MELBOURNE, January 15, 2024

News Corp Australia, through the News Sport Network trade brand, has signed an exclusive deal as Domestic Media Partner for acclaimed global sports industry conference SportNXT, ahead of the annual event’s return to Melbourne in March 2024.

SportNXT, to be held at Melbourne and Olympic Park’s CENTREPIECE from March 19 – March 21, 2024, brings together global and domestic sport and business leaders to discuss the industry’s future. The high-powered gathering also offers delegates the opportunity to engage with the most influential people in sport, delivering multiple networking and business development opportunities.

The 2024 summit will again feature an elite line-up of the world’s most highly credentialed voices in sport participating both in-person and virtually. Delegates will hear from over 70 top-tier speakers who will address modern sport’s most significant topics and themes in keynote presentations, mainstage panels, one-on-one interviews, and numerous concurrent breakout sessions.

News Sport Network Managing Director, Michael Wilkins said: “News Corp Australia, and specifically the News Sport Network, is thrilled to be returning as the official Domestic Media Partner for SportNXT, the premier event for those in the sporting industry in Australia, APAC and around the globe.

“As the exclusive domestic media partner, we are proud to be collaborating with industry leaders in SportNXT to deep dive into the opportunities and challenges that will shape the future of sport for all of us. We also look forward to showcasing some of the world-class talent and the key topics they will be discussing at SportNXT to News Corp Australia’s audience of 18 million people¹.”

SportNXT CEO Hamish Anderson is delighted to announce the Domestic Media Partnership with NewsCorp.

“We are excited by the opportunity to tap into News Corp Australia’s expertise and leadership in sport, underpinned by their industry-leading reach through the large-scale platforms of the News Sport Network.”

“This partnership connects SportNXT with Australia’s sports industry leaders and further highlights the prominence of this world-leading sports event,” said Mr. Anderson.

The line-up of speakers currently confirmed to feature at the event include:

• Casey Wasserman – Chair and CEO, Wasserman; Chair, LA2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games
• Andrew Liveris AO – President, Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee
• Catherine Carlson – EVP, Global Partnerships, BSE Global/Brooklyn Nets
• Rowena Samarasinhe – Owner, GENSport; Partner, LEVEL
• Alan Gilpin – CEO, World Rugby
• Brett Gosper – Head of Europe & APAC, NFL
• Matthew Jafarian – EVP, Business Strategy, Miami Heat
• Meegan Jones – Director, Institute for Sustainable Events
• Rebecca Sowden – Founder, Team Heroine & Correct the Internet
• Tal Karp – CEO, Y Australia / Former Director, Australian Grand Prix Corporation
• Andrew Ryan – Managing Director, FIBA Media
• Octavi Anoro – International Development Director, LaLiga
• Ann Duffy – Chief Sustainability Officer, MI Global Partners
• Azmeena Hussain OAM – Director, Victorian Institute of Sport / ex-Director, Football Victoria / Ambassador FWWC23
• Andrew Dillon – CEO, AFL
• Travis Auld – CEO, Australian Grand Prix Corporation
• Nicki Kenyon – Director, Australian Grand Prix Corporation
• Jennifer Watt – CEO, North Melbourne FC
• James Sutherland – CEO, Golf Australia
• Matt Scriven – CEO, Basketball Australia
• Tanya Hosch – EGM, Inclusion and Social Policy, AFL
• Edson Crevecoeur – SVP, Strategy & Data Analytics, Miami Heat
• Sean Callanan – Founder, Sports Geek
• Sarah Styles – Director, Office for Women in Sport and Recreation
• Finn Bradshaw – Head of Digital, International Cricket Council
• Ben Slack – CCO, World Rugby

More speakers to be announced in the coming weeks and months.

Delegate passes are on sale now, capacity for SportNXT 2024 is limited so delegates are encouraged to secure passes early to avoid disappointment.

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ABOUT SPORTNXT

SportNXT is the Southern Hemisphere’s leading sport business summit and one of the world’s pre-eminent sport conferences. SportNXT 2023 attracted nearly 900 delegates from 21 countries, with over 50% comprising c-suite, board, and senior sport leaders, facilitating valuable networking opportunities with industry decision-makers. Renowned past speakers have included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Formula 1® President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, broadcast figure David Hill AM, all Australian League Commissioners, and executives from Tesla, NewsCorp, Disney, FIFA, Foxtel, Silver Lake, and ONE Championship.

ABOUT NEWS SPORT NETWORK

The News Sport Network provides sport fans with the ultimate all areas pass to the best sports in the world, with brands such as CODE Sports, SuperCoach, Tips.com.au, KommunityTV as well as racing brands Racenet and Punters. The News Sport Network reaches 15.2 million sport fans (14+) monthly across all News Corp Australia platforms (Roy Morgan), including News Corp Australia metro, regional and national mastheads as well as stand-alone sites. With fans spending more and more time consuming content outside the live viewing/broadcast experience, the News Sport Network is well positioned to be where the fans are – critical for brands wanting to interact with highly engaged audiences.

MELBOURNE, December 18, 2023

SportNXT, the leading global sport business summit, today confirmed that MKTG Sports + Entertainment has renewed its collaboration and elevated its status to Official Gold Partner. The highly anticipated sports business summit will take place from March 19 to 21, 2024, at CENTREPIECE, Melbourne and Olympic Park.

As the Official Gold Partner, MKTG, part of dentsu Sport International, is the exclusive SportNXT Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Servicing Partner, further solidifying its commitment to helping drive thought leadership and delivering top-tier sports marketing solutions for brands and sporting codes across Australia and New Zealand.

dentsu’s data and insights experts, dentsu Sports Analytics, has also joined as a Silver Sponsor of the conference and is its official SportNXT Research and Insights Partner. In a SportNXT first, dentsu Sports Analytics will provide insights to empirically underpin on-stage content through relevant stats from its enormous customer fan research and sponsorship measurement work across the globe.

Quote from Hamish Anderson, SportNXT CEO: “We’re excited to welcome MKTG back this year as our Official Gold Partner for SportNXT 2024. Their continued commitment reflects the value and impact our summit has within the sports industry. Additionally, having dentsu Sports Analytics on board as a Silver Sponsor strengthens our commitment to providing unparalleled insights. This partnership further solidifies SportNXT as the go-to platform for thought leadership and innovation in the sports landscape.”

Quote from Matt Connell, Managing Director of MKTG APAC:
“After a great experience last year as a SportNXT Silver Sponsor, we are pleased to renew our partnership with SportNXT and ascend to the role of Official Gold Partner. This elevation underscores not only our commitment to innovation and excellence in sports marketing, but also our dedication to driving thought leadership in the industry. We’re especially delighted to see the involvement of dentsu Sports Analytics this year, enhancing the depth of insights and expertise within the SportNXT conference. Together, we look forward to supporting impactful moments that will surely contribute to the growth of the sports industry and foster unparalleled experiences. We look forward to seeing you all there next March.”

MELBOURNE, December 5, 2023

A new wave of top-tier speakers has today been announced for SportNXT 2024, headlined by the indomitable leaders of the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee’s.

Casey Wasserman is the renowned Chair and CEO of Wasserman, a global leader in sports, music, entertainment and culture. He is also the Chairperson of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games, having led the city’s successful bid campaign. Wasserman, who will be participating virtually, was previously the Chair of LA Super Bowl LVI Host Committee, alongside significant philanthropic contributions across education, arts, health service and global initiatives.

Returning to SportNXT after his powerful ‘fireside chat’ in 2023, President of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee Andrew Liveris AO also joins the line-up, bringing his unparalleled business insights to the event. The globally recognised business leader was formerly Chair and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company and has advised three US Presidents as part of a stellar list of career achievements. Wasserman and Liveris offer delegates unique global perspectives from across the sport and business landscapes that are not to be missed.

The speakers announced today join an already impressive line-up of industry leaders participating in SportNXT, including the likes of Alan Gilpin (CEO, World Rugby), Brett Gosper (Head of Europe and APAC, NFL), and Andrew Dillon (CEO, AFL), as well as senior leaders from LaLiga, the ICC, FIBA Media and many more.

The new speakers announced today include:

• Casey Wasserman Chair and CEO, Wasserman; Chair, LA2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games

• Andrew Liveris AO President, Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee

• Catherine Carlson EVP, Global Partnerships, BSE Global

• Rowena Samarasinhe Owner, GENSport; Partner, LEVEL

• Matthew Jafarian EVP, Business Strategy, Miami Heat

• Meegan Jones Director, Institute for Sustainable Events

• Sean Callanan Founder, Sports Geek

• Tanya Hosch EGM, Inclusion and Social Policy, AFL

• Edson Crevecoeur SVP, Strategy & Data Analytics, Miami Heat

SportNXT CEO Hamish Anderson says he’s proud to welcome so many top-tier speakers to the event.

“We’re once again honoured to have some of the most influential names in sport joining us to discuss the future of our industry.”

“These highly credentialed speakers are positioned to provide a wide range of views on a breadth of insightful themes that will propel the growth of the industry,” said Mr Anderson.

2024 Themes

SportNXT tackles the most important themes for the ever-changing sports industry, and 2024 will be no different. Main stage panels will cover a range of topics including, the macro trends impacting sport, will analyse media’s ever-shifting landscape, dive into the commercialisation of women’s sport, and tackle issues such as globalisation and the importance of role models as part of sports commitment to diversity on and off the pitch.

In addition to keynote speakers and mainstage panels, SportNXT also features ‘Dedicated Breakout Streams’, allowing delegates the opportunity to deep dive into topics. Expanding on last year’s program, SportNXT 2024 will feature three concurrent breakout streams each afternoon. New in 2024, each stream will feature a ‘keynote’ from an industry headliner, an ‘expert panel’ exploring relevant case studies, and a ‘debate’ on key issues and opportunities for each stream.

The breakout streams topics to be explored at SportNXT 2024 are:

• Commercial and Revenue

• Emerging Digital and Technology

• Social Media

• Fan Experience

• Brand and Marketing

• Sustainability

Delegate passes are on sale now, with a special Pre-Christmas offer available until the 24th of December. Capacity for SportNXT 2024 is limited; delegates are encouraged to secure passes early and avoid disappointment.

View the full speaker list here

** Update – An earlier version of this media release included Jono Oake – Tik Tok as a speaker. SportNXT advises Jono Oake is unfortunately no longer able to participate at SportNXT 2024.

MELBOURNE, November 14, 2023

SportNXT, the esteemed annual global sport business summit hosted in Melbourne, Australia, returns for its third edition in March 2024. Backed by the support of the Victorian Government, the conference will again convene some of the most highly credentialed domestic and global leaders in sport to influence and shape the future of the industry.

Running from March 19 to March 21 at Melbourne & Olympic Park’s state-of-the-art CENTREPIECE facility, the live conference promises delegates and partners unparalleled access to the world’s foremost voices in global sport and business, as well as unrivalled networking opportunities with the industry’s biggest names. 

The first two days will feature a stellar lineup of in-person and virtual presentations from over 70 world-class speakers. Building on the success of the concurrent breakout sessions introduced to the program in 2023, SportNXT 2024 will expand the breakouts sessions from two to three streams, giving delegates even greater opportunities to dive deeper into the topics that matter for the future of sport.

The optional third day will again feature site visits meticulously curated by SportNXT and the Victorian Government, showcasing Melbourne’s world-class sports infrastructure.

Delegate passes are available for purchase now at www.Ticketek.com.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos MP said he’s excited to welcome SportNXT back to Melbourne again.

“SportNXT brings to Melbourne the global leaders in sports business, administration and technology.”

