Stagwell announced yesterday that Sport Beach is being upgraded to a sports marketing business unit. Beth Sidhu will serve as CEO of Sport Beach while continuing her role as Stagwell's Chief Brand and Communications Officer until a successor is named. 

It started as a two-day seminar/networking space in Cannes to explore sport, culture and fandom and where marketers fit in the mix. 

Now the plan is to put on money-making events year-round designed to drive growth for clients and sponsors. 

In December the firm announced that Sport Beach is partnering with the Lions organization to create Lions Sport, which is similar in nature to Stagwell’s Sport Beach, except that the Lions is selling passes to gain entry to the new venue taking place during the main Festival June 24-25.   

At CES, Sport Beach put on its inaugural Tech Summit on Tuesday, comprising a full-day program outside the main convention floor focused on sport, technology, business, and culture.  

The unit has also announced events this year for Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star Weekend, the previously announced Cannes Lions Festival, The World Cup Finals, US Open, and F1 Las Vegas. 

Also planned is an event tied to this year’s advertising upfronts with details to follow. 

Full-year category exclusive sponsors include Diageo, NBCUniversal and PepsiCo (with Gatorade as the exclusive hydration partner).  

Additional partners include The Athletic, Business Insider, the Chicago Bulls, Fanatics Advertising, InMobi, Nielsen, Superside, Sweatworking, The Trade Desk, TransUnion and more. 

An advisory board for the unit will be announced next month.