Latest news from MK Consulting
10 / 2021
Football Congress Germany in Regensburg - a summary
High-quality speakers and discussion panels
For the first time in his new role as Managing Director of MK Consulting GmbH, Markus Kraetschmer attended to this year's "Football Congress Germany" at the Jahn Regensburg stadium. Kraetschmer hosted the first football congress in this format in Austria 12 years ago with FK Austria Wien. The initiative, started by former Austria Salzburg CEO Anton Pichler, has grown continuously and strongly in recent years and hosts an annual congress in D, A and CH, completed by the SUMMIT CHATTERS in Zürs/Arlberg.
The FOOTBALL CONGRESS has also developed as a very good contact and networking platform in recent years due to the high-quality speakers and discussion panels, the mix of interesting lectures, discussion panels, company and product presentations is unparalleled - so the FOOTBALL CONGRESS is now the event for new ideas, exciting products and networking, simply the leading soccer congress in the DACH Region!
Responsibility in the field of soccer
As always, current topics in soccer such as social responsibility, values, image and the power of traditional clubs were intensively analyzed and discussed in the presentations and discussion panels on stage by and with prominent representatives of the soccer scene such as Franziska Fey (Chairwoman of the DFL Foundation), Philipp Hausner (Board Member Marketing SSV Jahn Regensburg), Mario Hamm (DFL Commission Finances, DFL Taskforce Future Professional Football and Sports Governance Commission) and football coaches such as Thorsten Fink, Michael Köllner or Jürgen Press.
The tension between values and sporting constraints at a football club became very clear in the business talk with Markus Kraetschmer. Kraetschmer, CEO of FK Austria Wien until June 2021 and now managing director of MK Consulting GmbH, described his experiences as the person in charge of a professional football club. On the one hand, it was about the stadium experience for future generations. "A few years ago, it was still the case that the grandfather introduced the grandchild to soccer and the match visit was the highlight of the weekend. Today, you're not going to attract young people to the stadium with that!" explained Kraetschmer. Today's younger visitors are more interested in entertainment off the pitch, but also in a commitment to values in sport, and also in the form of sustainable initiatives. From the club's point of view, this is quite ambivalent, since in day-to-day business there is always pressure to deliver results: Summing up, Kraetschmer said: "Ultimately, it's all about sporting success. You can have the most beautiful projects, think out of the box, but if the sporting success fails to materialize, the pressure from sponsors, fans and the economic pressure begins. Balancing that is the real challenge for those in charge at the clubs!"
Glimpse into the future
In addition to the presentations and talks, the "Future-Innovation Lab" took place, where entrepreneurs could present trends and innovations in the industry. The "Masterclass", which was presented this time by the International Football Institute, also provided an entertaining thematic excursion. It dealt with what professional soccer can learn from eSports - and vice versa! Those who were still thirsty for knowledge afterwards were able to get to know the venue of the congress even better during the stadium tour and take a look behind the scenes of the Jahnstadion! However, as always, the many sidetalks during the breaks or at the exhibitors' booths were particularly valuable for learning and discussing many new things about current developments and trends at the clubs, but also with many sponsors and other stakeholders in football.
If you want to learn more about the FOOTBALL CONGRESS GERMANY 2021 in REGENSBURG and the congresses in 2022, please read the experience report from FOOTBALL CONGRESS GERMANY or get more information here!
