The First Edition of Sunset Sports Media Festival Has Ended

The first edition of SUNSET Sports Media Festival shall be remembered by top athletes and prominent sport experts who discussed on contemporary topics and global trends in the sport world and media. Not only were relevant problems in sports and media identified, but through panels discussions new solutions were found and new horizons developed which was the aim – set up new standards in organizing business sports events.

“I would like to thank all our partners and sponsors who recognized our idea and the importance of the Sunset Sports Media Festival, and who supported and assisted us in organizing this unique event. Namely, as active participants in the global sports and media scene, we have the opportunity to understand the main challenges of the industry and recognize the innovators and key players on the scene, and the position and role that Croatia has in the sports world enables us to become the leader of events such as the je SSMF“ – said Boris Kovaček, the organizer of the first SUNSET Sports Media Festival in Croatia. 

Global world stars participated in the program, and the participants had the unique opportunity of listening to lectures given by football legends, former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, winner of numerous trophies, including the Champion’s Cup with Manchester United and the title of European Champion with the national team, as well as former American football players, the multiple MVP Super Bowl, Julian Edelman who played for 12 seasons in the NFL for the  legendary New England Patriots and Ray Lewis, a player considered to be one of the greatest “linebackers“ in NFL history.

Some of the interesting topics of the SUNSET Sports Media Festival were “Everybody wants to rule the world: Football vs. Football”, what lies behind the phenomenon called the NFL and which are the key elements that divide two football worlds fighting for global dominance and the attention of the spectators. Stephen Espinoza, president of Showtime Sports, shared his experience in the historical success he achieved in the world of box with his lecture “Inside the ring with Stephen Espinoza”, and the famous Zadar descendant with and American address, Pete Radovich, producer and director, winner of 41 Emmy Awards, executive producer in the NFL, coordinating producer in the UEFA Champions League, Vice-president of the production and creative director of CBS Sports media house brought us closer to the topic “Power of Story” and revealed the power of story-telling. Many other current and interesting topics were discussed such as ”The game changers” and “The future of A Series”, in which, among others, participated the Italian sports media sensation Diletta Leotta, “Engage and Empower”, “Athletes owning their brands”, “Out of the box”, “Started from the bottom, now we’re here” and “Underdogs”.

Besides listening to inspirational lectures, the guests had the opportunity of enjoying the best of Croatian music, performances of true legends of the domestic music scene, songwriter and singer Petar Grašo and Neno Belan and Fiumens.

“To listen and learn from our world sports experts and athletes is an immeasurable benefit not only for the listeners but also for festival followers, not to mention the promotion of Croatia in the world through their arrival and media follow-up. I think that we have shown that our festival strengthened the tourist significance of Zadar and Croatia through our festival as a meeting of the global sports media industry“  – said Damjan Rudež, director of the SUNSET Sports Media Festival program.

Sports is traditionally one of the strongest asset when speaking of the promotion of Croatia in the world, and the Sunset Sports Media Festival has now positioned Zadar in the world map as an unavoidable destination of the sports and media industry. In the global framework, Croatia is most recognizable for sports and tourism, and the Sunset Sports Media Festival has connected the best from the two worlds and contributed to the creation of an incomparable experience and the presentation of our magnificent country in the best light possible.

All the participants of the first edition of the SUNSET Sports Media Festival had the opportunity of networking and acquiring new knowledge, but also making new friendships and creating memories to remember.