iSportconnect adds five guest speakers to Lausanne Summit lineup

iSportconnect is delighted to confirm that five additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the Lausanne Summit on September 27. The event will be held at the Olympic Museum.

Claude Ruibal, Executive Director at Infront Sports & Media AG, Timo Lumme, TV & Marketing Director at IOC, Lorenzo Stoll, Vice President at SWISS Executive Committee and Ralf Reichert, CEO at eSports company ESL, will take part in a series of presentations and panel discussions, offering delegates a unique insight into the sports industry.

David Dellea, Head of Sport Business Advisory at PwC, will also present attendees with the results of PwC’s Sports Survey 2017.

Already confirmed to speak at the event are Ben Morel, MD & Sr Vice President EMEA at National Basketball Association, Patrick Baumann, President of the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission, Paul Barber, Chief Executive at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, Peter Hutton, Chief Executive Officer at Eurosport, Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA and Jeff Haas, Chief International Officer at DraftKings.

Ornella Desirée Bellia, Head of Legal Affairs at the Association of European Professional Football Leagues, will act as a moderator.

The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The event’s content programme will bring together an elite group of leaders from premier rights owners and other sports industry stakeholders to discuss and debate issues impacting the future of the global sports business. Topics are set to include the struggling image of sport, the challenge of hosting major events and digital disruption.

The Summit represents a breakthrough opportunity for top-tier executives in the Olympic Capital to experience and enjoy the superb learning and networking benefits of iSportconnect’s exclusive invitation-only events.

Content programme:

Panel 1 The image of sport: irreparably damaged?

The connection between the image of sport and the brands associated with it is critically important. With the reputation of sport under pressure on various fronts, this relationship has become increasingly strained. Where do rights holders, brands and other stakeholders in the world of sport stand on this issue of huge strategic importance?

Panel 2 The challenge of hosting major events

In times of austerity, the competition between cities to host major events is not what it used to be. At the same time, the potential impact of hosting can be difficult to resist. Where does the balance lie? How can event organisers and cities find a better path to staging their events while serving the needs of cities?

Panel 3 Never-ending digital disruption: what’s next?

How do sports organisations plan and thrive in an environment where the old media models are fractured and it is close to impossible to predict the next big thing to engage consumers?

The format of the Summit will differ to our traditional Directors’ Club events. Proceedings will last for a full day and feature a combination of panels and interviews with 100 plus senior executives in attendance.

Confirmed guest speaker list:

Ben Morel, MD & Sr Vice President EMEA at National Basketball Association

Patrick Baumann, FIBA Secretary-General, President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations, and Chairman of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Paul Barber, Chief Executive Officer at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club

Peter Hutton, Chief Executive Officer at Eurosport

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA

Jeff Haas, Chief International Officer at DraftKings

Claude Ruibal, Executive Director at Infront Sports & Media AG

David Dellea, Head of Sport Business Advisory at PwC

Timo Lumme, TV & Marketing Director at IOC

Lorenzo Stoll, Vice President at SWISS Executive Committee

Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL

Further speaker announcements will be confirmed in due course.

There is limited space for this exclusive event so please email Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending. Click here for more information.

In partnership with world leading professional service firm PwC’s Sports Business Advisory Practice and with the support of ThinkSport

Super seven – why you have to be at Betting on Sports 2017

Betting on Sports 2017, the second edition of the largest international sports and betting trade conference will take place at Olympia Conference Centre from 12-15 September.

Featuring 1,200 senior executives, 165 leading industry speakers, 44 key sessions across eight conference tracks and space for 60 exhibitors within the exhibition area, #boscon2017 has become a must-attend event for the entire sports betting sector.

Here are just seven of the key reasons why missing this event is not an option:

  • Take advantage of a full industry gathering

With no fewer than 1,200 senior executives, Betting on Sports has grown into the most senior attended event in the gaming industry. From the leading operators to the largest sportsbook affiliates, key suppliers and sports clubs, everyone will be gathered in one place. This is a unique opportunity to form new business partnerships and re-ignite existing industry relationships.

