#SportsConf 2014 Recap

First-of-its-kind virtual conference featuring over 60 leaders in sports, social & tech

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January 14th, 2014

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Copyright © 2014 Hashtag Sports, All Rights Reserved hashtagsportsconf.com | @Hashtag_Sports

EvENT OvERviEw | 2SPORTSCONF

Hashtag Sports Presents Inaugural #SportsConf, Powered by Google+

Over 60 leaders in sports, social media & technology unite for first-of-its-kind virtual conference.

Thought leaders from around the world came together on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 to explore how social media and technology are disrupting the sports industry in a virtual conference powered by Google+.

This open online event featured representatives from leading sports brands, teams, leagues, agencies, networks and startups in a series of live interactive panels, case studies, interviews and Q&A sessions from 10:00am EST – 6:30pm EST.

“The goal of #SportsConf was to conveniently and affordably connect a global audience of sports digital marketers and industry professionals to network, learn, share and innovate,” said Steve Cobb, Co-founder of Hashtag Sports and Activ8Social. “We were extremely pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response from the sports community and are excited to make #SportsConf a must-attend event for years to come.”

Participating organizations included the San Francisco 49ers, Everton FC, ESPN, Google, USA Today Sports, Octagon, NBA, Mashable, USOC, Bleacher Report, Turner Sports, Deadspin, Wasserman, Bloomberg Sports and over 40 other leading sport and technology brands.

The conference featured an action-packed agenda that included topics ranging from social media’s influence on the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2014 World Cup to content creation strategies and in-stadium fan engagement. Cisco, Hendrick Motorsports, Tagboard and the Green Sports Alliance also presented case studies and answered live questions from the attendees and viewers.

The day concluded with back-to-back Hangouts featuring Red Bull athletes Jimmy Spithill of Oracle Team USA and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors, among others.

To learn more about #SportsConf, please visit www.hashtagsportsconf.com and to learn more about Activ8Social, please visit www.activ8social.com.

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...and many more

http://www.hashtagsportsconf.com

http://www.activ8social.com


CONTENTS | 3SPORTSCONF

Event Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Conference Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Hangouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Intro & Tagboard Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Panel - Building a Winning Social Media Content Gameplan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Panel - Sports Journalism in the Digital Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Green Sports Alliance Case Study - Digital’s Role in a Sustainable Future for Sport . . . . . . . .10 Cisco Case Study - Sports and the Internet of Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Q&A #1 - Content & Curation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Q&A #2 - Community & Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Winter Olympics Panel - The Social Road to Sochi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 World Cup Panel - The Ultimate Expression of Social Fandom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Q&A #3 - Data & Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Hendrick Motorsports Case Study - The Digital Dashboard and Race to Create Content . . . . .17 Athlete Panel - A Conversation With Today’s Digital Athletes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 1-on-1 with Harrison Barnes - A Unique Interview About Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Partners & Presenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Featured Startups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Media & Press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

About Hashtag Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 #SportsDaily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 #SportsAwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


CONFERENCE STaTS | 4SPORTSCONF

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trending on Google+

a detailed view of the #SportsConf social media conversation for January 14th, 2014

15,611,275Impressions

10% Google+

90% Twitter9,312,428Reach

1,664hashtag mentions


SPEaKER STaTS | 5SPORTSCONF

Team / League

Brand

Startup

Media

Agency

Athlete

21CEO’s/Founders

6Countries

61Speakers Super Bowl

XLVIII Teams


PaRTiCiPaNT STaTS | 6SPORTSCONF

74Countries

Team / League

Brand

Startup

Media

Agency

Athlete

Student

Other

Nonprofit

1,331AttendeesRegistered for

free with Google+

6,084Viewers

Unique viewers of live broadcasts


HaNgOuTS | 7SPORTSCONF

iNTRO & TagBOaRD CaSE STuDY

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Josh Decker leads a conversation with various sports teams on how they are using social media and Tagboard to engage and activate fans on game day.