“This event is a great addition to our bustling events calendar, showcasing all Melbourne has to offer to a global audience.”

SportNXT Chair Eddie McGuire says this year’s conference will be bigger and better than ever.

“Building on the momentum of the past few years, we’re proud to be bringing a world-class event to Melbourne that brings some of the world’s pre-eminent leaders in the sports industry to Australia’s sporting capital,” said McGuire.

“We will again have an incredible calibre of speakers that, together, will actively shape the future of the sports industry globally and drive significant change and growth, and we’re thrilled to have them united in the one room to discuss what’s ahead for the industry.”

SportNXT Director Bart Campbell echoes this sentiment.

“As we enter our third year of the conference, we’re confident we have an unparalleled offering of speakers and incisive, thought-provoking themes that are unmissable for those wanting to be informed and connected to the sports industry,” said Campbell.

“Every year, we strive to take our learnings from the year before and improve in every aspect, and that’s certainly reflected in the program we’ll offer in 2024.”

With an ever-growing list of esteemed speakers, those confirmed to take the stage in 2024 include:

• Alan Gilpin – CEO, World Rugby
• Brett Gosper – Head of Europe & APAC, NFL
• Rebecca Sowden – Founder, Team Heroine & Correct the Internet
• Tal Karp – CEO, Y Australia / Former Director, Australian Grand Prix Corporation
• Andrew Ryan – Managing Director, FIBA Media
• Octavi Anoro – International Development Director, LaLiga
• Travis Auld – CEO, Australian Grand Prix Corporation 
• Andrew Dillon – CEO, AFL
• Ann Duffy – Chief Sustainability Officer, MI Global Partners
• Azmeena Hussain OAM – Director, Victorian Institute of Sport / ex-Director, Football Victoria / Ambassador FWWC23
• James Sutherland – CEO, Golf Australia
• Matt Scriven – CEO, Basketball Australia
• Jennifer Watt – CEO, North Melbourne FC
• Nicki Kenyon – National Director, Powered by Nine 
• Sarah Styles – Director, Office for Women in Sport and Recreation
• Finn Bradshaw – Head of Digital, International Cricket Council
• Ben Slack – CCO, World Rugby

Further speaker announcements are planned over the coming months.

SportNXT 2024 delegate passes are on sale now, with a special Pre-Christmas offer available until the 24^th of December. Capacity for SportNXT 2024 is limited; delegates are encouraged to secure passes early and avoid disappointment.

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SportNXT is delighted to share an exclusive accommodation offer from Official Entertainment and Accommodation Partner – Crown.

Delegates can take advantage of special accommodation rates at all three Crown Melbourne Hotels for the nights of SportNXT.

Follow the below links to access this great offer.

Crown Melbourne is Australia’s leading integrated resort and one of the most visited tourist destinations in Australia, offering luxury accommodation, award-winning dining, a world class casino and unparalleled entertainment facilities.

Located in the vibrant Southbank precinct and within walking distance of the CBD and the city’s iconic sporting stadiums, Crown Melbourne will be the official post conference entertainment destination for SportNXT delegates and speakers.

Co-authored by:

Dr Jonathan Robertson (Co-Director, Master of Business – Sport Management, Deakin Business School)

Associate Professor Adam Karg (Director, Sport Innovation Research Group, Swinburne University of Technology)

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In only two years, SportNXT has become one of the most prestigious sport conferences in the world. The 2023 conference brought more than 850 delegates, representing 400 organisations from 22 countries to the world-class CENTREPIECE @ Melbourne Park to hear from 77 global thought leaders in sport and business as they shared their insights on the future of the global sport industry.

Here, Dr Jonathan Robertson and Associate Professor Adam Karg provide four key ideas and extensions from the week, and four key learnings for managers:

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Sportainment. The competitive paradigm for sport.

Content remains king. In the modern setting, fans attend and watch games not only to see their favorite teams win, but to be entertained. Sport organisations have long recognised they are competing with other forms of entertainment providers for consumer attention (e.g., social media, streaming and technology companies) and we see the merger between sport and entertainment continuing to drive a more customer-centric approach to decision making that caters to fans’ desires and expectations. Sport leaders unanimously recognise the need to reach fans where they are. Considering how to attract and retain Gen Z eyeballs in an increasingly competitive live broadcast market, David Hill, (Founder, Hilly Inc) articulated the ways in which live sport broadcast is rapidly adopting similar screen graphics to video games to improve storytelling and embed new sponsorship activations within live broadcasts. Sports leagues and organisations that embrace their role as entertainment providers are likely to be more able to grow and expand their fan base.

Key takeaway one. A warning for managers: failure to recognise that sport competes against TikTok, League of Legends, or Netflix, can lead to stagnation and decline. Managers looking to grow sport products must consider their consumers actual behaviours and decision making, and both harness data led perspectives and leverage increasing opportunities for customisation to surprise, delight, and engage fans where they are.

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Purpose. The key to communicating sports value proposition in civil society.

Sports role in society, and society’s role in sport are increasingly interdependent. More than ever, sports organisations and athletes have unique opportunities to drive positive change and promote inclusivity and diversity. As Lisa MacCallum (Former Nike VP and Founder of Inspired Companies) described, purpose is becoming a competitive advantage for those sport organisations who authentically embed values within their businesses. The promotion of, and positive action towards gender equity and diversity can lead to positive public perception and social approval, and can foster platforms to increase participation, improve performance, and drive greater fan engagement. However, this should not be the only reasons for defining a purpose. Purpose-led companies tend to have higher employee engagement, customer loyalty, and financial performance. More specifically, a focus on inclusion and diversity in sport organisations brings a wider range of perspectives, and can provide more creative and effective solutions to challenges facing the industry. Managers understand sport can be a powerful tool for driving social change and building connections. What remains is a need for concerted, genuine and sustained efforts by organisations to be inclusive in their strategies, representation and decision-making, as well as their actions.

Key takeaway two. Sport remains at the bleeding edge of a number of societal debates that far surpass the boundaries of the sport industry itself. Purpose led sport organisations require substantial investment in change management to embed and socialize values throughout sport organisations, and not just appear as a surface-level marketing tactic. By having longer term strategies, embracing new forms of measurement, and linking purpose and values to corporate strategy, sports organisations and their partners can inspire action and drive value in a way that benefits organisations, employees and the wider community.

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Technological leadership… The challenge and opportunity for the Golden Decade of Australian Sport. 

In the decade following Juan Antonio Samaranch announcing Sydney as the host of the 2000 Olympic Games, Australia was able to develop one of the most sophisticated sport systems in the world. Brisbane 2032 presents such an opportunity for this generation of Australian sport. Where the competitive advantage in the 1990’s was earned via the establishment of high performance systems, physical sporting infrastructure, and wholesale professionalisation of Australia’s sport systems and processes, the competitive advantage of the next decade will depend on the ability of sport leaders to identify innovative technological solutions, communicate value propositions to key stakeholders, and productively implement these solutions within sport organisations. In the Partnering with Tech session at SPORTNXT Libby Owens (CEO, Champion Data), Ned Coten (CEO, EngageRM) and Adrian Tobin (Founder & Chief Design Officer, Kinlab) discussed that the competitive advantage here is not necessarily in the technology itself, but rather in how effectively the incorporation of these technologies can be productively implemented into social, economic and performance outcomes for organisations.

Key takeaway three. A key focus for managers to ensure the industry leverages the opportunity of the next decade needs to be on developing technological knowledge and leadership capacity within their organisations, fostering appropriate innovation and risk appetites, and effectively partnering with technology companies to achieve wide ranging outcomes. Most codes and sporting organisations are short on the skills required to evaluate and implement new technologies, making partnerships and system collaboration critical components for success. Consequently, whilst it is one thing to establish and appreciate a need for technology, it is another to be able to do something productive about it.

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AI is changing how sport managers work and make decisions.

Artificial intelligence has landed. Now what? If nothing else, Chat GPT has provided a use case to the future of AI that has caught the attention of Gen X executives. In SPORTNXTs Data: Unlimited opportunities, shifting boundaries session Ian Narev (CEO, Seek), Pip Marlow (CEO, Salesforce), and Will Lopes (CEO, Catapult) discussed how AI could benefit sport by helping  content creators produce audience specific content, hyper-customise targeted marketing messaging to diverse fan segments, and analyze vast sums of data instantaneously to identify trends and insights. The integration of AI into daily work functions and customer relationship management databases will continue to rapidly change the way we work. At the same time, AI presents a raft of ethical and security risks; among them data quality (generative AI is only as good as the data it is trained on), managing bias, and transparent/well communicated data management policies (including data security, storage and destruction).

Key takeaway four. Seasons passing without gaining a functional understanding and value creating use for paradigm shifting technologies such as AI will see managers and organisations fall behind. AI’s such as ChatGPT (Open AI), Einstein (Salesforce), and Azure (Microsoft) are paradigm shifting technologies for corporate decision makers, capable of synthesising and simulating countless scenarios to more accurately predict the outcomes of key strategic decisions. Whilst there are still limitations, understanding when, where, and how different AI’s can improve strategic decision making processes and add value to organisations represents new dimensions of competitive advantage for executives.

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Sport is changing faster than at any point in history with rates of technological and social change arguably higher than the industrial revolution. At the same time, the next decade presents unprecedented opportunities for leaders to leverage new technologies and capitalise on new forms of value. We suggest taking these key takeaways to your next senior leadership meeting. Are you prepared for what’s coming NXT?

Deakin University is the Official Education Partner of SportNXT

Bart Campbell, Director of SportNXT gives the attendees a reflection on what core points were distilled from the sessions across Tuesday.

Keynote with Jay Monahan

Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, joins the conference in an interview with Hamish McLachlan.

Monahan opens talking about why Melbourne is such an important destination for the PGA Tour, and golf across the board.

“The PGA in Australia is extremely important to the PGA tour.”

The commissioner makes it clear that the partnerships with the PGA Australia and providing pathways for Australians and players across the world to enter the highest levels of golf are priorities for his organisation.

“We’ve had an electric start to our season, I expect more of that to come.”

In the wake of the launch of ‘Full Swing’ in February, and its upcoming second season, Monahan says the ability of this content to engage with a larger audience in a new way is a key goal that benefits golf overall.

“There is no question that Full Swing has been a great success for the Tour,” he said.

Monahan acknowledges the impact of Tiger Woods and says “much of the reason golf is in the strong position it’s in is because of Tiger … many of the young guys three, four, five years into their career are in the room because of him.”

Monahan sees the last couple of years as a time of great opportunity for the PGA tour, and good outcomes came from focusing on the controllable variables. By looking at the rich history and heritage of the Tour and its broad-reaching positive effects, with “3.6 billion raised for charity”, they leave “every market they enter better”.

The commissioner signals great investment is in increasing the broadcast quality and experience for fans.

On the concern of youth interest, particularly in golf, Jay is confident in the development programs they have in place and their connection to the future players of the code. He makes the case “that our sport is in a better position than it has ever been at any point in time”.

Jay says all sports must be more mindful of young people specialising more in sport, they are more likely to focus on less codes and play far more of a few.

“Time ultimately allows great brands to develop, it doesn’t happen overnight … the great brands and franchises have stayed true to their purpose over time.”

Monahan sees fans’ time as their treasure, and if fans are willing to use their time to watch sport, play it or travel for it, that’s the ultimate signal of a strong sport.

Monahan says he would think about changing rules around out of bounds as it can be awkward for players, home owners, and even be unsafe at times.

The PGA commissioner sees commercial partnerships as crucial, communicating business evolution with partners and having conversations, learning from other organisations and engaging with the possible opportunities out there are key.

