The SPOT hits the mark with exceptional list of speakers and innovative programme

What do the Founding Director of the Sports Innovation Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Global Head of Research at Nielsen Sports and a former Director for Federal Cybersecurity Policy on the White House National Security Council have in common?

Answer: They will all be guest speakers at the first edition of The SPOT, which will take place on 15-16 May 2018 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

ThinkSport has unveiled a number of knowledgeable speakers along with details on the programme of a pioneering new event that aims to stimulate progress in sport by bringing together bright minds and fresh innovations inside and outside the industry.

Senior Manager at Exponent, Inc. and former MIT Sports Innovation Programme founder Kim Blair, who has also an interesting background as a NASA aerospace engineer, will discuss new technologies.

Mike Wragg, Global Head of Research at Nielsen Sports, will share his insights into the global expansion of e-sports, while Dr. Earl Crane of Emergent Network Defense, a former National Security Council member, will give a presentation on digital security.

Anything but conventional, The SPOT will offer the following:

• A Marketplace and Demo Zone, where participants will be able to present and discover innovative products and solutions;
• Numerous networking opportunities allowing new cross-sector partnerships and projects to come into being;
• An engaging conference and workshop programme, created to connect participants with pioneers in innovation;
• An international start-up competition to promote and reward new business ideas.

The two-day conference and workshop program is structured around the themes of Connecting the World, Information is Power, Future Athletes and Future Sport. Discussions will take place in an open space and a dynamic atmosphere. Speakers will share their insights with participants and then engage in thought-provoking conversations with each other and with attendees.

The start-up contest targets young companies with innovative business ideas that help to promote sport and physical activity in any form. Start-ups have until 20 April 2018 to sign up for the event, where they will be given the opportunity to make three-minute pitches of their concepts on a dedicated stage.

Each start-up will then partake in three-minute Q&A sessions with a panel of experts. A handful of shortlisted start-ups will then advance to the final, to be held in front of an audience that will include investors. Start-ups can benefit from interesting event packages as well as the early bird rate.

Anna Hellman, Director of ThinkSport, said: “We have been thrilled by the interest shown in The SPOT by people from all kinds of sectors and backgrounds. As a result, we have lined up some great speakers and contributors. We will continue to work hard to create a valuable event that brings together people of all different backgrounds who are keen to think outside the box. It is about offering different angles on various topics that will have an important impact on the future of sport.”

ThinkSport has signed up seven sponsors for The SPOT already: Be.care (Health Services), digitalswitzerland (Swiss Digital Network), EVS (Broadcast Production Services), Medbase (Medical
Centres), Mindmaze/ Gait Up (Motion Analysis Solutions), Nielsen (Research & Insight) and Penceo (a digital communication agency).

Negotiations with other companies are ongoing. Click here to find out more about supporters of The SPOT.

Whether you work in the sports industry or elsewhere, come from Switzerland or abroad, The SPOT is sure to engage people with an interest or stake in sport, physical activity and technology and those keen to think outside the box. Secure your early bird rate by registering at www.thespot2018.org by 25 February 2018.

SportAccord 2018 confirms initial speaker line-up for Bangkok conference programme

SportAccord has confirmed close to 25 speakers for the upcoming SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit. SportAccord will be held from 15 – 20 April 2018 at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand.

“We have an amazing SportAccord lined up for 2018, across the conference, the exhibition and the many programmes and events that comprise SportAccord, said Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord.

“Attendees will have the opportunity to experience many new elements this year, most notably the new HealthAccord conference stream, additional events, hospitality and networking areas, as well as the unique Thai Pavilion. We’re looking forward to hosting the most prestigious annual sports business event for sport and industry, towards creating a better future for the global sports community and citizens worldwide.”

This year’s SportAccord Summit (Plenary) is focused on “Uniting A Global Audience: Marketing and Sponsorship for the Future.” Continuing the theme of ‘sponsorship and marketing’ throughout the conference programme, speakers will be representing organisations across the entire sports business landscape including industry, international sports federations, cities and regions, as well as legal and medical experts. Confirmed speakers include:

