SPORTEL Monaco Postponed - Conferences & Conventions

(ATR) SPORTEL Monaco organizers believe a virtual or hybrid format just isn't good enough for their event.

Monaco Mediax announced this week that the annual sports conference would be postponed for a second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year's edition had originally been pushed back from its traditional October spot to February 22-24, 2021. The plan now is to hold the event on October 5-7, 2021.

"When I postponed SPORTEL Monaco to February 2021, the horizon was quite positive, but today I have to face the reality,"said Laurent Puons, CEO of Monaco Mediax.

"We cannot hold an international event in this current sanitary context. The regulations and health situation in Monaco, France, Europe and the world as a whole, evolve and change by the day, stating the obvious that the sports industry is not able to travel and meet face-to-face."

The "live" aspect of SPORTEL Monaco is important to Puons, who told Around the Rings in November "It would be a strategic mistake to turn the event exhibition into a virtual one, as I remain convinced that our clients want to meet face-to-face."

In the meantime, SPORTEL is launching a series of free webinars beginning in March. With the success of previously hosting a webinar last November, SPORTEL says it will continue to connect with the sports business community digitally.

Puons is optimistic that SPORTEL's signature event will happen in October.

"(T)he vaccine is giving us hope for the near future. We are not giving up and will continue to work hard to be ready for the day we can organize an event that can meet the expectations of our clients," he said.

Global Sports Week Adds to Speakers List

Spanish soccer star and athlete-entrepreneur Gerard Piqué is among the latest speakers to sign up for the international program of Global Sports Week Paris.

He joinsParalympic Champion and star of Rising Phoenix Bebe Vio, Para-Badminton World Champion Manasi Joshi andPatrick Moratoglou, coach of tennis great Serena Williams as the latest additions to the program. The event runs from February 1-5, 2021.

Due to the pandemic, the hybrid event will feature physical gatherings in Paris and Dakar and virtual events in three other future Olympic cities: Beijing, Los Angeles and Milan. Everything will be streamed live from the Eiffel Tower, which will serve as the main stage.

Organizers say more than 10,000 sports leaders, cultural changemakers, athletes, activists and emerging talents are expected to participate across Global Sports Week.

The second edition will again be held under the patronage of UNESCO and the high patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Global Sports Week will also feature a first-of-its-kind virtual exhibition – the GSWMarketplace – comprising immersive, customizable and interactive booths, accessible for businesses and organizations of all types and sizes.

SIGA Announces Speakers, Sponsors for Youth Forum

The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) this week announced the initial 25 speakers for its first ever SIGA Youth Forum.

SIGA also revealed Arena Hub, AxisStars, IPDJ, India On Track, Inside World Football, Save the Dream and Soccerex are the official Institutional Partners for the virtual event, which runs from January 27-28, 2021.

SIGA says the event is composed of 12 "forward-thinking, interactive digital webinar sessions".

The goal for the SIGA Youth Forum is to bring together young leaders under 30 years of age with more experienced athletes to promote youth empowerment and activism in the global movement for sport integrity.

SportsPro Maps Out Busy 2021

The OTT Summit USA 2021 will be held virtually on March 3-4.

SportsPro says the focus will be on strategy, content, and technology as the sports industry works to better adapt to the changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 50 sessions featuring 80 speakers will be available. More than 1,000 participants are expected.

Among the organizations represented by speakers at the summit are Major League Baseball, the PGA Tour, Major League Soccer, NASCAR and Twitter.

A live event pass is free while a VIP pass will cost $199. Register for either here.

The next three online sessions of the SportsPro Insider Series, focusing on "Engaging Gen-Z", will be held on January 20. Click here for more information and to sign up.

SportsPro LIve (April 28-29, 2021) and SportsPro Asia (July 2021) are being planned as virtual events. It has not been decided if the SportsPro OTT Summit, scheduled for December 2021, will be in-person, virtual, or a hybrid event.

Homepage photo: SPORTEL

Written by Gerard Farek and Greer Wilson

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