In a grand welcome, various dignitaries from the Portuguese government and Lisbon city gathered to greet SBC and its impressive 40,000 attendees, marking the third consecutive year of the SBC Summit in Lisbon. The event commenced with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by city officials, SBC leadership, and key sponsors.
Lisbon's Mayor, Carlos Moedas, opened the ceremony with remarks celebrating the event, which has attracted a significant number of participants this year. SBC's CEO and Founder, Rasmus Sojmark, expressed pride in bringing attendees back to Lisbon, highlighting that the summit has successfully gathered around 40,000 individuals.
Andrew McCarron, Managing Director at SBC, reflected on the journey over the past 12 years, marveling at the large turnout. The ceremony also saw participation from notable officials such as Maria Luísa Aldim, Deputy Mayor for Innovation and Social Development, and various leaders from the gaming industry.
Among the attendees were senior representatives from major sponsors like SoftConstruct, Digitain, Alea, EGT, and Amusenet. Sojmark emphasized the company's satisfaction with Lisbon as the venue for their most ambitious event yet, describing the city as an ideal location.
Mayor Moedas took the opportunity to underscore Lisbon's commitment to becoming a hub for technology and innovation, mentioning initiatives like the Unicorn Factory, which has attracted 18 unicorn companies and created over 20,000 jobs. He pointed out the gaming sector's potential to make a positive social impact, citing an example of a local gaming company focused on aiding individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Encouraging attendees to think beyond mere commercial success, the mayor urged them to create purpose within their businesses. This ceremony continued the tradition of high-level engagement from city officials, with Moedas having personally attended the event when it first moved from Barcelona.
Before the ceremony, officials gathered at the MEO Arena for a keynote on Leadership in Sports Business. The session featured basketball legend Michael Jordan, Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings co-founder Jason Robins discussing the evolving relationship between sports, technology, media, and betting. Koerl highlighted the rapid technological advancements in sports, emphasizing the new commercial opportunities arising from the fragmented consumption of sports content.