OPENiNg wORDSSteve Cobb Co-Founder, Hashtag Sports

ENgagiNg FaNS wiTH SOCiaL ON gaME DaYJosh Decker CEO & Founder, Tagboard

Kurt Svoboda Sr. Assistant Athletic Director, Stanford University

Daniel Alston Social Media Journalist, Everton FC

Kenton Olson Director Digital Marketing, Seattle Seahawks & Sounders FC

The hashtag could be a unification tool to help build communities and create stronger conversations online.

Josh Decker, Tagboard

http://bit.ly/1hGSl1D



Thought leaders in digital sport explore some of the unique challenges and opportunities of creating social media content for sports fans.

Richard Ayers CEO, Seven League

Bryan Srabian Social Media, San Francisco Giants

Craig Howe CEO & Chairman, Rebel Leader Syndicate

Mike Folgner CEO, SnappyTV

Andrew Patterson Director New Media, MLB Advanced Media

Scott Kegley Sr. Manager of Digital & Social Media, San Francisco 49ers

PaNEL - BuiLDiNg a wiNNiNg SOCiaL MEDia CONTENT gaMEPLaN

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We don’t try to control the conversation. We try to organize it.Andrew Patterson, MLBAM

http://bit.ly/KcYlTw



A detailed look at how social media and technology have disrupted sports journalism, particularly with the rise of mobile and data.

Matthew Cerrone Director Digital Media, SportsNet NY

Jamie Mottram Director of Content Decelopment, USA Today Sports

Tim Burke Editor, Deadspin

Ben Mathis-Lilley Sports Editor, Buzzfeed

Will Leitch Senior Sports Writer, Sports on Earth

Spencer Hall Editor, SB Nation

PaNEL - SPORTS JOuRNaLiSM iN THE DigiTaL agE

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Facebook is a free-for-all. It’s anarchy. You get single time interactions, and when you interact with somebody once,

you can steal everything they own and kill them. Spencer Hall, SB Nation

http://bit.ly/KXLUvA



The Green Sports Alliance explores team and league case studies on leveraging social media to drive sustainability initiatives in sports.

Jennifer Regan Chief Sustainability Officer, We Bring It On

Jarian Kerekes Director of Social Responsibility, NBA

Gina Rotolo Marketing & PR, Houston Dynamo

gREEN SPORTS aLLiaNCE CaSE STuDY - DigiTaL’S ROLE iN a SuSTaiNaBLE FuTuRE FOR SPORTS

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Social media is a great way we can make (reducing our environmental footprint) fun, make it exciting, make it engaging.

Jennifer Regan, We Bring It On

http://bit.ly/1dOhHtN



Chris White of Cisco takes us on a journey through the past, present and future of the live-event connected sports experience.

Chris White GM of Sports & Entertainment Solutions, Cisco

CiSCO CaSE STuDY - SPORTS aND THE iNTERNET OF EvERYTHiNg

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I truly believe Wi-Fi, connected Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity is something every fan should experience and should expect right now.

Chris White, Cisco

http://bit.ly/1mwasue



Q&a #1 - CONTENT & CuRaTiON

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Steve Cobb of Hashtag Sports leads back-to-back interactive Q&A sessions with a diverse group of industry experts in the topics of content and curation.

CONTENTShanan Delp VP Product, Bleacher Report

Sandy Khaund Media Camp, Turner Broadcasting

Sam Laird Sports Writer, Mashable

Denis Crushell Sports Sponsorships, YouTube

CuRaTiONJosh Rickel VP Media & Entertainment, Mass Relevance

Jack Patterson Business Development, Wayin

Josh Decker CEO & Founder, TagboardCuration will be imperative as we look at sponsorships in sports moving forward.

Josh Rickel, Mass Relevance

http://bit.ly/1kvwPBz



Q&a #2 - COMMuNiTY & aCTivaTiON

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Anthony Caponiti of Hashtag Sports leads back-to-back interactive Q&A sessions with a diverse group of industry experts in the topics of community and activation.

