15 Days to NYC: The FSTA Comes to the Big Apple

By Will Mossa,    FSGA Event News

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With Times Square as its backdrop, the 2015 Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s annual Summer Conference heads to New York City to help industry leaders gain further insight from each other and some of the top fantasy sports minds in America.

With the industry’s rapid growth has come new challenges and new opportunities, and the FSTA has assembled speakers throughout the two-day conference on June 22 and June 23 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel to discuss the current state of fantasy sports and look at some of the hot new games and technologies that will continue its growth.

Pre-conference events begin on Sunday, June 21 with the first Hack-A-thon event designed to tackle some of the key issues facing the industry. The results of those efforts will be presented on June 22 at 5:30 p.m. and the winners will be announced immediately following. The event will take place in the Broadway Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza, where all FSTA meetings will take place.

At 7 p.m. on June 22, the annual Experts League Fantasy Football Draft will begin, with live coverage on SiriusXM Radio. The draft will be followed by the FSTA After-Party, sponsored by FanDuel, at the Broadway 49 Bar and Lounge at the Crowne Plaza.

The conference’s full day events begin June 23 at 8 a.m. with a complimentary breakfast. At 9 a.m., FSTA president Paul Charchian will deliver his opening remarks, followed by a welcome from Neil Erlick, executive vice-president of Optimal Payments, the Platinum Sponsor of the FSTA Summer Conference.

There are several important presentations for new fantasy sports businesses and experienced companies alike. The topics include:

·      9:20 a.m.  Fantasy sports legal update

·      9:30 a.m.  Legal Issues in Running A Fantasy Sports Business

·      10:15 a.m. Content Monetization Through Daily Fantasy Affiliate Programs

·      11:00 a.m. How Fantasy Sports Influences Today’s Game Broadcasts

·      11:45 a.m. Examining Trends in Participation, Spending and Mobile

·      2:30 p.m. How To Raise Money

·      4:30 p.m. One-on-One Interview with Deputy NBA Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum

The day also will feature the popular Elevator Pitch Presentations, with registration on June 21 at 3:45 p.m., the Elevator Pitch itself at 1:30 p.m. and the winner announced at 3:30 p.m. Immediately following will be the first FSTA Shark Tank, where venture capital investors involved in fantasy sports will hear pitches offer feedback and-who knows?-maybe even have a further discussion. Entry deadline for the FSTA Shark Tank is June 12, and entries will be evaluated prior to the Summer Conference. Send all entries to StacieStern@Head2Head.com.

The day will conclude with the FSTA Closing Reception at the Playwright Tavern, 202 W. 49th St.

That’s a lot of information in just two days, but as the song says, New York is a city that doesn’t sleep. That makes the FSTA Summer Conference the most important 48 hours of the year, and fantasy sports leaders won’t want to miss a minute of it.


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