SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION 2017 CONFERENCE CONCEPT

THE THE THE LOVE STUDIO ACADEMY FOOTBALL ZONE

Through a mix of interviews and panel The Academy delivers expert business insight for A showcase of all that is good about the game and discussions, The Studio provides top level football’s most important sectors including, stadia, the different bodies working to promote football’s expertise from the industry’s biggest names. performance, fan engagement and sponsorship. power for social development.

THE LAB NEW The Lab is a new facility created to showcase the latest niche innovations and expertise in some of football key sectors such as stadia and performance. GLOBAL MARKET INSIGHT DELIVERED BY EXPERTS, FOR EXPERTS

WORKING WITH THE WORLD’S LEADING LEAGUES... Our institutional partnerships with Europe’s leading leagues, such as LaLiga, Serie A and the EFL who were all partners in 2016, ensure that the conference features the subjects most relevant to rights holders’ needs and the senior figures at the heart of addressing them.

...INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS AND CONTENT PROVIDERS We partner with the leading sector focused organisations to ensure that the Convention delivers the latest market specific insight from the foremost experts in each sector. For example, our partnership with ESSMA will see them help to shape our stadia sector content and provide expert speakers from their member network. LEARN FROM THE INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST RIGHTS HOLDERS & BRANDS

PAST SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

NASSER AL KHATER FATMA SAMBA ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL ALEXEY SOROKIN GIANNI INFANTINO JAVIER TEBAS CEO, 2018 FIFA WORLD CUPTM RUSSIA MARTIN GLENN DON GARBER PRESIDENT, FIFA TOURNAMENT AFFAIRS PRESIDENT, LALIGA DIOUF SAMOURA CEO, THE FOOTBALL ASSOCAITION COMMISSIONER, MLS SUPREME COMMITTEE FOR DELIVERY & LEGACY SECRETARY GENERAL, FIFA LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

SAFE STANDING: A STEP FORWARD IN FAN EXPERIENCE OR A RETURN TO FOOTBALL’S DARK DAYS?

The ban on standing sections at stadia in England’s top two divisions, that was introduced in the wake of the Hillsborough tragedy, has long seemed at odds with fans’ desire to stand when supporting their teams. While supporters of the ban point to the impressive safety records since its introduction, improved options such as the rail seat and positive evidence from , Germany, Sweden and Austria where standing areas are permitted show that there could be an alternative. In this session experts on both sides of the argument will be joined by club representatives, safety regulators and leading suppliers to look at what safe standing involves and what its introduction would mean for English football.

Michael Burnett Jon Darch Senior Managing Director Member Representative Ferco Seating Football Supporters Sports Ground Safety Federation Aithority (SGSA)

INTERNATIONAL OWNERSHIP & INVESTMENT

More & more football properties are no longer domestically owned. Investors from the US, China and the Middle East look set to dominate European football through purchasing stakes in some of their biggest assets. This investment creates new opportunities for the clubs and other businesses benefiting from the injection of finances and the access to new markets but to what extent is the suitability of these investors properly vetted? What are the long term implications of their involvement and, from the investor’s perspective, will their investment objectives be met? We will bring together a panel of club representatives, legal experts and international investors to analyse the impact of international investment on the global game. SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

HOW DO YOU VALUE BROADCASTING RIGHTS IN THE MODERN MARKETPLACE?

Rights’ values have been on an ever steepening curve for many years but is this about to change? Technological and media developments are altering consumption habits and recent viewing figures for football via traditional broadcasters are significantly down. With OTT streaming services bidding for – and securing – significant rights packages and social media giants dipping their toe into live sports, the market is looking more fragmented than ever before. At the Global Convention a panel of broadcasters, rights holders and media gurus will debate the value of rights in this expanded marketplace and look at whether the markets evolution has created more problems or more opportunities for the rights holders and media companies involved.

THE RISE OF INFLUENCER MARKETING

Social media has created an environment where brands and sporting organisations can talk directly with their fans/consumers but it has also enabled individuals to emerge whose authenticity of voice gives them an appeal and a credibility that big organisations cannot compete with. The growing influence of these individuals is becoming an important tool in the marketing arsenal of many brands as they look to engage key fan groups. Join a diverse group of experts as they analyse influencer marketing and the opportunities – and challenges – it presents for rights holders, brands, media channels and the influencers themselves.

