Many thanks to over 150 delegates and 22 speakers who took part in the first annual Sport and New Media Conference in Manchester on 21st April 2010.
Particular thanks to those who had to struggle past the the volcano induced travel difficulties to make the day.
For a review of the day please see here Review
For the photos of the day please see here Gallery
For media coverage of the events please see here BBC , Digital Spy, PR Week and Yacht Business
We look forward to welcoming you to the next edition scheduled for April 2011.
The 2010 Conference
The huge increase in new media innovations has forever altered the media landscape for the sport industry. Consumer, business and fan behaviour is changing and the way these groups are reached and engaged with must change accordingly. The search is now on for new ways to not only reach customers and fans, but to understand them, to activate sponsorships in fresh and exciting ways, encourage participation, grow fanbases and protect your reputation online.
However the plethora of tools now at brands and rights holders disposal is not easy to navigate and real value comes from a genuine understanding of the fast changing world of sport and new media. Sport and New Media is a brand new event from SportBusiness Group, the world’s leading provider of sport industry information, working in partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
Topics to be discussed and debated include convergence, encouraging participation through social media, building and maintaining an online fanbase and protecting reputations in a digital age. The first SportBusiness Group event to be held in Manchester this will be a great opportunity for networking and a lively and sparky exchange of ideas and concepts.
We look forward to welcoming you on April 21st.
Philip Savage
Publishing Director, SportBusiness Group.
What people are saying about this event:
“Manchester’s reputation as a sporting city is first class and with the rapid rise of the digital age it is great to see SportBusiness Group choosing Manchester as the host of its very first Sport and New Media conference. SportBusiness Group has a packed timetable of events and conferences from year to year and I am sure their first experience of Manchester will not be their last.”
- Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, the tourist board for Greater Manchester.
“England’s Northwest has a great reputation for hosting world-class sporting events and Manchester has always been a progressive city, so it is fitting that the SportBusiness Group is bringing its first new media conference to the city. The Agency is delighted to be able to support the event, which will bring some of the industry’s leading business professionals to the Northwest.”
- Peter Mearns, executive director of marketing and communications at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
"SportBusiness Group is delighted to be coming to Manchester for the first time. This new event focusing on such an exciting new part of the business of sport demanded a city at the cutting edge of new media. In Manchester we found just that city. We are all very much looking forward to the Sport and New Media conference and establishing more events in the Northwest.”
- Luke Upton, conference and event manager for SportBusiness Group.
