2023 Featured Sessions


ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE

WELCOME TO WREXHAM: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT TAKEOVER IN SPORT

HUMPHREY KER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SHAUN HARVEY
STRATEGIC ADVISOR

In February 2021, Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney surprised the world by completing a takeover of small National League football club Wrexham AFC. The club’s Strategic Advisor, Shaun Harvey, and Executive Director, Humphrey Ker, lift the lid on the story behind the takeover and how the club has come to embody an innovative and bold approach.

Key takeaways include:

  • The impact of the Disney+ Welcome to Wrexham and the explosion of Wrexham fans in North America and globally. 
  • How Wrexham have transformed the streaming landscape of the National League. 
  • What does the future hold for Wrexham and their Hollywood superstar owners.

THE WINNING MINDSET FOR LEADERS

 

 

JEREMY SNAPE
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

A former England cricketer turned international coach, Jeremy Snape’s knowledge of the high-performance mindset is unparalleled. He will take you Inside the Mind of Champions® – with exclusive stories and secrets of success combined with the latest research from psychology and neuroscience. This combination of authentic storytelling, cutting edge research and powerful insights from champions is distilled into practical tools which are guaranteed to inspire fresh thinking to help in your own and your team’s performance. 

Jeremy will share key insights on:

  • How to thrive through pressure and uncertainty
  • How to great leaders set their teams up for success
  • How to create a culture of continual improvement
  • How to leverage purpose to drive performance 

INDUSTRY CHANGE

WHAT IS THE NFL'S EURO VISION?

 

BRETT GOSPER
HEAD OF EUROPE AND UK

Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and the UK, discusses how the league’s overseas strategy is evolving, the lessons it is applying from games in London, and consumption of content differs from US to international fans.  

Specific topics include:

  • Reflections on the league’s International Series success
  • How the NFL targets different parts of its audience with different broadcast products 
  • How the NFL uses its distribution partners to scale audiences across Europe  

LEADING WORLD RUGBY

World-Rugby

ALAN GILPIN
CEO

SALLY HORROX
DIRECTOR OF WOMEN’S RUGBY

World Rugby’s CEO and Director of Women’s Rugby will discuss the state of play for the game and the opportunities that lie ahead.

Specific topics include:

  • Expectations for the upcoming RWC in France 
  • Evolving responsibilities of the global governing body  
  • Growth for women’s rugby, including US expansion  
  • The role venture capital and private equity firms play in the sports growth

 

SOCIETAL CHANGE

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FC: COMMUNITY-LED SPONSORSHIP

PAUL BARBER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN

GLENN MURRAY
CLUB AMBASSADOR

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BEVERLY SAWYERS

SVP, INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Brighton & Hove Albion Chief Executive Paul Barber, Club Ambassador Glenn Murray and American Express Beverly Sawyers will be on stage to discuss the Premier League club’s long-term community led partnership with the financial services company. 

Specific topics include:

  • Background on how the deal signed in 2019 came about
  • How Brighton and Amex activate the partnership to promote local businesses
  • Getting buy-in from players to help achieve national reach
  • Factoring in joint diversity and inclusion goals via Albion in the community

THE TIME IS NOW

 

MAGGIE MURPHY
CEO

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HELEN HARDY
FOUNDER & CEO

In this panel we discuss why there has never been more investment or more opportunites to grow the women’s game for brands, broadcasters, and other players in the sports ecosystem.

Specific topics include: 

  • What the data shows about the growth of women’s sports?
  • Why is investing in women’s sports capable of yielding better ROI than men’s sports?
  • How to ensure your organisation isn’t left behind in embracing greater equity in sports

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

SORARE: MODEL FOR UTILITY, COMMUNITY AND FAN ENGAGEMENT IN WEB 3

MICHAEL MELTZER
HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Sorare continues to grow it’s footprint across the European soccer market, driving transformation in the fan experience. Michael Meltzer, Head of Business Development, explores the companies growth strategy. 

Specific topics include:

  • How did partnerships with the Premier League, MLB, and the NBA come together? 
  • What do those major partnerships mean for the long term growth of Sorare? 
  • How can Sorare be leveraged by rights holders to generate more value for fans off of the platform?  

INSIDE THE BBC'S DIGITAL SPORTS ECOSYSTEM

BBC 200x200 (1)

 

BARBARA SLATER
DIRECTOR OF SPORT

The BBC’s depth of sports coverage and content is unrivalled. From radio, online, podcasts, live and beyond-live content, it’s the UK’s home of sport. Take a deep dive with SportsPro Hall of Famer, Barbara Slater, into the BBC’s sports strategy, including:

  • How audience data informs their content distribution strategy.
  • How the BBC live rights portfolio has shifted in recent years, and why.
  • How the BBC is adapting to changes in audience consumption of sport