SBC Summit Lisbon can offer an “extraordinary experience” that is “different than anybody’s ever seen before” according to SBC’s Marketing Director, Dennis Algreen.
Appearing on the Knup Sports Show, hosted by Ryan Knuppel, Algreen spoke about what goes into organising an event like the SBC Summit and also what attendees can expect from the conference.
On the summit, Algreen said: “We’re adding elements that I have not seen any other industry event do at this stage. That includes big-name keynotes and headliners. We announced not too long ago that Tony Hawk will present a keynote there.”.
“It’s really important that we’re making sure that we present the audience with something that they will be able to walk away from with many different kinds of value. There’s the personal experience, the knowledge that we can relay them with and the connections you can make.”
He added that with efficiency and the right mindset, there are “months and months of sales or exploration work that could be done in about a week”.
This is the first year that the SBC Summit is being held in Lisbon after previously taking place in Barcelona.
Algreen explained that the shift in location is due to the growing demand and “hunger” for the event.
He said: “We got just over 2000 attendees [in 2020], the following year just over 6000 and then last year 14,000. So it is obvious that demand and hunger for this event is there in the market. People find this beneficial and I do think that we also provide a level of quality that we’ve been able to scale up to these kinds of larger events.
“Lisbon offered a venue that has a lot of extraordinary stuff. Aside from just over 100,00 square metres, which is used when you’re trying to scale things up, it includes stuff like an indoor super stage which allows us to build a stage and a conference space that I don’t think the industry has ever seen before.”
Another key part of any event is networking with others within the industry.
As well as the usual networking parties Algreen described some of the other unique networking opportunities on offer, including the SBC Football Championship which this year is being held at Benfica’s Estadio Da Luz.
He said: “One of the things I’ve always loved about our events is the SBC Football Championship. There’s a bit of a spectacle to it, but it’s a friendly competition that allows people to not only play but also spectate. It’s a nice networking opportunity because not every single networking event has to have pumping music in the background.
“Also, on Monday, you can go on a tour of the beautiful city of Lisbon. There are arranged tours you can join with other attendees that’s a unique opportunity to strike up a casual conversation. We know that in this industry, those are often vital for you to explore and discover new business opportunities, some that you may not have even been aware of.”
Algreen added that the conference team is working on a closing party following the SBC Awards, held at the Meo Arena, and he promised that three world-class DJs have been booked to perform on the super stage during the end-of-conference event.
