GSBM Study Trip, ISPO, Europe's leading sports trade fair

The ISPO trade fairs

At dawn, on a smoggy Sunday morning in late November, our Global Sport Business Master students (GSBM 1) landed in Munich – one of the most iconic European cities when it comes to sports. During their first year of the international Masters program, our AMOScians learn about the European market, and there is no better case study than Europe’s leading sports trade fair: ISPO.

During 4 days, hundreds of companies showcase their latest innovative outdoor winter sports products, while looking for new partnerships and clients to shape the future of sports together.

ISPO Munich is certainly a meeting place for solutions-oriented dialogue. From digitalization to sustainability, the sports industry is facing several challenges, and what could be better than to bring together the main stakeholders of the market to exchange ideas, visions and perspectives.

An opportunity to network

When surrounded by many worldwide brands and truly innovative products, it is easy to forget the reason for your presence, but it did not blur the vision of our students.

Armand Ronvel (AMOS London) describes it, “Professionals were very accessible. It didn’t not matter if we were students, they took time to explain their different ranges of products as well as giving us tips for our future careers and insights into the market.

For Maxime Jos (AMOS London) it was “a superb opportunity. I didn’t realise how big it was before getting there, just mind-blowing. It is impossible not to find the aspect of sports that is of interest to you. I have a passion for the fashion and retail aspect of sports, and there was so much there for me.”

What else has Munich to offer ?

Apart from ISPO, our students got to discover the other facets that make Munich a World Sports capital.

The Allianz Arena Stadium

On their second day, after a morning spent networking at the trade show, the AMOScians experienced the atmosphere of the Allianz Arena. As they walked out of the tunnel, they went through the locker rooms and the press conference rooms and discovered the fascinating details that make the structural design of this stadium unique.

After the tour, the AMOScians immersed themselves in the history of the German champion by heading to the FC Bayern Museum. From the founding of the club in 1900 to its current successes, our students took a journey through time in the country’s largest football museum.

The BMW Museum

On the third day, our students went to the BMW Museum to discover 100 years of existence of this fascinating, innovative, and dynamic automotive company.

Sport radar conference

In the afternoon of the same day, the students headed to the office of the world’s leading sports technology company, Sport Radar, to attend a conference given by Andrea, the company’s head of integrity, about the company’s missions and visions. Part of the firm’s mission is to protect sport from integrity threats, such as match-fixing, doping and other fraudulent misconduct, which was understandably of high interest to our students.

Markets

To end this study trip, which was full of discoveries, networking and visits, our students went out to discover yet another famous aspect of Munich, but not sports related this time: the Bavarian Christmas Market. A great way to enjoy German culinary culture as well as the magnificent architecture of the Marienplatz.

All in all, it was a wonderful few days for our AMOScians, who will be heading to Seoul, South Korea, next year for another highly anticipated Sport Business Seminar.

Written by Guillaume Faure, Communications Officer, AMOS London