About This Event

TICKETS

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Schedule

Join us as we kick off the 2nd Annual GeekWire Sports Tech Summit with a Welcome Party prior to the Sounders FC match against Orlando City, presented by League. Join us for food, drink and fun in the east loft area of CenturyLink Field, and then take in a Sounders match in one of the most electric environments in professional soccer. Note: Conference attendees who want to attend the party and match must select the “Match + Summit” ticket type when registering.

Registration opens, badge pick-up. The conference will take place in the Northwest Loft in the West Club Lounge of CenturyLink Field, 800 Occidental Ave. South.

Opening Remarks

An inside look at the future of eSports from video game pioneer Brandon Beck, the co-creator of League of Legends, the online gaming franchise that attracts more than 100 million game players each month. Moderated by former NBA basketball star and Vision Venture Partners founding partner Rick Fox.

How do younger sports fans consume content? Dave Finocchio will offer insights on how Bleacher Report, a 10-year-old sports media site, is connecting with the next generation of sports fans.

The athletes’ take. Legendary WNBA All Star Sue Bird on how technology is changing the game. Moderated by Q13 Fox sports director Aaron Levine.

Meet other sports tech attendees, and check out our sponsors and exhibitors.

The general manager of the Seattle Mariners and former relief pitcher will talk about the changing dynamics of baseball, and the technologies that impact his job. Moderated by Root Sports reporter Jen Mueller.

NFL COO Tod Leiweke will sit 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.

Lunch provided for all Sports Tech Summit attendees. Grab your lunch and check out the sponsored talk by CenturyLink on the main stage.

The State of eSports: The competitive video game industry, more commonly known as eSports, is the largest phenomenon many people have never heard of. Having transitioned from a marketing engine for games into an independently monetized set of spectator sports, eSports are now garnering investment from traditional sports teams, selling out stadiums around the world, and attracting tens of millions of viewers. Bryce will explore the size and scope of the eSports industry in 2017, and will discuss how the digitally native eSports industry will pioneer new forms of technology from which the traditional sports industry will undoubtedly draw.

Join Dave Tenney, director of performance and sports science at the Seattle Sounders FC, and Dr. Laila Mintas, deputy president at Sportradar U.S., for a lively discussion 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.

Get the inside scoop on virtual reality in sports from VOKE co-founder Dr. Uma Jayaram, who sold her sports VR company to Intel last fall.

The co-chairman and CEO of Topgolf Entertainment Group discusses what’s next for the popular driving-range-meets-bowling-alley entertainment company.

Hang out with other Sports Tech Summit attendees, and check out sponsor booths and exhibitors. Snacks and beverages provided. Grab a chair massage from sponsor League, or test your running style with Brooks Running’s new Run Signature technology.

Dodgers CFO Tucker Kain, who oversees the team’s startup accelerator, discusses how technology is impacting professional baseball. Moderated by GeekWire sports tech reporter Taylor Soper.

A glimpse at the future of sports ticketing and the in-stadium fan experience with SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza.

Al Guido, who was named president of the San Francisco 49ers last year, will discuss how the Bay Area NFL team is using technology and talk about the construction of Levi’s Stadium, one of the most high-tech sports facilities in the world that opened in 2016.

The longtime sports executive and CEO of Oak View Group, which just won the renovation bid for Seattle’s Key Arena, will discuss how stadiums are changing to create more immersive fan experiences.

A recap of the day’s highlights.

Connect with new and old friends and discuss everything you learned at the Sports Tech Summit at this party hosted at CenturyLink Field. Snacks and beverages provided, great conversations guaranteed.

Keep the conversations going over peanuts, popcorn and fried grasshoppers! The Mariners are battling the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night, and you can take in the action at Safeco Field. Note: Mariners’ tickets are not included as part of your Sports Tech Summit pass, but you can rally some of your friends and purchase tickets via the Mariners’ site here.

Speakers

Brandon Beck

Co-founder of Riot Games, Co-managing owner of Los Angeles FC

Brandon Beck Co-founder of Riot Games, Co-managing owner of Los Angeles FC

Brandon Beck and partner Marc Merrill are the co-founders of Riot Games and co-creators of the widely popular game League of Legends. Lifelong gamers, they started Riot (13th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for list in 2015) as a studio that would reimagine game development, delivery, and support from the enthusiast player’s perspective. Riot is a pioneer in the emerging world of esports and the recent League of Legends World Championships at Staples Center drew over 40mm live viewers on its broadcast.

