIFA again, this time as a key supporter of the biggest sporting event in the world and of the biggest football event in the region.”

“All eyes will be on Qatar over the next couple of months and in 2022 as our country is propelled onto the global sporting stage. This is an opportunity for Ooredoo to cement our leadership in innovation and telecommunications, promote our country as a major sporting hub, and celebrate football, the most popular sport in the world,” he added.

“We are honoured to be supporting our country in providing an unrivalled fan experience for all, and we look forward with great excitement to some incredible football.”

Ooredoo delivers mobile, fixed and broadband internet services that are tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.

The FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 will feature 16 of the region’s top national teams from 30 November to 18 December 2021 and will serve as a dress rehearsal for next year’s FIFA World Cup™, which will take place from 21 November to 18 December 2022. Read more about both events on FIFA.com.

Konietzko Elected New President Of ICF

Germany’s Thomas Konietzko has been voted the new president of the International Canoe Federation, receiving more than 90 per cent of the vote on the day he also celebrated his 58th birthday.

Mr Konietzko defeated Russia’s Evgenii Arkhipov in the hybrid congress vote, attracting the support of 94 per cent of delegates. He replaces Spain’s Jose Perurena, who is standing down after 13 years as ICF president. Congress overwhelmingly supported a motion to appoint Mr Perurena an honorary ICF President.

In his acceptance speech Mr Konietzko praised the work of the outgoing president, and pledged to build on Mr Perurena’s legacy.

But he also warned not all expectations will be possible.

“You leave a great legacy, and for many years your name will be associated with the most successful period of the International Canoe Federation,” Mr Konietzko said of the outgoing president.

“I already know we cannot meet all our expectations, because there are so many different interests in our federation. The diversity of our disciplines is our greatest strength.

“But our diversity is also our biggest challenge, because so many different interests have to be taken into account, and that is why we all have to stand united. My vision for the future of our federation is to achieve together the best for our sport, united in our vision. For this we need all our stakeholders, we need all of you.

“We don’t need a revolution to make our federation fit for the future, but we need evolution.”

In other election results, Argentina’s Cecila Farias, China’s Aijie Liu and Spain’s Lluis Rabaneda were elected vice-presidents, while Italy’s Luciano Buonfiglio won a hotly contested vote to remain as the ICF’s treasurer.

Japan’s Toshi Furuya was elected the new chair of the canoe sprint committee, France’s Jean-Michel Prono was re-elected chair of the canoe slalom committee, while Germany’s Manuela Gawehn will be the new head of wildwater canoeing.

Dutchman Ruud Heiljselaar will be the new chair of canoe marathon, Great Britain’s Greg Smale retains his role as head of canoe polo, and fellow Brit Terry Best will take over as head of canoe freestyle.

South Africa’s Colin Simpkins will pilot canoe ocean racing, Canada’s John Edwards was successfully re-elected as chair of paracanoe, while New Zealand’s Tim Brabants is the new chair of the ICF’s medical and anti-doping committee.

Congress also recognised the work of three long-term supporters of canoeing, with special awards to Germany’s Juergen Konrad and Australia’s Helen Brownlee, and a posthumous award for Denmark’s Jorn Cronberg.

Watch: How ImagineAR’s Technology Can Help Your Fan Engagement

ImagineAR an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, brands and businesses to instantly create their own mobile phone immersive AR campaigns.

Through this new video you are able to see how the integration of their technology has been benefitting one of Brazilian football’s biggest clubs in order to enhance the engagement of their fanbase.

Felipe Ribbe de Vasconcellos takes you through how they have been utilising the technology in order to get positive results in this new video cast study.

He shares the goals they were looking to achieve by using ImagineAR, how they planned and executed campaigns. Felipe also showcases the user experience for fans and the results they have been able to achieve and what their future plans are.

If you would like to find out more about ImagineAR, email David Fowler at david@isportconnect.com

ImagineAR Selected by the STA Group as one of the 2021 STA Startups Category Stage Winners for Sports Fan Engagement

ImagineAR was also this week selected by the STA Group, headquartered in London, as one of the 2021 STA Startups Category Stage Winners for Fan Engagement.

“To be selected as a 2021 STA Startup Category Stage Winner for Fan Engagement is truly an honor and further positions our company as one of the up-and-coming global sports tech leaders,” said Alen Paul Silverrstieen, CEO and President of Imagine AR, “This STA selection can open up new sales and partnership  opportunities for ImagineAR as well throughout the world”.

