“Sports Digital Forum 2018” was held at Kashima Stadium on September 7th (Friday), and 8th (Saturday). The event was organized by Kashima Antlers FC, with the co-host Japan Professional Football League (J.League). The event invited two guest speakers from the USA, who oversee digital strategy for LA Galaxy (Major League Soccer), and Chicago Bulls (National Basketball League) respectively. Presentations, and panel discussions about technology in sports and digital sports marketing were conducted for the attendees (approximately 80), who mainly were from J.League clubs, professional baseball teams, and other sports entities.



The event kicked off with opening remarks from Hiroshi Shono, President, Kashima Antlers. “With the recent emergence of technology in our business, we have been studying the latest cases of ICT strategies, and marketing strategies from MLS and NBA in the USA. We would like to learn, examine and understand deeply so we can start to invest in these areas soon. This is one of the reasons we are accommodating this forum”.



Next, Takehiko Nakamura, Global Strategy Officer, Kashima Antlers, who was the facilitator for all panel discussions at this forum, explained about the club’s New York office’s activities and objectives.



Following these opening speeches Brendan Hannan’s, Vice President, LA Galaxy, presentation took place. His presentation - “LA Galaxy Business Overview” – described the overview of LA Galaxy’s business, and the club’s digital strategy. He presented about how American clubs are conducting digital marketing and described how big the social media impact was for LA Galaxy when the global star Zlatan Ibrahimović, who played at major clubs such as Manchester United and AC Milan, transferred to the LA Galaxy.



Dan Moriarti, Digital Director, Chicago Bulls was next. His presentation – “Chicago Bulls: How the Chicago Bulls Build & Monetize Digital Audiences” – highlighted how Chicago Bulls have been recently expanding in the digital sphere, explained how the team’s digital department is structured, policies regarding content creation, and the pathway to monetization.



Following the these presentations, Nakamura joined them for a panel discussion regarding digital marketing for sports business in the USA.



After the panel discussion about the latest cases in the USA, presentations from Japan side took place. First up was Hiroaki Dei, President, J.League Digital – “Where J.League’s Digital Strategy Stands Today”. He described on its digital strategy, from a platform point of view, that the league has been moving forward with the clubs.



Hideki Suzuki, Managing Director and Head of Business, Kashima Antlers presented about Antlers’ business, digital strategy, and stadium business in his presentation – “Club Business and Digital Strategy”.



The two executives joined Nakamura for the panel discussion, mainly about J.League’s digital marketing, and concluded the first day.



The second day opened with a tour of Kashima Stadium, where attendees were split into 2 groups. The tour was not only within the stadium but also Antlers Sports Clinic that is built in the stadium mall. Attendees were also able to experience VR/AR technology demonstrations, which the club allows fans to enjoy on game days.



















Following the stadium tour, Yohei Kasuga, Group Head, Marketing Group, and Koji Tsuchikura, Strategist, Marketing Group, presented about Antlers’ digital marketing cases that leads to the club’s smart stadium plan.





At the end, the final panel discussion took place where Brendan, Dan, Yohei and Nakamura took the stage to do a closing discussion to wrap up the 2-day forum.



Antlers, along with J.League, were able to share with many of the attendees about its smart stadium plan, and the importance of digital marketing which is the core to club business. Antlers aim to further its digital strategy by continuing to aggressively study more from the USA about its latest cases, and through developing close relationships, and exchanging information with many others.