Rick Burton, the chief operating officer of Playbk Sports, recently attended a showcase event that the Australian government and its Trade and Investment Commission hosted on March 4 at the American Australian Association in New York City.
In an event hosted by Heather Ridout, AO, Consul General of Australia to New York, Burton joined Delaware North chief executive officer Jerry Jacobs Jr., speaking on a panel covering a range of wide-reaching topics during a night entitled “Australian Sport: More than Athletic Ability.”
Burton’s panel appearance with Jacobs followed Jacobs’ keynote, and comprehensive afternoon sessions held at the Australian Consulate focused on Australian sports technology were attended by 11 different Australian companies’ intent on listening to a series of Australian and American executives discussing topics such as financial investment, event security, emerging stadium innovations, information and data technology, artificial intelligence, and suggestions on ways Australian sports firms can efficiently enter the U.S. market.
“This was a gathering we’ve long discussed and wanted to conduct,” said Rachel Howard, Australian Trade and Investment Commissioner. “To bring together so many different sport verticals willing to talk about the challenging developments in the global sports ecosystem was magnificent.”
Burton and Jacobs’ panel was moderated by NBC Sports broadcaster Leigh Diffey, one of the few Australian broadcasters working for one of the major American networks.
“While Playbk Sports is well known in Australia for working with teams like the Gold Coast SUNS and Brisbane Broncos, an international football league like the NFL or Special Olympics Australia and AusCycling,” said Playbk co-founder Jon Shepherd, “having Rick represent us in New York provides further proof Playbk regularly operates on the global stage.”
“The Australian Trade and Investment Commission deserves so much credit for bringing this elite group together,” said Burton, who formerly served as the commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League and as Chief Marketing Officer for the United States Olympic Committee. “I write about topics involving sports technology frequently, and what the Commission achieved will benefit numerous Australian firms going forward. There’s little doubt that what Playbk Sports has achieved in Australia can be transferred and amplified in the USA, with education, fitness, and athlete development all benefiting from the seismic growth of technology in sport.”
As part of his panel remarks, Burton noted how sports leagues and teams around the world will need to master technological developments that enable young fans to build an avidity for a sport, a favourite team, or a superstar athlete. Education technology, fitness technology, social media, augmented/virtual reality, eSports, and artificial intelligence customising content for the individual viewer are coming and will dictate the difference between future sustainability and reduced visibility. Playbk Sports sits at the forefront of these innovation trends, especially enabling sporting leagues and teams to scale their visibility in the education sector across the country.
Australians featured during the afternoon panels included Tim Stollznow, founder and CEO of MyVenue (South Australia), Christopher Grant, co-founder and solution architect for Rosterfy (Victoria), and Sam Vial, Commercial Director of Vailo, a South Australian advanced technology company specialising in ultra-high-performance LED sports lighting. The other Australian firms in attendance included Fivecast (SA), Neo eX (Victoria), Big Screen Video (SA), EngageRM (Victoria), Playspark (Victoria), Smart Entry Technologies (Queensland), VueMotion (New South Wales), and Playbk Sports (Queensland).
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Justin Lavadia is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum with a diverse writing background spanning various niches and formats. With a wealth of experience, he brings clarity and concise communication to digital content. His expertise lies in crafting engaging content and delivering impactful narratives that resonate with readers.
