2026 Conference Seminars

"Reinventing Social Sports"

See 2026 Conference Seminar Details Below:

Make sure to RSVP to the seminars in your Conference App!!

SEMINAR SCHEDULE

* Seminar topics & times subject to change

SEMINAR DETAILS

Wed, Feb 25 (10:15a-11:45a)
- From First Season to Forever Fan
  - TBD
  - Getting new customers is hard. The key is turning that First Season player into a Forever Fan so they stay with you for years to come. From creating a great experience to catering to aging players, it can be tricky to keep them playing for 3, 5 or 10 years to come. But these Forever Fans should be the backbone of your player base. Learn how to make that happen!
- Battling Employee Burnout: keeping your best people
  - Kayla & Tyler (FXA Sports)
  - Everyone experiences some sort of burnout at some point...and our industry is no exception. This seminar will discuss ways to identify it, tackle it, and reduce that stress and burnout that eventually creeps in. We will focus on both the employee side of the issue as well and methods for management to reduce it for their staff.
- Programmatic advertising- the good, the bad, the possible
  - TBD
  - This seminar explores the evolving world of programmatic advertising, examining how automated ad buying has revolutionized digital marketing through precision targeting and real-time optimization. It highlights both the advantages—like efficiency and data-driven insights—and the drawbacks, such as transparency issues, fraud risks, and privacy concerns. Finally, it looks ahead to the future possibilities of ethical automation, AI integration, and smarter audience engagement in a rapidly changing ad landscape.
Wed, Feb 25 (12:45p-1:45p)
- 10 best field day or bar olympic games (and more!)
  - Chris Giebner & Panel (Club Sport)
  - Getting new customers is hard. The key is turning that First Season player into a Forever Fan so they stay with you for years to come. From creating a great experience to catering to aging players, it can be tricky to keep them playing for 3, 5 or 10 years to come. But these Forever Fans should be the backbone of your player base. Learn how to make that happen!
- Setting expectations for staff...tone & culture on and off the field
  - Luke Wade (MediaAlly)
  - Every club is only as good as the face they present to their players. The key is to prepare your staff properly to convey the tone and culture you expect both on and off the field. We will explore tips and guidance so every member of your team is on board with spreading a consistent message to all your customers.
- Video Editing: Canva, CapCut and more!
  - TBD
  - Video is key in advertising and social media. But what's the best way to create, edit, shoot, and produce these videos? With so many apps and programs out there, which ones are the best, easiest, or most productive? Time to find out!!
Wed, Feb 25 (2:00p-3:00p)
- What's different about youth sports? Legal & Logistical differences
  - Tim Ferris (Average Joe Sports)
  - Many SSIA clubs have dabbled in the youth sports realm, and still others have questions on whether they should dive in. Youth sports present their own challenges from legal, logistic, and operational standpoints that are different than the adult sports we all run. Come hear from a long time player in this field on their experiences.
- Selling to your players: A deeper dive!
  - Ky Rapp (PUMP) & Julia Morgan (Club Sport)
  - This will build off the highly rated 2025 seminar. We will expand on how to be the best sales person to your players from some other viewpoints. These interactions with your customers are some of the most important parts of your business. Learn some more tools to increase ther satisfaction and how to best prepare your staff (aka sales people) for success!
- Next Level Marketing: Focus on specific skills
  - Rebecca Whitney (Striker Sports)
  - We will dive into the targeted techniques that separate good marketers from great ones. This seminar explores key competencies like data-driven decision making, content strategy, and customer engagement optimization. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and practical tools to elevate their marketing effectiveness across all channels.
Thurs, Feb 26 (11:00a-12:30p)
- AI 2.0 - continuing to learn best uses!
  - Rebecca Whitney (Striker Sports)
  - We will continue the conversation in the best use of Artificial Intelligence in the Sport & Social Industry. From productivity tools on the operations side to the best chatbots on the customer facing side of your business. Cut down on repetitive tasks and make the most of your time with these modern day tools.
- SSIA Legends: from a standout non-owner prospective!
  - Pedro Garcia (Houston Sport and Social)
