The dust has now settled following the second Padel World Summit last week at the Gran Via in Barcelona which brought together 5,838 attendees from 22 countries.
There were over 100 speakers at the three-day event and we asked one of them — Rob Mitchell, Commercial Director of Premier Padel — for his reflections on the event.
What themes stood out from the presentations and discussions at the Summit?
For me, the dominant theme was globalisation — both in terms of attendees, brand presence and the conversations across the panels and the exhibitor hall.
From a Premier Padel perspective, this was fantastic to see and hear – our overall vision is centred around growth (standards, profile, markets, players, grassroots and Olympic inclusion) – and the conversations and themes certainly reflected a lot of these themes.
Olympic inclusion is a long-term target, and with that comes a need for standardisation, expansion, and widespread education, especially at a grassroots level and in new markets. It was also great to see that, despite our relatively nascent journey as a sport, we are collectively embracing a digital-first era with some incredible innovation and technological solutions on show during the summit.
To what extent was the Summit less Spanish-biased than before and what does it tell us about the game’s globalisation?
This year’s Summit felt markedly more international. There is a rich and significance heritage in padel across Spanish speaking regions and while it is important to celebrate this, there was a growing international presence this year. Our ambition at Premier Padel is to evolve padel into a modern international sport, and we very impressed with the huge diversity in speakers and brands from Scandinavia, the Middle East, the US, and Asia which Alex Ponseti and his team managed to secure this year.
What are the challenges in marketing Premier Padel (and professional padel in general) to emerging nations?
We are working in a sports market that is crowded and people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. We need big ideas and need to be different from anything which has gone before. We are in a fantastic position where padel has momentum: it’s fast-paced, social, and already beloved by global icons including celebrities, footballers and F1 drivers.
At Premier Padel, we are on a continuous education process, working closely with FIP, dedicated local promoters and our valued sponsors and partners. We are doing everything we can to propel padel to a new level.
What is the appetite amongst the padel business sector to engage with Premier Padel?
Premier Padel is being very well-received and the broader interest and buzz around the sport means that business and brands are keen to understand about our story and our position as the world’s leading global professional tour. This is demonstrated by our partners – we have high-profile sponsorship and partnership deals with Qatar Airways, Red Bull, MejorSet, Wilson, Mondo, Playtomic, Bettson, NTT Data and Bullpadel. Major global brands are recognising the incredible commercial and sporting potential of Premier Padel and we are always looking to bring the right partners on board to support us on our journey.
What did you learn from the Summit about the industry that was not obvious to you beforehand?
In just 12 months (having attended the inaugural summit in Malaga) Padel World Summit has evolved from a largely regional gathering into a truly international meeting. The rapid growth in the interest from the international padel ecosystem was clear to see this year. It was a rare chance to see how all the parts of this ecosystem are connecting and to hear experiences from people across the world at different stages of their journeys.
