Meet the world-class speakers on SportAccord’s Plenary sessions

SportAccord has unveiled the latest wave of renowned speakers set to address some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in global sport during the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit’s Plenary Conference.

Under the theme “The Power of Sport”, sport’s most influential industry gathering will take place from 7 to 11 April in Birmingham – West Midlands, bringing together more than 1,500 delegates, including leaders and key decision makers from over 120 International Federations (IFs), the International Olympic Committee, host cities and organisations involved in the business of sport.

Special two-day Plenary

The two-day Summit Plenary on 10-11 April will cover a lot of topical ground, including latest evolutions in gaming and esports, tackling online abuse and the role of AI in sport, with global sports leaders connecting with highly respected industry experts.

Mark Rein, Vice President of Epic Games, creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine will address the impact of new gaming: “Very happy to be speaking at SportAccord and to reconnect with friends in the Olympic movement and beyond to discuss how interactive entertainment is changing our media, our world and our sports.”

In another session, Sulabh Soral, Chief AI Officer at Deloitte and Advisory Board Member of the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence will share his insights on how to make the most of the opportunities AI offers to sport:

“I am looking forward to attending SportAccord and sharing my views on Generative AI, which stands at the forefront of a new era - not just as a tool, but as a transformative force reshaping our understanding of possibilities. I believe Generative AI and successive developments in AI will challenge us to rethink not just what we do, but how we do it, for a more equitable and sustainable world."

In addition, the Plenary Conference will look into the contrast between the stability of the North American leagues and their European counterparts which will be examined against the backdrop of increasing competition for fans’ attention and institutional investors’ growing interest in sports rights. New and potentially revolutionary data-led approaches to reduce sport injuries which are applicable to all sports will be presented as well.

The biggest hurdles facing global sport will also be addressed, from geo-political instability and financial obstacles to new business models and changing fan behaviour, and the breathtaking speed and scope of technological advances in sport.

Roger Mitchell, Chairman of Albachiara International, author of ‘Sport’s Perfect Storm’ and founding CEO of the Scottish Professional Football League promises thought-provoking discussions: “We will be talking about my book which is an analysis of where the sports industry is today and the challenges that it faces, from a changing media model, a different younger taste and new ways of consuming content to the change in the capital markets and the money that is coming into sport. How to navigate that storm to get back to shore?”

Other newly unveiled speakers sharing their insights on these topics and more, include:

Dame Katherine Grainger DBE – One of Britain’s most successful female Olympic athletes, Chair of UK Sport and Chancellor of the University of Glasgow

Zena Woolridge OBE - President, World Squash Federation

Mohammed Ben Salayem - President, FIA

Jonathan Hirshler - Co-founder and CEO, Signify

Sarah Gregorius - Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations, Women’s Football, FIFPRO

Professor Constantin Coussios OBE FREng - Director, The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology, The University of Oxford

Chris Jenkins – President, Commonwealth Games Federation

Access the full Plenary Conference programme featuring many more amazing speakers here.

Discover all the SportAccord 2024 speakers.

Join the world’s leading sports industry experts

The delegate pass for SportAccord 2024 is available at the rate of CHF 2,000 until 29 February 2024, and will increase to CHF 2,500 from 1 March. Click here to register now.

Birmingham and West Midlands – outstanding host and location

Birmingham’s award-winning International Convention Centre (ICC) is located in the centre of the city, less than half an hour away from Birmingham Airport, which has direct flight connections with more than 150 destinations worldwide. SportAccord’s high-quality official hotels and various dining, leisure and entertainment facilities are also within easy walking distance of the venue.

Partners

The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 is supported by a number of strong partners and suppliers:

Gold Partner: Sport Event Denmark

Silver Partners: EventScotland, Explore Edmonton, Tourism & Events Queensland

Bronze Partner: Sport Liverpool 

Official Suppliers: DB Schenker, Wiz-Team

About SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 

The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit brings together around 1,500 leaders and key decision makers from over 120 International Federations (IFs), the International Olympic Committee, and organisations involved in the business of sport. 

The Summit provides an unrivalled platform enabling global business leaders and host cities to have access to all the International Federations and their stakeholders in one location over several days. 

This unique event is a combination of official sports meetings, networking gatherings, a themed conference programme, and exhibition space enabling International Federations, industry, cities and regions to showcase and advance their sport, services and facilities. 

About SPORTACCORD

SportAccord is a sports event organisation based in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, Switzerland, and governed by stakeholders representing the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations.  

It brings together International Federations and organisations involved in the business of sport with the aim to serve, promote and protect the common interests of its stakeholders, help them achieve their global objectives and facilitate knowledge-sharing.

SportAccord’s stakeholders include:

ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations)

WOF (Winter Olympic Federations)

ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations)

AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport)

Visit SportAccord.sport for more information.

About Yutang Sports

As one of SportAccord's Principal Media Partners, Yutang Sports is a Chinese leading sports marketing and media platform, with an ultimate mission to connect China and world through sports. After years of growing, Yutang Sports, with a comprehensive media and marketing promotion system, is now dedicating to reporting sports business and marketing trends, providing sports business news, analysis, and exclusive data reports in both Chinese and English. Having been cooperated with top-level domestic and international sports summits, Yutang Sports is opening a window for Chinese sports industry to embrace the world.