Brandon is also a co-managing owner of the newest Major League Soccer club, Los Angeles FC.

Tod Leiweke

COO, National Football League

Tod Leiweke COO, National Football League

In September 2015 Tod Leiweke rejoined the NFL as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to rejoining the NFL, Leiweke was Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, which included the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena from June 2010 to August 2015. Leiweke was with the Lightning for five seasons managing the day-to-day operations of the franchise and arena. Leiweke also served as leader of Strategic Property Partners; the related real estate company with a vision of a major $2 billon dollar mixed use real estate transformation in downtown Tampa.

Before joining the Lightning, Leiweke served as CEO of the Seattle Seahawks and Vulcan Sports & Entertainment for seven years while also providing oversight of the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA). Leiweke served as first ever team President of the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) helping set in motion the team that is now regarded as a model franchise in Major League Soccer averaging over 40,000 fans per match. In addition, Leiweke was one of the Founders of the PGA Tour Champions event; The Boeing Classic that generated over $3 million dollars for the Virginia Mason Heart Institute. Preceding his time at the Seahawks, Leiweke served as President of the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. He also held an executive position with the PGA TOUR and held early career positions with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

Russ D'Souza

Co-founder, SeatGeek

Russ D'Souza Co-founder, SeatGeek

Russ D’Souza is a co‐founder of SeatGeek, the leading mobile app and search engine for live event tickets. Russ leads SeatGeek’s business functions, including business development and the growth of SeatGeek’s primary ticketing platform, SeatGeek Open. Since the company’s inception in 2009, Russ and the SeatGeek team have built best-in-class, fan-friendly features that include a top-notch user experience, the industry’s best selection of tickets, interactive seating maps, and proprietary Deal Score™ technology that ranks ticket listings by value.

The company has been named one of “America’s Most Promising Companies” by Forbes and one of the “World’s 100 Greatest Apps” by Business Insider, and Russ was named one of Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” in 2013, as well as one of Business Insider’s “Silicon Alley 100” in 2010. SeatGeek is the Official Ticketing Partner of Major League Soccer as well as the primary ticketer for MLS team Sporting Kansas City. Russ has grown SeatGeek to over 100 employees and raised more than $100 million in venture financing from the world’s leading investors, including Technology Crossover Ventures, Accel Partners, and Founder Collective, along with sports icons Peyton Manning, Shane Battier and Carmelo Anthony.

Prior to founding SeatGeek, Russ worked as a management consultant with Monitor Group in Boston. He is also the founder of two successful startups — Evolving Vox, a student-run furniture rental business at Dartmouth College, as well as Scribnia, a Yelp-style web application to discover bloggers and writers online. Russ graduated from Dartmouth College in 2007 with a degree in History.

John Clayton

ESPN Senior Writer

John Clayton ESPN Senior Writer

John Clayton began covering sports while still a student at Churchill Area High School. Starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 1972 training camp, he covered the team in twice-weekly dispatches in the St. Marys, Pennsylvania Daily Press. He later wrote for Steel City Sports, a weekly publication in Pittsburgh. In 1975, Steel City Sports changed into Score! Pittsburgh and Clayton was a staff writer, covering the Steelers. He also served as a stringer for a number of radio networks, including AP Radio, and covered games, providing the network with sound clips from locker room interviews after games involving Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams.

Clayton graduated from Duquesne University in 1976. He was hired by the The Pittsburgh Press  during his senior year at Duquesne. He had done part-time work for the paper while attending college.

Clayton eventually worked his way up to become the Steelers beat writer at the Press, before leaving the paper in 1986.[3] He moved across the country and began covering the Seattle Seahawks for The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington.[3]

In 1995, Clayton joined ESPN as a reporter and later added to his duties a weekly radio show during the NFL offseason. In 1998, Clayton was hired fulltime by ESPN>  He hosted the show with former NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury; the show included “Four Downs,” a debate with Salisbury over current NFL issues. In the early 1990s, he hosted a radio show KJR (AM) called “Sports Saturday” show on Saturday mornings. He is a regular caller to sports-talk radio stations around the country. Because of the transition to all-sports of KIRO (AM) Seattle, Clayton moved his show to the new ESPN station.