Mr. Silverrstieen continued, “We are excited to compete against other global winners for the overall 2021 Startup of the Year Award in the near future.”

STA Category Stage Winners compete in a two-stage process; first, the STA Group scrutinizes the international sports tech market to establish winners in individual categories. These are based on the stage of business – super-early, early, established and scale up – along with the sports sector in which they operate. Each category winner, including ImagineAR in the Fan Engagement category for early-stage startups, is invited to then pitch head-to-head in a bid to become The STA Startup of the Year.

How To Bring Your Sports Travel Programme And Sustainability Efforts Together

In the week the COP26 Summit kicks off and many of the world’s major nations look at how they can come together in order to make the world a much more sustainable place, our friends at ATPI look at how to replicate this with your sports travel.

Prior to 2020 we saw a collective conscience raised in regards to caring for the environment and limiting our impact on it – an approach that even extended to sports travel and events.

Although the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic took priority last year, we are now seeing more organisations turn their attention back to the implementation of sustainability policies and ESG initiatives.

The good news for travel managers is that travel doesn’t have to be at odds with your team’s wider sustainability targets. There is a way to achieve a travel strategy that delivers what your organisation needs while also limiting its impact on the environment.

“Although offsetting your carbon footprint remains a quick fix rather than offering a long term solution, it’s still an important part of limiting our impact on the planet.”

Before doing anything, it’s important to talk to those closest to your travel programme – your travel managers, bookers and team. Gathering their opinions on what kind of changes would make the biggest impact, and importantly be the most achievable, is essential in creating a sustainability strategy that is realistic for your team – one that will produce results and fit your culture.

Carbon offsetting

Although offsetting your carbon footprint remains a quick fix rather than offering a long term solution, it’s still an important part of limiting our impact on the planet. Over 30 IATA member airlines have pledged to invest in carbon reduction projects by developing carbon offset programmes to neutralise their emissions. If it’s possible to travel for business using these airlines then teams can rest assured that they are making serious conservation efforts.

Further details of which airlines are involved in carbon offsetting can be found here. Your TMC should also be able to advise you in regards to adding C02 reporting to your current travel data, which will enable you to make more informed decisions when it comes to travel.

Questions to ask a prospective TMC about their sustainability efforts:

  • Can you negotiate with hotel suppliers and airlines, selected due to their sustainability efforts, to secure corporate rates and offers?
     
  • Do you have extensive and up-to-date knowledge of sustainability programmes implemented by travel suppliers and airlines currently?
     
  • How do you share updates on suppliers’ sustainability efforts?
     
  • Are you able to provide carbon reporting as part of travel data reports?
     
  • Are you able to provide bespoke reports? Is there a limit to how many reports can be provided per month/year?
  • Can travel data be presented in a dashboard format? Is it possible to customise this dashboard for our organisation?
     
  • Will you provide analytics showing our key travel trends? And advise on how we can use this to develop a more sustainable travel programme?
     
  • Can you provide advice regarding the sustainability efforts of our industry peers?
     
  • Are you able to offer us choice when it comes to how we offset our carbon emissions? 

What to look out for in your travel technology if achieving a more sustainable approach to travel is a priority for your organisation:

If your organisation is sending sustainability to the top of its travel agenda then it’s vital that your travel booking tool can help guide bookers into making more environmentally-friendly travel choices. Booking tools that clearly show carbon emissions, indicate which options fall within your organisation’s travel policy or offer more sustainable travel alternatives will be important as your organisation takes steps to become greener.


 

Sustainability And Sponsoring: Alibi? Fashion? Trend? Big Change?

Bernhard Spahni of MARTI-SPAHNI Management & Consulting Ltd shares his experience on how the priority of sustainability within sponsorship has been changing over recent times.

Sponsorship is changing. Characterized by changed values ​​among the target groups and, above all, among the companies. Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are no longer just an alibi or part of good manners. No, these topics are high on the priority list of stakeholders (investors, customers, suppliers, opinion leaders and employees).

“It wasn’t long ago that the partly artificial or better sought-after integration of a charity component was enough to give a project the desired touch of “social responsibility”.”

