Singapore, 17th September 2015: The curtain fell on the annual Sports Matters conference at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Maurizio Barbieri of Samsung, said: “This is a time of change in the sports industry and we are excited and proud to be driving this period of growth. We have seen new players entering the market these past two years and there will be more coming in over the next two years. We continue to have high hopes for the industry and Sports Matters remains the destination event for the business of sport.”
The content-rich programme ended with two overriding messages for the industry: Be here, and connect with your fans. Much of the talk on Day Two centred on China and it’s coming of age. Hang Yu, Vice President Sports, LeTV Sports delivered a powerful and honest appraisal of the recent changes in his market: “There is no doubt that the sports industry in China is booming however the most important thing for LeTV is to get more people to participate in sports whether they watch online video content or attend events. We need to solidify a foundation of sports fans.”
This was recognised by those outside China too. Andrew Georgiou, CEO, World Sport Group acknowledged that “Everyone’s been talking about China for 20 years and here we are… and we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Sports Matters mission statement is to create the foundation for a sustainable Asian sports industry. The gathered speakers reminded the attendees to keep this in mind as the two days progressed: Is it sustainable?
Right from the outset, opening keynote speaker Zubin Gandevia, President, Asia Pacific & Middle East, FOX International Channels commented: “The issue is not so much whether the Asian sports industry is sustainable, but it’s more about how we can work together to optimise the massive potential it has. That’s the beauty of being at a nascent stage with so much momentum”
Sports Matters will be back in 2016. For the latest information: www.sportsmatters.asia
# # #
For media enquiries, please contact:
Sammy Shirra-Moore
sammy@branded.asia
+65 9298 5295
Anica Bussell
Fast Track
anica.bussell@fasttrackagency.com
+65 9129 4652
About Sports Matters
Sports Matters is a co-production between Branded and Haymarket Media dedicated to building strong foundations for a healthy and sustainable Asian sports industry. This C-level dynamic event provides a global platform in Asia for debate, an opportunity to build commercial relationships and a unique brand involvement never before seen at a sports industry event.
Convening at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on 16-17th September 2015, Sports Matters embraces the entire sports industry value chain from governing bodies, rights holders and sponsors, to broadcasters and agencies. A compelling and apposite programme will feature core interviews, expert panel analyses, thought leadership presentations and must-attend interactive forums.
Supported by the Singapore government and carefully selected trade and media partners, Sports Matters is a must attend for stakeholders the business of sport in Asia Pacific.
About Branded Ltd.
Branded designs, sells, markets and produces amazing B2B2C and B2B2F(an) events in Asia. Founded in 2002 and listed as a top 10 Event Marketing agency by Marketing magazine, our focus is to add value and grow the media, sports and entertainment industries in Asia.
We are experts in the organisation, programming and production of dynamic conferences, live music festivals, academies and youth fan events in Asia. Our properties include Digital Matters, Music Matters, Social Matters, Sponsorship Matters, Music Matters Live, the Music Matters Academy, YouTube FanFest and YouTube FanFest Academy (part of the All That Matters series), Sports Matters and MixRadio Music Connects.
Branded is an independent company staffed by passionate multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-talented individuals with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.
About Campaign Asia-Pacific
Campaign Asia-Pacific is a brand dedicated to the business of communications in Asia-Pacific. Published by Haymarket Media Group, the UK’s largest independently owned publishing group, it is part of a global marcoms portfolio that includes market-leading titles Campaign, Marketing and PRWeek. Campaign Asia-Pacific aims to deliver essential insights and intelligence for advertising, marketing, media and PR professionals. Across many platforms, the brand delivers deep and broad analysis of industry trends and developments. As well as a subscription-based magazine, it publishes up-to-the-minute news, research and data, as well as opinions and blogs on campaignasia.com and delivers daily e-newsletters for Asia-Pacific and China (in Chinese language). Campaign organises a number of conferences, awards and training programmes, as well as festivals, such as Spikes Asia, which are part of a joint-venture with Cannes Lions. www.campaignasia.com/top1000