Clayton received the Dick McCann Memorial Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.[4] This distinction puts him in the “writer’s wing” of the Hall of Fame.[5]

He was also inducted into the sports hall of fame of his alma mater, Duquesne University, in 2001

Erik Anderson

Co-Chairman and CEO, Topgolf Entertainment

Erik Anderson Co-Chairman and CEO, Topgolf Entertainment

Erik Anderson is a leader in global innovation. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WestRiver Group (WRG) since 2002. WRG provides integrated capital solutions for the global innovation economy. Anderson is the Co-Chairman and CEO of Topgolf Entertainment Group, a global sports entertainment company. In this role, he has received numerous honors, including the 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Southwest Region.

Anderson is Vice-Chairman of ONEHOPE, a cause-centric consumer brand and technology company, most commonly known for its award-winning wine and world-class vineyard in Napa, Calif. Anderson is also on the Board of Directors for Singularity University, a global community using exponential technologies to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. Additionally, Anderson is the founder of America’s Foundation for Chess, currently serving 160,000 children in the United States with its First Move curriculum. He serves on the Board of Play Magnus, an interactive chess app inspired by Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Chess Champion. In addition, he is on the Board of Avista Corp (NYSE:AVA), an energy management company, where he serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee. His investment experience includes being Partner at Frazier Healthcare Partners, CEO of Matthew G. Norton Co. and Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co.

He earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree (Cum Laude) in Management Engineering from Claremont McKenna College. Anderson lives in Kirkland, Wash., with his family, including his wife Deborah and children Natalie, Claire and Trevor.

Sue Bird

Seattle Storm guard

Sue Bird Seattle Storm guard

Sue Bird is a one of the greatest players in WNBA history. Bird, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft, is entering her 15th season with the Seattle Storm. She helped the team win a WNBA championship in 2004 and again in 2010, while being named to the WNBA All-Star team nine times. She’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist and won two NCAA championships at the University of Connecticut.

Jerry Dipoto

Executive Vice President & General Manager, Seattle Mariners

Jerry Dipoto Executive Vice President & General Manager, Seattle Mariners

 

Jerry Dipoto was named as the ninth General Manager in Seattle Mariners history after being hired on Sept. 28, 2015.

In his first months on the job, Dipoto completely remade the Mariners Major League roster, as well as revamping the Mariners Major League staff, scouting and player development departments. From his hiring to Feb. 9, 2017, Jerry and his staff completed a MLB-high 39 separate trades (involving 99 players), including 13 trades (involving 35 players) from the end of the 2016 season to Feb. 9.

The reshaping of the roster and minor league system resulted in the 2016 Mariners organization playing 927 total games (at all levels) and only one — the final regular season game for the big league club — not having playoff implications.

Prior to being hired by Seattle, Dipoto was working as a Special Assistant for the Boston Red Sox. He joined the Sox after resigning from his position as the Los Angeles Angels General Manager on July 1, 2015.

Dipoto was the Angels GM from Oct. 29, 2011-July 1, 2015, helping guide the club to the American League West title in 2014, finishing with the most wins (98) in the Majors.

A veteran of 15 seasons as a baseball executive, he got his start immediately after retiring as a player in 2001. He was a special assistant for the Colorado Rockies (2001-02), followed by two seasons working in the scouting department for the Boston Red Sox (2003-04). He returned to the Rockies as the Director of Player Personnel (2005) and then moved to the Arizona organization as Vice President of Player Personnel (2006-10) and was appointed the Diamondbacks interim General Manager on July 1, 2010. he spent the 2011 season as the D-Backs Sr. VP of Scouting and Player Development.

Dipoto appeared in 390 Major League games, all in relief, with the Indians (1993-94), New York Mets (1995-96) and Colorado Rockies (1997-2000). The right-handed pitcher compiled a career 27-24 record with 49 saves and a 4.05 ERA prior to retiring during spring training in 2001 with a bulging disc in his neck.

He was originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 3rd round of the 1989 June Draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Tim Leiweke

Founder, Oak View Group

Tim Leiweke Founder, Oak View Group

Tim Leiweke founded Oak View Group (OVG) in 2015 and serves as the company’s CEO.  With over 30 years of global sports and entertainment experience, Leiweke is a widely respected industry leader and has been deeply involved in the evolution of the NHL, NBA and MLS. Leiweke partnered with music industry titan Irving Azoff (Azoff Madison Square Garden Entertainment) to launch OVG, a development and investment company comprised of an Arena & Stadium Alliance, a sponsorship subsidiary, an advisory group and a venture fund division which recently invested in Miami Beckham United led by global soccer icon, David Beckham.

