SBC extends Lisbon host city deal for Summit through 2030

SBC has struck a new multi-year agreement that keeps Lisbon as the host city for its flagship Summit event through to 2030, according to SBC News.

The organiser reached the deal with three Portuguese bodies: national tourism authority Turismo de Portugal, the Municipality of Lisbon, and Lisboa FCE, the non-profit body that oversees the city's main congress and exhibition venues.

Lisbon had already been locked in to host the 2027 edition. The new terms build on that by adding confirmed dates and backing for 2028, 2029 and 2030, giving SBC a settled home for the event across the rest of the decade.

Access to both Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and the MEO Arena remains central to the arrangement, providing the floor space and arena capacity SBC needs to run its exhibition, conference, networking and entertainment schedule.

SBC founder and chief executive Rasmus Sojmark said the agreement gave the organiser, its attendees and its partners certainty to plan ahead. "Onwards and upwards. The agreement gives SBC and our attendees and partners the stability to plan and invest for the future. Knowing exactly where we'll be and for how long means we can keep pouring everything into making the Summit bigger, better and more valuable for everyone who comes through the doors," he said.

The signing took place on the closing day of this year's Summit, with figures from Lisbon's city government, FIL and Turismo de Portugal present. Those attending included City of Lisbon vice president Gonçalo Reis, deputy mayor for innovation and social development Maria Luísa Aldim, FIL executive board president António Ramalho, FIL executive board member Carlos Oliveira, and Turismo de Portugal board member Teresa Monteiro.

Sojmark added that the backing of the host city had been a key factor in the event's growth. "We are very happy to have the support of the city we have chosen to host our biggest and most ambitious event. Year on year, Lisbon is proving to be the perfect fit, and we're grateful for all the support we've received from the city so far," he said.

Ramalho said FIL intended to keep working with SBC to support the Summit's expansion, describing large-scale international events as central to positioning Lisbon and the Parque das Nações district within the global events industry.

SBC Summit has been staged in Lisbon since 2024, and its footprint in the city has continued to expand each year. This year's edition drew attendees from 178 countries and generated an estimated 85,000 hotel room nights across the capital, SBC News reported, with final attendance numbers still being compiled.

The 2026 programme featured a Leadership in Sports Business keynote bringing together Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and chief executive Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings co-founder, chief executive and chairman Jason Robins, in conversation with broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher.

New additions to this year's event included a standalone Affiliate Leaders Summit for the affiliate and performance marketing sector, plus the launch of the Global Prediction Markets Forum and the African Gaming Forum, alongside a newly introduced structured networking programme.

Other headline appearances came from football journalist Fabrizio Romano and UFC champion Charles Oliveira, while the week closed with the INFINITY Lisbon party headlined by DJ Tiësto.

SBC Summit is scheduled to return to FIL and the MEO Arena on 21-23 September 2027, the first edition to fall under the newly extended agreement.