HONG KONG, 7th November 2016
Highlights
- LeSports Connects: The China Sports Forum, to be held at Mission Hills Dongguan from 28 – 30 November, announces speaker line up, including former England football star Rio Ferdinand, Chinese sports industry leaders from LeSports and Weibo Sports, WWE heiress Stephanie McMahon and former Manchester United and Chelsea FC CEO Peter Kenyon
- A first of its kind event inviting leaders of the international and Chinese sports communities together under one roof - the 3-day invitation-only event aims to be the gateway to connect with China’s new sports business power players
- Hosted at Mission Hills, China, the event consists of 2 days of conference content, and superior networking opportunities including Golf Day at the world’s largest golf course
LeSports, China’s leading Internet-based eco-sports company and Branded, the Hong Kong-based event marketing agency responsible for the highly successful YouTube FanFest and award winning ‘All That Matters’ conference series, today announced the speaker line up for their upcoming joint event LeSports Connects: The China Sports Forum.
The 3-day invitation-only event is being held at event partner location Mission Hills, China - the world’s largest golf resort, from 28 – 30 November 2016. The event kicks off with a golf day for all delegates, followed by 2 days of conference content focusing on the rapidly growing China sports industry, with topics including:
1. The China sports industry and its influence on the international sports scene
- Showcase the domestic industry - current research and trends, and a look to the future
- Technology and media - updates on new forms of content distribution and fan engagement
- Chinese Super League - the business opportunities and the future of football in China
- Investing in international sports companies and services - what are investors looking for and how do you source China investment?
2. The international sports industry turns to China
- Bringing international leagues, events and athletes to China
- Celebrating failure - what are some of the potential pitfalls and learnings
- International sponsorship and brand opportunities featuring case studies from top global brands
- Football Matters - what are the leading global clubs doing in China?
Speakers announced for the first LeSports Connects: The China Sports Forum include:
Rio Ferdinand, former England professional footballer
Lei Zhenjian, Founder & CEO, LeSports
Ma Guoli, Vice Chairman, LeSports
Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman, Mission Hills Group
Hou Yuhua, CEO, Weisai Sports
Chen Xin, Vice President, WeCapital
Zhang Zhe, Senior Operations Director, Weibo Sports
Zhao Jun, General Manager & CEO, China Sports Media
Li Sheng，Founder & CEO, SECA World
Beatrice Lee, CEO, Baofeng Sports
Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer & TV Personality, WWE
Peter Kenyon, Partner, Opto Advisors
Andrea Radrizzani, President & Founder, Aser Media
Zhang Yi, Chief Editor, Sohu Sports
Liu Jianhong, Co-President, LeSports
Xie Chenguang, Founding Partner, Kaixing Capital
Shi Yiying, Director of Sports, Jiemian.com
Pan Shijian, Founding Partner, Kaixing Capital
Zhang Yuqiang, Co-founder, Sports Money
Han Mu, Founder, Lanxiong Sports
Richard Young, Managing Director, NFL China
Chris Park, Senior Vice President, Major League Baseball
Victor Cui, CEO, ONE Championship
Jamie Reigle, Commercial Director, Manchester United
Xavier Asensi, Managing Director – APAC, Barcelona FC
Fernando de Matos, Head of Sponsorships AP Region, Visa
Caroline Darcy, Head of Sponsorship, Asia Pacific, UBS
Adrian Toy, Regional Director, Marketing
Josh Black, CEO, ESP Properties, Asia Pacific
Mickael Piantchenko, Asia Pacific Director
Tom Byer, Head Technical Advisor, Chinese Ministry of Education
Andrew Collins, CEO, Mailman Group
Michael Cunnah, Chairman, iSportConnect
Catherine Gibbs, Head of Sponsorship, AIA
John Cappo, President & CEO, AEG China
Ben Flint, CEO, Asia Sponsorship News (ASN)
Scarlett Li, Founder & CEO, Zebra Media
Richard Welbirg, Senior Reporter, TV Sports Markets
With many more to be announced.
Interested parties can register their interest in attending at the official website: lesportsconnects.com .
About LeSports
Established in 2014, LeSports has quickly become China’s leading internet sports company with a sports ecosystem which covers ‘content platform + event management and operations + smart hardware + internet services.’
With rights to over 300 global sporting events and live broadcasts totaling more than 16,000 games per year, including the English Premier League , LeSports houses the largest sports content in China. These also include exclusive rights in China to the Chinese Super League (CSL), Wimbledon, Formula 1 and much more.
LeSports acts an event operator and promoter, having helped bring world-renowned football tournament the International Champions Cup (ICC) to China for the past two years and will again next year.
The LeSports state-of-the-art, self-produced Smart Bike is the first item of hardware LeSports released and it has proven extremely popular among cycling and sports enthusiasts.
Internet services such as e-commerce and ticketing are provided by LeSports, where customers can purchase officially-licensed merchandise from top clubs and organizations through LeSports’ online platforms. Furthermore, LeSports acts as Major League Baseball’s (MLB) hard goods distributor in China, Hong Kong and Macao, and provides fans with the platform to purchase MLB merchandise in-game through the LeSports website and app.
This year, LeSports introduced its subscription and pay-per-view model, breaking down the barrier of traditional sports broadcasting in China with its OTT service, and pushed China’s paid sports content market into a new age. LeSports Pass members can watch all 380 Premier League matches live this season on LeSports’ OTT platform.
With its Hong Kong office up and running last year, LeSports HK has proved a real game-changer and instant success by introducing its popular OTT service into an already mature and competitive Pay TV market. LeSports HK has also secured a whole host of exclusive rights to top-notch competitions such as the English Premier League, FA Cup, National Basketball Association (NBA) and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, as well as more than 2,500 matches from the Chinese Super League, the US Open Tennis Championships and many more. LeSports has started setting up a team based in the U.S, which is focusing on new technology and gaining a foothold in the ever-growing American sports market.
LeEco, the parent company of LeSports, has recently set up offices in the U.S, India, Russia and with LeSports focusing on its globalization strategy, will look to move into these territories in the near future.
About Branded
Branded are creators of ‘Live Media that Matters’.
Branded conceptualised and produces the YouTube FanFest global tour, It’s A Girl Thing and the “Matters” series of B2B festivals.
Founded in 2002, and listed as a “Top 10 Event Marketing Agency” by Marketing Magazine and winner of the Singapore Experience Best Trade Event of the Year Award in 2012 and 2014, Branded adds value and grows the media, entertainment and sports industries in Asia.
Branded are experts in the conceptualisation, programming, organisation, and production of dynamic conferences, live music festivals, academies, and fan events in Asia. We are an independent company staffed by passionate multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-talented individuals with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore and affiliations that reach all corners of the world. www.branded.asia .
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