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Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit and Awards return with West Tigers, M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment and more

M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment managing director, Jamie Gilbert Smith, and Wests Tigers NRL Club head of media and digital, Craig Heydon, will speak at this year’s Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit on whether new media has killed the off-season.

Gilbert Smith and Heydon will discuss the death of the off-season at the hands of digital media opportunities

With new digital sports platforms continually appearing, connecting with always online fans requires sports clubs, athletes, associations, and their brand partners to work just as hard during the off-season as they do in-season. Gilbert Smith and Heydon, among others on the panel, will look at the effects and opportunities this provides.

The Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit will be held in Sydney on July 5, with the Sports Marketing Awards to run as the final session of the day. Tickets are on sale now and entries are open. 

Howe will participate on a panel around marketing women’s sport

Also confirmed to speak is Tamara Howe, marketing director, Kellogg Australia & New Zealand, who is the first confirmed on a panel discussing marketing women’s sport. The last year has seen a significant rise in the profile of women’s sport, including the AFLW, WNBL and Super Netball while established women’s competitions like the WTA (tennis) and LPGA (golf) continue to attract big-name partners and high audience numbers.

The panel will take a look at the current state of women’s sport, what brands get out of the partnerships with leagues and athletes and whether or not current and previous marketing strategies are right for women’s sport.

Meanwhile, Scott Wenkart, managing director of Showdown, a video games and entertainment publisher heavily invested in eSports, will lead a panel focusing on the rise of virtual sports. According to research company Ovum, eSports is predicted to be worth US$1.9 billion by 2022. Wenkart and his peers will look at where the value lies, how brands can partner with leagues, teams and gamers, and what the opportunities are moving into the future.

Also announced are two new categories for the Mumbrella Sports Marketing Awards, which this year will be held at the end of the summit. Joining the lineup of 10 awards is Best Major Sponsorship or Partnership as well as Best Use of Sponsorship in a Single Campaign.

AFL Media won Sports Media Brand of the Year in 2017

Last year winners included BWM for Football Federation Australia, AFL Media, Fox Sports and TLA Worldwide for Cricket Australia. Other categories include Marketing Team of the Year, Social Idea of the Year, Sports Agency of the Year and Best Sports Presenter.

The Mumbrella Sports Marketing Summit will take place at The Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney on July 5 and will include the Sports Marketing Awards as the last session of the summit leading into networking drinks. Tickets are available now and entries to the awards are open.

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