International Sports Convention: Shaping The Future Of Sports
ISC London, to be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 22-23 March, is one of the largest networking and content forums in the global sports industry stimulating meaningful conversations, providing platforms for innovative content, and connecting key personnel within the field to build impactful relationships. fcbusiness speaks to CEO, Nigel Fletcher to find out what we can expect from this year’s event.
We’re back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the second ISC. Why are conferences like ISC London important to the business of sport?
The focus of the International Sports Convention has been going for 13 years. For us there are quite a few ingredients that go into it. It’s about scale, it’s international, it’s not focused on one singular sport, and it has a number of different themes – Broadcast & OTT, Digital Tech, Fan Engagement, Branding & Sponsorship, and Integrity & Governance. It’s the overlap and the interchange between those subject matters which makes it very interesting for everyone to both spend their time and marketing budgets with us.
All those things gives companies, rights holders and clubs the opportunity to accelerate their sales and business development pipelines, find out what’s new in the market, listen to content, learn from experts and pick up new ideas to take back to their clubs or organisations. It really is the ‘Meeting Place for the Business of Sport’.
What can we expect to see that is different?
Based on feedback from last year’s event there’s a thirst for more of the same, but that doesn’t mean we will be resting on our laurels and there will be a number of key changes. We’re accelerating some of the input. We’ve got more brands and sponsors speaking and attending. We’ve got more global partners, especially from the Middle East which is part of the legacy from the World Cup in Qatar. We also have the likes of the NFL, ATP and NBA sharing their insights on things like fan engagement and areas around digital as they look to increase their global audiences.
We’ve added a number of new things but there are some that will not be changing such as the catering and hospitality which was double A+ standard and we’re ensuring that some of the deliverables are as good as last year.
The venue layout for talks and discussions will remain the same, we’re still using the main stage in the East concourse, and we’ll be using the stadium’s unique spaces like the NFL Locker Room. If clubs and companies want to discuss things in private then there will be opportunities to use some of the hospitality boxes. So there will be a lot of things happening over the two days. Most will be open to everyone and there will be a few private drinks receptions and private meeting areas too.
What makes ISC London stand out from other events?
Because we have been going for over 13 years you can trust the brand and the service and the network we provide. Of course many people go to other events each year but we like to get the mix right between delegates, organisations, rightsholders, brands, broadcasters and agencies – it’s about creating that dynamic mix. We have a very open delegate policy in that everyone is welcome and we’re very clear and transparent in what that includes.
Sometimes you mention the word conference and people think it’s sitting around all day with a short coffee break. Most of our attendees are there for the networking and the meetings whilst others are there for the content, so we have developed a mix that addresses all the reasons why people show attend an event like this. People attend to network, to learn and to accelerate their business pipeline.
The conference programme looks incredibly comprehensive. What are going to be the highlights?
This year we have over 100 speakers across the five tracks running simultaneously. We look to target different individuals and subject matters and their interests and expertise, but from a football perspective there are three key discussions that will be of interest. In this respect the emphasis on driving commercial growth in football through innovation will be a significant highlight with the likes of Timm Jäger, CEO EintrachtTech a subsidiary of Eintracht Frankfurt, Ishwara Glass Chrein, President of Chicago Fire FC and Mike Armstrong, Chief Marketing Officer at Juventus.
Women’s football had a fantastic 2022, so we’ve got a global selection of speakers which includes Mariana Gutiérrez Bernardez, Director of the LIGA MX Femenil; Emma Sykes, Senior Women’s Football Development Officer at UEFA; Women In Football Chief Executive, Yvonne Harrison and Heidi Pellerano, Chief Commercial Officer at CONCACAF.
Focusing on football integrity we have Emilio Garcia Silvero, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at FIFA; Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, General Secretary at FIFPro and leading advisory companies including Ankura, Statsperform, Starlizard Integrity Services and Control Risks.
One track that will be very emotional is with Paul Stewart who will deliver a keynote on safeguarding which he’s been doing up and down the country and will give us an overview of his personal experience and why football and society needs to do more in safeguarding young children.
How has the content programme developed since last year and what are the key topics for this year?
The brands and sponsorship tracks will be really interesting this year. We have a track on brand partnerships at a global level which features Sarah Batters, Director of Partnerships & Marketing at Southampton FC and Lauren Haworth, Global Marketing Director at EcoWatt.
Networking is at the heart of ISC. How can attendees make the most of the opportunities available?
We like to deliver a 5-star all-inclusive experience at our events. There’ll be two drinks receptions – one at 5pm and another at 7pm on level 9 with some of the best views to the pitch in the stadium. Networking and bringing everyone together in a social way is really important.
Our overall service is key, not just at the event, but through our online engagement and information prior to the event and to aid that there will be a networking app and a desktop portal for attendees to use.
I really want to emphasise this, yes, it’s good when you are there, but to really maximise the business and network opportunities, attendees should set up meetings and make connections well in advance rather than just hope to see who you want when you are there. They should really take the time to do that as that is where we see real success from our events. It’s very important to get things in the diary before the event as opposed to just showing up.
With a lot of people still working from home this is the one event in the calendar year they can really get together and network on a global basis in the amazing surroundings of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
www.internationalsportsconvention.com
