The annual Sportel Monaco sports business conference is set to return next month at the Grimaldi Forum from October 19 to 21, with the flagship event featuring a series of masterclasses, keynotes, and innovative presentations, around the latest trends transforming the sports industry.
The event is set to play a key role in fostering collaboration, creating new ideas, and accelerating development across the sports landscape, with technology taking centre stage in shaping the future of the industry.
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Among the highlights of the Masterclass sessions will be a conversation examining the shift across the industry from traditional B2C models towards B2B2C ecosystems, the transition from AI experimentation to full-scale integration, the future of production models, evolving approaches to content creation and distribution, and the rapidly developing relationship between live sports and betting.
Among the major names confirmed to take the stage are Jeff Roth (founding partner of Bruin Capital, Javier Tebas (LaLiga president), Jonny Keogh (YouTube head of UK sports), Danny Townsend (chief executive of SURJ Sports Investment), Peter Bellamy (chief revenue officer of Deltatre, and Prashant Khanna (head of rights, innovation and Cricinfo Business at Jiostar).
Marine Picoulet, Sportel Monaco executive director, said: “What makes Sportel Monaco unique is its ability to bring the right people together, at the right time, in the right place.
"For three days, the marketplace, conferences, and networking opportunities create a truly international environment where business happens, ideas are exchanged, and new connections are made.
“As sports media continues to evolve at an incredible pace, Sportel provides a unique perspective on where the industry is heading and brings together the people shaping what comes next. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the international sports media community back to Monaco and to creating another memorable edition together.”
The year also sees the launch of Sportel’s CMO Brand Programme on October 19, which will connect international brands with a strong interest in sport, sponsorship, and senior marketing decision-makers, together with key players from across the global sports industry.
Major brands signed up to the programme include Indian conglomerate Tata Consultancy Services, global fintech company Revolut, beverage giant Diageo, and tech leader Qualcomm.
The programme’s aim will be to create an opportunity for senior marketing executives of brands to have direct conversations with rights holders, broadcasters, platforms, agencies, and technology companies that are shaping the future of sport.
Explaining the new programme, Sportel said: “We want to create a space where senior marketing executives can have a direct conversation with the rights holders, broadcasters, platforms, agencies and technology companies that are shaping the future of sport.
“The key point is that brands should not necessarily enter the conversation only once a media rights deal has been concluded, or when it is time to buy advertising inventory or negotiate a sponsorship.
There is an opportunity to involve brands much earlier – in the thinking around content, audience, technology, data, distribution and ultimately the overall value proposition of a sports property.
“We also see this as particularly relevant at a time when the traditional media rights model is under pressure in parts of the market. That makes other sources of commercial value, including sponsorship and brand partnerships, increasingly important.
“We want the programme to explore how those opportunities can be developed in a more integrated way.”
The flagship Monaco event comes as Sportel continues to expand its international calendar, having already held its Sportel Asia conference at the iconic Orchard Hotel in March.
Next year will see the launch of Sportel Canada, taking place for the first time in Toronto from March 23 to 24, meanwhile, with the programme focused on the North American market and creating new connections across Canadian, US, and international sports media, technology, and business communities.