COMMuNiTYJan D’Alessandro Head of Business Development, Backplane

Kash Razzaghi CEO & Co-Founder, FanCred

Dan Wade Activation Lead, LockerDome

Andrew Levine Head of Strategic Partnerships, StumbleUpon

aCTivaTiONAbel Cuskelly Co-Founder, Pogoseat

Chris Mike VP Accounts, Chirpify

William Corbin VP Digital, OctagonSocial media really has transitioned marketers. We used to be

communicating to the masses as marketers and now we’re faced with a mass of communicators. Everyone is communicating with everyone.

William Corbin, Octagon

http://bit.ly/19Zmfi7



wiNTER OLYMPiCS PaNEL - THE SOCiaL ROaD TO SOCHi

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A discussion about how social and digital media will impact athletes, brands and NOCs surrounding the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Steve Mesler US Gold Medalist/Founder, Classroom Champions

Maura Cheeks Head of Social Media, USOC

Peter Carlisle MD of Olympics & Action Sports, Octagon

Zack Sugarman VP Social & Digital, Wasserman

Elana Meyers Olympic Bobsledder, Team USA

Social media has been huge to be able to keep the conversation going...It’s not just every two years anymore. It’s 24-7.

Maura Cheeks, USOC

http://bit.ly/1cgEnyc



wORLD CuP PaNEL - THE uLTiMaTE EXPRESSiON OF SOCiaL FaNDOM

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A discussion about how brands, teams, leagues and networks plan to create and curate the global social conversation surrounding the World Cup.

Lisa Bregman Social Media Consultant, SSI & FanSource Strategy

Alexi Lalas Soccer Analyst, ESPN

Chris Schlosser VP Digital, MLS

Sean Devlin Director of Support, Backplane

Bryan McAleer Associate Director Sports Marketing, ESPN

It’s fun being a part of the explosion of soccer with these tools at your disposal because it gives you a way to view the game, to experience the game, to love the game in a completely unique way,

the likes of which we’ve never been seen before. Alexi Lalas, ESPN

http://bit.ly/1kwnnOx



Q&a #3 - DaTa & gaMiNg

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Sean Callanan of Sports Geek leads back-to-back interactive Q&A sessions with a diverse group of experts in the topics of data and gaming.

DaTaBo Moon Co-Founder & EVP of Product, Bloomberg Sports

Ben Davis CEO, Phizzle

Bob Morgan Media Partnerships, Facebook

Dave Abbott COO & Co-Founder, SportsData

gaMiNgTom Griffiths CTO & Co-Founder, FanDuel

Steve Berneman CEO & Co-Founder, OverDog

Carlos Diaz CEO, Kwarter You have to be able to have that 360-degree view of the fan.

Ben Davis, Phizzle

http://bit.ly/1m0fyMg



HENDRiCK MOTORSPORTS CaSE STuDY - THE DigiTaL DaSHBOaRD aND RaCE TO CREaTE CONTENT

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Team Hendrick discusses their approach to social media content creation and fan engagement using their Digital Dashboard and research-driven strategy.

Amy Walsh Brand & Digital Manager, Hendrick Motorsports

Dana Boone Digital Media & Communications, Hendrick Motorsports

We’re only as valuable to our partners as our audience is.Dana Boone, Hendrick Motorsports

http://bit.ly/1igQYcS



aTHLETE PaNEL - a CONvERSaTiON wiTH TODaY’S DigiTaL aTHLETES

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Hosted at Red Bull’s offices in Santa Monica, several elite athletes discuss how social media and technology impact their lives both personally and professionally.

Alison Haislip TV Host, Attack of the Show / The Voice

Jimmy Spithill Skipper & Helmsman, Oracle Team USA

Kevin Robinson BMX Gold Medalist, X Games

Paul Rabil Lacrosse MVP, Boston Cannons

You’re not separated by that fence and that barrier and those security guards anymore. You’re able to have this personal relationship.

