In the fast-paced world of private equity, staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. As the sports industry continues to grow and evolve, it presents a wealth of opportunities for private equity firms looking to invest in innovative ventures and lucrative deals. Attending top sports conferences is a strategic move for dealmakers who want to network with industry leaders, discover emerging trends, and identify potential investment opportunities. In this article, we explore the top sports conferences for dealmaking in 2025, providing insights into how these events can benefit private equity professionals and the broader economy.
Top Sports Conferences for Dealmaking in 2025
- ISPO Munich
Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Date: November 30 – December 2, 2025
Website: https://www.ispo.com
Description: ISPO Munich is the world’s leading trade fair for the sports business, attracting top global brands, startups, and investors. It showcases innovations in sporting goods, outdoor equipment, textiles, and fitness technologies. The event offers unparalleled insights into evolving consumer behavior and product trends in the active lifestyle sector. For private equity firms, this is a strategic platform to evaluate high-growth companies, explore partnerships, and identify emerging technologies poised for mass adoption. By engaging with product creators and industry leaders, PE firms gain access to investment-ready opportunities in a global market with expanding demand driven by health-conscious and outdoor-oriented consumers.
- Spoga+Gafa
Location: Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Date: June 24 – 26, 2025
Website: https://www.spogagafa.com
Description: Spoga+Gafa is Europe’s largest garden lifestyle trade fair, featuring exhibitors across garden furniture, BBQ, sports, and outdoor leisure. Held annually in Cologne, the event attracts manufacturers, designers, and retailers from across the globe. For private equity firms, Spoga+Gafa is an essential destination for identifying scalable brands in outdoor living and recreational products. As consumer investment in home and garden spaces continues to rise, this fair offers insights into trends and technologies shaping the next wave of growth. It is ideal for spotting acquisition targets and building relationships with companies looking to expand into new markets or upgrade their distribution infrastructure.
- Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Date: January 22 – 24, 2025
Website: https://www.sportstailgateshow.com
Description: The Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show is the premier event for licensed sports merchandise and fan gear. Retailers, licensees, and manufacturers gather in Las Vegas to showcase apparel, novelties, and event-centric lifestyle products tied to professional and collegiate teams. For private equity firms, this show offers exposure to a highly brand-driven segment of the consumer goods market. It enables investors to identify companies with strong licensing agreements, loyal fan followings, and scalable retail channels. This is an excellent opportunity to assess brand strength, evaluate licensing strategies, and source consumer-facing businesses primed for growth through capital infusion and operational scaling.
- West Michigan Golf Show
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Date: February 6 – 8, 2025
Website: https://showspan.com/wmg
Description: The West Michigan Golf Show is a regional expo showcasing golf equipment, vacation packages, training tools, and apparel. It serves as a kickoff to the Midwest golf season and draws an enthusiastic base of golfers and golf lifestyle consumers. For private equity firms, while local in scope, the show offers valuable grassroots insight into consumer preferences, spending patterns, and brand loyalty in the golf space. It’s a venue to identify niche product creators or service providers with potential for national expansion. Observing engagement and demand firsthand allows investors to assess growth opportunities in golf tech, tourism, and retail.
- American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Date: May 27 – 31, 2025
Website: https://acsm.org/events-general/annual-meeting/
Description: The ACSM Annual Meeting is one of the top global gatherings for sports medicine professionals, exercise scientists, and health researchers. The conference offers a deep dive into fitness, performance, injury prevention, and wellness innovation. For private equity firms, this is an essential event to monitor cutting-edge research and product development in the health-tech and sports medicine ecosystem. From AI-based diagnostics to wearable performance trackers and rehabilitation tools, this meeting helps investors spot early-stage technologies with clinical backing. It also provides the chance to engage with academic researchers and entrepreneurs, informing investment strategies in a sector undergoing rapid digital transformation.
- American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Location: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Date: April 22 – 27, 2025
Website: https://annualmeeting.amssm.org
Description: The AMSSM Annual Meeting brings together leading sports medicine physicians and researchers to discuss advances in musculoskeletal care, regenerative therapies, and athlete health. The event features clinical workshops, case-based sessions, and emerging technologies in injury prevention. For private equity firms, AMSSM is a gateway into high-growth health segments such as sports diagnostics, orthopedic devices, and digital rehab solutions. The conference helps investors identify practitioner-backed innovations with clinical traction, offering potential for scaling into broader markets. Networking with healthcare professionals and medical entrepreneurs also aids in targeting portfolio opportunities within outpatient sports medicine services and tech-enabled musculoskeletal care.