Mr Green CEO Jesper Kaarbrink said: “SBC Events are here to stay. Great networking and seminar focus. With a focus on sports betting, the exhibition was also very targeted and you basically found something interesting in every booth. Also very impressed with the high number of attendees making it possible to have a lot of productive meetings in just two days.”

2) Enjoy an unrivalled source of industry expertise

 SBC Events has guaranteed that all delegates will learn from the best and brightest across the sports and sports betting industries by organising eight conference tracks, featuring a massive 165 speakers across 44 sessions. Here is just a small sample of those lined up for the event:

  • Pinnacle CEO Paris Smith
  • Sky Betting & Gaming CEO Richard Flint
  • British Horseracing Authority CEO Nick Rust
  • Danske Spil Head of Sportsbook Jens Nielsen
  • XL Media CEO Ory Weihs
  • Better Collective CEO Jesper Soegaard
  • Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood
  • Ladbrokes Coral Director of Player Protection Graham Weir
  • Mybet CEO Markus Peuler
  • BetBright CEO Marcus Brennan
  • BetStars Managing Director Zeno Ossko
  • Superbet Group Director Jamie Hart
  • Matchbook CEO Mark Brosnan

3) Experience world class hospitality at Olympia

 Not only will there will be a lively networking and exhibition area, sat alongside the running of three simultaneous conference tracks, but food and refreshments are complimentary for all delegates. Golden Race is introducing the Alpine Bar with beers and schnapps, and Grind Coffee Society, one of London’s leading coffee roasters, will be serving coffee in the OPTIMA coffee bar area. There will also be draft beer at the Racing Post cafe, and engaging digital game competitions from the likes of Digital Fuel and Millennial Esports in the Esports area.

4) Discover new ideas and products

Stay up to date with the latest industry products in the exhibition area, which is ready and waiting to host 60 of the leading companies in the sports betting space, including 22 first time exhibitors for an SBC-organised event. The 1,768 sqm space will also feature allocated networking areas and meeting rooms, along with pre-organised esports and sports related competitions.

Lee-Ann Johnstone, Digital Marketing Expert at Best Odds Marketing, added: “If you are in the sports industry and you want to get ahead with your business, find the latest trends and learn about regulation in this space, get yourself a ticket. The networking is great too. Highly recommended.”

5) Party at some of London’s most spectacular venues

The world class Altitude 360, located on the 29th floor of Westminster’s tallest building, has been selected as the host venue for the official networking party on Wednesday 13th September for its 360-degree view of the UK’s capital city, renowned party atmosphere and a layout designed to maximise networking and business opportunities.

Under the Bridge, a famous club below Stamford Bridge at Chelsea FC is the venue for the closing party on Thursday 14th September. Roman Abramovich’s favourite London venue was recently refurbished for £30 million.

6) Set up one-on-one meetings via the event app

It promises to be an action-packed week, but you can plan your time in the best way via the official Betting on Sports event app, available via iOS and Android.

There is no need to chase people up if you’ve set aside meeting times and places with the right people for your business, all from your mobile phone. You can even check up on the conference schedule and delegates, along with a full list of sponsors and exhibitors.

7) One price fits all

Once you have paid for your conference ticket, everything is free! This includes breakfast, lunch, exhibition, conference sessions, networking drinks, networking events and the parties.

SBC Events has deliberately kept ticket costs low considering the value provided by the 165 speakers and 44 sessions, along with the scale of the exhibition area, networking focus and business opportunities.

Right now, tickets for the event are available at a fantastic 25% Group Discount, when buying 3 or more – you can get them HERE.

Global audience to tune into Clipper 2017-18 Race start from Liverpool

Millions of people from over a hundred countries around the world will be able to tune into live television coverage and video streams carried by international media, in addition to the official Clipper Race web site and social media channels, when the eleventh edition of the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race gets underway from Liverpool, UK this weekend, Sunday 20 August.

“Our global media audience continues to grow significantly which is important for our Team Partners and Host Ports,” said Clipper Race Director of Sponsorship Jonathan Levy.

