Sports is one of the domains where AR and VR technology is being put to use in very different ways and we already become used to its presence in sports such as football, basketball and tennis.

Now, with the sudden leap that VR has taken recently, the sport experience is being amplified and becoming more immersive in nearly every possible field, ranging from consuming content to training and recruiting athletes.

That’s why, on January 28 at 17:00 (Madrid time) we invite you for our Members Solutions Showcase where we will meet AR and VR solutions applied to the sports industry and see different ways of doing it.

In this session we will see different types of application that use AR and VR technology, developed by our members:

ImagineAR is a certified Microsoft Azure partner providing an augmented reality platform that enables sports teams the create and implement their own AR campaigns with no programming or technology experience. Every professional sports franchise can develop interactive AR campaigns that blade the real and the digital world. Customers simply point their mobile devices at logos, signs, buildings, products, landmarks and more, to instantly engage videos, information, advertisement, coupons, 3D holograms, and any interactive content all hosted in the cloud and managed using a menu-driven portal. Integrated real time analytics means that that all customer interaction is tracked and measured in real time. The AR Enterprise platform supports both iOS and Android mobile devices and upcoming wearable technologies. The AR platforms is available as a SDK Plug-in for existing mobile apps. 

Immersive.io is a startup working in the field of augmented reality to enhance the sports fan experience. They rely on the latest innovations (like machine learning, computer vision, real-time data) to design new ways for teams and leagues to engage their audience by sharing immersive and interactive experiences with their fans.

Their team has acquired an in-depth knowledge of the sports and gaming industries, their stakeholders, issues, and opportunities. Immersive.io has built a cohesive team of diverse profiles with a strong team spirit and a common shared goal: Build the future of the fan experience!

Orwell VR is an innovative startup and at the same time is a spin-off of AttuStudio, very famous 3D production and rendering studio.

It is a Milan based indie games studio. They make XR/VR/AR videogames and immersive experiences focused on sportification.

Virtual Soccer Zone is Orwell’s main product, the first soccer Esport in virtual reality designed for Fan Engagement and Location Based Entertainment.

Ten years of experience in architectural visualization brought their team to work closely with Architects, Photographers, international agencies as Milano Expo2015, Stefano Boeri, Oliviero Toscani and many others.

YBVR is a virtual reality 360 video streaming platform offering an outstanding immersive experience for Sport Live events. A front row experience for tennis, boxing, basketball, football, and more sports are coming. ​

YBVR solution includes monetization of virtual tickets, to enlarge the stadium on demand. Fans can teleport to the match, the concert, or whatever event, at the front row, the best place for every fan. Fans become their own director and can choose what, when, and how to watch live actions. Users can go backward and replay the outstanding plays.

YBVR supports both VR HMDs to provide the best immersion for VR streaming, and mobile devices to ensure everyone can enjoy immersive and interactive experiences. All with a single platform.

We are pleased to invite you next Tuesday January 19th at 12:00 (Madrid time) and 19:00 (Singapore time) to our first open event of the year which will be the presentation of our fourth and final whitepaper in the COVID-19 pandemic-inspired series about Next-Generation Fan Engagement.

This white paper is inspired in best practices of our members and details how the historical business model of sport is gradually eroding due to the fragmentation of audiences and showcases innovative fan engagement solutions using next-generation technologies such as augmented reality, computer vision & blockchain across baseball, football, volleyball and cricket.

For the presentation of this document, we will have the honor of counting with 5 of our members who participated in it:

• Alen Paul Silverrstien – CEO, Imagine AR Inc.
• Natalia Higuera – Head of Marketing and Communication, Sceenic
• Avi François Polak – Chief Commercial Officer, IQONIQ
• Ashok Karanth – CEO, Edisn.ai
• John Gutierrez -Business Development Director, Brintia

This session will be moderated by our APAC Ambassador and Picture Board Partners Founder Unmish Parthasarathi.

Register and be one of the first persons to have access to the document.

REGISTER HERE

We are pleased to invite our members to the first session of the Networking for GSIC Members that will take place on January 14 at 10 am (CET). On this occasion we will cover Europe and Asia areas, but don’t worry, there will be also sessions to connect Europe and America, as well as America and Asia.

The event will be driven in Microsoft Teams which now allows to separate people for 1-to-1 meetings during the conference. That will allow us to implement the dynamics of our onsite networking sessions where you have an opportunity to talk during 3 min to each participant.