- American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Date: July 10 – 12, 2025
Website: https://events.sportsmed.org/am2025
Description: AOSSM’s Annual Meeting is the premier orthopedic surgery and sports injury conference, drawing physicians, researchers, and device manufacturers. It showcases innovations in joint preservation, biologics, surgical techniques, and rehab technologies. For private equity firms, the event provides visibility into the orthopedic sector’s innovation pipeline—from implants to post-op solutions. Attending AOSSM enables PE teams to evaluate market-ready products and companies seeking capital for commercialization. The orthopedic market’s steady demand and device-driven revenue models make it an attractive space for investment, and this conference offers direct access to the clinicians influencing purchasing decisions and product adoption.
- Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association National Conference
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Date: May 5 – 7, 2025
Website: https://www.cscca.org/nationalconference
Description: The CSCCa National Conference gathers collegiate strength coaches and performance experts to explore new training methodologies, equipment, and recovery strategies. Exhibitors include performance tech, gym equipment, and software providers. For private equity firms, the event is a focused opportunity to assess companies influencing how athletes train—from motion tracking platforms to smart training tools. It also provides insight into B2B purchasing behavior in collegiate sports—a valuable entry point for scaling fitness solutions. This setting is ideal for finding early adopters and building relationships with performance innovators who often transition their success from athletic programs into consumer fitness markets.
- ISPO Shanghai
Location: Shanghai, China
Date: July 4 – 6, 2025
Website: https://www.ispo.com/en/events/ispo-shanghai-2025
Description: ISPO Shanghai is Asia’s leading multi-category sports trade show, covering fitness, outdoor gear, performance textiles, and sports fashion. It brings together Chinese and international brands exploring expansion across Asia’s fast-growing consumer market. For private equity firms, ISPO Shanghai provides unique insight into regional consumer behavior, emerging brands, and domestic manufacturing strengths. It’s ideal for sourcing investment targets with strong traction in Asia or identifying joint venture opportunities. PE teams can also gauge category momentum in urban fitness, wellness wearables, and youth sports, helping to shape international strategies for portfolio companies or inform cross-border growth plans.
- National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Date: June 8 – 11, 2025
Website: https://www.nacda.com
Description: The NACDA Convention is the largest gathering of U.S. collegiate athletics administrators, bringing together athletic directors and professionals from NCAA, NAIA, and junior colleges. Discussions range from media rights to athlete experience and sports facility planning. For private equity firms, NACDA offers a strategic lens on collegiate sports infrastructure and services. It’s a venue to explore opportunities in athletic facility development, sports management software, sponsorship platforms, and NIL-related tech. As schools seek operational efficiency and new revenue, PE firms can find scalable solutions to support them—opening doors to investment in sports-adjacent businesses with institutional client bases.
- Sports Events & Tourism Association (Sports ETA) Symposium
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Date: April 14 – 17, 2025
Website: https://www.sportseta.org/events/symposium
Description: The Sports ETA Symposium is the top networking and educational event for sports tourism professionals. It connects event rights holders, venue operators, and city sports commissions focused on attracting and executing sporting events. For private equity firms, this forum provides exposure to the financial ecosystem behind sports events—ticketing platforms, logistics, facility operations, and fan engagement tools. It reveals how cities and companies monetize sports-driven travel, a sector experiencing structural growth. PE teams can meet scalable service providers and technology platforms that streamline sports event delivery, making the Symposium an effective hunting ground for infrastructure or SaaS investments in the event economy.
- Michigan Golf Show (Novi)
Location: Novi, Michigan, USA
Date: March 7 – 9, 2025
Website: https://michigangolfshow.com
Description: The Michigan Golf Show is one of the largest public golf expos in the U.S., bringing together regional golf enthusiasts with equipment vendors, golf resorts, and training companies. While consumer-facing, it provides PE firms a bottom-up view of purchasing behavior and emerging product categories. From simulator tech to golf fitness solutions, this show highlights trends shaping the future of the sport. For investors looking to assess grassroots demand or scout early-stage brands in golf gear or experiential golf travel, Novi’s show offers access to loyal consumer communities and potential portfolio companies in need of capital for national scaling.
