There is more happening at the intersection of sports and technology than ever.
That much was evident at the second annual GeekWire Sports Tech Summit this week at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, where we had so much fun welcoming 400 executives, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, founders, athletes, general managers, gamers, scientists, and many more to our one-of-a-kind event.
We had the pleasure of hearing from top thinkers and leaders from across the sports tech landscape, ranging from NFL COO Tod Leiweke, who talked about the league’s streaming deal with Amazon, to WNBA legend Sue Bird, who explained why athletes need to embrace new tech, to Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who shared insights into the devices and software his ballclub uses to improve performance.
GeekWire Sports Tech Summit was a huge success! Holy smokes did I meet a lot of cool people. My brain=exploding *brainsplode*#gwsportstech
— Patrick Fletchall (@TunnelRadio_BD) June 23, 2017
Never thought I'd get to give a talk where the Hawks play. Enjoyed downloading esports to traditional sports innovators. #GWSportsTech pic.twitter.com/2kvb2eKPzr
— Bryce Blum (@esportslaw) June 22, 2017
Full house for @geekwire Sports Tech Summit @CenturyLink_Fld. Looking forward to discussing sports tech w/ @S10Bird of @seattlestorm at 9:50 pic.twitter.com/mJP0lK6rz0
— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) June 22, 2017
Experts on eSports, virtual reality, ticketing, sports data, arena development, and even Topgolf also shared the stage on Thursday in front of hundreds of attendees who had a chance to network with other people and companies passionate about the convergence of sports and technology.
Sweet @brooksrunning activation today at @geekwire Sports Tech Summit – cool way to learn how you run #GWSportsTech pic.twitter.com/RsU9fye7OU
— John Peters (@jnpeters2) June 22, 2017
The best thing about the @GeekWire Sports Tech Summit – getting to learn from the top execs in game. @AlGuido leads the pack! #GWSportsTech pic.twitter.com/8EqyJXgZEk
— Joel Carben (@JoelCarben) June 22, 2017
Athlete Intelligence is ready to do some work at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit @AiSportPlatform #GWSportsTech pic.twitter.com/ja2k8rh4Ao
— Jesse Harper (@TheJesseHarper) June 22, 2017
The second annual Sports Tech Summit also attracted plenty of media members, including reporters from The Seattle Times, SportsPressNW, Associated Press, Q13, ROOT Sports, and local TV stations like KING5.
You can check out our coverage of the event here, and see the chatter on Twitter here. We’ll be posting more stories and videos from the Sports Tech Summit, so stay tuned for that.
We’ve put together a quick recap of the second annual Sports Tech Summit below — thanks to Kevin Lisota for snapping so many great photos. We’ll see you at Sounders Day next month. And of course, a big thanks to all of our sponsors for the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit:
Gold sponsors: League and CenturyLink.
Silver sponsors: Wave Business, UPS Connect, Moz and Brooks.
Supporting sponsors: First Tech Federal Credit Union, Pixvana, Sounders FC, Eiger Marketing, Alltech, Storytie, Bootstrapper Studios, Redhook and Strideline.
Exhibitors: Akvelon, ALLtech, Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, Capital One, Vicis, Hitcheck, iBobber and WeWork.
Welcome Party at CenturyLink Field prior to the Sounders FC match against Orlando City, presented by League
Brandon Beck, co-founder of Riot Games; and Rick Fox, NBA champion and Echo Fox owner
Beck, video game pioneer and co-creator of League of Legends, and Fox, the 3-time NBA champ who now owns a growing eSports franchise shared their thoughts on the future of eSports to kick off the action on Thursday.
Dave Finocchio, co-founder and CEO of Bleacher Report
Finocchio offered insights on how Bleacher Report, a 10-year-old sports media site, is connecting with the next generation of sports fans.
Sue Bird, Seattle Storm guard
Bird, the legendary NCAA champion, WNBA All Star and Olympic Gold Medalist, talked about how technology is changing basketball.
Jerry Dipoto, GM of Seattle Mariners
The general manager of the Seattle Mariners and former relief pitcher talked about the changing dynamics of baseball, and the technologies that impact his job.
Tod Leiweke, COO of the NFL; and John Clayton, veteran ESPN NFL reporter
The former Seattle Seahawks CEO sat down with ESPN reporter John Clayton to discuss how NFL teams, players, coaches, executives and front office personnel are using new technologies to engage with fans, improve player safety and build the NFL’s global brand.
Power Talk: The State of eSports with Bryce Blum
Blum, executive vice president of Catalyst Sports & Media, explored the size and scope of the eSports industry in 2017, and discussed how the digitally native eSports industry will pioneer new forms of technology from which the traditional sports industry will undoubtedly draw.
The Future of Sports Data with Dave Tenney, director of performance and sports science at the Seattle Sounders FC, and Dr. Laila Mintas, deputy president at Sportradar U.S.
Dave Tenney, director of performance and sports science at the Seattle Sounders FC, and Dr. Laila Mintas, deputy president at Sportradar U.S., talked about how technology is shaping the way players, coaches, teams, leagues, and fans use and consume sports-related data — both today and in the future.
Power Talk with Dr. Uma Jayaram, co-founder of Voke
Dr. Uma Jayaram, who sold her sports VR company to Intel last fall and is now a managing director for Intel Sports Group, offered an inside look at how virtual reality is changing the sports viewing experience.
Erik Anderson, CEO of Topgolf
The co-chairman and CEO of Topgolf Entertainment Group discussed what’s next for the popular driving-range-meets-bowling-alley entertainment company.
Tucker Kain, CFO of L.A. Dodgers
Kain, who oversees the Dodgers’ startup accelerator, talked about how technology is impacting baseball and how professional teams are investing in startups.
Russ D’Souza, co-founder of SeatGeek
D’Souza, who helped launch SeatGeek eight years ago, provided a look at the future of sports ticketing.
Al Guido, president of the San Francisco 49ers
Guido, who was named president of the San Francisco 49ers last year, explained how the Bay Area NFL team is using technology and talked about the construction of Levi’s Stadium, one of the most high-tech sports facilities in the world that opened in 2016.
Tim Leiweke, founder of Oak View Group
The longtime sports executive and CEO of Oak View Group, which just won the renovation bid for Seattle’s Key Arena, discussed how stadiums are changing to create more immersive fan experiences.