“We’re all in the pursuit of excellence, but there’s not enough hours in the day,” Monahan says. He emphasizes the importance of building a team that can push and look to innovate as a whole.

Jay thinks the talent and numbers coming out of golf in Australia will only increase, from the great pools of talent that are already present.

Keynote with Andrew Parsons: Sport For All

Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, speaks to the audience.

The Paralympic Committee focuses on three key areas. Firstly, they serve, and engage with, their members. Secondly, they help grow and showcase the importance of parasport. Thirdly, they recognise that it’s not just about the Paralympic athletes, but the 1.2 billion people with disabilities.

Parsons emphasises the dangers of people with disabilities experiencing avoidable health issues from lack of physical activity.

“When surveyed, 97 per cent of elite para-athletes were employed–far higher than non-athletes,” he says.

Andrew speaks to the power of parasport to transform community exclusion into community inclusion.

The arrival of Paralympic Games in host countries often lead to huge steps for people with disabilities and parasport overall, steps that Parsons says will not happen without the games occurring.

“According to post games research, 1/3 people in the UK changed their attitudes to people with disabilities after the London games,” and the performances of the Paralympic athletes led to better employment outcomes within the UK in the years following.

Parsons truly believes the Paralympic Games are a great chance to showcase and empower people with disabilities, but challenges delegates to look out further into other parts of community.

Parsons is now joined by Josephine Sukkar AM (Chair of the Australian Sports Commission), Belinda Duarte (Director for the Victoria 2026 Organizing Committee), and emcee Tracey Holmes (ABC).

Andrew Parsons reflects on how, when Ukraine was invaded two days prior to the Bejiing Winter Paralympic games, the committee made the choice to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, resulting in the athletes calling for their full exclusion.

Josephine Sukkar says “it is a time for us to reflect and think how we engage in public discourse better,” and acknowledges “the delicate dance” of public funding for sport.

“A lot of sports are still quite underfunded” she says.

“Sport brings out the very best in us and the very worst in us,” says Belinda Duarte.

“I’m looking forward to the focus being taken from the evidence,” she says on facing racism.

Duarte sees the coming Commonwealth games as a key point in positive progress for First Nations People. Duarte’s ancestor, an Indigenous man, was a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England.

Sukkar took aim at business values, saying that they have to be lived, ensuring all parties, sponsors, players and administrators alike focusing on unified goals.

“I don’t care [about your advisory committee] I want to see what you actually do. From top to bottom, we have to live our values,” says the ASC Chair.

Parsons makes clear the huge variance in dealing with disabilities and getting sport and resources to people across the world. For countries capable of hosting games, the benefits are well planned and will come. But offering benefits to other nations is critical too: how can countries that will never host games be beneficiaries of the paralympic games?

Sport activities don’t have to be big events. They can be small, says Andrew, and often even the simplest aspects such as physical education are greatly underestimated.

“Sport is so integrated into our DNA [as Australians], it is who we are, and it is seen as our platform globally,” says Belinda Duarte.

Duarte emphasises the ability of sport to allow us to connect and assist the full spectrum of communities in Australia, using sport as a unifying tool that can overcome boundaries people find in other aspects of their life.

With the NRL’s ongoing debate around LGBTQI+ rounds, Sukkar says stakeholder engagement is crucial but there is a responsibility for sports leaders to have considered and nuanced approaches about creating partnerships that are in the interest of their players and communities.

Tracy Holmes says “the media can be biased too, propaganda isn’t just something that happens overseas”.

Andrew Parsons understands that many athletes don’t want to be in a situation where they are expected or made to be engaged on every political topic. Athletes can be across a broad range of positions from not caring, to knowing but being unsure, to knowing and agreeing or disagreeing, so an organization shouldn’t rush into positions without engaging the internal communities. It should be a planned process.

Duarte says “speak out, speak up, speak straight,” and we should engage the right leaders and minds to help guide us across a variety of topics.

Keynote with Andrew Liveris AO: Fireside Chat

On leadership, Andrew Liveris AO, President of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee, says “there is reaction time and action time… the moment that matters the most is the moment you’re going to create”. Through his lived experience watching other leaders, he says not to be paralysed by decisions but taking action is key.

“Inclusion means not just being allowed in the room, but listening carefully to what’s being said. Culture isn’t some high level world, it’s the power of listening and executing upon that.”

Liveris says leadership isn’t based on talking about values, but acting and executing upon the values that matter.

Sports should be a celebration of human and higher values, but it should also be willing to play a broader role in society and bring more people in. Civil society and sports are moving to a new place. It’s not just the arrival of ESG parameters and digital but it’s a human experience.

The goal for Brisbane 2032 is about accessibility so the key human experience and enjoyment of sport is available to all, says Liveris.

Andrew sees us being bombarded in this early stage of the digital era, but it doesn’t mean that values across all generations can’t be aligned for an event like the 2032 games. Embracing technology as a positive experience, “The Brisbane Experience” will be a standout that will accelerate the human experience in Australia. “These are Australia’s Games.”

In Liveris’s view, it’s more than just sports, it’s health, nutrition and longevity, people’s lives, and how long they live for, that are the key factors.

“We have to elevate Brisbane and all it implies … so it encompasses the region [Sunshine and Gold Coast] too.”

Liveris has high hopes for Australia, wanting to “make us the place people want to come,” and making the Games a paradigm-shifting event that has long lasting effects that promote Brisbane and the country going forward.

His goal is to make people look to Australia for excellence, inspiring it at home and across the globe.

Keynote with Gillon McLachlan: In Conversation with…

Gillon McLachlan, AFL CEO, speaks to Eddie McGuire at Centrepiece as his time as the head of the Australian Football league approaches its end.

Reflecting on COVID, McLachlan says the decisions and the sustained periods of pressure across the two years of lockdowns led to the toughest decisions he had to make.

“We established a war committee, we consulted with presidents and the commission, and the industry was divided,” says McLachlan.

“There are decisions that are left to the individual, as much as you consult and engage” he reflects.

There was a direct conflict between the financial and social needs of the AFL and broader community. “Whatever decision you come up with, you have to prosecute it, […] you must understand it and explain it,” says McLachlan.

The AFL CEO says you have to actually talk to different levels of the business, and that “it isn’t possible to over-communicate.” In periods of great uncertainty, there isn’t a right or wrong but you need to do your best to achieve outcomes to benefit everyone, and communicate the benefits of these decisions to stakeholders.

“It’s about doing the work and then prosecuting that … tailoring your messaging to reach the stakeholders,” says McLachlan. Acting on what you said you are going to do gives you greater freedom in the future as people know your track record, the CEO notes.

On broadcasting, McLachlan feels the last deal made was at the right time and it still “looks good”. On the role of AFL Media, McLachlan says the place of traditional print and broadcast media are changing and the AFL Media channels can allow for a different targeting strategy that adapts to the modern world.

“I don’t believe it’s our role to tell people what to do. I do believe it’s relevant that on things that are relevant to us and our fans, we make our positions known,” McLachlan says on the topic of taking social positions in sport.

McLachlan thinks growth comes from being progressive on social issues for the AFL.

McLachlan “didn’t think we (AFLW) would be at 18 teams at this point”.

The inclusion of women in AFL has changed the way women see the game and has created a much more “real conversations with 50% of the population”.

With initial friction and uncertainty about the AFLW overall, McLachlan sees the outcome as exceeding what even supporters expected.

On succession, McLachlan thinks it’s healthy that there’s a number of candidates and the job has definitely grown since he started. “It’s a very important decision for everyone … it’s a difficult job to do if you haven’t had the right grooming,” says McLachlan.

When asked by McGuire if he would consider going onto the commission, McLachlan says “he was thrilled they [the AFL] has got so big” and the roles within it have definitely changed.

“Having daughters and feeling so unequivocally that my daughters had to have every opportunity my son had,” McLachlan is passionate on promoting female involvement.

McLachlan says the only thing that really exercises his mind repeatedly is the changing face of the country and how to keep up.

While McLachlan sees the AFL as world-class in many areas, the end-to-end broadcast and entertainment experiences seen overseas in markets like the US are ahead. The AFL is working to increase their broadcast, using the Grand Final last year as an example.

“Football is pumping. I feel incredibly dominant in every metric–we can be affordable for consumers, kids are playing,” says McLachlan citing the hard work of many people within the football ecosystem.

On racism, McLachlan says “it’s acknowledging that you have a role to play in the journey of this country … be a part of the national conversation, that’s the role we play”.

Gill says this applies to many different topics, focusing on speaking to every community within the game and making it so everyone can find their place in the game.

“It is difficult to do this job when it is so emotional and so involved … you have to be trusted, you have to be known and loved by the community,” says McLachlan. When fans know the leader loves the game, they are more likely to overlook mistakes, but if they don’t trust you love the game and are acting in the best interest of it, you will struggle to lead.

“You have to be prepared to lose day in, day out to win in the end” said McLachlan, on prioritising courage and being relentless. “We’re all just a sum of the people we work with,” he adds.

In Conversation with Greg Tiley

Craig Tiley, CEO Tennis Australia, reflects on the massive effort it took to organise the Australian Open in 2021 through the lockdowns and isolation orders.

“The first thing I’m going to do is to have the best possible relationship with every player … going through every challenge the key is going to be the relationship” he says.

Tiley found once the event started, it was a perfect event in his opinion–especially based off the Australian performances.

“You really only know how to manage a crisis when you’re in a crisis,” Tiley comments around the COVID experience.

The CEO emphasises the importance of stepping away, getting a clear head on the decisions that need to be made and listening to the right voices, as opposed to all of them.

“One of the great things about sport in Australia [is that] it has always had the objective of being as inclusive as possible.”

“The convergence of augmented reality and virtual reality is happening in real time… if you just put on a sporting event, you’re going to lose,” he says.

“The monetisation of the offside fan is where the future is.”

Tiley emphasises the value of sport is the integrity. Without integrity, it is no longer a “gold mine”.

The CEO also talks to the diversification of Tennis Australia’s revenue streams past just the Australian Open, moving into investments leading to about 60% Australian open revenue and 40% other.

Tiley acknowledges the great infrastructure we have, especially in Melbourne. He notes that organisations need to take a more bottom-up approach for every individual and customise experiences for them as opposed to top-down in planning.

The Australian Open ten years ago was fourth to the other Slams, but is now bigger in both attendance and revenue–despite have around 1/5 of the people within an hour’s drive of the tournament.

Creating Live: David Hill

On technology, Hill (Founder, Hilly Inc.) says the core principle of storytelling hasn’t changed, despite technology improving.

“The biggest problem with most sports productions is the assumption that everyone knows everything,” he says.

Hill says the most important thing he was told in his time in sports television was: if they’re lucky, a fan will know about 20% about a sport, a player will know about 50% and a coach about 80%.

Throughout his career Hill has made sure to include “nuggets” so people always learn something when they watch.

In reference to his time setting up LIV Golf, Hill says they still ended up cabling in cameras, deciding against the wireless camera options.

Hill works now for F1 with a remote broadcast team based in a remote hub. The F1 has up to seven roaming cameras, 28 high definition cameras, 147 microphones, a stabilised helicopter mounted camera, slow motion and track side cameras, and over 80 cameras mounted on the F1 cars. While the technical aspects are done remotely, the commentators are still on the ground at the events so that aspect of the spectacle isn’t lost.

To work remotely in this way, Hill says the key is to trust the team on the ground. A commentator can create a good viewing experience from any location, so being remote doesn’t have to affect their ability to create a high-quality end product.

Hill says looking at societal trends, you have to adjust and change. He points to the success of productions like Redzone, which he created in order to have a more gamified and fast-paced viewing experience to attract younger audiences.