  - Over the last few conference there has been some very successful seminars profiling some legends in the industry who are owners in their respective clubs. This year it was requested to highlight a highly respected legend in the industry who is not in a major ownership capacity. Pedro will detail his start in the industry, their rise, and what lessons he has learned and pitfalls he's experienced.
- What worked this year in Social Media?
  - TBD
  - Trends change fast! So should your social media plans. We will go over what the big trends were in 2025 and if those will carry on or be replaced with something new. Keeping current is key in this fast changing aspect of the SSIA.
Thurs, Feb 26 (1:45p-2:45p)
- Pickup Games - formats, pricing, registration & more
  - Lynn Clementi (Chicago Sport & Social)
  - Field space is sacred, and letting it go unused is a sin. Many clubs who cannot get an ongoing league off the ground have turned to pickup games and popup play. If done right it can be profitable, allow players to be engaged, and keep your field space secure. We will go over various formats, pricing, registration issues and more!
- Operator to CEO - how to handle scaling
  - Kristi Harold (JAM Sports)
  - Most entrepreneurs start as operators — the ones who roll up their sleeves to get the job done. But as the business grows, the demands change. Success requires shifting from working 'in' the business to working 'on' the business. This transition is the transition from operator to CEO. In this seminar, we'll explore how to step out of the weeds without losing control, building systems that scale, and how to trust and empower your team to execute at a high level. We'll cover delegation, accountability, and culture, while addressing the mindset shifts required to go from working in the business to working on the business.
- How to best utilize TikTok and other platforms to reach new audiences
  - TBD
  - Often the point of social media apps isn't connecting with your current players, it is to get in front of new eyeballs and convert them into customers. This seminar will specifically using these platforms to not target your current database, but to get in front of new people. It's not always as easy is slapping up new content, so buckle up and be ready to learn!
Thurs, Feb 26 (3:00p-4:00p)
- Social Sports Glue to make it more than a game
  - TBD
  - On field competition likely isn't the full reason why people choose to come back season after season. 'The glue' is the 'off field' experience including making new friends, hanging out at the bar and finding a spot to belong, as well as the unseen experience such as easy registration, a complimentary digital experience, and consistency in your product. This session dives into the details of all the little levers you can pull to make your organization stickier.
- Marketing Checklist: What to look for when hiring someone in your marketing seat
  - Luke Wade (MediaAlly)
  - There comes a time when clubs will be on the hunt for marketing help, either in house or on a contract basis. When that time comes, what should you look for? What skills are essential? What are some Green & Red flags in potential candidates? All this and more!
- Targeting and maintaining local sponsorships
  - TBD
  - Not all sponsorships are the "Golden Goose" national brand type. Sometimes getting and maintaining local sponsorships can be both profitable as well as great community relations. The sport & social industry is hyper-local so reaching out to local brands should a no-brainer...if done right. Learn some tips and tools to get the most out of these deals without giving away the farm.
Friday, Feb 27 (9:30a-10:30a)
- How to be a confident women in the industry
  - Moderator (TBD) and Panel
  - Women are often underrepresented in the sports industry, however that is not necessarily the case in social sports. Even though the breakdown in the social sports industry is (include statistic here), women in our industry often face different challenges than men. This highly requested session is open to all, and will focus on a panel of successful, confident, and well respected women in our industry. This panel of women will share their tips and tricks about how they've successfully navigated the social sports industry, as well as offer guidance for anyone who may have questions as they look to continue their career in social sports. The goal is to provide takeaways for all attendees to make sure our workplaces are welcoming to all!
Friday, Feb 27 (11:00a-12:00p)
- Breakout sessions
  - These will be split by club size and will be moderated to lead a free-form talk about issues pressing to each group of attendees. Make sure to bring up your topics and ideas you want to talk about!