SPORTO, the leading international sports marketing and sponsorship platform in the wider Adriatic region, announces activities on the way to its 17th event. In the coming weeks and months, SPORTO will bring the results of the in-depth research on the impact of the pandemic on the industry in the Slovenian environment, a new double issue of SPORTO Magazine and SPORTO (digital) Talks with experts around the world. The conference is announced for 21 and 22 January 2021 in Ljubljana.
The game has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on the marketing and sponsorship environment. After all the competition venues closed for three months and we woke up to a new reality (during this time, a selection of SPORTO content was available at #SPORTOAtHome), the world of sports began to return in a truncated form and with many challenges. According to the latest data from the pan-European research by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), positivism on the recovery of the industry is slowly increasing, especially among sponsor brands.
We believe that the exchange of experiences and sharing best practices from around the world, following and co-creating trends, and argumentative discussions remain the main drivers of industry progress. SPORTO thus remains at the crossroads of content in the areas of sponsorship strategy and activation, building brand equity, digital communication, fan engagement and technological innovation. The topics will of course be addressed through the prism of adaptation and the search for (digital) solutions and a more sustainable approach.
The conference is moving from Portorož to Ljubljana
Eppur si muove or Alea iacta est! And yet it is happening! The die is cast! The SPORTO Conference announces two resounding changes that were planned in the time before the pandemic. Both the date and the venue are new.
The SPORTO Conference, seventeenth in a row, will take place on 21 and 22 January 2021 in Ljubljana. The host venue will be prominent Cankarjev dom Congress & Cultural Centre in a form that circumstances will allow: a certain number of participants will be able to attend in person, and at the same time an ‘online’ version of the conference will be available.
The premiere of the conference took place in Ljubljana in 2004, and it has been a guest in Portorož since 2008 in the traditional November term.
There is still some time until January to thoroughly prepare for new challenges, to invite and host eminent speakers again, to enrich the two-day event with an accompanying programme and to attract sport business colleagues to one place. Until then, we have a lot of challenges ahead of us, including the following activities:
Research on the impact of the pandemic on the development and activities in the Slovenian sponsorship environment
The in-depth research on sponsorship in the new reality and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 on business is being prepared by the conference organisers, Sport Media Focus agency, in cooperation with the Slovenian Marketing Association, Olympic Committee of Slovenia, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana and Faculty of Sports, University of Ljubljana. The results of the research, which involved decision-makers on the side of sponsor brands and rights holders, will be known and presented in mid-July.
SPORTO 2020 (digital) Talks
Between September and December this year, we will prepare monthly in-depth talks with leading experts from the world of sports marketing, sponsorship and the sports business in general. There are many outstanding minds in this industry who are shaping the future of the sports business around the world, and we will do our best to attract the most renowned names in this field into our midst. Online talks will be available upon free registration, details will follow soon.
SPORTO Magazine
Our magazine, which in recent years has contributed to the field of sport-business media, will see the light of day this year at the end of October, when we will dedicate a double issue of the magazine to our readers, including all conference participants and many partners across Europe.
Don’t miss your chance in the world of sports business, welcome!
