ISPO Digitize: The Future Of The Sports Business Will Be Digital

The industry’s keen interest in ISPO Digitize as part of ISPO Munich and ISPO Shanghai as well as in the form of its own summit last year is proof that sports business professionals are eager for those at the forefront of technology to share their expertise and insights. In the ISPO Digitize Area in Hall C6, digital newcomers and those with more advanced experience will be able to obtain the latest information on digital technology relating to retail and the sporting goods industry directly from the experts themselves. This will include solutions for areas such as B2B retail, sales and marketing and digital purchasing and production. Big data concepts for digital content and eCRM will also be presented.

Mobimedia will be on site showcasing its www.quintet24.com platform, a pre- and post-order portal for the sports industry which, according to the company, is set to herald a new era for the sports sector. The portal apparently enables a completely different digital order landscape to be achieved as pre-order programs can be run online without ever jeopardizing the quality of communications. CASIO Europe will unveil various products including a smartwatch that has been optimized for B2B applications. The robust and multi-purpose device helps to better coordinate employees at the point of sale (POS) as well as in production and logistics and to make processes more efficient. ASB GlassFloor will be showcasing its fascinating sports flooring technology, which uses individual marker lines for different types of sports and will thus enable onlookers to enjoy a whole host of visual experiences. Many other exhibitors will be showcasing their services on site, including Color Digital, Mediawave, SES-imagotag, Shopware and Volumental to name but a few.

For the first time ever, visitors will be able to experience live games in the new eSports arena and get an initial impression of the booming eSports format, a sports business element which in particular attracts a target audience of customers between the ages of 16 and 25. The Wearable Technologies Conference Europe will also take place in Hall C6 on Tuesday and Wednesday (February 5 and 6). The conference will focus on digital, wearable technologies and IoT (Internet of Things) devices as well as their market potential. Visitors can look forward to presentations from Bayer Vital, the BMW Group, Elan, Microsoft and many more. Tickets for the conference are available online. The “Mobile Health & Fitness” focus area in Hall A5 will feature wearables, smartwatches, fitness trackers and digital textiles.

The ISPO Academy (Hall C6) will also address digital topics as part of its program of speeches and presentations. The first day of the trade fair (February 3) will focus heavily on the “Future of Retail & Strategies.” On February 4, the focus will shift to start-ups. With in the a panel discussion amongst others Stefan Herzog, General Secretary of the Association of German Sports Retailers (VDS), and Heiko Johannisson, Head of Sports bei ebay, will talk about „Digital Culture – Evolution opportunities through Digitalization“. In the afternoon, the finalists for the ISPO Brandnew Digital award will compete in a bid to win over the jury. One of the products competing for the award is FiTS: a motivational program which boasts customized training plans, healthy recipe videos and real-time voice guidance. Another product in the running is bFAN Sports: a digital marketing-tool platform for clubs and events. Further, on February 4, Robert Lindner of the OE-A, the Organic and Printed Electronics), talks how this technology can be used in the production of sports products. On Tuesday afternoon (February 5), the sports market in China will be the hot topic on the agenda. Benny Wu, co-author of China Ski Industry White Book, will report on the latest trends in the Chinese ski industry. Karl Wehner from the Alibaba Group will present some very interesting facts on the e-commerce market in China. The closing day will be dedicated to “new talent” as this is one of the biggest challenges facing the sports industry in terms of the digital transformation. Changes to recruitment processes on account of the digital transformation will also be covered. The ISPO Job Market provides information on career opportunities in the sports business all year round, not just during the trade fair.

With ISPO Digitize, ISPO is expanding the digital strategy into the offline world and helping sports retailers and the sports industry prepare for a digital, competitive future. Digitalization is already changing their structure along the entire value chain. More complex systems and new concepts require particular know-how and digital expertise. The event format ISPO Digitize enables companies to network with digital pioneers in order to facilitate their entry into the digital future. This includes both the ISPO Digitize Area and the ISPO Digitize Summit. The second ISPO Digitize Summit will be held on July 3 and 4, 2019 in the ICM – Internationales Congress Center München and will bring together the five formats “Understand,” “Learn,” “Engage,” “Enable” and “Explore.” For participants, this will mean trends, case studies, workshops, contacts and inspiration.