“The previous edition saw our unique global audience grow to well in excess of a billion people. The live coverage this weekend will not only provide significant exposure for our partners and their distinctively branded yachts but will also showcase Liverpool and its ability to stage a major international sporting event to a global audience; particularly important as a contender to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022.”

Live video streams of the departure ceremonies will be carried on-line from 0800 BST local time covering the crews’ farewell ceremony on stage, manning their boats and departing their moorings in Albert Dock. This will be followed by the fleet entering the Mersey and conducting a parade of sail along the waterfront for the tens of thousands of spectators anticipated to line both sides of the river.

At 1200 Noon BST the on-line feed will feature a special one-hour live TV show which will also be beamed around the world by satellite to include the race start at 1230 BST local time including live helicopter footage of the yachts racing around a tight circuit in front of the crowds before heading out to sea towards Punta del Este in Uruguay, their next port of call in this year-long 40,000 nautical mile ocean race around the planet.

It will capture the true Corinthian spirit of these ‘everyday’ people taking on this remarkable challenge. The 1-hour TV show will be broadcast on a range of international TV channels and news websites worldwide including Fox Sports in Europe and the Eleven Sports Network in the US and parts of Asia and Europe.

The live TV show and web streams are being produced by the Clipper Race Official Host Broadcaster, 1080 Media TV, voted ‘Best Online Broadcast Company 2017’ and producer of the award winning global documentary series ‘The Race of Their Lives’ which goes behind the scenes to follow Clipper Race crew as they participate in this unique global event.

The previous series in 2015-16 was broadcast in 171 countries and reached 914 million households around the world. “There is huge interest in the Clipper Race from international broadcasters and audiences on six continents,” said Cliff Webb, CEO at 1080 Media TV.

“No other event takes everyday people and trains them to take on the world’s toughest oceans. It is a very compelling human story and the success of the 7-part TV series speaks for itself. In addition, a growing global online audience now complements traditional live television coverage, attracting substantial audiences.”

Discovery agrees streaming deal with Amazon Channels in Germany and Austria

Discovery Communications has struck a streaming deal in Germany and Austria with Amazon that brings Amazon Prime members access to Eurosport’s premium live HD sports content, including exclusive Bundesliga LIVE on Friday nights across Germany. Eurosport goes live on Amazon Channels on August 16th 2017.

In a fantastic deal for sports fans, Amazon Prime members will be able to access all Eurosport’s premium sport events, including Grand Slam Tennis (Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open), MotoGP and the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. All sports events will be available live and on demand from the Eurosport Player channel through the new Amazon Channels streaming service in Germany and Austria.

Eurosport Player becomes the new and exclusive home of Friday night football in Germany.

Bundesliga coverage kicks-off on the channel on Friday August 18 with reigning champions, Bayern Munich, who will be chasing a sixth successive title, facing Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the opening game of the season. In addition to the LIVE Friday Night matches, Eurosport Player will stream highlights of all Bundesliga matches as well as a weekly fan-friendly, interactive preview show, THANK GOD IT’S MATCHDAY! (#TGIM!)

Eurosport Player will be available through the Prime Video app on Smart TVs, mobile iOS- and Android powered devices and Fire tablets, as well as Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, or by signing up online at amazon.de/channels.

Susanne Aigner-Drews, SVP & General Manager GSA, said: “Discovery is excited to partner with Amazon to bring our premium sport to new and existing fans. As the new home of Bundesliga, Eurosport Player will deliver a more engaging and more accessible experience than ever before. This partnership helps us to deliver the ambition to give fans the opportunity to watch the teams and players they love, live through Amazon Channels.”

This deal comes after the successful launch of Eurosport and Discovery channels on Amazon in the UK earlier this year.

“We are delighted to offer our millions of Prime members in Germany and Austria access to live premium sports, including Bundesliga football on Eurosport Player via Amazon Channels,” says Alex Green, Managing Director of Amazon Channels Europe.

“At 4.99 Euros per month, with no long-term commitment and cancellable anytime, Prime members can enjoy Bundesliga matches and other premium sports at exceptional value and in the most flexible and easy way across all of their favorite devices and screens. This is great news for sports fans.”