Will Pyne Chief Creative Officer Brave Bison SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

WITH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS, IS BIGGER REALLY BETTER?

2016 saw an expanded UEFA European Championships in France and FIFA have voted to expand the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026. For the Confederations and smaller nations involved, expanded tournaments present increased revenue opportunities and the chance to compete at the top table with the established elite, as Wales and Iceland did so successfully at Euro 2016. However, for the hosts, there are the technical challenges of accommodating more teams and more matches – potentially in a shared hosting situation which creates more logistical problems for the teams themselves – the players face more gruelling schedules leading to burnout and the clubs face losing their employees to injury. At the Convention, we will ask a selection of senior football stakeholders; are bigger tournaments really better?

THE FUTURE OF STADIA DESIGN

Influenced by a mixture of factors including technological advancements, environmental requirements and commercial challenges, architects are producing more and more innovative stadia designs that will shape the arenas of tomorrow. While these future stadia will undoubtedly provide a connected experience more advanced than anything we’ve seen today, to what extent will the technology involved be future proof? How will they strike a balance between maximising commercial opportunities and ensuring the venue is first and foremost a place to watch football where the fan’s passion translates into an atmosphere that can drive forward their team? Gathering together some of the industry’s foremost architects and stadia managers, we will look at the future of stadia design and how it will change the match day experience. SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

IS DOPING A PROBLEM IN FOOTBALL?

Football has watched on, detached from the doping scandals that have unfolded in sports such as athletics, cycling and tennis, with FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer once stating FIFA has “led the way in anti-doping,” citing the 2014 FIFA World CupTM in Brazil, where there were no failed tests and where biological passports were introduced to the tournament for the first time - a move that has since been extended to the UEFA Champions League. However, as the problem of doping does not seem confined to one sport and the rewards on offer in football are so high, can we really assume that the world’s most popular and high profile sport is completely clean? In this session sports scientists, anti-doping experts and football regulators will assess the extent of doping in football and what is being done to identify and police it.

WEARABLE TECH: THE EVOLUTION OF SPORTS PERFORMANCE

Already a massive industry based on personal fitness monitoring for the mass market, in elite sports the tracking capabilities of wearable technology mean it has the potential to provide important real time data on player performance that can be analysed by advanced sports science teams and acted upon by players and coaches alike. Already common place on the training field for many clubs, as the technology becomes smaller, more lightweight and more durable, wearable tech may become as common and essential as the boots the players wear - and from a performance perspective, perhaps even more important. At Soccerex, technology experts, data analysts and sports scientists will evaluate the impact of wearable technology on the market and share their thoughts on the future applications that will drive the evolution of football. SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

BREAKING FROM TRADITION: FOOTBALL’S NEW SPONSORSHIP ASSETS

The days of sponsors being satisfied with just having a logo on a team’s shirt have long gone. Brands today are looking for more innovative, content and experience-driven engagement opportunities which, in turn, is forcing rights holders and agencies to be more creative with the portfolio of assets they offer. While new physical properties still exist – as seen with the offering shirt sleeves as new sponsorship inventory – they do so in the context of more integrated packages with mobile and digital platforms at their core. Via a panel of rights holders, brands and sponsorship directors, the Global Convention will deliver exclusive insight into the value of football’s new sponsorship assets and how they can best be activated by brands.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOTBALL & ESPORTS

With more and more live gaming content being made available via social media and the UK getting a dedicated 24 hour gaming channel, eSports looks set to break into the mainstream in 2017. Clubs such as Manchester City, Wolfsburg and West Ham have already signed professional contracts with gamers, showing that football is aware of the potential of eSports, but what can the game and its digital counterparts learn from each other commercially? How should traditional football brands work in the eSports space and will there ever come a time where the two are competing for audiences rather than complementing each other? At the Convention, a meeting of football and digital minds will dissect the relationship between football and eSports and analyse how the two can best collaborate both now and in the future. SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

PLAYING CRUYFF’S WAY - A LEGEND’S LEGACY TO THE GAME

“You need both quality and results. Results without quality is boring. Quality without results is pointless” - Johan Cruyff. Johan Cruyff firmly believed the game of football must be played to entertain the fans. His philosophy of attacking ‘total’ football, a formula to not just win games but also inspire people, has revolutionized the game as we know it. Cruyff left his mark on generations of exciting players and continues to influence many great coaches until this day. This session, co-hosted by Cruyff Football and featuring the people closest to Johan, will highlight his vision and principles of play and share his most valuable lessons.