“My experience shows me you need to put in about five years of work before you become an overnight success,” he said about his new business, Intaneous. The Intaneous system uses real time analytics to process data into on screen graphics that interact with the sport as it happens.

On the topic of microchips, Hill says the key in sport is to bring back the kids from video games and return them to sports. An experiment in this concept is the use of the ‘ghost ball,’ a computer generated image of the rugby ball that uses a microchip to track the exact location of the ball live to the broadcast feed, making it visible even when hidden from cameras.

These chips are being used in testing in Rugby League and Union, AFL and NFL.

An opportunity Hill sees involves using technology to take away the objective decisions for a referee, so that “the sports become in the spirit of what it should be,” and officials can focus on issues such as intent.

Eddie McGuire and Hill agree the applications can be across all sides of sport, from broadcast to officiating and coaching. “If I’m the captain of the Titanic, I’m not seeing any icebergs,” says Hill on the development of the Intaneous system.

Navigating a Changed Landscape

Moderator Leigh Harvey (Head of Growth Intelligence, Client & Commercial, News Corp Australia) is joined by a panel consisting of Glenn Lovett (Head of Sport Analytics at Dentsu), Charlotte Offord (GM AUS & NZ for NFL Australia) and Marissa Pace (CMO at Rugby Australia).

Lovett said 52 per cent of fans, especially younger fans, are finding their fandom in sport is an integral part of their life, up from 34 per cent pre-COVID.

Charlotte Offord sees the change in the use of tech from COVID as a driving factor behind sport coming into people’s living rooms more creatively and people being more open to going along new fan journeys. The increases in viewership on TV and streaming, as well as new social channels such as TikTok rising greatly, has left us with a very different landscape after the pandemic.

Marissa Pace acknowledges that the competitors are changing greatly, they are no longer just in sport but outside of it. Sport exists fully amongst entertainment and not on an island.

Lovett emphasises the future of having far richer data sets that connect to what people are doing and buying, and details how this will become more common and crucial to businesses.

Rugby is reasonably new to the analytics and metrics that focus on their fans, according to Marissa.

Offord says that it’s crucial to track markets both specifically and wholistically.

Lovett says the sporting industry is far more global, opening far more competition internationally and even outside of time zones a lot of content can be interacted with outside of the live experiences.

Charlotte says the NFL prioritises getting fans–not just making fans, but helping them to maintain their fandom. She speaks of the partnerships with Apple Music and Fortnite as examples of how the NFL are meeting the fan in the places they are already consuming.

Pace says “your technology needs to serve your customer first, before it serves your company”. Experience integration for processes like ticketing need to be up-to-date and seamless.

For the NFL, the challenge is always going to be in Australian time zones. However, “I have never seen a market with such a fandom for sport.” The NFL has seen great organic growth without investing that much into the market, but they are now committing to see what actual targeted investing will achieve.

Lovett sees AI as a great opportunity with “limitless” potential. The progress of technology alongside AI can lead to somewhat limitless entertainment potential, especially with augmented reality he says.

“We’re a country that wants to live on the global stage and win,” says Lovett. While many businesses seem to be making less decisions and making business cuts, Glen says historically sport proves to be recession-proof.

Pace says the NFL offers such an end-to-end experience, from fantasy football to the gameday experience, that it grabs you and doesn’t let you go. She sees the NFL as a point of inspiration for end-to-end engagement.

Offord and Lovett both acknowledge the NBA as a great example of a brand doing well to engage with and bring the fanbase along.

The NFL is heavily investing in Flag football across Australia, investing in schools and championships across the state and national level and offering the opportunity for the winning team to play at the World Championship representing Australia.

“We need heroes in every sport, and rugby is a team sport … I think you call it tall poppy syndrome in Australia … we need to let players be heroes” said Pace on changes in Rugby Australia.

Digital Fan Engagement

Moderator Ravi Krishnan (Founder and CEO, Stepathlon) speaks to Sheila Rasu (VP Marketing and Communications, NBA Asia), Jeremy Loeliger (Commissioner, NBL) and Nathan Gumley (Executive Energy, Home & Entertainment, Telstra).

Jeremy Loeliger says his target audience for basketball is everyone. He says it is agnostic to gender, culture and many other factors.

Sheila Rasu says the NBA and NBL have a strong symbiotic relationship which fuels both markets. “About 87% of the general population know what the NBA is and 1/5 are NBA fans.”

In Australia, you can be a core fan of multiple sports. The profit can still translate for all leagues despite the broad range of sporting interest fans hold.

Nathan Gumley says there is huge opportunities to find what makes the game tick through data and then use that data to drive the game further. Sports with huge participation, but not high broadcast potential, can still have massive potentials.

Loeliger says that “the NBA is as close an ally as we could possibly have”.

When it comes to digital versus analogue fan engagement, digital fan engagement is far higher because it is so much more versatile, says Loeliger. “It’s all about time limits and serving up on the right platform at the right time,” he adds.

Rasu says one of the key differences between basketball and the NFL is that basketball is a truly global sport with really high participation rates. “By the end of last season, ¾ of our content we were doing was vertical,” she says.

Give fans an equal playing field to engage with their clubs and allow the clubs to engage with the fans in their own way, says Loeliger. Often a league can’t speak to fans in the same way that a team could, who can focus on the specific demographics that make up their team.

For the NBL, the adoption of a younger employee group that better reflects the fans and the engagement of a specialised TikTok manager has led to great success across the channel.

Sheila Rasu says “the market here is pretty sophisticated when it comes to exporting your knowledge, and expertise is very possible”. She speaks about Action Audio, a company based in Victoria that was chosen to be a part of an NBA incubator program.

“Everything in our sport ecosystem here is pretty darn sophisticated … we’re aspirational for so many countries around, not just Asia,” says Jeremy Loeliger. He also recognises the large basketball markets of China, the Philippines and growing markets in Japan and Indonesia. With references to the NBL including Asian teams in the league, the “the fan engagement strategy has to be really on point”.

Nathan Gumley says the Australian market is a “great place to try and adopt new technology”.

According to Loeliger, the real opportunity of NFTs is creating value for fans and business: “getting liquidity, getting interest and adding utility to it over time”.

Rasu talks about how the league pass is built for the core fan but you need to find different avenues to cater for different fans. Some will only have the time or interest in highlights and you need to provide that in the right place too.

The NBL Commissioner sees short form content increasing in its popularity greatly, but can see how they can “co-exist” and in the long term actually benefit and work with traditional broadcasting.

The Future of Media

Jeffrey Cole, CEO, Centre for the Digital Future, leads a deep dive into media. “Sport is the only content that mostly attracts large live audiences.” He said. “Content is king [more] than ever. People don’t care which platform, they just go where the best content is.”

Cole said that while the Academy Awards will be cancelled because they’ve gone from a high in the 1980s of 80 million to 15 million last year, the Super Bowl is the opposite story. Of the 30 highest rated programs in history, 29 have been a Superbowl.

The tech companies (Netflix, Amazon, Apple, YouTube) have changed entertainment forever, and now they’re coming for sport. Amazon is moving aggressively and YouTube has bought Sunday Ticket football. Apple is moving into baseball and helping baseball evolve with the times, such as implementing shorter games.

Free-to-air (FTA) television is on the demise and, today, the only compelling content on free-to-air is sports. But FTA won’t be able to afford sport much longer. Cole says that “it’s a matter of time before the major codes can no longer resist the demand and money offered from paid streaming services.”

The CEO says every year the codes’ content is worth more and they will have little to no choice than to sell it to the highest bidder. Anti-siphoning rules exist to stop that to an extent and to protect viewers, but the truth is there are sometimes more viewers in the digital channels – for example, in US there’s more subscribers of Amazon than there are watching FTA. There will only be one more cycle of anti-siphoning because the penetration of broadband means YouTube is as accessible as FTA.

Social’s Next Act

This session includes Ben Shepherd (ColganBauer), Tyson Densley (ADL), Annabelle Russell (TikTok Aus & NZ), and Jacqueline Comer (Areto Labs).

Moderator Ben Shephard opens outlining that 80% of Australians are active on social. #Superbowl in Tik Tok had 4.6 billion posts in five days, despite the fact that TikTok only launched in 2018.

Ben focuses the session on what the next five years look like and how we get there safely.

Jacqueline Comer says that disinformation and misinformation efforts are so important to pay attention to, especially with the advent of generative AI. There needs to be more awareness of abuse online, but fundamentally there isn’t enough action. Many don’t know what to do – block, ignore, report.

“A shift to telling stories on trends and moments in the game as opposed to the sport itself [is needed] so non-football content is celebrated and served up to non-traditional fans,” says Tyson.

“The AFL’s monetisation of the ‘off-site’ customer focuses on social being used at the beginning of the fan’s journey – we do a lot of branded content, more than ever before but it must have value for the sponsor and the fan,” she adds.

Annabelle’s favourite recent moment was TikTok’s AusOpen account beating its Wimbledon account. She also says that “there’s a pendulum shift from the glossy poster on the wall to rougher authentic imagery and back story”.

Adding, “TikTok has a unique opportunity to offer sports access to a younger demographic and is helping sporting organisations future-proof their fan base.”

In her opinion, the “next generation is much more informed and thoughtful when it comes to abusive content. Every digital platform is a reflection of society.”

Finally, Annabelle adds that “until society’s perfect, social media will be imperfect when it comes to conduct online. Trust and safety is our number one priority.”

Broadcast Wars

James Rushton (Co-Founder, DAZN) sees large changes coming in broadcasting industries. He especially emphasises the importance of looking at gaming, which has “over three billion gamers who we know are highly transactional”.

Sanjog Gupta (CEO, Star Sports Network) talks about the Indian market. Whilst it’s still a fast growing media market, Gupta says that the disruptions the industry is now experiencing were on the way over the last three years. The rate of disruption has now accelerated greatly due to fan preferences shifting drastically and attention trends moving at rapid rates, which should not be a surprise to business.

He also said to not tether business too closely to a business model that you may need to change or abandon altogether when disruption inevitably comes.

“You can’t have a one-size-fits-all attitude to content … it is extremely personal … almost like addressing a market of one,” says Gupta.

Sophie Moloney (CEO, SkyNZ) talks on how “super rugby has doubled in viewership from year one to two”. There has to be trade offs in the attention that fans give sport, so there has to be a bit of “rebalancing” in the financial balances between women and men’s sport.

Patrick Delany (CEO, Foxtel Group) is confident that women’s sport “is just going to get better and better as more women come into sports and there is more investment”. As a primarily subscription business, Delany says they aren’t bothered by lower advertising revenues, but believe that is more a reflection on the advertisers not understanding the product properly as opposed to an issue with the women’s sporting products.

Gupta says “it is the core cricket viewer that is watching women’s cricket in India, it is a subset of the current cricket fans”.

When asked if they would change a games rule to increase its broadcast appeal:

• James Rushton says boxing should have a running score, not at the end.
• Moloney said she likes the changes happening in rugby at the time.
• Sanjog said cricket should stop changing the rules so quickly.
• Sophie Moloney says things like masters sports could be on TV if the fan interest is present.

Sanjog Gupta says “to keep the gamer and gamer aficionado in mind when developing products for gamers as opposed to trying to create a gaming product with sport fans in mind”

Sophie and James agree that co-operation and bringing gaming into the traditional fold is likely the way to go.

With the ability of gaming to penetrate through different parts of society, now having far more equal gender and age splits than previously expected, it needs to be closely considered by players across the industry.