The mechanics of the session will be the following:

10:00 – 10:10 – Introduction and icebreaking

Sofiya Goncharova, Head of Communication and Public Affairs

10:10 – 10:40 – First round of 1-to-1 meetings

10:40 – 11:00 – Break & discussion: “How you can add value to the other members. Opportunities and necessities on your regional market. Support for internationalization”.

11:00 – 11:30 – Second round of 1-to-1 meetings

11:30 – 11:50 – Break & discussion: Proposals to add value to GSIC members through activities. Here you can offer ideas for our working groups, invite other members to participate in national projects of your country, share information about grants or funding access, or any other relevant information that can be helpful to other GSIC members.

11:50 – 12:00 – Wrap up and survey

This event is EXCLUSIVE for GSIC members

The global sports industry is predicted to be worth more than $614bn per year by 2022. While the majority of revenue generation for sports organizations comes from broadcasting rather than live event attendance, investment in the digital transformation of stadiums across the globe is nevertheless growing.

Through IoT technology and cutting-edge WI-FI, sports stadiums are becoming state of the art entertainment and media hubs, not to mention unparalleled opportunities for organizations to gather customer data.

That’s why, on December 17 at 10:00 (Madrid time) and 16:00 (Singapore time) we invite you for our Virtual Meeting where we will showcase New-Gen Smart Stadium Solutions.

In this session we are pleased to count with our members:

Solos Ltd embeds smart technologies, NFC & RFID, into the labels of sports fan merchandise to allow greater connection to teams & their players. These Smart labels and tags act as a membership card, ticket and e-wallet allowing fans convenient, easy-to-use Access to the stadium. These Smart labels and tags can also act as a fast track entry into the stadium and connection to stadium food & beverage outlets via special access lanes and our patented Smart Gates. Their technology solution integrates with any existing team app and also the POS systems run by the Stadium.

Access Earth’s interactive data set can allow for smart analytics of an areas accessibility landscape for sports clubs to provide their fans and attendees detailed itineraries of an areas accessibility assets that everyone would need to know for a safe, inclusive and hassle-free experience. Be it data analytics for mobility reports or digital facilities to increase the fan experience, everywhere could benefit from being powered by Access Earth.

3D Digital Venue works in the development of 3D virtual venues (stadiums, arenas, theatres, cinema premises) using videogame technology. This tool improves internal operations, sales and marketing strategies both for B2B and B2C:​

• Designing and remodeling stadiums.​
• VIP areas management.​
• Improvement of ticketing experiences. ​

Ticketing 3D technology is fully adaptable to any web platform, device or operating system. It also includes real time backend metrics. 

REGISTER HERE

in June of this year we launched a special series of webinars called Sports Industry Digital Transformation Online Forum organized in collaboration with Sport Singapore, that consisted of session related to the sports such as tennis, motorsport, handball, triathlon, bawling, table tennis and more.

We explored together how the digital transformation is driven by the leading sports entities in these sports, what results they achieve and what’s their plans the future. Within all the sessions we covered important matters starting from these entities’ strategic vision and getting to their actual work on smart facilities, fan experience, performance, business insights & productivity, etc.

Now it is a time for the last session of the series, “Embracing the multisport through technology and innovation. Chapter 4”, that will take place on December 15 at 09:30 (Madrid). This time we will take a look at what’s happening in basketball and sailing.

REGISTER HERE

We live in a globalised world where the market is increasingly competitive and knowing how to position your business through a strong brand identity can be a great factor for success.  

That’s why next Monday 14 of December at 10:00 (Madrid time) and 17:00 (Singapore time) we are thrilled to invite you to our Training and Mentoring session about The Power of Brands with Andy Stalman. 

Andy Stalman is considered one of the world’s leading brand experts. With more than 25 years of experience, he has developed projects on five continents. His work and influence in the world of brands have led Andy to be known globally as “Mr. Branding”.  

He is currently co-founder and CEO of  TOTEM Branding, and the author of three best sellers: “BrandOffOn. The Branding of the Future“, considered one of the most influential books of the 21st century. Andy is a regular speaker at conferences, companies and events, in addition to being considered one of the “100 best speakers in Spain” according to the prestigious consultant Thinking Heads.  

With more than 20 years of successful experience in the sports development industry in North America, China and Asia, ABSG has established unique IP resources and globalized operations. They offer world class international sports market services and products to provide full coverage and support to enthusiasts. Their team is committed to be the bridge, portal and springboard to welcome extensive global sports IPs into the China market, promoting integration between the global sports industry and the culture of China.