It wasn’t long ago that the partly artificial or better sought-after integration of a charity component was enough to give a project the desired touch of “social responsibility”. A generous donation to a charity was the greatest feeling. It was considered as exemplary and even received the status of a “charitable event”, which, for example, in the USA suspended certain corporate governance rulings. Thanks to generous donations, it was even possible to invite customers to golf tournaments.

Then came the phase of in-house projects in the social or funding area. As a further dimension of an event or an organization, additional projects were launched. Young talent projects, own foundations, projects with disadvantaged groups were created, actively promoted and staged in the media. Intensive and real, but still a side-project.

And today? The companies place high priority on the sustainability of sponsorship projects.

“The fact that a sports event that takes place every three years has become a 3-year project provides additional benefits and brings real added value to the sponsors and partners.”

For many companies, the first question we are asked when dealing with clients is: “How can we make our commitments more sustainable”. The sustainability message moves into focus, the sponsored athlete, artist, or influencer becomes a platform or messenger for these messages. The attractiveness and media presence of top events and projects are used to convey sustainable topics in a credible manner.

A good example of this is “The Ocean Race” in sailing. Their focus is on the sustainability of the world’s oceans. The organizer is committed at all levels and creates real added value, giving the basic project “circumnavigating the world” a contemporary image and attention. The fact that a sports event that takes place every three years has become a 3-year project provides additional benefits and brings real added value to the sponsors and partners. For me it is a perfect example.

So, the answer to the question in the title is clear to me: a big change is underway. The topic of “sustainability and social commitment” is moving into the center and is becoming a differentiating factor.

About Marti-Spahni:

MARTI-SPAHNI Management & Consulting Ltd is a partner-run marketing agency based in Baar, Switzerland and specializes in sponsoring, sports and event marketing. The partners have a wide range of know-how and a impressive global network in the fields of sport and culture from their global roles. Christof Marti headed up the Global Sponsorship and Events Dept. at UBS and Bernhard Spahni disrupted the sports events landscape as Global Head of Sport Event Marketing at Red Bull. 

Marti-Spahni is characterized by individual, creative and innovative as well as classic solutions for its clients. For more information, please check our website: www.marti-spahni.ch

iSportConnect Welcome InCrowd As The Latest Member Of Our Consultancy Division

London, November 2021 – iSportConnect, the world’s largest private sport business network, are incredibly excited to be able to reveal data and sports marketing company InCrowd as the latest organisation to join our roster of consultancy clients.

At InCrowd’s core is their Customer Data and Experience Platform (CDXP) which powers a suite of digital and data tools that enable sports organisations, venues and media to capture, maintain and monetise audience attention through interactive and personalised fan experiences, growing databases and driving significant ROI for the organisation and commercial partners.  

With supporting professional content, data and strategic consultancy services, InCrowd are uniquely positioned in the industry to provide a full, yet flexible, end-to-end solution to lead digital transformations.

InCrowd works with UEFA, FIFA, EFL, Sky Sports, Premiership Rugby, URC, Rugby Football League, Formula 1, ECB, ICC, Indian Premier League and multiple clubs across the Premier League and Championship, helping them deeply connect with their fans converting fan interaction into ROI & advocacy.

“There is a significant value gap between how sport is delivering content and how fans are consuming content and also between how brands are buying campaigns and how sport is packaging its sponsorships and partnerships. This means that the most effective way to drive value for organisations is to transform how they engage and communicate with their audience, utilising fan data to create personalised content and digital experiences across high-quality fan facing platforms.” said InCrowd CEO, Aidan Cooney. “We are excited to work with iSportConnect in cultivating relationships with organisations that share our vision and that continue to be bold in their digital and data transformation journeys”.

“I’ve known many of the InCrowd team for a few years and have watched their business develop and grow as they have created their own proprietary offering. It’s a team of really smart and impressive people. As we all know, if you’re not using data to take your business forward in 2021 then you are being left behind,” said iSportConnect Chief Strategy Officer Sandy Case.

“Personalisation and understanding your fan has become incredibly vital to getting the most out of these relationships. InCrowd can provide valuable knowledge and expertise to help improve your business and we are looking forward to getting to work alongside them and helping them grow.”

iSportConnect Consultancy

iSportConnect’s consultancy division works to help our clients with commercial development, marketing and communications and global sports market entry and business strategy. Our consultancy clients include the likes of Vindicia, Tata Communications and Infront X, among others.

About iSportConnect

iSportConnect was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services. The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.