SBC Summit Lisbon is fast approaching and this week the exciting news dropped that skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for day two of the event.

To find out more about how SBC managed to secure such a big name and what to expect from his keynote speech, Joe Streeter, Editor of CasinoBeats and SlotBeats, is joined on iGaming Daily by Aidan Brain, VP of Conference Production at SBC.

On what insights Hawk might offer, Aidan said: “There are so many stages to his life. He became a skateboarding champion and then he transcended the role of just being an athlete when he moved into building a brand. He just spun out so many things from that initial athletic success which not all athletes do.

“I think that’s a big lesson for anybody in the audience, no matter what industry they’re in. You can have one bit of success and that’s great, but you can capitalise on that success and turn it into something much bigger and that’s who really succeeds in the world that we’re in. They don’t just have one bit of success and stay there, they take that and use it as a springboard to something else.”

Hawk is not the only high-profile figure to be booked in as a speaker at an SBC event in recent times as legendary NFL quarterback Dan Marino was the keynote at the SBC Summit North America earlier this year.

It can be a lengthy process to book guests and Aidan explains how and why different speakers are chosen.

He said: “Who is the audience going to recognise? Who has a connection to the world of sports or the world of the internet and technology? That’s how we narrow it down. So we start with a huge pool, and then we slowly whittle it down to who is going to have the most impact and who is going to have the most relevance for the audience.”

Given that the start of the SBC Summit Lisbon is looming large, the pair discuss what else is to be expected at the event and Aidan says that there are so many elements of the event that will “take your breath away”.

He adds that he has been working in events and conferences for the last ten years and he has “never seen an event like this”. 

To end the episode Aidan is asked to offer some advice to attendees of the event and he recommends that they create a schedule for the event on the SBC Connect app due to the sheer number of conferences and speeches taking place.

He added: “I definitely say bring some comfy shoes because it’s massive. You might have a meeting at booth 300 and you’re at booth two which might take 15 minutes to get to. So have some nice shoes. 

“But just come expecting a lot of fun networking as well. The stuff that we’ve got planned for every night is incredible. So make sure you’ve got some energy for the networking parties because you’re going to need it.”