As the 31st edition of Sportel Monaco draws to a close, the event marked its comeback as the first international convention in the sector to have been organized 100% face-to-face this year. After a year hiatus, some of the most influential sport business C-level executives (over 50% of the attendees) were able to meet, network and discuss the latest trends in the industry.
For three days, traditional players and newcomers from crossover sectors such as e-sports, new media and immersive technologies, came together at the market. In comparison to Sportel Monaco 2019, the 2021 edition welcomed 80% of the countries represented (60 countries) as well as 75% of the number of visitors.
"We are very satisfied with the participation and the quality of this edition although it was impacted by the global situation. Even if the market was much more European than in previous years, North American visitors represented 13% of the participants, just like in 2019. The historical players like Matchroom, Eurosport, Feedconstruct, Eurovision, ITF, FIFA, DAZN, and Bundesliga were all present, and we welcomed over 150 new companies. This represents multiple new business opportunities for our community. I would like to thank everyone who attended for their trust and loyalty. Together, we are reshaping the industry and building the future,” said Laurent Puons, CEO of Monaco Mediax.
For the first time, the exhibition hall hosted a fully open “Speakers Corner” where industry leading companies such as Telstra, LaLiga, Eleven, Infront Sports & Media, Sportradar, Deltatre, Synamedia, Webedia, and Riot Games all took part in order to debate current hot-button topics such as e-sports, OTT platforms, digital piracy, AI and augmented reality (AR), in over 15 conferences and masterclasses.
Sportel is set to go back to the Americas, and specifically Miami, from March 14-15, 2022, with the new “Rendez-vous” international sports market and summit, bringing a new format and range of products which offer better ROI.
”We wanted to provide our community with a streamlined concept for our international event series. As the United States’ borders will open at the beginning of November, strategically speaking, we moved quickly to announce the dates to be the first on the calendar and chose Miami, as the perfect location for an international decision makers event, to get back to business face-to face within the Americas,” Puons concluded.