DELF 2020 will return in a hybrid format where the physical event will be accompanied by an innovative virtual experience. DELF 2020 will bring together the physical and virtual worlds of digital entertainment and esports with a hybrid setting that allows industry players and enthusiasts alike to join us both in person and virtually at any time, from anywhere. More than just industry insights, DELF will also stage a series of live tournaments, show matches, performances, game experiences, start-up showcases and power pitches to offer participants a total experience from the online platform to the physical festival and an opportunity to explore the new normal of esports.

The final competition will only select eight mature stage start-ups focused on the areas of the hardware development (such as simulation, robotics, XR, VR, AR, etc.), sports-tech related and esports solution platform (such as event management platform, data analytics platform, gaming software, etc.). In the end, we will provide numbers of big prizes to the top 3 winners of this competition.

If you are interested in this event, please join our pitching competition or introduce related companies to us. Please send in your application with your company intro PPT or business plan to [email protected] till November 30th, 2020. 

The Global Sport Innovation Centre powered by Microsoft – as a non-profit organization connecting different players in the sport industry, as a unique hub with over 350 members from all over the world and as the global reference point at a global level on digital transformation in the sport eco-system – wishes to contribute to identify a sustainable and long-term path towards the future. We do this by offering a “space for reflection” and a “space for action” to stakeholders of our Global Sport Community.

For this reason, we need creativity, “thinking outside the box” and new avenues for knowledge-sharing at a global level – also with the help of innovation. GSIC and the GSIC Community aim at establishing, coordinating and finalizing a “Inter-governmental Working Group”.

Our objectives are:

• Exploring new social formulae for mitigating the impact of pandemics on the Sport Eco-System via “digital transformation”;
• Enabling a global reflection on Innovation and Sport in the post-COVID landscape, using a methodology of “open innovation”;
• Placing Sport (and Innovation) at the forefront of post-pandemic recoveries.

The “Inter-Governmental Working Group” will produce a short report on the proceedings of the online by-invitation-only meetings; will push forward the agenda by providing informal advice to governmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of sport; and it might aim to deliver a synthesis of the ideas shares in a future summit with international leaders.

As you might know, at the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) we are constantly working on bringing innovation to sports entities and helping them with their digital transformation processes prescribing our members’ solutions. 

This time we are collaborating with Singapore Swimming Association to organize an Innovation Day during which the organization representatives will be looking for innovative technologies in Performance Data focusing on statistical analysis and athlete management.

We also inform you that if you apply to participate in this activity, we will provide Singapore Swimming Association with your catalogue sheet which you filled when joining GSIC. If you want to renew the information in your catalogue sheet, please let us know.  

The event will take place online via Microsoft Teams, all the participants will receive a special link to connect. You will have 10 minutes to present your solution and there will be 5 more minutes for Q/A round.

The sports industry is increasingly competitive and seeks to reinvent itself and develop new business areas on a daily basis. Sports Management and Sponsorship have become key for all the stakeholders of the sector, considering them as a fundamental pillar of the strategies in order to recognize opportunities, anticipate changes and optimize resources.

That’s why, next Wednesday, 25^th of October at 9:30 (Madrid Time) and 16:30 (Singapore Time), we invite you to attend our Masterclass on “Sports Management & Sponsorship”.

For this session we are pleased to count with our expert Rodrigo Garza, Managing Partner at  Fund Sport Business, who will talk about sports sponsorships giving a special focus on how to build a winning offer to attract brands based on different models and tools.

The session will have an estimated duration of 90 minutes with the ultimate goal to bring students closer to the dynamics of the international sports market revealing the different particularities of the industry.

In recent years, keeping up with technology has been one of the great challenges for companies in all industries, and sport is no exception. Consumers are increasingly demanding with their experiences and on the other hand, organizations are looking to make the most of the digital transformation.

That’s why the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft invites you next Tuesday 24th of November at 9:30 (Madrid Time) and 16:30 (Singapore time) to our Webinar about  “Smart Venues and the Future of Fan Engagement organized in collaboration with Sport Singapore.

For this session we invited diverse sports entities to learn about their digital transformation vision and processes such as: 

• Roberto Blesa – Head of Development at VenueNext
• Armon Farrari – IT Manager, U.S. Bank Stadium

This session will be moderated by AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group Limited Ambassador Benjamin Carlotti. The estimated duration will be of about 90 minutes where the main objective is to bring our audience closer to the latest trends in technology and innovation that are currently driving the industry.