- Outdoor Retailer Snow Show
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Date: June 18 – 20, 2025
Website: https://www.outdoorretailer.com
Description: Outdoor Retailer Snow Show is a major U.S. trade event for outdoor apparel, gear, and snow sports. Merging winter sports with broader outdoor product lines, the show attracts manufacturers, retailers, and distributors from across the globe. For private equity firms, this expo reveals which brands are leading in performance innovation, sustainability, and consumer loyalty. With outdoor activity on the rise post-pandemic, attending enables PE teams to identify fast-growing brands, assess retail strategies (B2B and DTC), and evaluate consolidation plays in this fragmented sector. The show is a launchpad for emerging companies in apparel tech, winter gear, and outdoor experiences.
- SPORTEC Japan
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Date: July 30 – August 1, 2025
Website: https://sports-st.com/en/
Description: SPORTEC is Japan’s largest trade show for fitness, wellness, and sports technology. Held in Tokyo, it draws over 40,000 industry professionals, including gym operators, rehab clinics, and health-tech innovators. For private equity firms, SPORTEC is a strategic entry point into Asia’s maturing health and fitness market. The show features companies producing connected fitness equipment, senior wellness solutions, and gym software. PE investors can discover OEMs evolving into branded players or evaluate B2B platforms serving Asia’s gym operators. It’s ideal for cross-border investment opportunities in wellness, fitness SaaS, and aging-related performance products, offering long-term demographic tailwinds.
- Sports Field Management Association Conference & Exhibition
Location: Palm Springs, California, USA
Date: January 13 – 16, 2025
Website: https://www.sportsfieldmanagement.org/conference/
Description: SFMA’s annual conference serves professionals managing sports fields across schools, municipalities, and pro sports. It features workshops and vendors in turf tech, groundskeeping equipment, and environmental management. For private equity firms, this is a niche but overlooked sector with steady B2B demand. Opportunities exist in robotics (e.g., autonomous mowers), water-efficient systems, and field monitoring sensors. Investors can assess fragmented supply chains and find regional players ripe for roll-ups. With public institutions prioritizing athlete safety and sustainable field management, SFMA provides PE teams with unique exposure to infrastructure-focused investments with long-term utility value.
- Surf Expo January
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Date: January 8 – 10, 2025
Website: https://surfexpo.com/about-the-show/
Description: Surf Expo’s January edition is the leading trade event for surf, skate, resort wear, and coastal lifestyle products. Brands large and small showcase their latest gear, apparel, and accessories to retailers and resort buyers. For private equity firms, Surf Expo is a cultural barometer for youth and lifestyle branding. It allows investors to identify breakout DTC or wholesale brands with viral traction, often seeking capital to scale. The show also reveals shifts toward eco-conscious materials and global expansion trends. PE teams can use it to source consumer investments that blend community, performance, and strong brand identity.
- TaiSPO (Taipei International Sporting Goods Show)
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Date: March 26 – 29, 2025
Website: https://www.taispo.com.tw
Description: TaiSPO is Asia’s leading sporting goods and fitness trade fair, spotlighting Taiwanese innovation in equipment, cycling components, and training systems. The 2025 edition marks its 50th anniversary, offering exposure to OEMs transitioning into consumer brands. For private equity firms, TaiSPO provides insight into the global fitness manufacturing supply chain, particularly in categories like home fitness, e-bikes, and smart equipment. PE teams can identify OEMs with vertical integration ambitions or startups with technical strengths seeking capital for branding and export. With Asia's fitness demand on the rise, this event helps position investors ahead of global sourcing and product trends.
- PGA Merchandise Show
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Date: January 21 – 24, 2025
Website: https://www.pgashow.com
Description: The PGA Show is the world’s largest golf business event, featuring the latest in clubs, tech, apparel, and golf experiences. Attendees include course operators, pro shops, media, and investors. For private equity firms, the show offers unmatched insight into golf’s commercial ecosystem—from simulator technology and swing analytics to youth golf initiatives and experiential tourism. It’s a rich setting to meet brands scaling through performance or innovation and to evaluate services improving golfer engagement. With rising global interest in golf, the show helps PE firms assess targets across equipment, digital training, and hospitality segments linked to the sport.
- FIBO Global Fitness
Location: Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Date: April 10 – 13, 2025
Website: https://www.fibo.com
Description: FIBO is the world’s largest fitness trade show, showcasing everything from gym equipment and fitness tech to supplements and corporate wellness solutions. With strong global participation, it is a barometer for the entire fitness and wellness industry. For private equity firms, FIBO is ideal for identifying high-growth consumer brands and B2B fitness platforms expanding across Europe and beyond. The show helps investors spot trends in connected fitness, recovery tools, and health clubs. By meeting founders and product teams, PE firms gain early access to scalable ventures addressing global health and lifestyle trends.
- IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Date: March 12 – 14, 2025
Website: https://www.ihrsa.org
Description: IHRSA is the premier global event for fitness club operators, franchise executives, and wellness entrepreneurs. It features strategy sessions, tech showcases, and a vast expo floor of fitness equipment and services. For private equity firms, IHRSA offers deep access to the commercial fitness market and gym-based business models. From SaaS platforms for member engagement to boutique fitness chains and equipment startups, the show helps investors evaluate which business models are scaling post-pandemic. IHRSA also supports due diligence and partner sourcing for buy-and-build strategies in fitness franchising, digital coaching, and corporate wellness.
- Eurobike
Location: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
Date: June 25 – 29, 2025
Website: https://www.eurobike.com
Description: Eurobike is the world’s leading event for the bicycle and micromobility sectors. It features e-bikes, cargo bikes, components, and mobility platforms from around the world. For private equity firms, Eurobike provides exposure to rapidly growing markets shaped by urbanization, sustainability, and commuter preferences. The show is an ideal venue to evaluate the competitive landscape in e-bike innovation, meet OEMs seeking funding, and assess software and infrastructure plays around bike-sharing or fleet management. It’s a crucial touchpoint for investing in the future of personal transport and carbon-conscious mobility solutions.
- Surf Expo September
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Date: September 4 – 6, 2025
Website: https://www.surfexpo.com
Description: The September edition of Surf Expo focuses on spring/summer product cycles in surfwear, skate gear, and coastal lifestyle products. This session is known for highlighting newer brands seeking distribution and expansion. For private equity firms, it’s a second annual touchpoint to evaluate brand momentum and identify earlier-stage investment opportunities. It’s particularly useful for PE teams seeking portfolio companies with strong identity, emerging retail traction, and scalable supply chains. The show provides actionable insight into shifting youth fashion, outdoor sports engagement, and the economics of resort and beach retail.
Beneficial Impact of Sports Industry on the Economy
The sports industry is a significant contributor to the global economy, with its impact felt across various sectors, including media, technology, and tourism. Private equity investments in sports can drive economic growth by fostering innovation, creating jobs, and enhancing infrastructure. By injecting capital into sports teams, leagues, and related businesses, private equity firms can help these entities expand their reach and improve their operations. This, in turn, boosts local economies through increased consumer spending and tourism, as fans travel to attend games and events.
Moreover, private equity involvement in sports can lead to advancements in technology and media, as firms invest in cutting-edge solutions to enhance fan engagement and streamline operations. These innovations can have a ripple effect, benefiting other industries and contributing to overall economic development. As private equity firms continue to recognize the potential of the sports sector, their investments can play a pivotal role in driving economic growth and creating a more dynamic and interconnected global economy.
Challenges Faced by the Sports Sector
Despite its potential, the sports industry faces several challenges that can impact dealmaking and investment opportunities. One of the primary challenges is the volatility of sports revenues, which can be influenced by factors such as team performance, changes in consumer preferences, and economic downturns. Private equity firms must carefully assess these risks when considering investments in sports entities.
Additionally, the sports industry is subject to regulatory and compliance issues, which can vary significantly across different regions and markets. Navigating these complexities requires a deep understanding of local laws and regulations, as well as the ability to adapt to changing legal landscapes. This can pose a challenge for private equity firms looking to invest in international sports ventures.
Another challenge is the increasing competition for high-value deals, as more investors recognize the potential of the sports sector. This heightened competition can drive up valuations and make it more difficult for private equity firms to secure favorable terms. To succeed in this environment, firms must leverage their expertise, build strong relationships with industry stakeholders, and remain agile in their investment strategies.
Conclusion
As the sports industry continues to grow and evolve, it presents a wealth of opportunities for private equity firms looking to make strategic investments. Attending top sports conferences for dealmaking in 2025 can provide valuable insights, networking opportunities, and access to emerging trends that can inform investment decisions. While the sector faces challenges such as revenue volatility, regulatory complexities, and increased competition, the potential benefits of investing in sports are significant. By navigating these challenges and capitalizing on opportunities, private equity firms can play a crucial role in driving economic growth and innovation in the sports industry and beyond.