Kevin Robinson, BMX

http://bit.ly/JS71PM



1-ON-1 wiTH HaRRiSON BaRNES - a uNiQuE iNTERviEw aBOuT SOCiaL MEDia

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Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors discusses how and why he uses social media platforms to engage with fans around the world.

Harrison Barnes Small Forward, Golden State Warriors

Meghan Lyons Sports Partnerships, Google+

All my social media is for the fans. Through a giveaway or through an interaction, I can have a moment with that person.

Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors

http://bit.ly/1hUofdQ


PaRTNERS & PRESENTERS | 20SPORTSCONF

SPORTS


FEaTuRED STaRTuPS | 21SPORTSCONF

Tagboard is an innovative social media company that empowers hashtag campaigns for organizations around the globe and offers a complete platform of tools including web based, mobile, analytics and live social integration on gameday. Tagboard powers hashtag initiatives for world class sports organizations worldwide including The Seattle Seahawks, The Boston Bruins, Everton FC and over 50 NCAA schools.

SportsData is the fastest-growing live sports data solutions provider in the US. As a subsidiary of Sportradar, the company offers real-time scores, stats, play-by-play, and other info for 40 sports, 800+ leagues, and 200,000 annual events. Customers include Google, Bleacher Report, and the Pac-12 Conference.

LockerDome is a social media platform built around what you like, as opposed to who you know. More than 20 million people per month use LockerDome to discover, collect, and engage around things they like with others that share the same passions. Thousands of the top publishers in the world, from Defy Media to The Telegraph, use LockerDome to activate and engage their digital audience. This list includes media properties, brands, celebrities, professional sports teams, and many others.

The USA TODAY Sports Marketing Group was officially formed in October 2011. It encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY, as well as Gannett Co. Inc.’s 81 community newspaper properties and 23 broadcast television stations. It also includes: USA TODAY Sports Images, USA TODAY High School Sports, USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties, For The Win, and Sports On Earth. Digitally, The USA TODAY Sports

brand reaches an audience of more than 46 million consumers each month.


MEDia & PRESS | 22SPORTSCONF

Abel Cuskelly

Alexi Lalas

Alison Haislip

Amy Walsh

Andrew Levine

Andrew Patterson

Anthony Caponiti

Ben Davis

Ben Mathis-Lilley

Bo Moon

Bob Morgan

Bryan McAleer

Bryan Srabian

Carlos Diaz

Chris Mike

Chris Schlosser

Chris White

Craig Howe

Dan Wade

Dana Boone

Daniel Alston

Dave Abbott

Denis Crushell

Elana Meyers

Gina Rotolo

Harrison Barnes

Jack Patterson

Jamie Mottram

Jan D’Alessandro

Jarian Karekes

Jennifer Regan

@cuskelly

@AlexiLalas

@alisonhaislip

@AmyJWalsh

@ANDLEVINE

@caponiti

@Phizzleben

@BenMathisLilley

@bomoon

@b0bm0rgan

@mickaleer

@srabe

@CarlosDiaz

@C_Mike

@ChrisSchlosser

@CraigXL

@dwade

@deboone

@evc_danalston

@Crushell

@eamslider24

@ginarotolo

@hbarnes

@jackcpatterson

@jamiemottram

@jantopspin

@JMKerekes

@redheadgreengrl

Pogoseat

ESPN

Attack of the Show

Hendrick Motorsports

StumbleUpon

MLB Advanced Media

Hashtag Sports

Phizzle

Buzzfeed

Bloomberg Sports

Facebook

ESPN

SF Giants

Kwarter

Chirpify

MLS

Cisco

Rebel Leader Syndicate

LockerDome

Hendrick Motorsports

Everton FC

SportsData

YouTube

Team USA Bobsledder

Houston Dynamo

Golden State Warriors

Wayin

USA Today Sports

Backplane

NBA

We Bring It On

For additional questions or to set up an interview with one of the #SportsConf speakers, please contact:Steve Cobb, Activ8Social: [email protected] or 202-531-8943

