The Business of Women’s Sports: How Social Media Teams Are Challenging the Status Quo

Wednesday, July 23 | 12:30 PM ET

The Business of Women’s Sports

How Social Media Teams Are Challenging the Status Quo

Women’s sports fans tend to skew younger than male sports, which brings a different set of expectations for how they connect with their favorite teams. Social media plays a pivotal role in making – and keeping – those connections in women’s sports. So how are social media teams adjusting their strategies?

What we will cover:

• How social media teams are adapting their content to new, female-forward audiences
• Innovative approaches to establishing new audiences in women’s sports
• Some of the challenges that social media teams face when trying to get internal buy-in
• A deeper dive into best practices, trends and a look ahead to what’s next in social media with regards to women’s sports

Who should attend:

• Sports executives (league, team, media and consulting) who are interested in the evolution of digital storytelling
• Sports marketing and communications executives interested in learning how shifting demographics and social media strategies impact revenue and growth
• Social media and content teams looking for new ideas and best practices
• Brand managers and sponsorship executives wanting to understand how to align sponsorships with new fanbases

Featured Speakers (Additional to be Announced)

Kanan Bhatt-Shah is the Vice President of Brand & Marketing for the Professional Women's Hockey League, the first-of-its-kind single professional women's league featuring the best hockey players from around the world. Comprised of eight teams across Canada and the U.S., the PWHL is unified by a singular vision: to build the greatest women's hockey league in the world, one that engages and inspires young players. In her role, Kanan is focused on rallying avid fans, driving growth across new fanbases and elevating the accessibility and popularity of the sport for generations to come.

Prior to joining the PWHL, Kanan led brand development at top creative companies including Prophet Brand Strategy and Johannes Leonardo and served as a brand strategy and marketing leader within the Ignite Venture Studio and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment portfolios.

Kanan holds an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business and a BS from Boston University's College of Communication. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Kanan is passionate about helping women navigate transformative life and health challenges with resilience, humor and grace.

Karin Kildow has spent her career focused on helping professional athletes and mission-based brands leverage their social platforms to change the world and impact the causes they care about. Over the last 10 years, she has created social strategies for brands including Red Bull Media House, UNINTERRUPTED/The Springhill Company, More Than A Vote, HBO's The Shop, NFL, and Beyond Meat.

In 2021, Karin co-founded CCG Social with Sebastian Arriagada. The company specializes in working with top-tier professional athletes and people of influence including Alex Rodriguez, Naomi Osaka, Andre Agassi, DeAndre Hopkins, Tee Higgins, Richard Jefferson, and more to help them drive impact, representation, and inclusion across their large social networks. She is a proven leader in the digital sports industry receiving numerous Webby and Shorty nominations including 2x TikTok Creator of the Year, Best Diversity and Inclusion Campaign, Best Social Activism Campaign, and Best Social Presence in Sports. Outside of work, Karin is an owner of Angel City FC and a founding member of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation.

Haley Rosen is the founder and CEO of Just Women’s Sports (JWS), a digital media brand dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Frustrated by a lack of media coverage for women’s sports, Rosen founded JWS in 2020 to change the game.

What started as an Instagram account and a big idea has since grown into the leading multimedia platform dedicated to women’s sports, providing fans with in-depth coverage, exclusive content, live programming, and industry-leading highlights and analysis. Following a year of explosive growth, JWS now earns more than 75 million social impressions a month, with 260% year-over-year audience growth.

Rosen is a trusted and sought-after thought leader in women’s sports. Her TEDTalk has been viewed 175,000 times and counting. Rosen was named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Entrepreneur's 100 Women Of Influence, Sports Business Journal's Power Players, and Business Insider's 24 Execs Shaping Sports Media. She holds a BA and an MA from Stanford University, where she was a member of the Cardinal soccer team before playing professionally in the US and abroad.

Registration is free. All registrants will receive a recording of the webinar following the event.

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