Prior to OVG, Leiweke served as President and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). In his first year with MLSE, Leiweke led a transformation of the Toronto Raptors, which resulted in a record for wins and back-to-back Division Championships.  With Toronto FC, Leiweke orchestrated a dramatic overhaul, which ignited the club’s first ever playoff berth in 2015. It was during this time that Leiweke ranked fifth on the Sports Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential and eighth on Billboard’s 100 Most Powerful in Music – the only President & CEO to rank on both lists.

During his 18 years at the helm of AEG, Leiweke led the company’s evolution into a global live entertainment organization capable of developing, producing, marketing and managing sports and entertainment programming in its venues worldwide.  It was through Leiweke’s vision that the $2.5 billion L.A. LIVE complex was built in Downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to the STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition, Leiweke architected AEG’s global expansion, including development of O2 Arenas and stadiums in London, China and Germany. Leiweke then built AEG Live into the second largest promoter in the world with artists including; Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Rolling Stones, Black Eyed Peas, Kenny Chesney, Celine Dion, The Eagles and Katy Perry. AEG Live also became one of the world’s largest festival organizers through partnerships with the Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals.

 

Dave Finocchio

Co-founder and CEO, Bleacher Report

Dave Finocchio Co-founder and CEO, Bleacher Report

Dave Finocchio launched Bleacher Report in 2008 with three good friends who shared a common belief that the most knowledgeable and insightful fans deserve a meaningful voice in sports media. Since then he has positioned the brand to reshape the way millennial males consume content, moving from a website that reports aggregated sports news to a publisher that is provoking conversation at the crossroads of sport and culture.

Dave transformed the site both in terms of internal operation and external reputation. In 2012, Turner acquired Bleacher Report, calling on Dave to provide high-level direction for the rapidly evolving company. Through his leadership, the company now sees more social engagement across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram than nearly any other publisher in the U.S. Its video content and editorial caliber have grown significantly, and its companion Bleacher Report mobile application is among the most widely downloaded of any such offering in the industry.

A life-long sports nut with passion for hyperbole, Dave is consistently belittled for his views on Tim Tebow, The San Antonio Spurs, and Kurt Warner. Dave holds a BA in economics and history from the University of Notre Dame. He has previous experience in venture capital and private equity.

Al Guido

President, San Francisco 49ers

Al Guido President, San Francisco 49ers

Al Guido was named President of the San Francisco 49ers on February 15, 2016. Guido oversees all key business initiatives for the team.

Prior to being named President, Guido served as the team’s chief operating officer from 2014 to 2016. Under his direction, the construction and year-one operations of Levi’s Stadium exceeded all projections – finishing under budget on construction, with lower public debt than expected, delivering $2.8 million to the City of Santa Clara general fund from non-event revenue in just the first eight months of operations, and fully funding reserve cash balances for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority.

Levi’s Stadium has proven itself as a 360 degree entertainment venue in its first two years under Guido’s leadership. The venue has hosted Super Bowl 50, Wrestlemania 31, Major League Soccer, multiple Pac-12 Championship Football games, International Soccer giants Manchester United and Barcelona, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Grateful Dead, and NHL Outdoor Classic. This summer the stadium will play host to the largest soccer tournament on U.S. soil since the World Cup with the Copa America Centenario and will host the prestigious College Football National Championship Game, in 2019.

Guido received his bachelor of business administration from the College of New Jersey, where he played wide receiver for the school’s football program. In 2016, Guido was named to the Forty Under 40 list by both the Sports Business Journal and the San Francisco Business Times, for demonstrating industry excellence and innovation early in his career. He and his wife, Thea, have three daughters, Estella, Sloane and Tatum.

David Tenney

Director of Performance & Sports Science, Seattle Sounders

David Tenney Director of Performance & Sports Science, Seattle Sounders

David Tenney enters his third season as Director of Performance & Sports Science after spending the previous five seasons as fitness coach. He is one of Major League Soccer’s most respected and progressive minds in sports science.

Tenney implemented the Catapult GPS program which measures player movement in games and practices, as well as the Omegawave technology that tests player’s heart rate variability and state of readiness before and after participation.

