Stacie Stern wears a number of hats within the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. As general manager of Head2Head Sports, she manages a growing fantasy sports business. As a member of the FSTA Board of Directors, she helps league the association’s direction in a time of tremendous growth in the industry. And as the chair of the 2015 Summer Conference Committee, she’s had a major role in shaping the conference on June 22-23 in New York City.

In the first of a two-part interview, Stern discusses all of those roles and previews the FSTA Summer Conference:

FSTA: What was the goal as you and your committee put together the program for the FSTA Summer Conference?

Stern:  The goals for the committee in planning the summer conference were twofold. First, we always strive to find panelists who are relevant to what’s current in fantasy sports. Maybe it’s a startup, or perhaps an established company, but with all of the growth and change taking place, it’s important to find people from various points of view.

Second, and maybe more importantly, we needed to take advantage of holding the conference in New York City. This will be a first for the FSTA and it really opened up opportunities for us to secure moderators and panelists from outside of our space, particularly in the areas of venture capital, broadcasting and a professional sports league.

 FSTA: From your perspective, what’s the biggest takeaway attendees will get from this summer’s conference?

Stern:  The biggest takeaway will be the continued expansion of the fantasy sports space, which shows no signs of slowing down. There’s no doubt that daily fantasy sports game have changed the way people are playing fantasy games, and that part of the fantasy space is still in its infancy. In addition to the myriad of daily fantasy games themselves, there are supporting and complementary services that are coming into the space at a rapid rate, and this is most exciting to see in person.

FSTA: As FSTA and fantasy sports continue to grow, why is it important for new fantasy sports companies to attend and participate in this conference?

Stern: For all companies large and small, old and new, this is THE conference for the fantasy sports industry. The ability for attendees to engage with others, to hear the most recent research, to find out what’s happening with legal issues, and then to watch newcomers compete in the Elevator Pitch – you simply can’t get all of that content anywhwere else. If you are a player in the fantasy sports industry, or you want to be a player in the fantasy sports industry, you need to be at the FSTA conference.

The 2015 FSTA Summer Conference is June 22-23 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York City. Registration for this event is still open. To register, go to www.fstaconference.com.