Wim Jonk CEO Cruyff Football

EDDIE JONES ON THE ART OF COACHING

Eddie Jones is the hugely successful Rugby Union coach who, having coached his native Australia and Japan, is currently in charge of the England Rugby team. In his first 12 months with England he brought about a remarkable improvement, taking a side who had failed badly at the 2015 Rugby World Cup on a long unbeaten run that included a Grand Slam in the 2016 RBS Six Nations. Eddie is a firm advocate of cross sport learnings and in this special session he will share the secrets of his success with England Rugby, what he has learnt from other sports and what football can learn from rugby.

Eddie Jones Head Coach England Rugby SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

MAXIMISING THE VALUE OF YOUR CLUB’S BRAND

Whether it is AFC Ajax’s emphasis on youth, Manchester United’s commitment to attack or the glamour of Real Madrid football clubs around the world have certain characteristics that define their nature and underpin their approach both on and off the pitch. In this special session, we will gather a panel of senior club figures to analyse the importance of having defined values within a football club; how they can create and support the club’s identity, help the club grow their fan bases, both domestically and internationally and what structures are needed to ensure these are maintained, despite the large turnover in managerial, coaching and playing staff.

Edwin Van Der Sar CEO AFC Ajax

FACEBOOK ON FOOTBALL

Not surprisingly, there is a strong link between the world’s most popular sport and the world’s most popular social media platform; football generates millions of conversations across Facebook, with the social media giant delivering a variety of offerings including games, awards and even streaming of live matches to meet the demands of their users. At Soccerex, Facebook will deliver an update on their approach to football and look ahead to what they see as the biggest opportunities for both fans and rights holders alike on their platform.

Jerry Newman Sports Partnerships Lead - EMEA Facebook SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

YOUTH FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT - TRAINERS V COACHES

Nurturing high quality home grown players is an important challenge to any club and a precondition to any sustainable national football development strategy. Productive youth development requires the proper recipe and high quality ingredients. One of the most important debates in youth football today is the gradual shift in paradigm, away from a focus on youth team performance and towards a focus on individual development. Cruyff Football will co-host this session, designed to present and discuss different visions on talent development, with the people behind two of the best academies in Europe and a highly successful football nation.

Ruben Jongkind Bob Browaeys Maria Ruiz De Ona Head of Talent Technical Coordinator Head of Coaching Development Royal Belgian Football Development Cruyff Football Association Atlhetic Bilbao

OPTIMISING VENUE REVENUE GENERATION

Stadia are more than homes to sporting action. They host large gatherings of passionate fans who are ultimately consumers and, as a result, they offer huge opportunities for revenue generation for the club or stadia owner. From capturing and analysing data to the design of stadia to meet fans needs, the Convention will deliver expert insight on how stadia rev- enues can be maximised throughout the year, including a presentation from iXpole who’s sponsorship and hospitality platform helps club’s like RSC Anderlecht improve their match day cashflows and look at Bristol Sport’s successful redevelopment of Aston Gate.

Martin Griffiths Mark Kelly Lisa Knights Luc Vanhecke Chairman Chief of Operations Chief of Media Business Development Bristol Sport Ashton Gate Stadium Ashton Gate / Bristol iXpole Sport SOCCEREX GLOBAL CONVENTION CONFERENCE SESSION CONCEPTS

THE FUTURE OF FAN GENERATED CONTENT

Improvements in technology and the growing influence of social media on society have brought another player into the content market – the fans themselves. Able to operate on the same playing field unfettered by corporate restrictions, fans are creating content that is increasingly valued more highly than content created by the rights holders themselves and, through aggregating this content, new media channels are emerging. How can clubs, leagues and federations use fan generated content and its considerable commercial potential to their advantage? We will bring together a mix of media and content experts with senior rights holders to look at the future of fan generated content in football.

James Kirkham Head of Copa90 Copa90

THINK WE’RE MISSING SOMETHING? SEND US YOUR SUGGESTIONS!

The conference at the Soccerex Global Convention is designed for you the football industry and our agenda is shaped by our conversations with the different stakeholders within it. We do our best to cover the latest and most important issues affecting each sector but you may think we’ve missed something that should be addresed.

If you have a suggestion for a conference topic or a presentation idea you would like to discuss with our team please email [email protected] or call +44 208 987 5512.