The International Sports Convention has marked its biggest edition to date at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with an event that championed the growing diversity of industry perspectives and explored the many new challenges that lie in wait.
Hundreds of delegates joined Victor, the official ISC mascot, and 116 speakers from a broad range of sectors – representing major players like the NFL, the NBA, LaLiga, Unilever and EA Sports – to enjoy two full days of live content and conversation.
Discussions on stage at ISC 2025 captured much of the change that has swept through sport in recent years – not least since the first event in Zurich back in 2009. The key themes also reflected that transition: the growing role of fan-led media, the next wave of opportunities for women’s sport, the shifting investment landscape, the impact of data and AI, and the need to evolve more agile content strategies as the established media rights model comes under threat.
That brought more and different ideas into the space, from speakers with an unprecedented variety of backgrounds and specialisms. Sports brands and rights holders are looking past old broadcast and sponsorship templates to seek their own paths to success, building unique relationships with supporters and partners.
Athletes and fans will remain at the heart of those efforts. In session after session, speakers stressed the importance of making enduring connections with audiences, aligning with the real needs and purposes of brand partners, and embracing local, community-level culture to power reach and relevance.
The ISC 2025 programme also addressed enduring priorities for sports professionals, like integrity and safeguarding, and more that will define its future, like sustainability.
The companies installed on a vibrant exhibition floor also showcased the breadth of the business of sport in 2025. Major consumer brands shared space with tech innovators, event signage and service providers, destinations for sports tourism and high-performance competitors, and emerging voices in sports business media.
ISC 2025 also expanded the delegate experience. There were more networking opportunities on offer, with time for connections and conversation at the end of each conference day. And there was a chance to recognise the best and brightest of the sports industry over the past year.
The ISC Awards celebrated the achievements of 18 winners, once again underlining the many creative, compelling ways in which individuals and organisations are reframing visions of sport in 2025.
This ongoing change was confirmed in the final session of ISC 2025, as the Olympic Channel’s Benny Bonsu relayed the news – on stage – that Kirsty Coventry had been elected as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee. That will herald a new chapter for the IOC and for sport as a whole.
International Sports Convention is also evolving to meet the demands of the era ahead. The 2025 calendar will feature more events than ever.
The USA Soccer Summit will take delegates into sport’s biggest market as it prepares to host the FIFA Club World Cup and men’s FIFA World Cup. ISC 30 Under 30 will offer a platform to the brightest young talent in the industry. The ISC Brands and Sponsorship Summit and the ISC Fan Engagement Summit will highlight cutting-edge trends for brands, rights holders and content owners, while the ISC Women’s Sport Business Summit will dive deep into the fastest-growing sector in the industry.
ISC 2025 captured a moment of excitement and possibility in the business is sport – and there is plenty more to come.