The Golden Decade

A panel emceed by Tracy Holmes (broadcaster, ABC) consisting of Catherine Clark (CEO, Paralympics Australia), Jane Fernandez (COO, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023), Sir Rod Eddington (Chair, Rugby World Cup 2027), Dr. Bridie O’Donnell (Executive Director, Strategy & Coordination, Victoria 2026) and Cindy Hook *CEO, Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee).

Talking across the panel on the meaning of sport overall and in Australia, Sir Rod sees sport as a fundamental aspect of Australians lives, when he was young and still now.

Catherine says humans are hardwired for struggle and as a result we seek out pursuit of unknowns together, and Jane says that despite the massive workloads to organise major events, they inspire empower and unify passionate people who want to celebrate more than themselves.

Cindy Hook says she was told that she had been told that “I have never seen such enthusiasm for games that are nine years away, that could either be your blessing or your curse.” She believes that offers a great opportunity to be the most inclusive games ever. The key in her opinion is to do the important targets of the games very well.

Sir Rod says when it comes to collaboration and cross-pollination on large events, it needs to be thought of at the very early stage. The well organised sports will rise, and the poorly organised ones won’t, Sir Eddington says.

Dr O’Donnell notes the importance of being targeted to engage Victorians to attend the Commonwealth Hames as well as targeting global fans.

On the issue of controversy and its management, Jane Fernandez says each issue needs to be treated on its own. You need to act as needed for all public issues and controversy.

Cindy Hook says an 11 year time between being awarded the games and execution as opposed to seven offers great opportunities but a challenge in creating engagement. A solution is engagement plans to create stories and keep people involved in the process, as well as using key moments like logos and mascots to create that excitement.

Sir Rod says a key for large event organisation is “convincing people the challenges between now and then will all be worth it”. He uses the example of the facilities, specifically the Gabba improvements that will be a great improvement for Brisbane.

“Value for money depends on what you value, we’re lucky we live in a country that values that grassroots and community development,” says Bridie O’Donnell.

Cindy Hook says we need to be more frank in our conversations around what we are actually looking to game from a general and social perspective and placing clear metrics for what success looks like.

Jane Fernandez thinks the Women’s World Cup “will absolutely take everyone by surprise … it will be a celebration like no other”

Cindy Hook says that it’s likely the redevelopment of the Gabba will be a process that will disrupt the city and cause headaches, but she asks for patience with the process and confidence in the overall better outcome for the city and state.

Catherine Clark speaks on the opportunity to genuinely win big for people with disabilities and everyone in communities to gain from the games. To create legitimately positive outcomes for people with disabilities, increasing employment and sporting opportunities particularly.

“Well-staged big events have a great economic effects … the good ones pay you back in spades,” says Sir Rod.

He goes on to emphasise the importance of having thorough plans for both big events and grassroots participation rates for all parties involved in sports and events to achieve long term success.

Catherine Clark sys that “the Australian paralympic team is the most-loved national team after Tokyo”. She said this is a great opportunity but it needs to have a system that represents the parasports and disabled community equally.

For Jane Fernandez, a priority for the World Cup is making sure people come not only to one game but find appeal in coming back to game after game.

“One of the things you’ve got to do is find an appropriately sized venue for the context” in reference to the key for running a successful event.

Keynote with Stefano Domenicali Formula 1 Fireside

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, begins by noting that progress and growth at F1 was driven by looking at who the fans are and who aren’t fans. Inclusion and offering a platform to more people was key to growing the sport.

The F1 CEO cites opening the world of the sport to the fan in a new way, through social and more direct communication channels.

“Around three years ago we were considering if we were even going to stay in the US,” now F1 will have three races in the US, says Stefano.

The rapid growth of the brand and business is obviously a great success, but it will need to be managed in an effective way for long term growth.

Stefano also speaks about the commitment of Formula 1 to effectively tackle climate change and become carbon neutral by 2030. He cites this as a crucial aspect of remaining relevant to society, and how this informs a broader approach of their organisation to set examples around social and climate across the world.

The Formula 1 Academy, which Stefano is “super excited about,” is a new initiative designed to bring women into the male-dominated sport.

“We could have already today more than 30, even 32, Grands Prix, because everyone wants one,” Domenicali says, acknowledging how this has changed over just a few years and how lucky the organisation is to have such interest.

Andrew Westacott, CEO Australian Grand Prix Corporation, and Hamish McLachlan join Stefano for a fireside chat.

Andrew talks about the importance of adding new approaches to the Melbourne Grand Prix, as it was becoming somewhat stale to the fans.

Stefano, when asked about Drive to Survive, says there was definitely internal and external push back against the idea, but taking the risk has been crucial to connect with a new generation of fans that now connect with F1. He says engagement and experience is what sets F1 apart.

“One in three fans that go to the Grand Prix are going for the first time”

Having attracted these fans, the next big challenge is to attract them to stay, says Stefano.

The F1 CEO says that the amount of teams is really based off who wants to come, if it’s good for the sport, and if they’re strong enough to last. If a proper proposal is made, there could definitely be more, but without a good option there won’t be more teams. Stefano says around 24 is a good number of races for the time being.

Stefano believes that, as the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 has the duty and responsibility to lead motorsport for women and give accessibility to women to have a possible future in the sport. This is not just for drivers, but for mechanics, engineers and other staff.

Westacott says the priority is making sure the Melbourne Grand Prix is always delivering on value for money and interest factor. “We only have four days to do it every year, and we are not going to botch that up,” he says.

Domenicali says he always looks at other sports to learn from, but he feels a great privilege and responsibility knowing that other codes are looking at to learn from his organisation as well.

Stefano says to lead by example, constantly improve and always be positive are his keys.

Welcome to SportNXT 2023

As the delegates gather at Centrepiece, Hamish McLachlan, Master of Ceremonies, welcomes attendees from all across the sporting world.

Delegates are welcomed to country by Aunty Joy Murphy, paying respects to the Wurundjeri People, whose land this summit takes place on.

The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos MP, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, speaks on Melbourne’s hold as a leading centre for events in Australia and across the globe, and emphasises the commitment and investment from the Victorian Government to growing sports through inclusion.

“For us it’s about assets, people and inclusion”

The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos MP

SportNXT Chairman, Eddie McGuire AM, addressed the crowd on the importance of sport and entertainment for all nations and cultures.

“What we need to do is come with the inspiration, so in 170 years they say “wow, they really changed things with SportNXT”.

Eddie McGuire, AM

On the future look of sports, McGuire speaks on how technological advancements and increasing gamification are changing the spectator’s experience–whether they’re at the stadium or on the sofa at home.

Keynote with Robyn Denholm – The New Normal

Robyn Denholm, a self-described ‘technology optimist’, addresses the delegation at Centrepiece in her keynote speech. For Denholm, sport is weaved into Australia and a part of our national identity, and she highlights how, growing up as a child of immigrants in Australia, sport was the great cultural equaliser.

Female role models were often sports people when Denholm grew up, however female professional sportspeople were a rarity. Denholm acknowledges the growth of women’s sport and the increasing recognition of women’s sport by big business, sponsors and governments. Some of the biggest lessons we apply in business were learned in sport.

Denholm hopes the principles of heroism, sportsmanship and respect aren’t lost as business chases growth and profits.

“Over the last 10-15 years we’ve seen these amazing innovations in sports building the opportunities for female athletes.”

Female professional athletes are now attracting significant audiences and attracting record-breaking audience’s week after week said Denholm.

Looking to Melbourne, Denholm recognises the record Women’s NBL attendance records and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup having a record attendance when held in Sydney.

The Technology leader recognises the impact made by Sam Kerr, who was placed on the front cover of the $1.8 billion dollar game franchise, FIFA–the first time in the game’s history that a woman was placed next to a male counterpart.

Denholm says the compression of valuations and global interest rate increases have global impacts on businesses but also on consumer spending. The countries and companies that continue to focus on innovation across the economic cycle will see the dividends in the long run, the Tesla Chair says.

Denholm’s own 30 years of experience has found that technologies that focus on key tech trends prior to down turns perform strongest coming out of these external pressures, often “slingshotting” as spending recovers.

“Sport must resist the temptation to innovate without consideration for its number one stake holder – the fans”.

Denholm acknowledges the increase in school performance, attendance, general health, confidence, self-esteem and lowered levels of depression for women and girls who play sports.

“The old adage of “you can’t be what you can’t see” rings true to me. Girls and women today are very lucky to have some amazing role models to look up to.”

Denholm doesn’t think it’s yet appreciated that many of the biggest tech companies in Australia are led by women.

“We must be more ambitious with our women, we want parity, we want equality, we know the business case exists. We need to make sure we open up sports, so they are a place for women to grow and prosper.”

“Ultimately, our investment now will ensure more girls gain the skills needed to thrive in the modern Australian workforce, and that is a situation where we will all ultimately benefit.”

When asked about her ownership of the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames basketball teams, the Tesla Chair speaks to her love of all sports, but how she had always held a lifelong passion for basketball.

The State of Sport

A panel of globally recognised leaders chime in on the state of sport both in Australia and globally. Moderated by ABC’s Tracey Holmes, the panel includes ICC Chair Greg Barclay, NBA Asia Managing Director Ramez Sheikh, News Corp Executive Chairman Michael Miller, and President of Melbourne FC Kate Roffey.

Michael Miller says that, while the ‘pie’ for sport isn’t growing, the Tier One sports are taking a bigger piece and making it harder for the second-tier sports to compete.

Kate Roffey calls on the fans, and in fact, all people to engage with sports. Roffey emphasises that if you’re worried about community sports or women’s sports growth, then do something about it, watch and get involved.

Ramez Sheikh responds to a question on the focus of fandom and meeting fans where they are. “Basketball in Australia is the number one sport in participation. We’re really grateful for that, and we don’t take that for granted”. NBA Asia is focusing on how to make a fan, and keep a fan, on scale a process he says is complex.

Greg Barclay was talking the growth of cricket as a wholistic game for women and men not separated sports. “This is a deciding moment, we will look back at this and say this was a pivotal moment for the game, said Barclay on the Indian influence on cricket.

For the cricket market in the US, Barclay says the growth of the sport has been a top-down approach, as opposed to the usual grassroots approach.

Michael Miller acknowledges how the way people watch sport ahs changed, with spectators less likely to go to a game and more likely to watch short snippets, focusing on the stories behind the game. “One of the challenges we have in women’s sport in Australia is getting women to watch women’s sport … 2/3 female sport spectators are men, whereas for men’s sport it’s closer to 50/50.”

Miller also commented on athletes involving themselves politically or on social topics at the expense of the brands and leagues they compete for: “Their pay isn’t going to suffer, but fundamentally the grassroots and sport will suffer from the effect.”

Kate Roffey says engaging with the team as people, and understanding the players’ values but also as a club representative and if there were a situation where a player took a very strong stance on a certain topic, they would have a robust conversation about it. “You are not going to please everyone, but you can act in everyone’s best interest.”

Ramez, the Managing Director of NBA Asia, talks to the importance of creating an environment of diversity, safety and inclusion.

In response to the geopolitical shifts in Afghanistan and the affect on the Afghanistan women’s team, Barclay said the ICC board bought into helping Afghanistan grow cricket both men’s and women. Barclay acknowledged the complexity of situation and the decision of the ICC to support the cricket board, not going into detail he said, “there are steps in place to help the Afghanistan women’s team, but it’s an issue where it is almost impossible to please anyone.”

Kate Roffey said that football is strong in attention and viewership, but isn’t where it needs to be in terms of game-day engagement and technology. Part of the broadcast issue for women’s sport is the broadcast quality. “Although I’m the biggest fan of women’s sport, I often find I can’t even watch it because the quality of broadcast is so poor”.

From the perspective of the Managing Director of NBA Asia, “Australia is in, or entering, the golden age of basketball…. as a business, Australia is our number subscription market for our league pass”.

