Throwback to World Football Summit 2021
We have been waiting so long for that moment, and it has finally happened: the come back to physical summit and networking conferences!
Last week, we had the pleasure of participating (in person!!) in the World Football Summit 2021. Held on September the 22nd and 23rd, this edition took place in the iconic venue of Atlético Madrid: Estadio Metropolitano. And the least we can say is that we had an awesome time there. Two days full of captivating discussions and debates, highlighting the importance of these moments to drive progress and shape the future of our industry.
In Madrid, our Chief Strategy Officer - Jean-Baptiste Alliot had the chance to conduct one of the 6 Innovation & Technology panels planned by WFS - The topic: An innovative future of the sport: the key insights into the next major technological advancements.
Sports industry is embracing a new revolution towards the use of new technologies, and it was great to get ahead by interviewing experts on what is happening in that regard. Our panel was composed of 4 people: Andreas Heyden EVP Digital Innovations at DFL, and Sam Mathews, CEO and founder of Fnatic, Joe Januszewski Senior Vice President, Division Head/Property Solutions at WME, and William Brooke co-founder of Slate. They started talking about the fans, focusing on the younger generations (GenZ or even Gen Alpha) and how to engage with them as they seem to be less interested in consuming sports. They all agreed that they are key to our industry and that implementing new technologies is mandatory to fit with their new habits and behaviors as end-customers. In that perspective, Andreas shared the outcomes of a DFL project around the implementation of AR & 5G in the stadium to improve the coverage and to enable brand new experiences. We also discussed many other topics such as the increasingly important role of Social Media and how to innovate on it, the blockchain revolution alongside cryptocurrencies and NFTs, the esports industry and its specific model, etc.
To conclude, each organization had the opportunity to showcase their own areas of interest and how they have been pushing the boundaries in terms of innovation today. It was a very insightful panel to better understand the challenges the industry is facing and the solutions available to meet them.
On top of that, it was also a great occasion to meet with the folks at Slate. Indeed, Jean-Baptiste spent two days with William, co-founder at Slate and AJ, Account Executive. As strange as it may seem, it was the first time we met in person. Quite an emotional moment, considering that we have been working together for the past year.
It has been a real pleasure to onboard Slate from the US, as they reach Madrid, especially for the summit. Fortunately, they didn’t do this trip for nothing and WFS seemed to be very fruitful. In addition to the panel and a well-stocked agenda, Slate has been awarded as Best Supplier by the organizer.
We are very thankful to WFS for this awesome opportunity, and if we had to sum it up in a few words, it would be meaningful conversations, new projects in the pipeline, and strengthened relationships. Now we are looking forward to supporting LiveLike at Sportel Monaco, which is also looking to be exciting, given the various meetings, meals, and coffees already planned.
About WFS:
World Football Summit is where football industry leaders meet to shape the future of the game and the business. They host the largest and most influential community in football, providing a voice to the multiple stakeholders involved; allowing them to meet, discuss, promote and generate business opportunities amongst each other.
WFS has evolved from an annual gathering in Madrid to a powerful platform that connects leaders and brands across a growing series of physical and digital events, delivering tailor-made solutions for those aiming to stand out in the growing, complex and highly competitive business of sports.
About LaSource:
LaSource is a B2B agency based in Paris, focused on sport, digital and technology. Since 2019, we have been helping hand picked and high potential startups to expand their business and premium technology across the European Market. And as sports organisations are going through a digital transformation, we have created a model that gives them access to new innovative and digital solutions to meet their strategic objectives