We are two weeks away from the new, 19th edition of the SPORTO conference, the largest gathering in the field of sports marketing and sponsorship in this part of Europe.
SPORTO 2023 will be something special – it will go hand-in-hand with the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship Planica 2023. The venue of the SPORTO Winter Experience, with an emphasis on sustainable development of sports events, will be the picturesque valley below the Ponce mountains on Wednesday, 22 February, just one day after the official opening of this year’s biggest international sports event in Slovenia. You are invited to Planica, at the heart of sports, and as a teaser, we are giving you a sneak peek of the contents.
A MORNING IN THE COMPANY OF WINTER SPORTS, INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MICHAEL PAYNE
The opening session of this year’s SPORTO will include a discussion about the winter sports ecosystem and offer a view into the word championship from the marketing, sponsorship and sustainability perspective with Stefan Krauss (Infront Sports & Media), Satu Härkönen (Stora Enso) and Enzo Smrekar (Ski Association of Slovenia and Planica 2023).
Joe Weston from We Are Social Sport will dive into the major cultural trends affecting the sports industry in 2023 and outline what marketers need to know to produce the best creative work, while Jill Downey (Core Sponsorship) will share the course for building compelling sponsorship platforms, including #Outbelieve, Sky Ireland’s sponsorship of women’s Football Association of Ireland.
One of the special moments of this year’s conference will undoubtedly be the appearance and 1-on-1 discussion with Michael Payne, the guru of sports media rights and Olympics, former Marketing Director of the International Olympic Committee, long-time consultant to Formula 1 management and author of bestselling books in the field of sports marketing.
How to create an attractive digital user journey, which are the trends in running and fitness communities, as well as key take-aways from the Run for the Oceans campaign … Hear more from Nika Kunstelj (adidas Runtastic app).
AN AFTERNOON WITH ONE OF THE MOST FASHIONABLE CLUBS IN THE WORLD, POWER OF PURPOSE, TINA MAZE, TIKTOK AND JOHAN ELIASCH
The afternoon sessions of the conference will be opened by Gianluca Santaniello, Business Director of the fashionable football club from Venice. Venezia FC is going through one of the most emphatic repositionings in recent football history, allying its identity more closely with the city’s reputation for classical art, architecture and innovation.
Amar Singh is an expert in content strategies. Having worked at West Ham FC and Budweiser, he is now the Head of Content and Communication at MKTG Sports + Entertainment, where he advises the leading brands on sponsorships. At SPORTO, he will explain why purpose-driven marketing has grown so rapidly in sport in recent years and what we can expect from this trend moving forward as fan expectations and behaviour continue to shift.
Karmen Novarlič from the Slovenian Tourist Board will touch the topic of intertwining between top-class sports and tourism promotion. What can other brands learn from the I Feel Slovenia country brand approach and working with athlete ambassadors (such as NBA star Luka Dončić, climbing spider-woman Janja Garnbret or cycling phenomena Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar)? Tina Maze, the ambassador of I Feel Slovenia, one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time and one of the most marketable athletes in the Alpine skiing world, will add the athlete’s point of view in her special guest appearance.
The presentation of the SPORTO Awards winners will promote the best work from the sponsorship and sports marketing field in 2022 from the Adriatic region.
Don’t miss out on the lecture by Arthur Guisasola from TikTok’s global team, one of the most influential young experts from digital files, Forbes 30 under 30. He will cover TikTok’s sports vision, as well as share tips on what type of sports content works on the platform.
The official part of this year’s SPORTO conference will be concluded on a high level, with an exclusive conversation with Johan Eliasch, President of the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS), about the future of snow sports.
In addition to the full-packed day with insights from renowned lecturers, you will be able to enjoy the competition between the best cross-country skiers and ski jumpers. All of which can make this event a special one-off experience for you!
If you are interested to join, we advise to ensure your participation as soon as possible (attendance is limited) by registering via the website. Free transportation from Ljubljana will also be available for all participants this time, with the departure of the bus on Wednesday, 22 February, in the morning, and the return from Planica after the get-together part of the conference in the evening. In the spirit of sustainable progress of the conference and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship Planica 2023 in general, we will therefore make sure there is as little carbon footprint as possible.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the sports business world in Planica and join us in the SPORTO winter fairy tale!
