2026 AGENDA

  • Doors open at 8:00 AM. Warm up with breakfast and networking before the day kicks off and explore the Sponsor & Innovation Zone.

  • We’ll get up to speed on what’s happening with sports in the Land, including:

    • Updates on the new Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame

    • Major events and regional impact from Cleveland Sports Commission

    • New sports fields and facilities from Cleveland Metroparks

  • SportsLand™’s opening keynote will explore the intersection of sports, leadership, and innovation, and the role they each play in shaping healthier communities and stronger economies. Drawing on a career spanning coaching, education, and public service, Lt. Governor Tressel will share perspectives on building high-performing teams, fostering resilience, and driving impact across sectors. We’ll set the tone for the day by highlighting the power of collaboration across sports, health, and business to unlock future opportunities.

  • As athlete monitoring, wearables, and performance analytics expand, athletes and performance teams must translate constant streams of data into smarter training, recovery, and competition decisions. This panel explores the intersection of mental performance, cognitive health, and data-driven insights, and how technology platforms, clinicians, and athletes balance performance data with the human side of elite sport.

  • We’ll take a short time-out before jumping back into the conversation.

  • Sports are increasingly viewed as an investable asset class, spanning team ownership, venue and district development, NIL (name, image, and likeness) strategy, and fan-driven revenue growth. This panel focuses on how operators, teams, and corporations evaluate sports assets, what is driving valuations, and where durable returns are being created across franchises, facilities, and collegiate athletics. Panelists will discuss the evolving economics of NIL, the role of real estate and premium experiences, and how capital, governance, and strategy intersect to shape the next phase of sports business growth.

  • How are emerging technologies transforming the way we understand, monitor, and optimize human performance? This session brings together perspectives from NASA Glenn Research Center and the sports industry to explore how innovation is shaping the future of health, diagnostics, recovery, and performance. From in-space diagnostics and medical technologies to athlete performance monitoring, we’ll highlight how data and technology are improving outcomes in the most demanding environments and what these advancements mean for the future of sports, healthcare, and human performance.

  • We’ll hear how teams and leagues are redefining fandom through culture, community, and storytelling using technology as an enabler to deepen connection and expand reach. This conversation will explore how athlete-driven narratives, digital platforms, and in-person experiences are coming together to engage younger and more diverse audiences, while fostering healthier, more connected fan communities that extend well beyond game day.

  • Enjoy a one-hour break to refuel and network with industry professionals.

  • Get back into the game after lunch with a message from the CEO of University Hospitals.

  • Sports performance and sports medicine are evolving rapidly through AI, data, sensors, and new care delivery models—but venture capital has become more disciplined. This panel explores how the sports tech market is being assessed from both the investment and operator lenses, where conviction remains strong, and how expectations around evidence, adoption, and business models have tightened. Founders will share firsthand insights on navigating fundraising, validation, and real-world deployment in today’s environment while highlighting how collaboration between founders, investors, clinicians, teams, and industry leaders can accelerate partnership and innovation across the sports ecosystem.

  • Finalists in the Haslam Sports Innovation Center Challenge will pitch their groundbreaking solutions that will transform the future of sports performance, health, and wellness. This competition—presented in collaboration with UH Haslam Sports Innovation Center and supported by Plug and Play Health and Plug and Play Sportstech—aims to accelerate innovations in sports, health, and wellness while supporting winners with investment opportunities and/or prize money along with the chance to pilot and co-develop their technologies in the UH HSIC living lab.

  • Join a featured athlete for an inside look at the journey back from injury. This keynote explores the intersection of cutting-edge sports medicine, performance technology, and personal resilience, highlighting how modern innovation supports athletes in returning stronger, faster, and smarter to the field.

  • This conversation will highlight the new Specialized Care for Female Athletes program at University Hospitals, focusing on the unique health challenges female athletes face and how more coordinated, athlete-centered care can better support performance, recovery, and long-term wellness.

  • We’ll conclude with the announcement of the UH Haslam Sports Innovation Center Pitch Competition winners and some final thoughts before heading into overtime at the evening’s light networking reception.