SportsPro Announces Inaugural OTT Summit Asia -- Conferences & Conventions

(ATR) International sports media and events company SportsPro wants to capitalize on the success of its OTT Summit by expanding to Asia.

The inaugural SportsPro OTT Summit Asia was announced on Thursday. The event, which will be held in Singapore on March 27-28, 2019, will be dedicated to the over-the-top (OTT) industry in Asia. SportsPro says it will unite 200 senior executives from all areas, including broadcasters, rights holders, content distributors, social platforms and technology providers.

"We're really excited to launch this event, dedicated to what is the most important subject shaping the sports industry today,"Nick Meacham, managing director, SportsPro Media, said in a statement. "The evolving consumer appetite for more on-demand and multiscreen viewing is transforming the TV market globally, but no more so than in Asia."

The rapid growth of the SportsPro OTT Summit in Madrid certainly was an impetus to creating an Asian edition. The second version of the Madrid convention, which SportsPro says has doubled in size since last year's launch, will be held on November 28-29 at the headquarters of the Olympic Channel, which is a partner for the event.

The OTT Summit is expanding its agenda this year, adding seven new sessions and 20 more speakers to its schedule.

Over 500 attendees from more than 30 countries will visit, discussing topics centered around production strategies. Discussions on issues such as protecting live sports from illegal streaming and delivering content across different media platforms will be led by experts from top media companies. The Olympic Channel, Turner Sports, and NBC Sports executives are all scheduled to speak.

Sessions about eSports, artificial intelligence, and social media consumption are also featured during the event.

Early Bird Registration Opens for SPORTELAsia 2019

Online registration is now open for SPORTELAsia 2019, which is March 5-7 in Macau.

"SPORTELAsia is the ideal environment for the SPORTEL Community to come together to do business in the Far East and across Asia Pacific," SPORTEL CEO Laurent Puons recently told Around the Rings.

"It is a unique opportunity for SPORTEL participants to meet the leading sports business decision makers from Asia who do not attend any of SPORTEL's other events."

An early bird rate, which represents a 20 percent savings off the regular price, is available until December 14.

Click here to register.

IOC VP to Deliver Keynote at Host City 2018

IOC Vice President Ugur Erdener will be delivering the keynote address at Host City 2018 next week.

The largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, Host City 2018 will be held in Glasgow, Scotland on November 20-21. The title for this year is "The Future of Major Events".

A new format is designed to boost engagement, outcomes and learning for delegates.reveals an interactive agenda featuring novel formats such as talk shows, debates, live voting and storytelling.

David Luckes, Head of Summer Sports and IF Relations, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Niels Nygaard, President, National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark and Vice President, European Olympic Committees, are among the speakers to be added to a lineup that includesFrancesco Ricci Bitti, President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF); Jean-Francois Martins, Deputy Paris Mayor in charge of Tourism, Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and Nadja Burkhardt, EBU Event Supervisor, Eurovision Song Contest.

SportAccord Launches First Regional Convention

SportAccord will go to Beijing in 2020, while SportAccord said its first ever regional convention will focus on the Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The flagshipWorld Sport & Business Summit hosted by the SportAccord returns to Beijing on April 19-24, 2020. Next year’s convention in Gold Coast, Australia will run from May 5-10.

SportAccord confirmed the location during the 2018 IF Forum in Lausanne hosted by the Global Association of International Sport Federations. Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city to host the Summer and Winter Games. The Chinese capital hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.

"Coming back to Beijing after a period of 12 years is a very exciting prospect for SportAccord and the international sports federations," Francesco Ricci Bitti, executive committee member of SportAccord, said in a statement. "The global sports landscape has experienced extraordinary change since 2007. Technologies and social media have helped to transform the business of sport and it has never been easier to reach billions of fans – in seconds."

From December 10-12 of next year, SportAccord will go to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a conference focused on "enabling IFs to gather with key players from the region".

"Regional SportAccord provides the ideal platform to exchange practical ideas and helps to shape the future of sport," Ricci Bitti said in a statement. "Being able to discuss challenges with leading experts, meet and network with key players, have direct access to conference presenters and get a deeper understanding of the trends that will affect sport in the years to come - all under one roof."

International Sports Convention 2018

The 2018 edition of the International Sports Convention (ISC) takes place on December 5-6 in Geneva, Switzerland.

ISC 2018 features 18 conferences and seminars with more than 150 speakers and 50 exhibitors on topics such as sports tourism, broadcasting, governance, and sponsorship. Specific sports, such as esports and basketball will also be featured. The International Sports Awards 2018 will also be integrated into the convention.

Advertised as the world’s largest sports convention of 2018, more than 1,500 people from over 80 countries are expected to attend, placing a focus on convergence and networking between the attendees and the conferences themselves.

Written by Gerard Farekand Aaron Bauer

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