Fanatics Fest is predicted to lose hundreds of thousands — once more. Michael Rubin’s not nervous.
“We’re still in investment mode,” the 52-year-old Fanatics CEO mentioned of the celebrity-packed sports activities and tradition conference, set to happen June 20 to 22 on the Javits Middle.
Final yr, 72,000 followers attended the inaugural pageant. It was a large success.
Certain, the corporate misplaced $15 million on the three-day celebration, however that’s a little bit greater than a rounding error for Fanatics, which is projected to generate $12 billion in income in 2026.
Fanatics Fest isn’t designed to generate income on par with Fanatics commerce or collectible verticals, or its betting platform — it’s designed to bolster them.
“This is really about creating a sports festival that only we can create. It’s a great give back to fans,” Rubin instructed NYNext.
Michelle Farsi/New York Put up
Rubin is anticipating 150,000 attendees at this yr’s fest. And the variety of taking part leagues and organizations will greater than double, too. FIFA, System 1, the Premier League, USTA, Nike, and Dick’s Sporting Items are becoming a member of returning companions together with the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC and WWE.
Then there’s the surfeit of expertise who will likely be there.
Jay-Z is spending hundreds of thousands on a pop-up 40/40 Membership. Tom Brady is sitting on panels and tossing footballs to followers. And Victor Wembanyama, at present touring in China, is coming in for a cold-plunge with Kevin Hart on a live-taping of “Cold as Balls.”
Enjoyable may also count on to see LeBron James, Travis Scott, Henrik Lundqvist, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Livvy Dunne, Kevin Costner, John Cena, Charlotte Aptitude and tons of of different beloved athletes and entertainers at varied autograph-signings and activations.
Will probably be “organized chaos,” Rubin mentioned.
Whereas he’s coy on particular occasion particulars, he teases “Crazy stunts, endless stunts … Twenty to 30 that no one knows about.”
One bit he’ll share entails a yet-to-be-named athlete surrounded by 20 equivalent decoys in matching uniforms, unleashed into the group to confuse followers.
“We like chaos,” Rubin added.
Whereas Fanatics Fest 1.0 was largely a success, it wasn’t with out friction. VIP badge-holders, who paid additional for his or her privileges, have been allowed to chop traces for autographs and pictures — a transfer Rubin now bluntly admits was a “disaster.”
“It sucked, it was terrible,” he mentioned. “You can’t be afraid to go out and do things and make mistakes, but then you’ve got to be a great listener.”
This yr, he guarantees that the autograph course of has been overhauled and improved, as has crowd logistics, stage administration and athlete transportation.
Since Rubin based Fanatics in 2002, the sports-commerce big has expanded from promoting group merchandise to working buying and selling playing cards, collectibles and its personal sportsbook. The corporate serves greater than 10 million prospects yearly throughout its shops and venue retailers, and ships greater than 40 million on-line orders a yr.
The worldwide spectator sports activities trade is value greater than $500 billion, however few corporations have constructed a direct, multi-channel relationship with followers as efficiently as Rubin has.
This story is a part of NYNext, an indispensable insider perception into the improvements, moonshots and political chess strikes that matter most to NYC’s energy gamers (and those that aspire to be).
The concept for Fanatics Fest first got here to Rubin after he attended SXSW and Comedian-Con — flagship experiences that followers have been yearly touring throughout the nation and world to attend.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we have this for sports?’” he mentioned. “There wasn’t [anybody else] that could convene all of the sports properties and all of the athletes … We [had] to do this.”
Ship NYNext a tip: nynextlydia@nypost.com
