MUMBAI: On 7 October, brand and sponsorship directors will gather at Chelsea FC in the UK as part of the Leaders in Football, an international football business event for the inaugural Brand Leaders Summit.

The day will start with a closed “sponsor only” forum for 50 brand leaders to allow the exchange of ideas, challenges and concepts in a private, peer to peer environment.

Following this there will be an open programme of speakers and best practice seminars from figures at the helm of some of the world’s most iconic sports brands.

Kicking off the programme will be NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver. He will explain how the NBA has embraced media and technology to drive the globalisation of the brand and what the digital future holds for rights holders.

The day will also include a session by marketing director Uefa Philippe Le Floc’h and Heineken Activation global manager Hans Erik Tuijt on the Champions League story, one of the most successful sports brands in the world.

Also taking the stage will be NJ Nets CEO Brett Yormark, who will explain how his NBA franchise drives customer loyalty and Peter Moore, President, EA sports, who will outline the future relationship between brands, new media and consumers.

Rounding off the programme will be Castrol Global Brand Director Des Johnson, and Diageo Global Category Director Steve Cumming who will look at how to use sponsorship to connect the brand to the fans.