  • Weerasak Kowsurat, Minister, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand
  • Adolfo Bara, Managing Director Sales & Marketing, La Liga
  • Caroline Baxter Tresise, International Consultant, Social and Human Resources, UNESCO
  • Charmaine Crooks C.M. Olympic Medalist, President, NGU Consultants
  • Craig Howe, CEO & Founder, Rebel Ventures
  • David Eades, Journalist and Anchor, BBC World
  • David Simon, President, Los Angeles Sports Council
  • Frederique Reynertz, Director of Legal and Business Affairs Department, IAAF
  • Giles D. Morgan, Independent Advisor and Former Global Head of Sponsorship & Events, HSBC Holdings PLC
  • Guy Port, Managing Director Asia, Nielsen Sports
  • Hayden Opie, Senior Fellow (Melbourne Law Masters), University of Melbourne
  • James Pearce, Sports Broadcaster, BBC
  • Jeff Benz, CEDS, JAMS Mediator and Arbitrator and former General Counsel of the United States Olympic Committee
  • Kim Andersen, President, World Sailing
  • Laurie Cavan, GM Parks, Recreation & Culture, City of Surrey, BC, Canada
  • Margo Mountjoy, Chair, ASOIF Medical + Scientific Consultative Group, IOC Medical + Scientific Commission-Games Group FINA Bureau
  • Matteo Vitello, Business Relations Manager, Technogym SPA
  • Matthieu Reeb, Secretary General, Court of Arbitration for Sport
  • Melanie Duparc, Coordinator, Smart Cities & Sport
  • Michael Lenard, Vice President, ICAS
  • Prof. Fabio Pigozzi, President, FIMS (International Federation of Sports Medicine) & Member of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission – Medical and Scientific Group
  • Stephen Townley, Chairman, Active Rights Management Ltd
  • Thomas Lund, Secretary General, Badminton World Federation
  • Troy Pugmire, Managing Director, Gramercy Global Media

The SportAccord 2018 conference programme comprises five key streams including: The Summit, CityAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord and HealthAccord. The conference programme, exhibition, networking and cultural events can be attended by delegates who register at www.sportaccord.com.

Glory Kickboxing names Fairtex official glove provider

Glory Kickboxing has today announced a global equipment partnership with Fairtex, who engineer boxing and Muay Thai gloves.

Fairtex will outfit all athletes on fight night, beginning immediately with next month’s Chicago event and extends to every live event throughout the multi-year partnership.

Jon J Franklin, Glory Chief Development Officer, said: “Two of the most well-known brands in combat sports are joining forces, but this announcement represents much more than that.

“We strive as an organization to put on the biggest and best fights possible, with our world-class athletes setting an incredible standard for excellence. With Fairtex as a partner supporting that endeavor, the fighters can perform with confidence that their equipment is held to the same standard of excellence.”

Philip Wong, Fairtex Chairman and Founder, added: “As companies, both GLORY and Fairtex have been unceasingly committed to pursuing the passion of combat sports.

“We’ve long felt that Fairtex should be part of the best kickboxing events worldwide, so I’m honored to finally be working with GLORY to make that a reality.”

As part of the partnership, Fairtex will be prominently featured throughout Glory’s global network, including brand presence on the promotion’s broadcast, digital platforms and at live events.

Dubai Duty Free extend Irish Derby sponsorship

Dubai Duty Free has agreed a deal to extend their sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby for 2018.

The race, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday 30th June, represents the highlight of the three day Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival.

The airport retailer has sponsored the race since 2008, having initially commenced its partnership with the County Kildare venue in 2002.

The total value of the 12 furlong contest will be 1.5 million euro with prize money distributed to the first eight placed horses with the winner receiving 870,000 euro. Dubai Duty Free will also sponsor five other races on the day.

Derek McGrath, CEO of The Curragh, said: “Dubai Duty Free have been outstanding partners of the Curragh and I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution that Colm McLoughlin and his team have made to the success of the Irish Derby over the past ten years.”

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, added: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the Curragh for 2018 and happy that our association with the Curragh has grown over the years.

“The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is now a weekend festival of quality racing and entertainment and the media exposure generated greatly raises the profile of our brand in Ireland.”

How Monterosa helped EA Sports transform the global voting experience for Premier League fans

EA SPORTS is a leading global interactive entertainment software company publishing a series of market leading games including FIFA 18, Madden 18 and NBA Live 18. As the Lead Partner of the Premier League, EA SPORTS holds the exclusive global rights to activate the Player of the Month award.

THE CHALLENGE

For the 2017/18 season, EA SPORTS challenged us to help them take more ownership of the exclusive asset and to drive greater value from the right, with added importance on providing a secure and scalable platform to match their innovative reputation.

Our response was to deploy Fan Voice, our leading web-based voting product powered by our award-winning interaction platform LViS. The solution enables our clients to offer voting experiences at scale across multiple destinations, languages and brand designs.

RESULTS

GIVING FANS THE CONTEXT

Fan Voice Integrates with video and live data to transform voting from a task into an experience. With each player having their own page, fans can now review their monthly performance (minutes played, goals scored, etc.) and watch the player in action, to help them choose their preferred option.

