“For a lot of us that have been focused a lot on feet and seats, and getting fans in [stadium] and providing the best fan experience, now we're talking about a significant shift in dollars to go create and curate the Metaverse."
Kate Denton, Vice President of Brand Marketing for the Indiana Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Megan Cantwell, Vice President of Integrated Marketing for the Chicago Fire Football Club dive into what future innovations mean for individual sports teams.
They discuss everything from fan participation in the recent rebrand at Chicago Fire, to the role of the pandemic in accelerating fans' adoption of new technologies. They talk about the response of teams in venue, as well as across various digital platforms including everything from social media, to streaming, eSports and beyond.
This shifting role of team brands is being driven primarily by changing fan expectations, and existing athlete rights, as teams transition from a focus on traditional business models to address emerging digital platforms like the Metaverse.
Megan and Kate also discuss role of the player-athlete as brand and media platform. They share how teams and leagues can play a role in democratizing access to exclusive content that may have once only been available to season ticket holders in the past.
What will it be like to be a fan in 2030?
How do teams innovate to capture the next generation of fans?
Listen to the full episode to learn more.
This discussion was recorded live as part of VentureFuel’s Whats Next Now series.
VentureFuel builds and accelerates innovation programs for industry leaders by helping them unlock the power of External Innovation via startup collaborations.
