Today marks one month to go until the iSportconnect Beijing Summit, which is taking place on March 26-27th at the iconic National Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park.

We are delighted to announce that four additional  guest speakers have been added to what is already a stellar list of participants.

• Duan Gang, CEO and Deputy Chairman, China Open Promotions
• Antoine Haincourt, Expert Associate, Director of MSc -EM Lyon
• JohnathanLevy, Director of Sponsorship, Clipper Ventures
• Jason Ferguson – Chairman, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA)

Gang was appointed as the Chairman of Beijing Youth Daily Social Affairs Committee in September 2015. He was then appointed as the Vice President of Beijing Media Group (HK0100), managing all the investment related job. He was appointed as the Executive Director of Beijing Media Group in May 2015 and then was appointed as the Executive Vice President of Beijing Media Group in September 2015.

Haincourt boasts an extensive international experience of working in Europe, North America and Asia. His lectures comprise of consumer behavior, branding management as well as sports culture.

In response to the needs of this ever-growing and changing industry, Antoine unites his expertise across diverse segments of the markets, including sporting goods, selective distribution, retailing and e-tailing, winter and summer sports with a strong professional network including prestigious companies such as Nike, ASICS, Adidas, Amer sports, Rossignol, Decathlon, Renault Sport, PSG, ISPO, A.S.O., Lagardère sports.

Ferguson has, in his current stint as WPBSA Chairman, presided over one of the most significant and radical changes to the way that the sport is governed when a controlling stake (51%) of World Snooker Limited (the previously wholly owned subsidiary of the WPBSA which is responsible for the commercial exploitation) was divested to Matchroom Sport Limited, with the associates retaining a 26% share in this entity.

Levy is an experienced marketeer with a long and distinguished career in the media and commercial sectors; pioneering the introduction of digital technology and communications in content creation, business process and brand globalisation, and building international partnerships with corporate, consumer and destination brands.

 

Confirmed Speaker Line-Up

 

Additionally, a series of workshops will give delegates an opportunity to develop best practices in regards to sponsorship, fan engagement, social media and international events.

Chatham House Rules will be strictly adhered to, helping to produce a relaxed environment in which to discuss potential partnerships and consider business opportunities.

Please contact Niren Hirani (niren@isportconnect.com) for further information on ticket prices and remaining packages.

What makes the iSportconnect Summit so special?

∙ The Summit is open exclusively to Director/C-Suite level executives at sports rights holders, sponsorship brands and broadcasters.

∙ Event capacity is capped at 150 delegates allowing intimate access to key decision makers in the sports industry.

∙ No agencies or press in attendance and as we follow Chatham House Rules, all panel discussions will remain confidential.

iSportconnect Capital is delighted to announce that it has been formally appointed as nominated advisor to raise a minority equity stake in Rugby Europe Enterprises, the governing body for rugby in Europe.

This is the first mandate for iSportconnect Capital, which is a joint venture between iSportconnect and Chance Capital Ltd.

Hugo Chance, MD of iSportconnect Capital commented: “This is a fantastic first project for our new venture. It is not often that an opportunity comes up to invest in a sporting governing body, especially one with the provenance of rugby in Europe. We are looking forward to working with Rugby Europe Enterprises in realising their longer term ambitions.”

iSportconnect Capital advises and raises capital specifically for sports and leisure focused businesses. We seek to advise appropriate business on growth and capital raising strategy. We are actively seeking applications for sport or leisure focused businesses who are looking to raise at least £1m and who have a minimum £500,000 EBITDA.

 

Today marks the one week to go stage until the next iSportconnect Broadcast Masterclass in London on February 28, 2018 and there is only limited availability for delegates.

The event will take place at K&L Gates’ London office  which is located in the modern iconic premises of One New Change in the heart of the city.

The all-day event will bring together industry thought leaders to focus on new ways for media companies, rights owners and technology partners to prosper, thrive and grow as the digital revolution continues to disrupt the sports broadcasting market.

Broadcasting is dead – and more alive and dynamic than ever before in the digital world. Television and video content is everywhere, with multiple platforms and devices available at billions of fingertips around the globe.