SOCIAL VOTE SHARING

We wanted the fans to be able to shout about who they had voted for. So we deployed the Fan Voice meme generator. Fans are offered a choice of headlines to lay over an image of their selected player. It then creates a card that can be shared instantly across Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.

CAPTURING DATA & REWARDING FANS

A key area identified for this project was linking the FIFA game series with the real-life Premier League competition and we were keen to find ways in which we could create a connection with EA SPORTS’ popular FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) feature.

By asking fans to share their gamer details such as username, email address and preferred console we were able to reward a selection of fans with highly sought-after Player of the Month hero items within their personal FUT teams, giving them an advantage over their online competition.

Click here to try out a demo of the EA SPORTS Premier League Player of the Month vote experience

Eurosport to offer fans VR coverage of Olympic Winter Games across Europe

Eurosport is set to offer sports fans the first-ever live virtual reality (VR) coverage of the Olympic Winter Games across Europe.

The broadcaster’s VR app will allow supporters to fully immerse themselves in the Games, with more than 50 hours of live coverage available, including some of the biggest moments from PyeongChang.

Fans will also be able to personalise their viewing experience by choosing their preferred view point from a selection of camera positions, which will take viewers closer to the heart of the live action.

The coverage is set to be provided to Eurosport by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the broadcaster’s partner at next month’s Games.

Ralph Rivera, Managing Director, Eurosport Digital, added: “Discovery has set out to transform the Olympic Winter Games viewing experience, so being able to offer viewers across Europe every minute of the Games and now every angle of some of the biggest events in live VR goes a long way to delivering this promise.

“We want to do this to engage more people, on more screens, with the Games than ever before, offering something new to attract younger audiences. In this way, we hope to make fans care even more about the sports they are passionate about.”

iSportconnect adds Bayern Munich and IOC to iSC Beijing Summit speaker lineup

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that two additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the iSC Beijing Summit.

Rouven Kasper, Managing Director of FC Bayern Munich China, and Yang Yang, IOC Member, will both bring significant expertise to the two-day event’s content programme.

Kasper has played a key role in the German football giant’s expansion in the region, having helped to kick off the club’s operations in Shanghai in September 2016. There are more than 130 million soccer fans in China and Bayern Munich has been a market leader in regards to harnessing educational development and capitalising on commercial opportunities.

Yang is a two-time Olympic champion, having represented China in various speed skating events at Winter Games in 1998, 2002 and 2006. Following her retirement, she has embarked on a successful career in sports administration and has served as an IOC Member and Vice-Chairwoman of the Chinese Youth Federation since 2010.

The Summit will bring together an elite group of governing officials and C-level executives working at premier sports rights holders and brands in the world’s major cities, with panel discussion topics set to include football & grassroots development, the future of winter sport, tourism in China and the ‘one belt one road’ initiative.

Tom Glick, Chief Commercial Officer at City Football Group, has also been confirmed as a guest speaker and will deliver a presentation highlighting how he has helped propel the organisation to the pinnacle of the footballing world.

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

Chatham House Rules will be in operation, promoting a relaxed environment in which to forge new relationships, discuss potential partnerships and mull over future business opportunities.

The full lineup of speakers will be confirmed in due course.

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

CO-ORGANISER

In partnership with Lanxiong Sports, the first sports business content provider in China.

VENUE PARTNERS

BBC extends Premier League highlights deal until 2022

The BBC has agreed a deal to show Premier League highlights until at least the 2021-22 season after renewing its contract for a further three years.

The deal includes a range of shows including Match of the Day, Match of the Day 2, Football Focus and midweek offering The Premier League Show.

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content, said: “To secure the Premier League highlights for another three years is fantastic news for football fans all over the UK and ensures the BBC remains the free-to-air home with the iconic Match of the Day at the heart of all the action.”

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said the new deal highlights the show’s “continued success and popularity”.

Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2, which are aired on Saturday and Sunday night, attract a combined audience of more than seven million each weekend.

During the 2016/17 season, the BBC’s Premier League football programming was watched by a total of 37 million people.

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.

Sign up to iSportconnect’s Broadcast Masterclass now.

iSportconnect announces EVS as broadcasting technology partner

(LONDON) — iSportconnect, the world’s largest global private network of Sport Business Executives, is delighted to announce a new partnership with EVS.

As part of the agreement, EVS – a globally recognised technology leader for broadcast production – will become iSportconnect’s official broadcasting technology partner.

iSportconnect will work exhaustively with EVS to ensure the Belgian organisation builds – and benefits from – new relationships with sports broadcasters, rights owners and producers.

