Portuguese technology company Focus BC, will showcase Virtual Venue, a collaborative platform that supports organizers in planning and delivering events more efficiently, during World Football Summit Asia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 12-13 December 2023.
Validated by high-caliber organizations such as UEFA, FIFA or FIBA, Virtual Venue will seek to expand its footprint across the global football industry; The partnership between both organizations extends to World Football Summit events in 2024, including Football Innovation Forum, World Football Summit Americas and World Football Summit Europe.
The football industry is embracing new technologies at an exponential rate. One of these groundbreaking shifts relates to the adoption of virtual technologies, which helps football properties connect with any stakeholder around the world at any time and drive operational efficiencies across the sports business.
After working with top sports bodies such as FIFA, UEFA, or FIBA, across more than 40 events, Virtual Venue has demonstrated its ability to deliver cost savings, reduce carbon footprints, enhance event quality, and boost team productivity. Now, Virtual Venue is set to showcase its collaborative platform at WFS Asia. This innovative tool unites event organizers, fostering efficient event planning and delivery by bringing teams together in a shared virtual space.
Scheduled for 12 and 13 December 2023 with the backdrop of the FIFA Club World Cup, the second edition of WFS Asia aims to bring together over 1,200 representatives and stakeholders from the football ecosystem. The event will feature 130+ speakers, with 70% of attendees being decision-makers from leading football properties and sports businesses.
The decision to host WFS Asia in Saudi Arabia highlights the country’s growing prominence as a global sports powerhouse and a force of sports innovation. The Kingdom has already secured the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and FIFA Club World Cup and has attracted top talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar or Benzema. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is the sole contender for hosting the 2034 Men’s FIFA World Cup. Alongside football, the nation has made significant strides in other sports, including LIV, eSports, for which they will start hosting an annual eSports World Cup in 2024, and more.
The partnership between Virtual Venue and World Football Summit will then extend across WFS events in 2024, including:
Football Innovation Forum, taking place in London on May 31st.
World Football Summit Americas, being held Mexico in June 2024.
World Football Summit Europe, which will return to Seville in September 2024.
Virtual Venue operates as a map-centric system, fostering collaboration among all event delivery teams using shared digital twin sites. Designed for user autonomy, it empowers even non-experts to tackle complex tasks. Together, teams define the event overlay and workflows, ensuring consistent communication and actions based on real-time information. User-friendly dashboards, featuring relevant KPIs, assist management in focusing on critical issues.
Since its inception in 2016, WFS has successfully attracted over 24,000 attendees across 18 events and has built a global community of 100,000+ sports industry executives throughout its platforms. Top names in the industry, including Gianni Infantino, Fatma Samoura, Ronaldo Nazario, Samuel Eto’o, Peter Moore, and Cindy Parlow-Cone have participated, showcasing the event’s significance in the global football landscape.
“As a global product, we are eager to explore opportunities in Saudi Arabia at WFS Asia and other prominent football markets worldwide,” Virtual Venue managing partner Vasco Pinheiro. “Partnering with WFS aligns perfectly with our long-term global strategy to penetrate these markets. Our commitment is to continue to position Virtual Venue as the industry standard for sports event organization.”
Sharing his opinion on this partnership, World Football Summit co-founder and director Jan Alessie said: “World Football Summit is committed to help the football industry embrace innovation, which is why we are excited to welcome Virtual Venue to the WFS network. We are confident that, given their expertise with other major sports properties, they will be able to bring value to the ecosystem and help solve inefficiencies that are currently preventing business growth.”