But staying ahead of the curve has never been more difficult, with business models often running to catch up to ever-changing technology and new opportunities coming online every single day.

Confirmed speaker lineup:

Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport

Jonathan Licht, Director of Strategy at Sky Sports

Aarti Dabas, Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital at the International Cricket Council

Shane Warden, Director of Broadcast & Technology at ATP Media

Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights at Formula 1

Ralph Straus, Commercial Director at the International Equestrian Federation

Stefan Kürten, Executive Director of EBU Sport

Sebastien Audoux, Head of Sports – Canal OTT

Federico de Mojana, Head of Programming at the ‎Olympic Channel

Alex Rice, Managing Director – Rights and Strategic Development at DAZN

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director at ELEVEN SPORTS

Warren Phelops, Partner at K&L Gates

Michael Llewellyn, Senior Associate at K&L Gates

The speaker lineup is set to bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of extensive expertise in the broadcast space.

Invitation Policy: iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands. Sports Agencies, professional service providers & suppliers, please contact us for sponsorship opportunities.

To register interest, please email Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) 

 

Working in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, iSportconnect is delighted to announce that we will be staging our Finance Masterclass which shall be taking place on April 11, 2018 at Penningtons Manches LLP.

This exclusive event is invitation-only and will bring together leading experts to tackle topics such as financial fair play, taxation, valuations and cybersecurity.

Andrea Traverso – Managing Director, Financial Sustainability and Research of UEFA, has been confirmed as a guest speaker for the event. He worked as a financial advisor before moving to UEFA in 2001. Traverso is in charge of the development of the UEFA club licensing system and he led the implementation of this important project across all 55 member associations.

Trevor Birch – Managing Director of Duff & Phelps Ltd and ex Chelsea CEO has also been confirmed as a guest speaker. As the CEO of Chelsea FC, he led the £200m sale to Roman Abramovich in 2003 and achieved similar success as the CEO at Leeds Utd FC.

The capacity for this exclusive event is limited to 80 to provide a series of intimate networking sessions which will give key decision makers an opportunity to forge new relationships and discuss potential partnerships in a relaxed atmosphere.

Want to attend? See our invitation policy below:

• There is no fee to attend this event. However, the Finance Masterclass is open exclusively to senior sports business executives from rights holders, broadcasters and sponsorship brands only.
• No agencies or press can attend and, as we follow Chatham House Rules, all discussions will remain confidential.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.

iSportconnect is pleased to announce that two additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the Broadcast Masterclass on February 28, 2018.

Alex Rice, Managing Director – Rights and Strategic Development at DAZN will take part in the day’s first panel focusing on the new generation of video platforms. Rice is responsible for the Rights and Strategic Development of DAZN and manages the rights acquisitions across global territories.  

We are also pleased to announce Danny Menken, Group Managing Director at ELEVEN SPORTS. Menken will bring valuable insight from his experience in overseeing activities across ELEVEN’s seven global markets and his role in rights acquisitions and all other strategic decisions. He will take part in the third panel focusing on the new phase ahead in rights competition.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.

 

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that we will be celebrating Women in Sport for the next three weeks ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8th.

As part of the celebration, we will be publishing interviews of women working in the sports realm and we will be hosting a celebratory Women in Sport panel at the London Directors’ Club on March 7th.

The International Women’s Day will ​​celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and will also mark a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Panel discussion topics are set to focus on the importance of gender equality, the root of bias & discriminatory behaviour and why it touches all in sport.

iSportconnect Directors’ Club will see the likes of Nuala Walsh, Shelley Alexander, Alison Dalrymple and Jennie Price CBE speaking.

Walsh is set to bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of her role as Board Member of UN Women (UK). Price will offer delegates expert insight too, having served as Chief Executive Officer of Sport England since April 2007.

Meanwhile, Alexander is the Lead for Diversity & Women’s Sport at BBC Sport and Alison’s career has focused upon harnessing technology for the sports industry.

Stay tuned for further information.