On Monday, the final Soccerex event to be held in Manchester will begin. It’s a big-name event that brings together the great and the good from the football world, showcasing for a series of talks, interviews and many exhibitors to check out.

This will be my third visit, and no doubt my busiest. Previously I’ve run the social media content, before they brought in the pros at LiveWire Sport (!), and last year was my first covering it as media. This year I will not only be covering some of the sessions and grabbing people for podcasts (two already confirmed – more on that soon) but I will be moderating two panels sessions as well.

The Future of Fan Generated Content

On Monday I’ll be leading an illustrious panel that includes Copa90, BT Sport, SportBIBLE and ArsenalFanTV. Fan channels have been on the rise for the last few years and is a topic I know well from my time with Copa90, many years ago now, and Fremantle Media’s Football Republic. They are becoming more accepted as part of the sports media landscape by clubs, fans and the industry.  But is there a fine line between producing authentic fan content and running a business that requires advertising and branded videos?

And on the other side there is the greater incorporation of UGC content within programmes, where fans get to shape the agenda.  BT Sports’ Premier League Tonight show incorporates phone videos from fans to create a new take on BBC Five Live’s 606. And then there’s Copa90 with their network of global creators. Lots to discuss.

The Rise of Influencer Marketing

Tuesday’s panel links in quite nicely with Monday’s. The panel on the influencers involved will discuss their role in the process. Many brands now turn towards these fan channels and football influencers to access their young audience, something both brands and broadcasters traditionally struggle to achieve.

But who exactly are these influencers and how are brands working with them? It’s an area that has so many unknowns as it is such a young industry, as we see with the rise of influencer marketing agencies. The speed of their growth is something to behold. But who are the winners and who are the losers here? And can you, as a creator or an influencer, really be authentic and true to what you’ve built if an agency wants it to be done a certain way?

There’s lots to discuss, and with the likes of Matt Wilson of Ball Street and Brave Bison’s Will Pyne involved there will be no shortage of opinion!

So if you’re going to be at Soccerex then do let me know. I’ll be there with my newly Digital Sport branded laptop so stop me and say hi if you see it!

And don’t forget, it’s less than 2 weeks (!) until the first Digital Sport monthly event is upon us. Discussing ‘The Future of (Digital) Sports Broadcasting” with Wimbledon, Sky Sports, DAZN and Octagon. You can still get tickets at here!