Delighted that Tactic Connect team members, Genevieve Gordon-Thomson and Charlotte Clark were recently invited to attend the Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon) in Las Vegas. This was a fabulous three-day event which focused on the past present and future of the sports entertainment industry, attended by leading voices and companies from across the industry. The conference had a hugely diverse range of panels and keynotes, reflective of the growing industry, from sports betting to equestrian sports to Esports, UFC to the power of brand partnerships for athletes. The conference was a wonderful opportunity to meet people from across the sports entertainment world and learn more about different aspects of the industry and new initiatives that are happening internationally. The flashy Las Vegas venue, star-studded networking drinks and evening entertainment options provided all delegates with the opportunity to follow up on the day’s panels, make new contacts and meet again with old friends and colleagues.
Genevieve spoke on a panel alongside Angela LaChica (LaChica Sports and Entertainment Group), Marie DeParis (SportsNet New York) and Jan Jones Blackhurst (Caesers Entertainment Board Director and Mayor of Las Vegas 91-99) , who all have extensive experience as working women within the commercial business of sport, however, they all brought a different perspective on the industry creating an internationally focused discussion surrounding women’s sport and women in sport. Fitting with the theme of the conference the panel discussed the recent development in which women’s sport have undergone, where women’s sport currently sits within the wider industry and the issues that prevail for women trying to build a career within the sports industry, and finally what they see as the future for women in sport.
All four of the panellists discussed the recent growth in women’s sport, particularly seen in the growing viewership of the WMBA in America. Genevieve then, discussed the European counterpart to this rise in corporate value of women’s sport, by pointing out that UEFA are claiming women’s football is more progressive and that it could be worth a quarter of a billion euros by 2033. Gen also drew attention to the Deloitte figure that suggests for the first time ever, in 2024 women’s elite sport will generate a revenue that surpasses the $1 billion, a 300% increase on industry evaluation of 2023. It was also pointed out that this Olympics is the first time that there is an equal male to female ratio. The discussion and the points raised made it very clear that the future of women’s sport could be very bright.
While the progression of women’s sport over the last year or two has been astronomical and should be celebrated, this panel also highlighted the issues that still face women’s sport and women in sport. One problem raised by Marie was the issues surrounding broadcasting and women’s sporting events not being broadcast on a regular channel at regular times, causing problems for the sports viewership as people do not know where and how to watch these events. This issue is a practical one, with a seemingly straightforward solution however, this in itself presents one of the issues with women’s sport not being looked at as priority, but with it ever-increasing commercial value hopefully, this will change, and the broadcasting of women’s sporting events at a suitable time on an accessible channel will become a more regular feature.
Genevieve also spoke about the hope that in future, panels solely dedicated to women’s sport and the issues facing women’s sport, will no longer be needed and the women’s sport will just be discussed as sport. But, until this is realised, all four panellists highlighted how critical it was for women to support women within the sports industry, to create a culture of mutual support instead of feeling like women need to compete for limited space within the industry. Angela summed up the sentiment of the panel making it clear that in her business, an all-female sports agency, she instils clear rules of culture, nipping in the bud any negative coffee break banter that is aimed at any one person.
We would like to say a huge thank you to the whole SEICon team, Rodney Paul of SU and Jay Vickers of UNLV, for inviting Genevieve to speak on her panel and for the organisation of this insightful conference. We look forward to future conferences delivered by an expert team.
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