Speakers: Adam Jones, athlete with the Orix Buffaloes; Leif Rogers and David Noel, founders of Red Phoenix Entertainment; Gino Gordan, Japan Country Manager of Red Phoenix Entertainment

Hosting Committees: Olympics and Sports Business; Information, Communications and Technology

Member Fee: ¥600

Guest Fee: ¥1,200

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: Friday, October 23 (16:00)

This event will be hosted as a webinar. Instructions for joining the virtual meeting will be sent to registered attendees after the above stated deadline.

Event Overview

With the significant success of the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the potential impact of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (now set for 2021), Japan has high expectations for the sports industry. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been felt in every sector, with the sports world being hit particularly hard.

Postponement of the Olympics and the delayed start of professional seasons have halted the activities of many businesses surrounding the sports industry. Fortunately, it has given rise to new opportunities that allow athletes, teams, and brands to overcome their geographic constraints and build a truly global sports environment. Athletes and teams are using social media and other digital media platforms like Twitch to interact with fans directly. Harnessing the large following and influence of athletes, virtual sports sponsorships provide an avenue to directly connect brands to consumers in a measured and targeted manner.

During this session, you will learn about the current state of sports globally, and how brands are utilizing athletes and streamed events to capture new viewers, communicate directly with target audiences, and transition to an increasingly virtual world.

Leif Rogers and David Noel are the founders of Red Phoenix Entertainment. As experts in cross-border marketing strategy, they have experience supporting companies with international ambitions by leveraging their brands and globally recognized athletes to help achieve business goals.  

Former Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star and current Orix Buffalo outfielder Adam Jones is in his first year playing in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. An active voice of leadership among MLB players, and for civil rights, Jones regularly uses his platform as a professional athlete to promote causes about which he is particularly passionate.

About the Speakers

Leif Rogers – Partner and CEO Leif was the former Deputy General Manager of the Bank of Jinzhou in China where he successfully grew the international department’s yearly volume from $462K to over USD 3BB. He is a former Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Northeast China with over 20+ years of banking and import/export consulting to China and East Africa.

David Noel – Partner and COO/CFO With a Master’s Degree in Chinese International Affairs and International Business from UCSD, David has 10+ years of experience in entrepreneurship, corporate efficiency consulting, and project management. He also is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Gino Gordon – Japan Country Manager Gino was born in Sasebo, Japan, and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Sociology. He spent 5 seasons as a professional American football player in Japan's top league, X-League, where he won three National Championships and was selected League MVP for the 2014 season. After retirement, he joined Jenerate Partners, a new business consulting firm specializing in Japan market entry support. Gino acts as the Japan Country Manager for Red Phoenix Entertainment.

Adam Jones– Professional Athlete for Orix Buffaloes(NPB) Today's special guest is five-time MLB All-Star and four-time MLB Golden Glove. Though a mainstay in the Major Leagues, Adam made the unique decision to join the NPB, Nippon Professional Baseball League. With his podcast and active voice on social media, Adam is a prime example of athletes utilizing their social platforms to reach their fans.

David Hackett, Naoki Matsumura , Roy Tomizawa, Co-Chairs Aiko Okada, Sam Pearson, David Wouters Vice Chairs ACCJ Olympics and Sports Business Committee

Darren McKellin, Mike Benner, Co-Chairs John Kirch, William Dallyn, Scott Warren, Vice Chairs ACCJ Information, Communications and Technology Committee

NOTE 1: This event is ON THE RECORD.

NOTE 2: Please note that, as with all guest presentations, the content and comments of the speakers reflect their own opinions and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the ACCJ.

NOTE 3: If you cancel after the stated deadline, the full meeting fee will be charged to your account.