FAQ

Hashtag Sports® is the premier event, recognition, and continuing education platform for content creators, marketers, and the next generation of talent who are building the fan experience and setting the benchmark for effective engagement.

Hashtag Sports 2025 will take place June 23-24 at HK Hall on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan with a half day agenda and rooftop reception on Monday, June 23 and conference agenda on Tuesday, 24.

There will be panels, executive keynotes, case studies, reception, and the 7th annual Hashtag Sports Awards live show and dinner on Tuesday, June 24—tickets sold separately.

Take a look at our agenda overview. Stay tuned for our more details on sessions, tracks and speakers.

Hashtag Sports is designed for engagement experts—those whose work helps to keep fans connected and engaged through content, partnerships, and experiences.

In addition to teams, leagues, and properties who have engaged with our event, Hashtag Sports attracts many of the world's leading brands, broadcasters, publishers, sponsorship firms, advertising and creative agencies, athletes, creators, and technology companies,

Hashtag Sports is open to all levels of professionals. While the event offers networking and experiences for senior executives, non-executive doers and creators are encouraged to attend and represent a large share of our attendee community.

Check out the companies you may run into at the event.

The official event hashtag is #HS25NYC. You can also mention us @HashtagSports to join the conversation, share insights, or ask questions.

Yes, no problem!  We understand that it’s often difficult to plan attendance in advance for groups, especially those representing multiple departments and/or locations.

To help make it easier, we allow organizations to purchase tickets under one buyer’s name and allocate the passes internally at a later date.

Simply add one person's name to the first ticket and use the "same as above" feature when checking out to copy the info to the other passes. When you are ready to add names, you will be able to edit the passes.

*Please note carefully the following according to the Terms of Attendance:

• All name additions or transfers must be completed no later than May 31, 2024.
• We do not provide partial refunds for standard Conference passes transferred to attendees under 30 years of age
• We reserve the right to deny admission and/or charge the difference in cost for admission to any Next Gen pass that is transferred to a non-qualifying individual less than 30 years of age

We are here to help! Check out our Convince Your Boss page for resources, guides, and tips.

While we will not engage directly with your relevant embassy, we will happily send you an invitation letter once you purchase a ticket to Hashtag Sports 2024.

To receive your letter, please first complete this Visa Request Form and provide all required personal information. Once completed, and if approved, we will issue a visa support letter within 7-14 days. If you require further assistance, email us at hello@hashtagsports.com with your booking reference. Please note that your embassy will require notice before issuing your visa.

You can edit your conference or awards show registration using the link in your confirmation email. Alternatively, you can send an email to hello@hashtagsports.com with your name and ticket confirmation number as well as the name and email address of the individual to whom you wish to transfer your pass. All transfers must be complete by May 31, 2024.

Please visit the volunteer page for more details and to submit your application. You must be over the age of 18. No prior experience is required. Volunteering is open to both students and career professionals.

Each our volunteer staff is comprised of a wide range of age and experience as it is a valuable way to attend the festival for free.

All registered attendees are served breakfast and afternoon snacks onsite at WBD Sports HQ during each day of the conference agenda.

At this time, we do not have an official hotel partner. Check back for updates.

In the meantime, for those interested in booking accommodations, we recommend staying in the Midtown West area where options include the Courtyard New York (Manhattan/Midtown West), The New Yorker Hotel (Wyndham), The Equinox Hotel, Fairfield Inn & Suites (New York Midtown) and many more.

We do not offer a student pass at this time. We recommend that all students less than 30 years of age purchase the Next Gen pass which is discounted from the Standard pass rate.

Alternatively, we encourage students to volunteer. All volunteers are granted free access to the conference during hours they are not on shift. Click here for information about volunteering.

Please visit the Press Accreditation page for more details and to submit your application. To apply for credentials, you or your assigning Editor/Producer must fill out the online application form and agree to our Media Accreditation Policy.

We do not consider a compilation of photos, videos, or articles unrelated to official Hashtag Sports events as press coverage.

Yes, your conference pass includes the opening night reception on Monday, June 23. However, the conference pass does not including a seat to the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards live show and dinner on Tuesday, June 24.

Whether a global brand, service provider, or emerging technology platform, Hashtag Sports offers a variety of turnkey sponsorship and marketing opportunities, including original announcements and press releases, to meet your unique goals. You can find more details here.

Hashtag Sports is proud to partner with leading organizations across the globe. Our partners play a key role in contributing to the Hashtag Sports experience across programming, networking, and special events.

We collaborate with companies that help us to create an open thought leadership platform and celebrate the diverse talent driving the industry forward while creating a dynamic learning environment.

Learn more and become a sponsor here.

Yes, we offer table-top with large screens for demo opportunities. Please submit your interest in exhibiting on the Sponsorship page. We do anticipate demoing to sell out this year.

The best proposals are those with enough thought, specificity, and detail that they could be ready to roll if the event was held tomorrow.

Please follow our speaking criteria as closely as possible to ensure alignment with the Hashtag Sports platform and best position your proposal for selection:

• Diversity -  Help us bring fresh voices to sports business by including panelists of diverse genders, ethnicities, professional backgrounds, and viewpoints.
• Expertise - Speakers must have subject matter expertise in fan engagement tactics across media, marketing, experiential or content creation. Doers in creative roles and individuals from outside of sports are welcome and encouraged in order to bring new ideas to our industry.
• Seniority - The majority of speakers/panelists will be VP or higher from brands, media companies, and sports properties. We make case-by-case exceptions for those who do not fit this seniority level in order to ensure doers and creators are represented.
• Talent - Athletes, influencers, and personalities are engagement experts we can all learn from. Increase the drawing power of your session and ensure all of the key players in the sports media & marketing ecosystem have share-of-voice.
• Originality - We’re a platform for discussing cutting-edge fan experience topics that haven’t been discussed before. Avoid recycling content used at other events. Since our entire event focuses on fan engagement, we advise going a mile deep rather than a mile wide with your title, abstract and topic.

We welcome a variety of speaking formats including power panels, keynotes, workshops, fireside interviews, and limited presentations.

Anyone can submit a speaker or panel proposal. However, our event is intended as a platform for thought leaders to use to discuss industry trends and topics. Please refrain from material that could be considered a sales pitch. We strongly recommend that vendors and technology providers consider a partnership approach as an alternative.

We highly recommend that you have confirmed availability and interest with all proposed speaking candidates prior to submitting your idea to Hashtag Sports.

As the organizer of the panel, it will be your primary responsibility to communicate commitment requirements to the members of your panel so please plan accordingly and ensure you have a reliable means of staying in contact.

That being said, we believe in aiming high so if you have someone of high seniority in mind for a speaking role who might take a little longer to get confirmed, feel free to add them to your roster and make a note in the description section of the speaker application form.

Sometimes PR firms, assistants, or other representatives submit an application on behalf of a potential speaker. If this is the case for you, please enter your information (or the information of the individual who will be the speaker’s primary contact) in the contact form and fill out the separate fields for the speaker you are representing.

If you are submitting a proposal on your own behalf, you may leave your own information in the contact fields.