We are only two weeks away from this year’s SPORTO Conference. In this fragile time, the 17th edition of the conference is going to be a fully digital experience, keeping its two-day format but with an even bolder programme and an eminent speaker line-up. The Olympic marketing expert Michael Payne, and sponsorship thought-leaders Kim Skildum-Reid and Ricardo Fort are among the speakers joining from around the world. SPORTO Talks will feature one of the most prominent owners in sports, Mark Cuban, and ‘Le Professeur’ Arsène Wenger.
Join us on 21 and 22 January 2021 (Thursday and Friday), from 11 am to 6 pm CET (7 40-minute sessions per day, starting every hour), for an exciting online (interactive and networking-friendly) experience. You will have the opportunity to tune into live talks and conversations with top-level experts from the field.
The SPORTO programme delivers a 360-degree insight into the industry trends. Case studies, discussions and in-depth one-on-one interviews create the content at the crossroads of relevant industry areas with a focus on sponsorship strategy and activation, branding and building brand equity, digital communication, Olympic marketing, fan engagement, sports law and other specific topics with one touch point – harnessing the power of sport. All topics will be discussed (also) from the perspective of the Covid-19 pandemic and adaptation.
Here is a sneak preview of the content agenda and the speakers that will share the ‘online stage’ with you:
SPORTO 2021 will host two of the most known personalities from the sports industry – the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks (listed as one of Forbes’ most valuable franchises in sports), best-selling author of “How to Win at the Sport of Business” and serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban (in the last session on Thursday) and the renowned French coach/manager and Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA Arsène Wenger (in the first session on Friday), who will discuss, among other topics, leadership, interdependency between the sporting vs. commercial objectives in elite sport and the future of football.
Kim Skildum-Reid, Founder and Director of Power Sponsorship, and one of the most influential and charismatic experts in the sponsorship industry, will share top-level knowledge from the sponsorship world and her views about the current challenges and solutions for sponsors/brands and rights holders.
Don’t miss “The Power of the Rings”, an Olympic-themed discussion with two of the world’s leading experts when it comes to commercial partnerships in sports. Michael Payne has been at the forefront of the sports marketing industry for over thirty years, having led the global marketing effort for the Olympic Movement as the International Olympic Committee’s first-ever Marketing Director. He will be joined on the digital stage by Ricardo Fort, Vice-president of Global Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company.
Lewis Wiltshire (CEO at Seven League) will explore why will sports organisations, in order to continue thriving, need to become media businesses, while Florian Lamblin (Tour de France, ASO) will share the insights about the 2020 Tour de France’s adaptations and innovations. Sam Mathews, Founder of Fnatic, will take us into the ecosystem of one of the most successful esports brands of all time.
Edel McCarthy and Anne Smyth will share the stories behind Electric Ireland’s award-winning sponsorships “Game Changers” (with the Irish Football Association) and “Darkness into Light” (with the charity Pieta). Matthew Entwistle (Two Circles), Franjo Bobinac (Hisense) and Guy Edri (Vidaa) will discuss the future of sports consumption.
Further experts and guests include Stefan Gunnarsson (presenting the high-profile rebranding of FA Iceland), Founder of WePlay Luca Massaro (exploring how sports properties should be winning in the digital age) and Partner at Harbottle & Lewis Bob Mitchell (sports and commercial from the legal angle). Gemma Schmid (Purplebricks, sponsorship of the British Olympic Committee) and Nick Rogers (Cadbury, Premier League sponsorship) will be featured in the session organised in partnership with the European Sponsorship Association.
As a special guest, Laura Unuk, Chess Grandmaster and No.1 ranked Slovenian female player, will also attend the event.
The digital version of the SPORTO Conference will continue the tradition of the previous editions by connecting in one place the representatives of the leading sports business players – brands, sports properties and agencies. Join in and be part of the event that has been the meeting point for the sports marketing industry in the Adriatic region and wider SEE since 2004.
A detailed conference programme is available here.
Welcome!
