Vision Day

Conference Program

Dubbed “Vision Day”, the second day of SportsInnovation 2022 boasted a new feature: for the first time, the organisers of the innovation trade fair hosted a full-day conference, structured according to the topics that formed the basis for the first day’s Innovation Games.

“Sports Performance and Technology” takes centre stage

Following a welcoming speech by Andreas Heyden, Executive Vice President Digital Innovations DFL Group, and the

internationally renowned sports commentator Derek Rae, it was the turn of Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group, to take the stage. His talk focused on the metaverse, with Palmer giving an overview of blockchains, the technology underpinning cyber currency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and also about the opportunities that can arise from digital property for fans and sports organisations in virtual worlds, which are becoming increasingly important as spaces for communication and interaction.

Next on stage was Tony Page, President of Sport Experiences at Deltatre, a leading company in the field of sports media applications. In his talk, Page explored how the numerous cameras and sensors deployed at modern-day sporting events can be utilised even more effectively to provide more in-depth match data. Page recommended increasing the level of standardisation among the data acquisition systems installed in stadiums and further consolidating the acquired data to offer fans both inside the stadium and elsewhere an immersive and highly personalised experience.

To discuss the expectations of Generation Z, in particular the concept of future sporting experiences, host Rae was joined on stage by Frank Bohmann, CEO of the LIQUI MOLY Handball Bundesliga (HBL), Dr Maximilian Schmidt, global lead of KINEXON’s sports and media division, and Steve Hellmuth, Executive Vice President of Media Operations & Technology for the NBA. Hellmuth noted that the acquisition of visual information will be more important than ever to win over Generation Z and that this thirst for information should ideally be met by a range of compact and informative data services. Bohmann stated that not only the athletes themselves but also fans among Generation Z could strongly benefit from the solutions developed by KINEXON, which provides detailed breakdowns of player performance.

The talk given by Luuk Figdor, Senior Sports Technology Advisor (EMEA) for Amazon Web Services (AWS), focused on machine-learning. He stated how, in the world of sport, more and more data is being recorded that harbours enormous informative potential. To gain valuable insights from this, adaptive algorithms are needed that can make independent and near-instantaneous decisions about how this data is used – as is the case with the Bundesliga Match Facts Powered by AWS, created together with the DFL. This is what AWS is focusing on and, as Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International GmbH, confirmed in a discussion with Figdor, this development is crucial for shaping the fans’ experience.

Transformation through digitalisation: new perspectives on the fan experience

Moderator, Andreas Heyden, Timm Jäger, Emmanuelle Roger & Joshua Helmrich (Photo: Kenny Beele)

The second content track of the SportsInnovation 2022 conference programme, “Fan Experience and Stadium”, kicked off by exploring how innovation and digital transformation have the potential to radically change professional sport. Guests included Joshua Helmrich (Director Media and Business Development for the American football league NFL), Andreas Heyden (Executive Vice President Digital Innovations for the DFL), Timm Jäger (CEO of EintrachtTech) and Emanuelle Roger (CEO of immersiv.io).

EintrachtTech, said Jäger, was founded to improve the competitive conditions for Eintracht Frankfurt through innovation and digitalisation, with one of the most important things being to further enhance the relationship between the fans and club by digital means too. Roger, meanwhile, described a range of exciting pilot projects launched in collaboration with the DFL and designed to create a whole new match experience with the help of augmented reality (AR) glasses. The question of what innovative services fans want is not easy to answer, said Heyden, but the most important thing is to offer a range of options and analyse their usage. The NFL, too, is conducting intensive fan-related research, including in collaboration with their media partners, said Helmrich. Among the aims here is to supply fans with data designed to give them even greater insight into what’s happening on the field.

Pioneering national and international projects

Dirk Lueth, co-founder of the metaverse-focused company Upland, outlined his vision in which the real world becomes

merged with the virtual. The subsequent talk with hosts Rolf Leister and Alexander Schlicher, CEO and founder of Fansea, discussed the possibilities and opportunities presented by the metaverse and Web 3.0 for the world of professional football.

Skarpi Hedinsson, Chief Technology Officer of the NFL team Los Angeles Rams, talked about an ambitious stadium construction project which was completed in 2020. The team’s home, the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, is one of the world’s most innovative sporting arenas. A ring-shaped LED display is suspended over the entire field and complemented by hundreds of additional displays throughout the stadium. Sophisticated, real-time 3D rendering technology delivers a whole range of exciting visuals for the spectators. The SoFi Stadium is also equipped with powerful wireless infrastructure that can easily support even the most intensive use of 5G, said Hedinsson.

Albrecht von Senden, CEO of Tipico Technology Services GmbH, talked about the role of sports betting as one of many forms of fan engagement. He outlined how Tipico, which operates in a data-intensive and highly regulated industry, utilises artificial intelligence (AI) and a scalable computing infrastructure to enable secure customer transactions.

In another discussion session, Maximilian Fürst (Team Manager Gaming Operation at Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA), Birger Nass (Senior Manager Security Management for the DFL), Kai Ruben (Head of Organisation at Borussia Dortmund) and Viviane Schmidt (Lead Solution Architect Edge and Data Analytics for Hewlett Packard Enterprise) focused on the diverse range of stadium innovations developed in Germany. Among the pilot projects coordinated by the DFL and DFB are drone systems for the stadium security services, AI-based people counting and control systems as well as a range of event management solutions.

New ways to the interactive sports experience

The third and final part of the SportsInnovation 2022 conference program, entitled “Broadcast & Content”, focused on panel discussions that explored new opportunities for producing content and tailoring it to specific target groups.

In one of the panel discussions, Haruka Gruber (Senior Vice President Media at DAZN), Steve Hellmuth (Executive Vice President Media Operations & Technology at the NBA), Dr Steffen Merkel (Director Audiovisual Rights at DFL), Laurent Petit (Senior Vice President Products and Solutions at EVS Broadcast Equipment) and Michael Reinartz (Director Innovation at Vodafone GmbH) discussed innovations in broadcast and production technology and the corresponding potential to revolutionise live content production.

Increasing importance of personalised options

Immersive and interactive streaming as well as a special type of sports betting were topics in the presentation by Patrick Mostboeck, Global Director for Videos & Streaming Products at Sportradar. The subsequent panel round on next-generation video content and fan engagement of the future also focused on the increasing importance of personalised options. Stefano Deantoni (Marketing Director at Infront Italy), Nils Franck (General Manager of Little Dot Studios Germany), Peer Naubert (Vice President Marketing at DFL) and Dennis Papirowski (Head of Partnership & Community DACH at TikTok) addressed various platforms for posting videos, their suitability for group-specific interactions and the participation of fans in the private lives of athletes via social media.

Mario Reis ( Photo by Boris Streubel/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)

Mario Reis (Director of Telecommunications, Olympic Broadcasting Services) reported, among other things, on the use of camera drones at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He also emphasised the emotionality of sporting events, which has to be transported within the framework of media production. Charly Classen (Executive Vice President Sports of Sky Germany GmbH) emphasised the importance of appropriate storytelling in the interaction with recipients, also and especially in dealing with the younger generation. He also highlighted the potential for more sustainability in the media production of the future.