From an international basketball and general perspective, Ramez acknowledges the strength, appetite and fandom for sport. Ramez says that it leaves them quite “bullish” about the Australian market and looking to continuing involvement. In his view, it’s an 8.5/10.

Regarding the state of cricket, Barclay sees a lot to look forward to going forward, with a huge base of young fans and many opportunities in technology, he is optimistic for the future.

Michael Miller said the Giants and Suns are going backwards, and no one is doing anything, he says cricket is performing well on an international level, but the grassroots structures are dwindling.

In the NewsCorp Executive Chairmans view, the pie isn’t big enough for them to take it all. Further, he believes that there is not the coordination that is needed at the top tier amongst Australian sports codes. “The sports that create interest, are the ones that make it competitive, that give you access to the stories… it’s those who spend that get our attention ultimately… it’s not the media or broadcast that decide that, it’s the fans that do that.”

“We need to understand those deep niches we need to own… with a population of 25 million we can’t compete in them all” said Miller.

Keynote with Chatri Sityodtong – Breaking Through

The CEO and Founder of ONE speaks to a full room after the morning break.

Chatri reflects first on his early life, when his father went bankrupt and abandoned his family, leaving them in poverty. He says this taught him so much of what he now knows–especially that material possessions don’t define a life.

When asked if, without his experience in his youth, he believes that he would’ve achieved the same success, Chatri isn’t sure. Although the lessons of his youth taught him a lot and stay with him today, he believes that “he would have found meaning and purpose” regardless but potentially with less drive.

“Every human being can find his or her passion, but it requires a lot of introspection, self-reflection and intellectual honesty.”

“Ever since I was 13, I have been doing it now for 38 years straight, martial arts is my greatest passion, I want to unleash greatness on the world through martial arts.”

“I never thought we would be top five in the world in the Nielson Top 10 Sport Properties”

Chatri has also been congratulated for his new deal with 7+ and One media, placing their content on the 7 platform in Australia.

“When I went to Harvard, I was the poorest kid by far, [….] my mom was living in my dorm room.”

Chatri managed a 500-million dollar fund at one point, but found the allure of societal definition of success, in pursuit of material gain wasn’t aligned with his own love. He made the choice to chase a passion that aligned with his values.

“Sometimes the happiest times in my life were sitting on the floor eating one meal with my mum, because it was pure and real”

The driven founder and CEO says that starting ONE Media was a risk–but a smart one. He looked at the market, and had found that there was no main martial arts flagship media establishment in Asia. Focusing on values and human experiences with the brand and product, Chatri found great success in uniting the 4.2 billion people within Asia who are his primary targets. He makes it clear however, that ONE Media isn’t slowing down–the rest of the world is the next step, and ONE is already in 179 countries.

Chatri is driven by the ability of ONE to inspire the fans across the world who watch.

The first few years of ONE were a complete disaster according to Chatri, he travelled the world pitching his idea and was told “it’s a stupid idea”. Chatri remembered a particular moment of being kicked out of an office 5 minutes into his pitch.

For Mr Sityodtong, he believes both his poverty and unbreakable martial arts spirit gave him the strength to push through. “Entrepreneurship is the hardest way to make money… 97% of startups fail in the first three years … if you’re doing it for money you’ll quit when its hard and you’re not making money”

Chatri experiencing three years of business disasters, had no end in sight, but he’d “rather risk living my dream than be guaranteed success by society, I wanted to live my life.”

Women in Sport: Views on Performance

Rachel Froggatt, International Director at Away We Go, emcees a panel consisting of Nick Hockley ( Cricket Australia), Kate Jones (ARLC), Amanda Laing (Foxtel) and Sarah Walsh (Football Australia). The panel focuses on the realities of growing, accelerating and maintaining women’s sport.

Sarah Walsh says the Women’s World Cup will have two billion viewers, and 1.5 million attendees. Football Australia is lobbying FIFA in order to move the stadiums for the Australian’s first game to a larger stadium due to such high demand for tickets to the opening Matildas game.

“We shifted our business around the Matildas, we wanted to grow and fast track that growth sustainably for our Matildas and football overall”

To commercialise the band as a property, the onfield performance is key. But it’s imperative that the off-field partnerships are also prioritised–they need to be aligned with the team and its values, deeper than just being a “name on a jersey”.

Nick Hockley recognised the great growth and electric environment the Women’s World Cup has had previously and will improve on moving forward.

Amanda Laing sees Foxtel and Kayo as key broadcast partners. Laing highlights how the networks empower women’s sport, addressing how one of the greatest keys for women’s sport is to get it on screen. “Get more women on screen talking about sport, not just women’s sport.”

The sponsorship and ad dollars have not matched the rise in popularity of women’s sport, says Laing, but the value is still there. It just represents itself in different ways, and this value needs to be found and exhibited.

Kate Jones says the best way to encourage diversity in sport is to have “diversity in the room”. Diversity and inclusive plans need to be created from environments that reflect the goal, says Kate.

Nick Hockley says Foxtel and Kayo insisted on airing every single WBBL game, something at the time CA didn’t make contractually mandatory. “We invested millions and millions into that Women’s World Cup with a long time vision”

Hockley thinks it’s “investing in the top, investing at the bottom, even when times get tough … it’s not just money, it’s time and focus”

Laing acknowledges that demand will not grow of it’s own accord and that, instead, sports leaders should “build it and they will come.”

Kate Jones says that if she could deliver pay parity for female athletes tomorrow, she would. The Rugby League Commissioner believes that growth in the pathways, and having a clear plan to navigate barriers, is imperative to creating the change you want to see.

Long-term ROI is key, says Nick Hocklely, so invest and have a long ROI horizon.

Mel Jones OAM said the spends should also be scrutinised, to make sure the money is serving the intended purpose with a goal in mind.

The Foxtel CCCO said that Foxtel’s FoxSquad initiative aims to involve women in the making of broadcast sports. The group “keeps the metrics scrutinised” leading to direct pay equity. Further FoxSquad “celebrates when you’re doing something right and calls it out when we’re not”. The importance of making the cultural values clear on screen is important to Laing and the Foxtel internal community.

From the CEO of Cricket Australia, the importance of small things as well as larger issues, ensuring employee engagement is equal across genders and having a clear plan to combat historical points of inequity, are all significant. “Small things matter” he said.

“Sport, innately in my view, is a human right” says Sarah Walsh.

“We need to continue to take up the speed of change and our girls and our boys deserve that” says Kate Jones.

With football merchandise sales in stadiums four times higher than any other national team, it’s imperative that we think about how we licence our merchandise according to Sarah Walsh. She welcomes trying new things, like having The Wiggles perform at a AUS vs USA game. “One of the major challenges for the Matildas is having players all over the world. During COVID-19 one player didn’t met her daughter for 7 months due to having to play overseas.”

Kate Jones says, “if the Paralympic games aren’t the most inclusive games we’ve ever had, then we’ve failed.”

While it isn’t as necessary in established men’s sports, finding new ways to shoot sport to show female athletes at their best, to make it more bespoke, and make sure you introduce the viewers to the athletes, is key for women’s sports according to the Foxtel CCCO.

“The hope is that cricket and all sport is super relevant and a real force for social cohesion. I think Australia is–I hope–leading the way” says Nick Hockley.

Sarah Walsh says “We are currently leaders in sport globally and we need to keep working to keep it that way. Our stances on pay equity aren’t happening everywhere, we are leading.”

“There are so many more reasons than mental health and diabetes that attract people to sport, we need to bring more data to what sport can help people do” said Amanda Laing.

Keynote with Roger Goodell

Eddie McGuire speaks with Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, acknowledging another successful year of football gone and looking ahead to what comes next for the league.

“We don’t want to become a studio game. We saw that, during COVID when you didn’t have fans in the stadium, it’s a different experience. The fans are a big part of that. We say we want someone in every seat in the NFL and we work very hard to do that.”

While most NFL fans don’t make it into the stadium, Goodell says the fan energy in the stadium is crucial to the overall experience and the excitement is a part of the broadcast.

In some cases, communities really want outdoor experiences, having experiences that reflect their community and climate. The NFL wants to bring that technology in to improve the experience for all the fans.

“We don’t want our fans to disconnect from the outside world when they come into our stadium. We’re bringing in Wi-Fi and very low latency data and video, so they really have everything they have at home–but better, because they’re experiencing it with everyone else.”

“We feel like we have an opportunity to bring people together, bring a country together and, in many ways, bring the world together through our game”.

Having a limited number of games helps to make sure that every weekend is an event, and Goodell considers this a great advantage to the NFL.

Having started as an intern at the NFL, he has spent a considerable amount of time working with the broadcast side of the game.

“It’s really about recognising the platforms that are going to reach the largest amounts of fans”

The key considerations with broadcast partners are: is the audience there, can they help each other grow, and can streaming partners offer a more interactive experience instead of the one-way relationship of traditional broadcasting?

Goodell believes the NFL is currently covering the broadest range possible when it comes to broadcasting and sees meeting the audiences where they are as a priority.

Talking about pay-per-view for the Super Bowl, Goodell states that “maybe in the short term it could increase revenue, but we’re really looking at the long-term growth of our audience”

When it comes to connecting younger and older demographics, Goodell says young fans have higher standards of interactivity and engagement. He says fans are more often doing two or three things at one time while watching NFL.

“Through Thursday night football on Amazon, we decreased our average viewer age by eight to ten years.”

Talking the Superbowl, Goodell says a spike at halftime viewership carried onto to watch the second half of the game, and that people who tune in for halftime entertainment are more likely to consider being an NFL fan.

Goodell says people expect the NFL to lead and to have high standards in many important issues, from social to OH&S to business practices.

When it comes to NFL globalisation, the greater ability to go direct to consumers using technology is one of the reasons the game can expand to markets like Australia.

Goodell sees global development and access as crucial to creating good international talent pools, Australia is a focus for the NFL, with the athletic prowess and talent the NFL looks for.

Goodell says opportunities offering ways to make successful careers is the key to keeping good talent. Such ways include: being a learning organisation, rewarding your employees, and valuing the people and the fans. Sports leagues have an ability to affect the world that in ways most companies don’t, so utilize it.

“When you set your mind on something and work together, it’s amazing what you can achieve.”

Goodell finishes by noting how much he gains from learning from leagues across the world, especially those whom the NFL has partnerships with in Australia.

Breakout Streams: Technology

Peaks and Valleys

Scott Dinsdale (CEO, Be.) talks on the peaks and valley of technology in overall themes. “web 3 and AI will change the world over the next ten years. When you look at phones ten years ago some would say, “these are cute, but they won’t change the world”–but they have.”

Sarah Carney Green on AI:

Sarah Carney Green (CTO, Microsoft) focuses her talk on AI. Key takeaways include that this is the year of AI, AI can be wrong, it can be built and grow in a biased way, and finally AI is everywhere and in almost everyone’s lives–the only difference is how sophisticated it is and how you use it.

Carney Green recognises the key points where AI hits “human parity”, meaning it can replicate results equal or better than humans across tasks. Generative AI is an ability for AI to be creative and create new outcomes in imagery or language.

AI puts the power of the data you own into the hands of those who need it, says Carney Green.

“[AI] can listen to game commentaries and report on the game as it happens. That same AI can simultaneously tailor its language and focus to thousands of specific people.”

“We see that athletes can access self-service support on training and dietary requirements using AI.”

AI can create simulated twins, simulating the environment that people exist within so changes in environmental, medication, physical or really any factor can be changed and the results analysed in real time.

AI can also create connected ecosystems, allowing simultaneous experience bookings and collaborative work between businesses and services to tailor experiences to what people will desire.