Prior to joining Sounders FC, Tenney served as both Fitness and Goalkeeper Coach in Kansas City in 2007 and 2008, helping the Wizards reach the postseason both years. Kansas City reached the Conference Finals in 2007. He also holds an “A” license from the Czech Republic FA and NSCAA ‘Premier’ Diploma.

Karen Thomas

Managing director, Gensler

Karen Thomas Managing director, Gensler

Karen Thomas is Principal and Managing Director of the Seattle office of Gensler, a global design and planning firm that is networked across 45 locations on five continents. Consistently ranked by U.S. and international industry surveys as the leading architecture and interior design firm, their diverse market type expertise in sports, technology, hospitality, brand design, retail, and mixed use, allows them to bring an integrated design perspective to any project.

With over 30 years of experience as an award-winning architect, senior executive, and University of Washington faculty member, Thomas is a proven leader with an energetic passion for design, environmental sustainability, and community building. She has served on numerous executive boards supporting the arts, education and economic development. Thomas currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Seattle Sports Commission, and has worked with several local sports franchises and university athletic groups to further their brands and create memorable places and experiences. She believes that by fostering a strong sports culture in Seattle, we can bring together local businesses, people, and communities to create a world class sports destination.

Rick Fox

Founding Partner, VVP

Rick Fox Founding Partner, VVP

Rick Fox is a Founding Partner at Vision Venture Partners, spearheading the firm’s move into professional esports and providing strategic guidance, creative direction and business development support to each of VVP’s portfolio companies. Apart from VVP, Rick is renowned as a three time NBA Champion and former team captain for the LA Lakers. He is also a seasoned TV and film actor, as well as producer and analyst for NBA TV. Rick’s success also extends into the business world, with a winning record as an investor in the retail wireless business in Southern California, interactive video streaming innovator Smiletime, production studio HDFilms, esports powerhouse Echo Fox, among others. Rick holds a degree in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Dr. Uma Jayaram

Co-founder, VOKE; Managing Director, Intel Sports

Dr. Uma Jayaram Co-founder, VOKE; Managing Director, Intel Sports

Dr. Uma Jayaram is the Managing Director of Engineering for Intel True VR, a live-event virtual reality platform that is part of Intel Sports. Previously, she was the co-founder and COO of VOKE VR. The company was acquired by Intel in November 2016.

A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Jayaram has been on the founding teams of three technology companies. In addition to being a co-founder of VOKE, Dr. Jayaram was a co-founder of Integrated Engineering Solutions, a company providing customized engineering software solutions. She also co-founded Translation Technologies, a company that provides feature-based translations between CAD systems.

Dr. Jayaram has deep expertise and global recognition in virtual reality, artificial intelligence and engineering applications. She has published and lectured extensively on these topics. She was an Associate Professor at Washington State University and was the Associate Director of the Virtual Reality Lab at Washington State University,

One of the first women to receive an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, Uma has also been inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for her contributions to virtual reality and engineering as well as earning a “Lifetime Achievement” award by the International Society of Agile Manufacturing (ISAM).

Tucker Kain

CFO, Los Angeles Dodgers

Tucker Kain CFO, Los Angeles Dodgers

Tucker Kain enters his sixth year as CFO of the LA Dodgers and Managing Director of Guggenheim Baseball Management. Mr. Kain led the diligence effort in acquiring the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest team sports transaction in history, 2012. Since the purchase, Mr. Kain was also instrumental in navigating the execution of the Dodgers’ 25-year agreement with then Time Warner Cable to monetize the club’s local television rights, which included the creation and operation of a newly formed Regional Sports Network, SportsNetLA.

In 2015, under the direction of Mr. Kain, the Dodger ownership group launched a venture capital initiative to utilize the Dodger platform to create and participate in value and growth in the Sports and Entertainment industry. With a focus on technology, the Dodgers ran the first-ever Sports and Entertainment Accelerator, attracting over 575 applicants from 37 countries around the world. The 10 program companies selected participated in a 3-month acceleration program, culminating with a one-of- a-kind Demo Day at Dodger Stadium in early November, 2015. This program continued in 2016 with five companies and plans are underway for a 2017 accelerator.

Previously, Mr. Kain was a Vice President at Guggenheim Partners in New York City, working in the corporate credit group overseeing an investment portfolio in excess of $2.0 billion. Mr. Kain grew up in Cleveland Ohio and received his B.A. degree in Economics from Williams College. Kain was selected by Sports Business Journal for its 40 under 40 Award in 2014. He and his wife, Ali, and daughter Palmer, reside in Brentwood.

