Programme

The approaching Olympic Games London 2012 is going to be the biggest sport event in 2012. What are the NOC Slovenia plans for London 2012? Are the Games bringing any novelties for the marketing industry? What can sponsors, partners, media, fans etc. expect from the Games?

What are the Olympic products of national Olympic Committees, what are the IOC rules and what are national committees rights for sponsorship activation, what are the lessons to be learned from the global case studies, what are regional experiences in sponsorship activation programmes and what are the plans for London 2012?

Guests:
Jožko Križan / Olympic Committee of Slovenia, Olimp, Director
Ranko Ćetković / Olympic Committee of Croatia, Assistant Secretary General
Dejan Kozlina / Olympic Committee of Serbia, Marketing Manager

*Vlade Divac / basketball legend / exclusive video interview for SPORTO conference


Conversation with Radoslav Nesterovic who won the NBA Championship ring with San Antonio Spurs and who was leading the Slovenian national basketball team as a captain for several years.

One of the leading European specialists in the Distribution of Marketing Rights, among others he has successfully sold main sponsorships for VfL Bochum in 2002, Hamburger SV in 2003, Aston Villa in 2003 and National-Team Spain in 2005, will talk about his experiences, about the role of the agency between rights holders (clubs, associations, leagues) and rights users (TV companies, sponsors, advertisers etc.).

Mitja Petrovič, one of the most prominent names in Slovenian advertising will talk about his view on sports marketing, about the cooperation between sport and brands and also about sponsorship stories that are bigger than advertising.

Toby Hester, one of the most experienced and renowned European sponsorship experts, Director of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) and currently leading the football sponsorships projects Euro 2012 and FIFA 2014 at Castrol will talk about sponsorship in the changing environment, interaction and engagement of the customer and general sponsorship trends.

Petra Majdic is the most successful Slovenian cross-country skier ever; Olympic medal holder from unforgettable run in Vancouver 2010 will share her experiences from sponsorship cooperation and activities and will give advice about taking the advantage of the athlete's potential.

Marketing expert, sponsorship »insider« and the top athlete will discuss about the inter-relations between brands and sport, about creating great stories and about quality endorsement of recognisable athletes.

Guests:
Mitja Petrovič / Publicis Group, Director and Co-owner
Toby Hester / Castrol, Head of Tournament Operations & Football Brand Manager
Petra Majdič / Former top athlete and Olympic Medal Holder

(S)Portorose hosts the hottest brand in football and sports industry in general – FC Barcelona. Didac Lee, the youngest Member of the actual Board of the club,  will talk about the web, social media and e-commerce of the club. How to manage a 20 million Facebook fan base and 1,5 million Twitter followers and why is Barca “More than a club” (“Més que un Club"), as their famous slogan says, also in technology area.

What is the EuroBasket 2011 Lithuania experience and what are the plans for the biggest Slovenian sport event ever - EuroBasket 2013 Slovenia? What is the potential of this event for Slovenia, it's tourism, sponsors and other stakeholders? What about the legacy of this kind of events?

Guests:
Aleš Križnar / EuroBasket 2013 Slovenia, Director
Matej Avanzo / Basketball Association of Slovenia, National team Director
Nar Zanolin / FIBA Europe, Secretary General

The SPORTO Awards 2011 Jury will present the awarded sports marketing and sponsorship projects of 2011, unveil some details and talk about the 2011 “season” of sport marketing and sponsorship in Slovenia.

: Tina Kumelj

How to position and promote “no-mainstream” sports? How to be marketing oriented in smaller sport organisations and look for the niche market? How to develop an interesting offer (products, services) and reach the target market? How to take advantage of the global popularity of some sports?

Guests:
Mojmir Ocvirk / Slovenian Triathlon Federation, President
Marjan Hribar / Slovenian Table Tennis Association, President

: Marjan Hribar

One more year and two months to go to the 26th Winter Universiade 2013 that will take place in Maribor. The Director of the event will speak about the current organisation and marketing situation of the event hosting the best student athletes of the world.

Milka is regarded to be the most recognised brand in the “White Circus” and stands for the synonym for the strategic and long-term sponsorship. This chocolate brand has been the part of the FIS World Cup for the last 17 seasons and many successful activation programmes have been developed in this period. The Director of the sponsorships will talk about the balance between endorsing their ambassadors (with Tina Maze among them) and sponsoring of the events.

Hypo Alpe Adria Bank has been sponsoring the FA Slovenia since 2004 and is currently the main sponsor of the Slovenian National Football Team. What are the results of this successful co-operation and managerial implications for other sponsors?

Amis has started the long-term and strategic partnership with Dejan Zavec, one of the world’s leading boxers in welterweight category and one of the most popular and recognised Slovenian athletes. What were the goals set in the beginning and what are the results achieved so far after one and a half year of the cooperation?

Converstation about the biggest naming rights project (Arena Triglav) in Slovenia so far/ about plans, challenges and sponsorship potentials.

Regional League ABA (Adriatic Basketball Association) has been running for 10 years and is the only regional competition that managed to firmly develop in the regional sports industry. What are the lessons to be learned for other leagues? What are the pros and cons of this kind of competition? What are experiences from the clubs involved?

Regional League ABA (Adriatic Basketball Association) has been running for 10 years and is the only regional competition that managed to firmly develop in the regional sports industry. What are the lessons to be learned for other leagues? What are the pros and cons of this kind of competition? What are experiences from the clubs involved?

Roman Lisac / Adriatic Basketball League, General Manager
Jani Moderndorfer / KK Union Olimpija, President
Mladen Veber / KK Cedevite, President

Final discussion about football brands in the region, challenges for football clubs in the region, pros and cons, potentials and obstacles of forming regional competition.

Zlatko Zahovič / FC Maribor, Sports Director
Djordje Stefanović / FC Red Star Belgrade, General Secretary