Martin Beecroft on Web3 and the NFT Space:

“The truth of NFTs is it’s about rarity. The rarity is the bit to consider. You need to get to the core: who wants to invest in their fandom?”

The NFT is experiencing entries from large companies and seeing mass adoption from big tech and associated firms, according to Martin Beecroft.

“The AI addition to the web3 space is just going to make it grow quicker and faster, so it’s fundamental to understand how it all works.”

The evolution of blockchain use and wallets, according to Martin, is inevitable and here to stay.

The web3 environment facilitates people making money from the use of their own data. It gives rewards in return for the use of their data and allows for “sovereign data” owned by the user themselves who can choose to sell it on their own accord.

Everyone is still looking at the tech that they have instead of focusing on the user experience, the CIO of Be. says. This is an opportunity for disruption and a huge chance to rethink how revenue is generated and fans experience the sport.

“The future of collectibles is utility” says Martin, noting the history of NFTs existing as an isolated digital object as opposed to offering you something special to gain from ownership.

Martin says that as there are multiple blockchains, the ability to have “interoperable blockchains” that can transition is a big focus in the space….but the technology isn’t there yet. Picking a blockchain is important and a key factor to the decision is the reinvestment and development of the blockchain. Knowing that the future will be interoperable blockchains, your blockchain choice will likely matter less.

Dinsdale, Beecroft and Carney Green talk together:

When asked whether AI should be closely limited or set somewhat free to experiment and iterate, Sarah says it is context-based. “I wouldn’t get AI to give medical advice as it can be wrong, but I would say it could look at your business data and gain insights from that”

Carney Green says marketing, content writing and business operations will be the most likely to be greatly assisted by AI use.

Within the web3 space, interaction with community and developing alongside your fans or customers is key yet underutilized.

Sarah says autonomous systems combined with AI can create humanoid interactions between AI and humans. However, there is also an increased risk of hacks and malicious digital activity driven by AI.

Partnering with Tech

Scott Dinsdale (Managing Director, FutureNext) says that although many companies want to work with sport, sports partnerships often face similar issues and successes. He is moderating a panel consisting of Ned Coten (CEO, EngageRM), Libby Owens (CEO, Champion Data) and Adrian Tobin (founder, Kinlab).

“Partnerships are about understanding and connecting around the shared ideas of like-minded people” said Adrian Tobin.

Libby Owens says partnerships require longevity and a commitment to listening and learning to ensure that the commercial and strategic successes that are being targeted will actually be achieved.

“Sport tends to be on the cutting edge. Without sport, I think much of the development in technology wouldn’t have happened in the way it happened.” Owens added.

Ned Coten says that there must be a level of personal and authentic relationships between the people within the businesses involved, and all members on the stage agree that the human element is essential. Having a personal and cultural fit can facilitate creating shared ambitions and successful outcomes.

A key to partnerships is getting out and building resilience as a group, agreeing that you will make mistakes and get things wrong sometimes but that you’ll do it as a group, says Tobin.

The Kinlab Founder says often Australians don’t often take ourselves seriously enough on the business side of sport and don’t have a tenacious enough approach to doing business. “Often in Australia our authenticity can overcome many sins on the business-side of things too.”

For sports with incredibly complex stakeholder networks, education to stakeholders should be a joint venture involving a technology partner to ensure all parties understand the timelines and goals of partnerships, says Owens.

“Delivering a partnership is about ensuring an understanding that you know what the outcomes are that can be delivered across an organisation, and how you maintain transparency if things go wrong,” says Ned Coten.

The attitude to improvement needs to be fast, incrementally improving and elevate the overall offering to fans, says Tobin.

Libby Owens believes Australia, when it comes to our field of play technologies, is one of the leading markets in the world with adaptive systems and industry leading strategies. It’s important to understand the nuance of what you want from a partnership as that will inform your approach, she says.

“A true partnership looks like less client, more partner. How do sports invest in small start ups to actually build something that creates value for the company?” Adrian Tobin

Businesses partnering with big companies in tech can still gain value, but they aren’t seen as big as there are far bigger industries that are prioritised above sports and entertainment–businesses which simply can’t compete on financial volume, says Dinsdale.

“Passion is sometimes to the detriment of partnerships, bringing it into the bad side of things. But it can also invigorate and bring in partners, not just technology, for all of us,” says Ned Coten.

Understanding what people’s passions are is important, but assuming people’s passions are the same as yours is a mistake, says Tobin. Tobin says while he doesn’t have much interest in cricket, his relationship with Cricket Australia is a great one as the passion for solving problems is what aligns Kinlab with Cricket Australia.

When asked what they would change if they could change one thing about the way sport approaches partnering:

Ned Coten says “this is a really important space, so taking it seriously and keeping that focus on it is critical.”

From Libby Owen’s perspective, “short-term ROI is important, everyone has a budget, but looking and understanding long-term ROI is where the real value for investment will be found.”

Tobin says “understanding your partner deeply”.

Tobin finishes by posing the question he often gives to execs in sport, what would their experience be like if they experienced what the general admission consumer has experienced, from parking their car, walking back from the game, and everything in-between.

Data: Unlimited Opportunities, Shifting Boundaries.

Businesses often report having large amounts of data that they struggle to utilise properly for actual return. However, some businesses use it really well, according to Pip Marlow, especially in the context of events like the F1 in Melbourne, where only one per cent of fans set foot at an actual race.

“Garbage in, garbage out.” If you are using data and only getting a singular perspective back, then you are not utilising it fully, according to Pip. Building data models to be inclusive is imperative–for example, ensuring that models do not prioritise male athletes in ranking datas etc. One such example Pip gives is how Cristiano Ronaldo is listed as the top goal scorer instead of the correct answer of Christine Sinclair.

Marlow says that AI should have key principles, it should be clear what work is AI generated, and it should cite its sources.

Will Lopes says data in sports is fairly new, mostly because it is actually quite hard to track and predict outcomes using data in sport. As time goes on, it is increasingly seeming possible to very accurately combine broad varieties of data to predict or even prescribe performance he said.

Lopes says its quite hard to know where to draw the line on data collection and that there are many considerations that aren’t even on the table yet, but will be important going forward. The core key is transparency: your doctor might use you vitals to help another patient as a internal case study, but if they went and sold your data to a big pharma company that doesn’t really fit a fair use.

Ian Narev says a huge problem is that “the reason machines can act like humans is because humans act like machines in the first place”. AI can perpetuate human prejudices based off past data and therefore not progress positive change.

Narev says data is incredibly important and touched on how it will align with or overtake the human creativity in business. He emphasises the value of maintaining the grassroots and club level traditions and not destroying that with the new world ideas, but also using the data to bring the people closer to the experience they want.

The Catapult CEO, when asked about any interesting data derived from insights they’ve found, speaks on the micro movements they found and analysed the far reaching effects they can have on athletes’ physiology and outcomes.

Marlow says the knowledge of data use and destruction is a crucial point to consider, especially in the context of cyber-attacks. For example, how long can, or should, you ethically hold data? Often customers with the most issues, from Marlow’s experience, have overly customised platforms. He recommends to keep it simple at first and go from there.

“Data is a means to an end, and scale is key to finding overall insights” says Lopes. Ian Narev agrees, going on to say a business needs to dig down to find the actual value from the data the business is trying to derive.

Data is a great tool and opportunity to allow for greater fan engagement and experiences, the speakers agree.

Pip Marlow says AI will allow for greater insights into the players experience and allow for advancements in health and safety for all participants.

Ian Narev predicts ownership perspectives on data will shift, with increasing denial from fans to give up their data for free.

Spoiled for Sport

Janet Whiting, Chair of Visit Victoria, opens by saying that Visit Victoria has an ever-increasing role in Victoria’s economy. “COVID turbo-charged the sector by creating more downtime for people, and what we found was more downtime equals more time for leisure activity.”

Whiting said Victoria continues to be a compelling story, historically and for the future. “The focus is on getting the right economic impact on behalf of the taxpayer. We don’t have a rock, a reef or a harbour. That’s why we have an events strategy. It’s not simply about a rightsholder running an event, it’s the city that’s hosting the event.”

She said more sophisticated rightsholders are seeking bespoke arrangements. “The 2026 Commonwealth Games is a good example of this. COVID allowed us to focus on regional Victoria as a hosting option, particularly for the less traditional and obvious tourist spots. It will turbo-charge housing supply and employment in those regions, and will drive a skills transfer into those areas.”

Visit Victoria CEO, Brendan McClements, says the conventional tick-the-box process for selecting major events opportunities merely produces a static and stilted outcome, as opposed to driving far more creative thinking. “Bespoke arrangements are a far better way to go. I don’t think there’s an event that’s come to Melbourne that hasn’t left stronger. We’re a state that helps build event brands for the long term.” Whiting adds that the emergence of private equity and venture capital into the major events space has introduced introduced new ways of thinking.

McClements is “super-confident” about the visitor economy for Victoria. “Australia is beautifully positioned for the rising middle class of South East Asia. The visitor economy is returning strongly. We went from $32b in December 2019, to a sharp drop in September 2016 to $26.5b, and now we’re targeting $35b by June 2024.”

“Victoria’s advantage is that we don’t have a set model or fixed parameters”, says McClements. “We genuinely look at every opportunity. The perfect event is one that reflects Melbourne and Victoria properly – one that tells the Melbourne story.

The Competitive Advantage of Purpose

Lisa MacCallum, Founder and Chief Strategist at Inspired Companies, acknowledges the heightened skepticism of brands, business and government alongside the growing access to information and the challenge this poses to modern businesses.

The three major stake holders MacCallum focuses on are Customers, Employees and Outsiders (C.E.O), and their abilities to influence the companies for which they work for, buy from or none of the above.

The speed and scale of the influence from C.E.Os can be incredibly fast and discombobulating for a business and its leaders.

Using the examples of Nike and Google, MacCallum clarifies the importance of having a core idea to a business that can unify people to the brand. The core ideology and “clarity of their north star helps them make good decisions more often than bad ones, and keeps them on the right track.”

“Purpose Advantage manifests in both big and small ways, if you have a good one,” Lisa says.

Troy De Haas, Head of APAC Sport & Entertainment at Odgers Berndston joined Lisa on stage to engage in conversation around this topic.

Purpose driven by a ‘why’, with a clear problem to solve and working to find the right problem will likely act as an effective guide.

What often happens time and time again is that money is invested into a purpose statement, but not into helping people understand it and follow it. The internal structures need to understand what the statement means on the inside and work to utilise it in the business, Lisa says. Implementing change management and following this purpose will help any business prosper

A well made purpose inspires new, important questions within businesses, the ex-Nike Vice President said.

“In a moment of crisis where you are the headline, you’ve screwed up, are your stakeholders coming to your defense? Are they giving you a chance to explain? If the answer is yes, then you are probably on the right track. If the answer is no–especially if there is internal anger–then the answer is probably no.” she said.

“If we’re going to nail this decade of green and gold, [we need] clarity in what our shared purpose and what our business purposes are.”

Capitalising Sport

Manoj Badale, owner of the Rajasthan Royals says much of his success investing in sport is based off the same principles that served him in building technology businesses.

“There was this perception that sport was an investment for rich people, a trophy asset that you couldn’t make money off except by making money off the next guy who buys it off you.” As time went on, Manoj recognised that more sophisticated and high net-worth investors are getting involved in sporting investments, making use of good content and brand growth mindsets.

Manoj often sees a lot of hype around sport which seems to sometimes misinterpret either the asset of the industry they are in.

With public markets drying up, Badale thinks there will be an increase in long-term capital and funds with smarter and longer-term outlooks.

