SportNXT announces partners and speakers for 2024 conference

Leading sport business summit, SportNXT has announced that MKTG Sports + Entertainment has renewed its collaboration and elevated its status to Official Gold Partner for the upcoming 2024 edition of the event.

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.

Welcoming the support, SportNXT Chief Executive, Hamish Anderson stated “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.”

MKTG APAC Managing Director, Matt Connell noted “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.”

SportNXT 2024 speakers
Being held from 19th to 21st March at CENTREPIECE, Melbourne and Olympic Park, speakers for the event have also been announced, headlined by the leaders of the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee’s.

Casey Wasserman - a global leader in sports, music, entertainment and culture, is Chairperson of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games and Chair and Chief Executive of Wasserman.

Having led Los Angeles’ successful Olympic 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 ‘fireside chat’ in 2023, President of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee Andrew Liveris, also joins the line-up, bringing his unparalleled business insights to the event.

The globally recognised business leader was formerly Chair and Chief Executive 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.

These speakers join a line-up of industry leaders participating in SportNXT, including Alan Gilpin (Chief Executive, World Rugby), Brett Gosper (Head of Europe and APAC, NFL) and Andrew Dillon (Chief Executive, AFL), as well as senior leaders from LaLiga, the ICC and FIBA Media.

SportNXT 2024 speakers include:

• Casey Wasserman, Chair and Chief Executive, Wasserman and Chair, LA2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games
• Andrew Liveris, President, Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee
• Catherine Carlson, Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships, BSE Global
• Rowena Samarasinhe, Owner, GENSport; Partner, LEVEL
• Matthew Jafarian, Executive Vice President, Business Strategy, Miami Heat
• Meegan Jones, Director, Institute for Sustainable Events
• Sean Callanan, founder, Sports Geek
• Tanya Hosch, Executive General Manager - Inclusion and Social Policy, AFL
• Edson Crevecoeur, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Data Analytics, Miami Heat

Anderson says he’s proud to welcome so many top-tier speakers to the event, adding “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.”

2024 Themes
Main stage panels at SportNXT 2024 will cover a range of topics including macro trends impacting sport, media’s ever-shifting landscape, the commercialisation of women’s sport and 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

Click here for more information in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Lower image: CENTREPIECE at Melbourne and Olympic Park.