 

Jen Mueller

Reporter at Root Sports, Seahawks Sideline Reporter

Jen Mueller Reporter at Root Sports, Seahawks Sideline Reporter

Jen Mueller, America’s Expert Talker is rarely at a loss for words.  A 16-year sports broadcasting veteran, Mueller currently serves as the Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter.  She is also part of the Seattle Mariners television broadcast team on ROOT Sports.

In addition to her work on the sidelines, Mueller launched Talk Sporty to Me in 2009 and teaches corporate professionals how to make sports conversations useful in business.  Mueller published her second bookTalk Sporty to Me: Thinking Outside the Box Scores in January 2015.

Mueller graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2000 with degrees in Broadcasting Journalism and Public Policy.

Aaron Levine

Sports Director, Q13 Fox

Aaron Levine Sports Director, Q13 Fox

Aaron Levine is the Sports Director at Q13 Fox, who hosts nightly sportscasts, along with “Seahawks Gameday,” “Q It Up Sports,” and “Seahawks Saturday Night.” Even though he’s originally from Southern California, he hopes he can be accepted as a native from the Pacific Northwest, now that he’s been in Seattle more than ten years. He attended Stanford University with a major in History, and will always remember the championship celebrations – from the Seahawks Super Bowl win to the Sounders MLS Cup title to both Storm championships and the most recent Seattle T-Birds title as well.

Dr. Laila Mintas

Deputy President, Sportradar US

Dr. Laila Mintas Deputy President, Sportradar US

Laila joined Sportradar in 2016 and her current role sees her manage all the company’s operations across the USA. Off the back of high profile partnerships with the NBA, NFL, NHL and NASCAR, one of her main roles is as the senior liaison with those leagues and ventures, making sure Sportradar meets their needs and exploring opportunities to deliver further value to them. These partnerships focus on realizing the full power of sports data and ensuring that the respective sets of fans worldwide get the best level of insight and engagement possible, whichever platform or channel they choose to use.

Prior to joining Sportradar, Laila was the Director of Sports Integrity at CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer across North America, Central America and the Caribbean and before that, she held a position as Head of Legal and International Development for FIFA’s Early Warning System. Laila began her career as a lawyer, working for international law firm White & Case LLP, finalizing a Ph.D thesis around the issue of online betting during those years. Today, she still holds a position as Professor of Global Sports Law in the ISDE Program, lecturing out of Columbia University in New York and she continues to regularly write articles for the likes of World Sports Advocate and InsideWorldFootball.

Bryce Blum

Executive Vice President, Catalyst Sports & Media

Bryce Blum Executive Vice President, Catalyst Sports & Media

Bryce is an Executive Vice President at Catalyst Sports & Media, where he co-manages the esports advisory division. Catalyst serves as the bridge between traditional sports and esports, advising major sports teams and owners, brands, and investors on how to successfully enter and navigate the esports space. Bryce also founded ESG Law, the world’s first dedicated esports law firm, where he represents preeminent esports teams, talent, and institutions. Bryce’s work spans across the esports landscape – he has worked on major deals involving every esports title, and his clients range from long-standing, endemic esports entities to marquee sports, media, and entertainment companies looking to capitalize on the explosive growth of the industry. Bryce is a contributing writer for ESPN, and drives industry standards as a thought leader on key legal and business issues facing all aspects of the esports ecosystem.

Jesse Sullivan

Director of Business Development for Smart Solutions, CenturyLink

Jesse Sullivan Director of Business Development for Smart Solutions, CenturyLink

As Director of Business Development for CenturyLink’s Smart Solutions practice, Jesse focuses on developing CenturyLink’s go to market strategy as part of CenturyLink’s IoT intiative.  Jesse works in conjunction with customers, business partners and internal resources to develop turnkey solutions for verticals such as Smart Venues, Smart Cities, Smart Hospitality and Smart Fleet.  Jesse’s expertise comes in the Smart Venue/District vertical.  Jesse has led projects at Target Field, US Bank Stadium, CenturyLink Complex and District Detroit, focusing on enhancing the patron experience while driving revenue growth.  Jesse began his 17 year career as a Sr. Sales Specialist at AT&T and has held numerous technical sales related positions at CenturyLink.  Jesse attended college at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN.  Jesse enjoys staying active in his free time golfing, boating, playing ice hockey and spending time with his family.  Jesse is married and has two children.

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