Insights & Aspirations Ahead of Our Presence on the Ground in Riyadh, Madrid, London and Copenhagen This Month

N3XT Sports will be in four cities in the span of seventeen days: Riyadh, Madrid, London, and Copenhagen. Each visit has a different purpose. In Riyadh, CEO Mounir Zok and COO Hisham Shehabi, OLY, are speaking and moderating sessions at one of the region’s largest technology gatherings, a market where N3XT Sports has established a regional headquarters for the Middle East. In Madrid, the firm is the presenting sponsor of a major football industry award, judged by independent industry experts. In London, Mounir is judging a venture-backed sports-tech competition. In Copenhagen, Hisham is delivering a keynote at the Global Running Conference around the booming business of road running worldwide.

We are excited about these in-person touchpoints. In an increasingly digitalized and automated work environment, nothing beats face to face.

Riyadh: On Stage, Not Just in the Audience

LEAP 2026 runs August 31 to September 3 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre. It’s one of the largest technology events in the region, and this year N3XT Sports has two of its own on the agenda. Mounir Zok and Hisham Shehabi are appearing as speakers and moderators within LEAP’s Sports Tech Hub, sharing stages with prominent voices from both Saudi Arabia and abroad. We have also placed 10 speakers from our network in Saudi Arabia, the region and globally, on panels across the 4-day program.

We are going to be discussing upcoming major events such as the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games, the Asian Cup 2027, and several others. From the fan experience, to the disruptive influence of AI, and the commercial opportunities that have now opened up to the sports sector.

We expect it to be an exciting event, with lots of reflections and deliberations on the path ahead as a country and as a region as it pertains to sports. One thing we have noticed in 2026, which we expect to be confirmed on the stage and within the audience, is a shift towards the domestic and regional markets. Everyone knows that PIF stopped its funding of LIV Golf. That was the leading indicator. Beyond that, we are seeing active engagement by PIF and the government to the private sector, from family offices and conglomerates to investors. There is a renewed sense of purpose underlying the headlines. All of this momentum needs expertise and focused execution: an area of capability that we deploy with ease in this market now that we have been legally established in the Kingdom for the last 2 years.

LEAP takes place in a different time period this year because of the regional conflict, and therefore has some new energy around it. Everyone is back from summer break and excited to get projects moving again.

Madrid: A Ringside View, Not Just a Trophy Presentation

Two weeks after Riyadh, World Football Summit convenes in Madrid on September 15 and 16, marking its tenth anniversary as one of football’s leading industry gatherings for clubs, leagues, and federations. Congratulations to our friends at World Football Summit, who continue to innovate and grow.

N3XT Sports presents the WFS Award for Best Digital Transformation Initiative, and that role means a lot to us. It helps us shed the light on exciting initiatives and organizations across the sports tech sector worldwide. The finalists are selected by a panel of distinguished independent judges, and presenting the category gives us close visibility into that process and the finalist pool it produces, not just the shortlist that gets published. This year’s finalists span very different starting points, EasyCoach’s connected football ecosystem, the Saudi Ministry of Sport’s national sports platform overhaul, and Vitória SC’s fan-engagement platform, and seeing that range firsthand says more about where digital transformation in sports is heading than any single winner announcement would. Winners are confirmed September 3, with trophies presented at the ceremony in Madrid on the 15th.

This is the kind of participation we look for: not just attending an industry event, but having a defined role inside it that gives us the opportunity to propel the industry forward.

London: Judging Where Venture Money Is Actually Landing

On the same day WFS opens in Madrid, Mounir will be in London, judging GP Bullhound’s Allstars Awards Sports Tech Company of the Year category, part of an event billed as “the Oscars of the tech world.”

The format puts a shortlist of Europe’s most promising sports-tech companies in front of the judging panel for a ten-minute pitch and five-minute Q&A each, followed by a panel discussion and vote. Sitting on that panel gives us a direct, firsthand view of which companies venture investors in this space consider genuinely fundable right now, ahead of any public announcement. The category winner is held back for GP Bullhound’s main Allstars ceremony on October 15, and we can’t wait to share with you insights from this day too.

Copenhagen: A Deep Dive on Revenue, Not Just a Speaking Slot

The Global Running Conference takes place in Copenhagen on 17 & 18 September, bringing together the global road running business, a category that has quietly become one of the fastest-growing segments in participatory sports.

Hisham is delivering a keynote on how AI and data can unlock new revenue and commercial opportunities for the running industry. Road running has historically lagged other sports in monetizing its data and its audience relationship; Hisham’s session digs into where that gap is closing fastest, and what organizers and brands should be doing about it now to maximize returns from their next events.

“Running has one of the most engaged, data-rich audiences in sport, and most of that value is still sitting on the table,” says Hisham Shehabi, OLY, COO of N3XT Sports. “This keynote is about showing organizers exactly where the commercial upside is and how AI makes it accessible now, not five years from now.”

Why the Pattern Matters More Than Any Single Stop

Taken individually, these are four good reasons to travel. Taken together, they say something about how N3XT Sports operates. The firm isn’t attending these events to be seen. It’s there because each one connects to work already underway: speaking roles in Riyadh grounded in an active client relationship, an award it sponsors and stands behind in Madrid, a judging seat in London earned through relationships built over time.

“We don’t chase every conference on the calendar,” says Mounir Zok, CEO of N3XT Sports. “We show up where we already have a stake in the outcome and are able to bring our mission to life.”

N3XT Sports will be sharing more from each stop as the month unfolds. If you are at these events or want to stay updated, sign up to our newsletter or get in touch.