Jimmy Spithill

Josh Decker

Josh Rickel

Kash Razzaghi

Kenton Olson

Kevin Robinson

Kurt Svoboda

Lisa Bregman

Matthew Cerrone

Maura Cheeks

Meghan Lyons

Mike Folgner

Paul Rabil

Peter Carlisle

Richard Ayers

Sam Laird

Sandy Khaund

Scott Kegley

Sean Callanan

Sean Devlin

Shanan Delp

Spencer Hall

Steve Berneman

Steve Cobb

Steve Mesler

Tim Burke

Tom Griffiths

Will Leitch

William Corbin

Zack Sugarman

@JSpithill

@jdbt

@joshrickel

@hrazzaghi

@kentono

@KRobBMX

@ksvoboda

@LisaMBregman

@matthewcerrone

@mauracheeks

@meghanelyons

@mfolgs

@PaulRabil

@richardayers

@samcmlaird

@sandyTBS

@ScottKegley

@seancallanan

@itsdevlin

@shanand

@edsbs

@SteveBerneman

@steve_cobb

@SteveMesler

@bubbaprog

@tomgriffiths

@williamfleitch

@corboo

@zsugs

Oracle Team USA

Tagboard

Mass Relevance

FanCred

Seattle Seahawks

BMX

Stanford University

Fansource Strategy

SportsNet NY

USOC

Google+

SnappyTV

Boston Cannons

Octagon

Seven League

Mashable

Turner Sports

San Francisco 49ers

SportsGeek

Backplane

Bleacher Report

SB Nation

Overdog

Hashtag Sports

Classroom Champions

Deadspin

FanDuel

Sports On Earth

Octagon

Wasserman


aBOuT HaSHTag SPORTS | 23SPORTSCONF

Anthony Caponiti is the Co-Founder of Hashtag Sports, the leading curation resource for sports, social media, and technology. A serial entrepreneur who has created three businesses during his career, Anthony brings a diverse background to the startup community, including strategic consulting experience at IBM, where he received numerous awards for designing technology programs. He was recently recognized with Sports Launch Magazine’s Thirty Under 30 Award. Anthony earned his BBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, GA.

Steve Cobb is the Co-Founder of Hashtag Sports, the leading curation resource for sports, social media, and technology. He has spent the past six years creating social and digital strategies for some of the world’s most recgonizable sports brands, teams and athletes. Most recently, Steve led the vision and execution of #SportsConf and remains passionate about connecting fans and building communities both online and off. He is a frequent speaker on the topic and his work has been recognized by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Mashable. Steve holds a BA from Cornell University in Economics and Psychology.

aNTHONY CaPONiTiCo-founder, Hashtag Sports

STEvE COBBCo-founder, Hashtag Sports

Hashtag Sports is the leader in curation for sports, social and tech through its growing network of properties and events that include the #SportsDaily email newsletter, #SportsAwards series and #SportsConf virtual conference.

SPORTS


#SPORTSDaiLY | 24SPORTSCONF

Designed for today’s digital marketer, #SportsDaily is a FREE daily email newsletter that delivers the most relevant information in sports, social media, and technology right to your inbox. We curate the web for the latest

news, case studies, best practices, and job openings to keep you conveniently informed.

Subscribe today and join other leading industry professionals who use #Sports to keep pace with the fast evolving landscape of sports, social, and tech.

CLiCK TO SuBSCRiBE

56Countries

1Source For All Your Sports, Social & Tech News

875Issues Sent*

5Issues Each Week

5,685Articles Curated*

*As of 1/22/14

http://bit.ly/1f7cUnP


#SPORTSawaRDS | 25SPORTSCONF

The annual #SportsAwards series celebrate the best uses of social media and technology in sports across a variety of categories. See below for a few of last year’s winners.

Best Sports Video

Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders

Best Sports Team / League on Facebook

San Francisco Giants

Best Brand on Pinterest

Under Armour

Best Sports Photo

Jimmie Johnson’s Picture of Bristol

Most Social Sports Event

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Best Athlete on Twitter

Jimmie Johnson