International Sports Convention organisers have pledged that the event’s return to the calendar at London’s stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March will deliver unprecedented opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.
ISC has a new residence at the 63,000-capacity home of the English Premier League football club, having previously been held in Geneva and Amsterdam since being founded more than a decade ago.
While ISC’s format and focus on the global sports business remain the same, the key pillars of networking opportunities, conference sessions and content will all be enhanced by the facilities on offer over the two-day gathering at the state-of-the-art host venue.
ISC will be staged over four floors at the stadium on March 23-24, with delegates able to enjoy complimentary fine catering and drinks in luxurious surroundings throughout the course of the event. As well as a main networking hub and private meeting rooms, the top-level conference programme will be held across five stages on both days.
Adding to this unique delegate experience, one of the conference streams will be held in the stadium’s enormous NFL locker room, while the Stratus premium space and Tunnel Club also being used.
Five-star return
ISC chief executive Nigel Fletcher explained how discussions with some of the 1,500-plus delegates to have signed up have highlighted how keen they are to connect with friends, colleagues and peers following the disruption of the last two years.
“This is all about coming together again,” said Fletcher. “Business relationships are all about personal contacts, and International Sports Convention has always been a place where people connect with new contacts and maintain their bonds with existing partners.
“Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is unique; the entertainment and sporting venue will provide delegates around the world with the best possible sports business event experience.
“The facilities for business networking are first class with the hospitality to match. Delegates can enjoy food and drink on tap being served all day. We will provide all our attendees with a five-star experience.”
Fletcher added: “Some of the event spaces we will be using will be ground-breaking and we look forward to welcoming the sports business industry from around the world to London. We will be taking the conference, exhibition and networking model to a new level for all participants.”
Sports ecosystem
Thanks to a dynamic mobile and desktop app, networking, which is core to the event, begins a whole month before delegates gather in London.
Using this platform, delegates and speakers can interact and plan their schedule in the weeks leading up to and during the event.
These delegates and speakers come from across the sports business ecosystem, with private companies, suppliers, international sports federations and governing bodies all present. The list of event partners features a cross section of organisations, including Catalunya, Data Robot, LaLiga, Sotic, Sportradar, Stats Perform, Wildmoka and WSC Sports.
The comprehensive conference programme, featuring more than 100 speakers, ensures all areas of sports business are covered and reflects how various segments are interlinked. Conference streams over the course of the two days will reflect broadcast and OTT, digital, brands, integrity, events, digital disruption in football, and sponsorship.
Fletcher added: “The Convention provides so much content, but it’s essential that everything is covered. Our experience has always been that attendees appreciate the opportunity to learn and exchange views across the spectrum, no matter what particular segment they are based within.”
Industry leaders
The broadcast and OTT stream begins with a session featuring Olympic Channel general manager Mark Parkman before an interview with Alex Green, managing director of Amazon Prime UK, conducted by Mark Chapman, the BBC Radio 5 Live and Match of the Day 2 presenter.
Later on opening day, a panel discussion will feature representatives from Fiba, Discovery, Sportradar and Altman Solon. A further session includes leaders from Canal Plus, Sky, BT Sport, Pixellot and Eleven Sports.
Digital Disruption in Football is another standout stream, which will begin with a presentation on driving fan engagement from Paris Saint-Germain’s Russell Stopford. Rüdiger Müller, Fifa’s head of digital content products, will then participate in a panel session on driving digital and commercial growth in football with representatives from Tottenham Hotspur, Legia Warsaw, and the Football Association of Iceland.
Senior figures from bodies such as the International Olympic Committee, NFL, NHL, ATP and World Rugby will be involved in sessions, as well as representatives from media groups such as Facebook and TikTok as well as institutions and corporate entities like Credit Suisse and Nissan.
ISC also features several knowledge-sharing masterclasses. These sessions will cover topics including best practice for digital media strategies, anti-piracy technology and licensing.
“The Convention appeals right across the industry, including people from media and marketing through to governance to events,” Fletcher said.
“We also have a programme that suits attendees no matter where they are from. We expect the close to 1,500 people present to be a mix of around 80% from Europe and 20% from the rest of the world. While now based in the UK, the majority of speakers come from elsewhere, reflecting the international nature of the event.”