The world of sport is changing rapidly. While the recent corona crisis put a short stop on the development of the industry, the end of the global pandemic seemed to only accelerate all the changes. The relationship between sports fans and athletes and teams is experiencing a dramatic shift. Fans are no longer satisfied with simply attending or watching matches and buying merchandize, they want to and demand to be a part of the sport they support. This new, globalized sports world is transforming fans into true stakeholders in the industry much faster than the organizations and federations might want, or are ready for. 

But of course that isn’t true for everyone in the industry. There are a number of organizations, teams and individuals who are at the forefront of leading the sport from the 20^th to the 21^st century. Most of those industry pioneers will gather next Thursday at the SPORTO conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia. And MMAON will be there! 

Firstly, to share our experience in creating an interconnected platform for all stakeholders in MMA, but more importantly to gain valuable insight from industry leaders and to support our firm and longstanding partners, the team behind SPORTO. 

This year’s SPORTO conference offers a different, “stadium experience” of the leading sports marketing and sponsorship event in central Europe. The conference will once again bring together leading players from the industry, with some eminent guests, representatives of brands, rights holders, agencies, and media from more than fifteen countries. The SPORTO programe delivers a 360-degree insight into the industry trends. Case studies, discussions and in-depth one-on-one interviews create the content at the crossroads of relevant industry areas with a focus on sponsorship strategy and activation, branding and building brand equity, digital communication and innovation, Olympic marketing, fan engagement and other specific topics with one touch point – harnessing the power of sport. This year’s SPORTO agenda involves current topics from the industry, including post-covid recovery, blending of virtual and physical, web 3.0, women’s sport and the sustainability in sports. 

We here at MMAON are excited about the upcoming conference and are confident our friends and partners at SPORTO will deliver a true learning experience which will help us make MMAON an even better platform and experience down the line!