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ISL executives were fortunate to attend Sports Business Decision Makers Summit to take in some great insights into current sports business and marketing trends.
While a majority of the Miami, FL event held at the W Hotel focused around sponsorship and partnerships, the summit also covered investment in sport, global expansion of sports brands, sports fans, collegiate athletics, and much more. Read up on some of the major insights discussed, and social media highlights.
Fans in Asia, are different to fans in Europe, who are different to fans in South America, who are even more different to fans in North America. Each region brings different challenges, and North America appears to be the most challenging, yet most rewarding. O’Callaghan cited 2 important strategies that build the FC Barcelona fan base in the United States, those were the presence of a North American office, and the expansion of Grassroots efforts like the world famous Barca Academies. ISL continues to execute the major Barca Academy grassroots strategy, and growing the famous FC Barcelona brand.
Eelco van der Noll, head of Partnership and Sponsorship for Anheuser-Busch inBev, spoke on the Brand side of sponsorship and partnership. One key topic was on the value of the Esport target market for brands. All the major sports and leagues primary targets vary in ages, however they are all primarily 30+ years old. Esports primary target market, 24-30 years old, is an extremely valuable age range for building lifelong brand affinity.
As a major focus of the event was on partnership and sponsorship, we had to mention some of the modern approaches to the effective marketing strategy. Chief Revenue Officer for Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, Adam Davis, spoke on a modern approach to partnership marketing. Today, brands are looking for partners, not sponsors. Traditional stock sponsorship packages are a thing of the past. Instead, the approach to a modern conversation needs to have the mind frame of improving the business for each side of table, and it’s an ever evolving relationship.
In early January, the ISL team attended United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago, IL. It’s an excellent opportunity to connect with brands, clubs, technology startups, and other major players in the soccer industry across the United States and around the world. Our executives spent their time in meetings, connecting with new leads, and drinking too much coffee.
Apart from being over caffeinated, ISL also had a booth set up on the convention floor. In mid 2018, ISL went through a major rebrand effort, and it was a wonderful way to introduce the new brand to the Soccer Industry. Apart from introducing the new brand, ISL were also showcasing its travel management services. ISL provide opportunities for players to compete against European competition and experience new cultures that broaden young players horizons. ISL’s travel management team also provide services to partners or clients aiding in logistical headaches that come with large scale trips. We can help if you manage large scale trips.
Check out some of the event highlights tracked through social media during the event!
Get in contact with someone from our travel management team at Experience@islagency-old.nntesting.com for more information on how we can help mange your next major travel plans.
In mid November of 2018, ISL had the opportunity to attend of the most prestigious sports business conferences in the world, Soccerex USA.
Soccerex USA, taking place in Miami, Florida, was an awesome event, and provided some great insight into where the industry of Soccer around the globe, specifically in the United States, is headed. Read up on some of the major insights ISL discovered, as well as some of the social media highlights around the Soccerex community:
The key indicator of how serious leaders of the worlds game are taking the women’s game, is the separation of team assets. Media rights and sponsorship have been parceled out separately at clubs around the world. In the past, assets associated with a club’s Women’s team would be perceived as an “add on” to the men’s team, whereas now they are their own outright asset for sale for major clubs.
The overarching theme taken away from the event was the seriousness in the interest of the game in the United States. We’ve always heard soccer called “The Worlds Game”, when in reality it was more like “The Worlds Game Minus The United States”. But now, you can feel the interest from international clubs and federations in capitalizing on the commercialization of the American market. Excited to see how it continues to develop.
The value of high quality contacts made while at Soccerex is phenomenal. As mentioned, you’re constantly meeting new folks, and you don’t have the time to realize how many contacts you’re really meeting until once you get home. Not only is it a lot, they are high quality, and could potentially help drive your business in the future.