Andy Salmon announced as new Chief Executive of British Triathlon

Andy Salmon has today been announced as the new Chief Executive of British Triathlon.

Salmon, who will commence his new role in mid-November, will be responsible for leading the sport forward to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

He is set to take a strategic lead of the National Governing Body including the fulfilment of objectives in regards to building participation, supporting and increasing membership.

Salmon said of his appointment: “I am hugely excited to be joining the team at British Triathlon and Triathlon England.

“There is so much to be positive about in triathlon and I look forward to building on the tremendous progress made by Jack Buckner and the team as we strive to deliver the 2024 vision.”

Ian Howard, President of British Triathlon, added: “We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Andy Salmon as the new Chief Executive of British Triathlon. We are confident he will drive the organisation towards continued success over the coming years.

“We thank Jack for his contribution to British Triathlon over the past three years, and wish him well in his new role as Chief Executive of British Swimming.”

Current British Triathlon Chief Executive, Jack Buckner said: “Over the past three years, I have witnessed many great successes within triathlon. Grassroots participation figures have increased enormously and we achieved 7 medals during Rio 2016, including the first ever paratriathlon gold.”

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Andy in his current role at Triathlon Scotland and believe he will continue to build on our success at every level of the sport.”

European Hockey Federation launches dedicated live streaming platform

With the Rabo EuroHockey Championships just 2 days away, the European Hockey Federation (EHF) is launching EuroHockeytv.org (EHTV) based on Sportradar’s OTT platform solution.

In 2017 the EHF launched its Strategic Plan 2017-2024, where we committed to being proactive, innovative and influential in the sports world. This commitment saw the EHF streaming over 180 matches with a great response from the hockey fans who have watched millions of minutes of hockey this year.

The next logical step is to create a home for European Hockey streaming. EHTV will provide fans with FREE live games from the Rabo EuroHockey Championships *, the EHL, in addition to many of our Indoor Championship and Club, Outdoor Club and Junior events going forwards.

EHTV will also make a huge archive of games available for fans to watch back at their leisure. All that is required to watch live matches is a one-time registration. Fans will also get additional Video on Demand (VOD) content of archived events and short clips.

Speaking about the launch Angus Kirkland, EHF Director General said “The EHF is delighted to announce, in partnership with Sportradar, the launch of its own streaming platform – www.EuroHockeyTV.org, Part of our strategic plan, aligned to the FIH, is to be Fan Focused and this new partnership will take us to the next level in engaging fans.

“Since 2016 EHF have been streaming many of our events. The new platform will provide a Home for European Hockey fans with free of charge access to the best hockey across Europe. It will also provide our Member Associations an outlet to showcase their events and engage the broader European community.”

Rainer Geier, Managing Director OTT for Sportradar added: “It has been a real pleasure developing a tailored and unique OTT proposition that suits the EHF’s circumstances, stakeholder group and focus. After all, not every federation is the same and so our suggested solution cannot have a cookie-cutter approach.

“We are excited to see EHTV go live and are confident that this will strengthen the strong bond between the EHF, its Member Associations
and the fans that love this exciting sport.”

Sentry becomes new title sponsor of PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions

The PGA Tour and Sentry, one of the largest business-focused mutual insurance companies in the United States, today announced a five-year agreement making Sentry the new title sponsor of the exclusive winners-only Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

The newly named Sentry Tournament of Champions will maintain its traditional spot as the first tournament in January 2018 when the 2017-18 PGA Tour schedule resumes following the holiday break. The agreement extends through the 2021-22 season.

“Sentry Insurance is proud to partner with the PGA Tour to sponsor the Tournament of Champions, held on beautiful Maui,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry chairman of the board, president, and CEO.

“This tournament and its champions format is the ideal way to more broadly introduce Sentry to the business insurance audience.”

While this represents Sentry’s first major sports sponsorship, it has been involved with golf since 1984 when the company built SentryWorld, Wisconsin’s first destination golf course. Sponsoring the Sentry Tournament of Champions is considered a natural next step for Sentry, providing an opportunity to reach a wide business audience.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sentry to the PGA Tour and become its first major venture into sports sponsorship,” said Brian Oliver, PGA Tour Senior Vice President of Sponsorship & Partnership.