Brandon Garcia, iSportconnect’s Commercial Director, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome the EVS team on board at such a potent time in the broadcasting business – we are thoroughly amazed by what technology EVS is bringing to the market and the fast forward and visionary thinking behind its product evolution.

“My team and I are excited to engage the brand globally and continue building their success story.”

Nicolas Bourdon, SVP Marketing at EVS, added: “We are really happy to join the iSportconnect family at a very exciting time for the sports media business as we are seeing convergence of media platforms.

“With our history in sports as the main provider of live production technologies to enhance live storytelling on any screen, our participation in the leading private community for sport is a natural step, and we are already looking forward to connecting with and learning from other prestigious organisations as part of the club.”

About iSportconnect

iSportconnect was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a sports business 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.

About EVS

EVS is globally recognised as the technology leader for broadcast production.

Amid a rapidly evolving media landscape, EVS uses premium media technologies to help broadcasters, rights owners and producers optimise live assets, engage audiences and increase revenue streams by monetising content across multiple platforms.

2018 Trends in Sports Tech: Wearables, fan engagement and story telling

The sports industry is an interesting space and one often misunderstood by those who sit outside it. For example, everyone thinks sports executives operate in a world awash with cash (if only) when, in truth, its real currency isn’t financial, it’s a mix of passion, brilliance, hope and fan loyalty. The tech that taps into these are the ones most likely to succeed.

Another conception about sports, with which I take issue, is that it is quite a static space. Certainly, there is a tangible ‘blazer brigade’ in some quarters, who block innovation for unfathomable reasons but, if the Sports Technology Awards’ entries are anything to go by, it is a sector which is both highly innovative and dynamic.

One of the joys of being involved with the Awards – and its latest venture – The STA Start Ups, is that entries reveal what trends to look forward to (and what over-hyped tech is unlikely to be bothering the masses any time soon). With this in mind, here are the Sports Technology Awards team’s predictions for 2018

Wearables

When we launched the Awards, wearables were the hot topic with the category leading the volume of entries by a very big margin. Whilst the value of this market has tripled over the past four years, to an estimated US$5.8bn, this growth has been in the non-elite portion of the market.

With a few exceptions, popular wearables measure steps, sleep and hydration, which has value for the mass-market, especially with the rising degree to which wearables have integrated into kit. However, elite players are now concerned with insights, such as DNA-led metrics. When wearables catch up with this, expect some exciting disruption in the space.

Performance Analytics

The propensity and the range of analytics recently launching is staggering and is set to continue. However, the space is getting crowded rapidly, with a consequence that it is also getting increasingly niche; as with wearables, we expect the market will rationalise quickly.

An additional consideration in this space is the role of broadcast, with a lot of companies creating software expecting to leverage the broadcast market however, the data ownership coming increasingly to the fore (i.e. who owns athletes’ stats and how public should these be made) how feasible this revenue stream is remains to be tested.

Athlete Welfare

Governing bodies are increasingly under moral and financial pressure regarding athlete welfare, so the market to provide solutions opens up. The way sport is managed makes technology the perfect way ‘go to’ since it sits neatly with governance protocols – i.e. solutions can be standardized, tracked, measured and universally imposed.

The clearest gap for technology to help is with head injury, both as an immediate way of dealing with an in-competition incident but as future-proofing athletes from the range of issues increasingly associated with head trauma. Whilst this is the most pressing welfare consideration, it isn’t the only one; NGBs need to be seen proactively taking preventative steps on matters such as child safety, doping and mental health soon.

Fan Engagement

‘Putting fans front and centre of the sports experience’ is a well-worn phrase but it’s something brands remain committed to. The challenge is that as fans become ever-more sophisticated, engagement solutions need to match this. This is where AR and business analytics will continue to have an impact and, whilst there are some interesting activations using VR, it is highly unlikely to see widespread adoption any time soon.

Video and Story Telling

From the NBA’s Rapid Replay to the ability for all broadcasters to snip and upload action socially in seconds, video has lost none of its power.

Over the past few years, the trend was to try and get ever-shorter but, more recently, people are waking up to the fact that sports fans (even Millennials) are engaged by a story, regardless of duration. In other words, tell a tale well and the audience will stay with you. The tech that enables this will continue to flourish.

These are what we believe to be the things that will be significant in 2018. Sports innovation may be a speedboat, but the sector tends to be more of a super tanker so whilst topics like cryptocurrency, Blockchain and AI will doubtless be the subjects of editorial regularly, as things stand, we can’t see them impacting the sector meaningfully in the next 12 months.

About the contributor

Rebecca Hopkins is the CEO of the Sports Technology Awards Group