Evolving Fan Economy: From Spectating to Co-creation, CHINA SPORT SHOW Builds the Foundation with Smart Venues

The global sports industry is undergoing profound transformation: media rights spending has exceeded 60 billion dollars, and the total sports sponsorship volume is projected to reach 189.54 billion US dollars by 2030. The integration of technology and experience is accelerating this process—IBM’s AI system for the Masters Tournament automatically generates personalized highlight reels, enabling fans to quickly create exclusive content with event materials; Verizon hosted "Fan Festivals" in 30 cities across the U.S. during the Super Bowl, turning a single live broadcast into an engaging, shareable social experience with player meet-and-greets, local cuisine and music performances.

Against this backdrop, modern sports fans are evolving from passive spectators into value co-creators, and their behavioral patterns are reshaping the industry’s business models. This trend is driving the transformation of sports venues from event-centric facilities into open, intelligent and multi-functional public spaces.

The Sports Venue Craftsmanship & Equipment Section of CHINA SPORT SHOW 2026 is a concentrated demonstration of this transformation. Centered on the theme "Intelligent New Infrastructure, The Future of Venues", the section enhances immersive experiences with technologies such as smart lighting, multi-angle video systems, VR sports viewing and interactive navigation. It also enables flexible space conversion between professional competitions and trendy sports via demountable flooring, modular grandstands and rapid court conversion systems.

CHINA SPORT SHOW 2026 will fully showcase this futuristic sports space in Xiamen from May 21 to 24. Here, every piece of flooring and each system serves as infrastructure connecting people, data and communities. We sincerely invite global industry partners to the event, to explore the tangible, measurable and operable model of future venues, and witness how sports facilities are emerging as new urban units that inspire participation, unite communities and carry culture.