“Sentry is highly respected as a company that is dedicated to its employees, its customers and embraces the spirit of giving back. So, we view this as a relationship between two organizations that hold common values.”

Sentry assumes sponsorship of a tournament that dates to 1953, when it was introduced at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn Country Club as an event for winners from the previous season.

The Tournament of Champions remained at Desert Inn CC until 1967, when it moved to Stardust Country Club. The tournament moved from Las Vegas in 1969 to La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, California, where it remained for 30 years before relocating to its current home at Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui.

iSportconnect expands Commercial Team with key appointment

iSportconnect, the largest global private network of Sport Business Executives, is delighted to announce that Brandon Garcia has joined the company’s thriving Commercial team as a Commercial Director.

Brandon will help to identify new opportunities, streamline commercial strategies and direct marketing operations.

He comes from a vast and international commercial background, recently working in line with the President XI of China’s reform to build awareness and fundamental strategies to bring football into every child’s curriculum, leading to China’s revolutionary progression and the possibility of hosting the 2030 World Cup.

With expertise and knowledge across the sport sector, Brandon will bring maximum value to all iSportconnect’s partnerships.

Brandon said: ”I am excited to join such an enthusiastic team, we are now in the best position to enable the global sports sector to connect and communicate effectively through our services.”

iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma added: “These are exciting times at iSportconnect and I firmly believe Brandon will be an excellent addition to the team.”

PGAs of Europe and BMW extend corporate partnership

German automobile manufacturer, BMW, and the PGAs of Europe have extended their corporate partnership, continuing the relationship that has had a positive impact throughout the association’s 35 Member Countries.

The partnership is another way in which BMW supports golf, complementing the partnership with Ryder Cup Europe, title sponsoring professional tournaments such as the BMW Golf Cup International, among other activities that show how golfers are very much a key demographic for the company.

“In the past few years our relationship with the PGAs of Europe has continued to develop and we have enjoyed working closely with the association and its member country PGAs,” said Christian Masanz, head of BMW Golfsport marketing.

“The partnership helps to strengthen our global engagement in golf and in particular with PGAs and their PGA Professional Members.”

“Historically most of our partnerships have been about brand association and communication,” said PGAs of Europe Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“These things continue to exist but we are acutely aware of the need for our corporate partnerships to be exactly that – a partnership that directly benefits each other’s businesses.

“We were delighted to be able to attract BMW to join our Corporate Partner family and it has been a pleasure to see that not only have both sides gained great value from the relationship but also many of our Member Country PGAs have benefited directly too.”

Melbourne City FC becomes first Australian club to sign esports player

Melbourne City FC has become the first club in Australia to sign an official FIFA esports player, Melbourne-based Marcus Gomes.

A 20-year-old FIFA fanatic, Gomes is the third FIFA player to sign with a City Football Group owned team, alongside New York City FC’s Christopher Holly and Manchester City’s Kieran Brown.

Gomes will travel to London this week to represent Melbourne City at the FIFA Interactive World Cup Grand Final (16-18 August), as the only Australian player in the 32 finalists from around the world

His FIFA 17 form puts him in the top 32 FIFA players in the world after he had more FIFA 17 FUT Champions Weekend League wins this year than any other PlayStation 4 player in the Rest of World region.


Gomes said of the announcement: “I started playing FIFA 2006 when I was nine, and I could never have imagined that the game would be where it is today, or that I would be signing a professional eSports contract with a club like Melbourne City.

“I have followed City for the last few years and I am really looking forward to wearing the City blue shirt at this year’s tournaments.”

Scott Munn, Melbourne City CEO said: “We know that many of our younger fans are playing eSports regularly, and interest in the industry is growing in Australia and globally. With 16 million people playing FIFA worldwide, and the competitive FIFA scene taking shape, it is the right time for Melbourne City to move into esports

“We see a huge amount of potential and ambition in Marcus. He is a huge football fan, has proven success as a player, and is passionate about representing Melbourne City and engaging with our fans.”