Next month sees a first for the UK when a new digital conference comes to the capital city.  After 4 years of successful events in the US, founder of Coyle Media and Sports Marketing 2.0 is making his first venture into Europe.

It promises a great day with a great line up of speakers that include;

Dan Markham – VP International Media Distribution, NBA

Jez Jowett – Global Social Media Director, Havas Sports & Entertainment

Maz Nadjm – Director of Social Media, TSL Education

Russell Stopford – Head of Digital, Manchester City

Matt Owen – Community Manager, Liverpool

Jae Chalfin – Founder, Sports New Media

……and many more (including me!)

Ahead of this event I had a chance to sit down with the host of the event and owner of Coyle Media, Pat Coyle, to talk about the event in some more detail;

Hi Pat, we’re looking forward to your ‘Fanographie’ event here in London next month.  You’ve been hosting successful digital events over in the US for a while now.  How did they first come about? and where did the name ‘Fanographie’ come from?

I held my first Sports Marketing 2.0 event in New York back in 2008, shortly after I left my job at the Indianapolis Colts and formed Coyle Media. I ran 3 or 4 sports 2.0 events annually up until last year, when I changed the name to “Digital Fan Marketing Summits.” I made this change in order to broaden the scope of our conversation and potential attendees. We still focus on sports and digital, but now we also include all forms of digital entertainment (i.e. music, TV, games, movies) in our scope. I changed the name from DFM to Fanographie this year. I needed a word that represented the “science” of digital fan marketing, so I made one up. It’s a bit more fun, don’ t you think?

Now you’ve decided to run your first one outside of the US.  What was it about London that made you run it here?

I chose London for several reasons. First,  much of the UK’s media and sport is centered there. Also, I see some amazing innovation in the digital entertainment realm coming out of London, and I want to get over there and see what’s happening first hand. Finally, I felt my professional network had grown strong enough there that I could get the support (from guys like you) needed to put on a quality event.

You’ve attracted some great speakers.  What do you hope people who come along will be able to take from the day?

Fanographie is about content and about relationships. If attendees can come away with even one solid idea, and one new relationship, then the investment of their time will be well worth it. Happily, most attendees get much more than this. We challenge our speakers to bring case studies. We want to learn from their experiences, both successes fan failures; and we want our attendees and friends to spend time getting to know each other. That’s why we take 15 minute breaks every hour, and that’s why we hold a reception at the end…so that we can break bread and build relationships. We work in a rapidly changing marketplace. When you need to find answers, it’s often fastest to call someone you know in the space. Attending Fanographie increases the chances you’ll know the right people when the time comes to solve a problem.

In a previous article here on UKSN you talked about the year ahead in social and how more personalized forms of advertising, digital ticket marketing and social TV are the things to watch out for.  Do you think these are areas in which the UK is ready and UK sport especially?

It’s hard for me to say with certainty what the UK is ready for since I don’t live there and have no direct experience with the market. I can say that shows like X Factor and Idol are groundbreaking, and I’m excited that we’ve got Clare Tavernier from Fremantle delivering a keynote that will include content about those shows and more. We’ve also got Ticketmaster U.K. on tap. As you know that company is really making wonderful progress selling tickets via the social graph. So yes. It seems the UK is definitely ready.

We’re often said to be behind the US in terms of social media.  What is perception of our efforts from across the pond?

I suppose it depends on how you look at it. In some areas the UK is ahead, and in others perhaps it’s behind the U.S. on the digital adoption curve. Anyway, that’s partly why I’m coming over, so that we can share information and see who’s ahead and who’s behind…not because this is a contest, but because we want to borrow ideas from each other. We don’t compete. I believe the industry is only as strong as its weakest link. We can help each other reach goals faster by sharing information. I hope Fanographie will be the beginning of an ongoing dialogue among any / all digital sports and entertainment specialists in the UK and across Europe and the world.

Its only a few weeks now until your London event.  What are your hopes for it and are you planning more events in the future?

I hope we can pack the house and send everyone home excited to go to work the next day to implement things they’ve learned. And yes I do hope to come back again, perhaps we can make this an annual event. That would be fantastic. As a consultant, I also hope to find properties who might like to engage my services. I’d welcome a chance to come over and live in Europe for a while.

You can find out more about the event and get tickets for it at www.fanographie.com