There are subtleties and nuances to the concept of “eyeball sports” according to Badale, who uses the example of his investment in the IPL being a deal that had a lot more to offer than purely the revenue side of it. He says that the connection and partnerships within that league are incredibly important players in the Indian and global leconomy.

“An eyeball back in the day was a TV. When we bought the IPL it was 98% TV revenue, but now it’s seen a massive rise in streaming and digital avenues.”

“I think for the 1.5 million netballers in Australia there are opportunities for streaming on the weekends and, as attention spans get smaller, this content in participation sports could become increasingly important.”

Ravi Krishnan (CEO at Stepathlon) is also onstage as well as Elis Jones (Managing Director at Goldman Sachs) and Larry Kestelman (Executive Chair at LK Group and NBL).

Larry Kestelman says it’s important with capital investments to consider the timing and look at the expertise and expectations of the company investing. Patient capital is important, but be careful what you enter in, says Larry, as some firms can come in and expect things that are outside the business plan to deliver.

Elis Jones says it’s important to understand what the non-cost benefits of engaging with investors can be and what the next steps are with different capital investments.

Kestelman says business is about people and putting them in the right place to succeed based on where they are in their careers and where can they contribute to common success.

The NBL owner puts large amounts of time into managing key people to ensure that they create the success that he wants to see across all his businesses, and sport is no different.

Jones acts as an advisor with a focus on sport at Goldman Sachs, and says that people need to embrace youth and see what remuneration can look like when experiencing success.

Ravi Krishnan says that while there are analogue employees, they are increasingly becoming digital. He recognizes the need to reflect the target demographics you are after within your business.

“In the last couple of years, everyone has recognized we are the second-best league in the world behind the NBA, and we have done that over eight years of consistent effort… The next stage is looking overseas” says Kestelman.

One of the critical questions of any investment is why do we do it like that? Often Jones has found the answer is that’s just how it’s done. It’s that openness to change that is key: Max Verstappen having 3.5 million people watch him do online racing is a great example of younger generations understanding the future.

“Being open to change and open to the way technology is embracing sport is key to growing and not being left behind.

The NBL has three strategies: what happens in Australia is controlled by us and we can make quick decisions and move forward.

“We currently have New Zealand in our league and we are lobbying aggressively to have teams play out of Asia. [We’re working on] how to attract more eyeballs out of the US.”

“Expansion is a good thing when done with thought leadership and not too quickly. Often people talk about the North American market… but we actually have lots of people directly above us who have a lot of interest,” says Jones in response to questions about expansion plan for a franchise like the NBL.

Keynote with Peggy O’Neal AO

Peggy O’Neal reflects on her early life growing up in a coal mining town in West Virginia and how, through the sacrifice of her parents, Peggy and her sister were sent to boarding school and university. With women at the time often kept off the playing field, O’Neal became what she described as a “professional spectator”.

O’Neal details her core principles of leadership, and highlights the importance of listening to, and being connected to, your team. As she states, “you aren’t the leader you think you are if no one follows you.” The best leaders in the world know who they are and know who they are not.

Peggy asks the delegates to question who they identify as leaders and to ask if they will be good custodians and hold the standards high and best interest of our nation and its sporting dreams.

The opportunity for elite athletes to perform in Rural Victoria at the Commonwealth Games is a truly unique and great opportunity in Peggie’s perspective. These games will be the first hosted outside of a capital city.

The way the event is hosted shows that multidisciplinary competitions may have to look at more unique ways to host events, which can be a sportive opportunity and may allow for partial hosting for some Caribbean and African nations that otherwise may not have the opportunity to host.

Peggy believes that Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games will lead as an example of what the commonwealth games can achieve going forwards.

For Peggy growing up, seeing the Olympics, commonwealth games, or even the NBA and NFL was little more than a dream growing up, something she and her parents never really had the practical resources for that to be a real opportunity.

The games will lead to a new aquatic centre in Geelong, an upgrade to eureka stadium lead to construction of social housing and stimulate local economies and inject both finances and interest in the areas and putting rural Victoria on the global radar.

MEDIA RELEASE

Inaugural SportNXT keynote speaker Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1®, has confirmed his return to the 2023 summit, staged on the eve of Melbourne’s highly anticipated Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

After its innovative push into everyday households via the Netflix Drive to Survive documentary series – a move which helped F1 achieve its highest-ever attendances across the 2022 season, F1 is seeing phenomenal growth in its fan base with the sport being taken from trackside to TV screens across the globe.

SportNXT 2023 presents another chance for delegates to hear from the motorsport boss, who is expecting close to half a million people to attend the upcoming F1 Australian Grand Prix. Domenicali joins an incredible collection of keynote speakers including Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner), Robyn Denholm (Chair, Tesla), Andrew Parsons (President, International Paralympic Committee, Peggy O’Neal AO (Chair, Victoria 2026, and Jay Monahan (Commissioner PGA Tour), amongst many others.

Other recently announced names joining the SportNXT stage include newly appointed Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee CEO Cindy Hook, Gavin Kirkman CEO of PGA Australia, Janet Whiting Chair of Visit Victoria, Belinda Duarte CEO of Culture is Life, and Sarah Walsh, Head of Women’s Football for Football Australia.

They feature alongside leaders in technology, business, and data including:

• Andrew Every Executive General Manager for Strategy and Transformation, NRL
• Annabelle Russell Head of Content Verticals, AU & NZ, Tik Tok
• Brendan McClements CEO of Visit Victoria
• Elis Jones Managing Director, Global Banking & Markets, Goldman Sachs
• Glenn Lovett Head of Sports Analytics, Dentsu
• Jeremy Loeliger Commissioner, National Basketball League
• Leigh Lavery Head of Growth Intelligence, Client & Commercial, News Corp Australia
• Mel Jones Broadcaster, Mel Jones & Co.
• Sarah Carney Green Chief Technology Officer, Enterprise & Commercial, Microsoft

See the two-day conference agenda here.

Toyota Returns as Gold Partner

SportNXT is delighted to welcome back event partner Toyota (Gold Partner) as the official Vehicle Partner for SportNXT 2023.

SportNXT CEO Hamish Anderson said “We are delighted to have Toyota return as a gold partner for SportNXT, they play such a significant role in the sports industry, and we will be showcasing some of their leading technology and innovation at the summit.

With over 65 speakers locked in and the agenda announced, SportNXT is ready to host hundreds of delegates as they descend on Melbourne & Olympic Park’s state-of-the-art facility CENTREPIECE from 28 March.

Toyota – Gold Partner – Vehicle Partner

Toyota is Australia’s leading automotive company and is deeply ingrained across the sports industry with partnerships that extend from community clubs all the way to the elite level. We believe that true achievement comes from supporting our customers, partners, employees and the communities in which we operate. Today, we continue to apply our guiding principles in pursuit of a safer, greener and more inclusive society, helping realise an ever-better world where everyone is free to move.

In its second year, SportNXT, the international thought-leadership summit designed to shape the future of sport, is establishing a formidable cohort of industry leaders who will dive deep into the issues of today and opportunities of tomorrow for the sector, its athletes, and audiences. 

Mr Goodell said he’s delighted to be a part of SportNXT: “I look forward to participating in this year’s SportNXT in Australia. We are deeply appreciative of the passion for sports throughout Australia, which we had the chance to experience first-hand in 1999 when the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers played in the country. We have since opened an office in Australia and look forward to helping grow the NFL and sports across this important region even more. My sincere thanks to SportNXT for the opportunity to be part of this important sports summit.”

Mr Monahan added: “Given the PGA TOUR’s longstanding relationship with Australia and Melbourne through the Presidents Cup and other golf initiatives, I am honored to confirm my participation in SportNXT alongside industry leaders in the world of sport. In a very short period of time, SportNXT has established itself as a leading global summit and this year’s program will further enhance its growing reputation. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to critical conversations involving the future of athlete development, fan engagement, technology, media and programs to diversify our respective sports.”

Mr Goodell and Mr Monahan are among an impressive list of sporting sector luminaries at SportNXT, including CEO of Sky New Zealand Sophie Moloney, Director of Away We Go Rachel Froggatt, and Co-Founder of DAZN Group James Rushton.

They feature alongside high-profile Australian speakers Larry Kestelman, Executive Chair of LK Group and Executive Chairman of National Basketball League (NBL) Australia, Gillon McLachlan, AFL CEO, Catherine Clark, CEO of Paralympics Australia, Marne Fechner, CEO of AusCycling, General Manager of NFL Australia and NZ, Charlotte Offord, Marissa Page, CMO of Rugby Australia, Cricket Australia EGM Broadcasting and Commerical Stephanie Beltrame, and returning SportNXT speakers Kelly Ryan, CEO of Netball Australia, VRC Chair Neil Wilson, CEO of Champion Data, Libby Owens, and Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley.

The 16 new speakers confirmed today join previously announced global sports and business leaders, including Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm, International Cricket Council Chair Greg Barclay, News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman Michael Miller, Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the Victorian Commonwealth Games 2026 Peggy O’Neal AO, Salesforce CEO and Director for Rugby Australia and Rugby World Cup board member Pip Marlow, Seek CEO and Chair of NZ Rugby Commercial Ventures Ian Narev.

Summit reinforces Victoria as as international sporting powerhouse

In 2022, SportNXT featured 79 world-class speakers – 33 from overseas and 26 from Victoria’s sport and business sectors, reinforcing that the state’s strength in sport isn’t just in staging internationally significant events.

This year, the Victorian Government, through its trade facilitation and promotion agency Global Victoria, will be leading a trade delegation aligned to SportNXT 2023 that includes 50 industry representatives from France, the UK, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, the Middle East, and New Zealand eager to find opportunities with local Victorian and Australian businesses.

SportNXT directors Eddie McGuire and Bart Campbell are delighted to have attracted an unrivalled collection of global and domestic thought leaders to SportNXT, offering delegates access to, and insights from, the industries brightest minds.   

“We are honoured to announce National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, who will head our amazing team of speakers,” Mr McGuire said.  

“Straight off the Super Bowl, Goodell will give us insights on America’s biggest game while Monahan will share his expertise following the most tumultuous golf year ever. Speaking of tumultuous, Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm, International Cricket Council Greg Barclay and Victorian Commonwealth Games 2026 Chair, Peggy O’Neal, after finishing her hugely successful stint as Richmond Football Club President, will set the scene for the future while explaining the past. For individuals and organisations serious about the business of sport, you cannot afford to miss the opportunity to learn from this incredible group of thought leaders.

“The politics of sport, media rights, stadia builds, community expectations – there has never been more interest from so many angles in the world of sport.”

Mr Campbell added: “The sports industry in Australia faces similar challenges to the US, Europe and other parts of the sporting globe. From the fierce competition for sport fans’ eyes, ears, feet and wallets, to new and emerging investment models, advancements in technology and the rise and rise of women’s sport, SportNXT will offer plenty of answers to these ever so important issues and opportunities.”

New and advanced format

Staged at Melbourne & Olympic Park’s state-of-the-art facility CENTREPIECE from 28-30 March, the 2023 event is offering a new format to ensure more value for delegates.

Five blockbuster keynote sessions, feature-panels and break-out sessions focussed on enabling deeper dives into matters are among the changes to SportNXT 2023. SportNXT is a hybrid international event, featuring speakers in-person and virtually.

The summit’s third day will again be reserved for site visits curated by SportNXT and the Victorian Government that showcase the array of world-class sports infrastructure in and around Melbourne.

Further speaker and agenda announcements for SportNXT 2023 will be made in the coming weeks. For more information for delegates, partners and stakeholders please visit www.sportnxt.org

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