Introduction: In recent years, women have become a driving force in the sports industry. Before the Rio Olympics, data released by the international talent consulting and headhunting firmSRIshowed that the number of women entering the sports industry had increased by19%. This trend has been well validated in China.
11th13, the China Sports Industry Market (CSIM) Shenzhen Station, jointly organized by Shenzhen Kastone Sports and Lazy Bear Sports, was held at the International Conference Center of the Kosun Science Park. The event revolved around the theme of “Women in Sports Entrepreneurship,” with the slogan “Her Color, Her Strength.” Guest speakers included Han Mu, founder of Lazy Bear Sports; Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen; Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen Kastone Sports; and Yuan Xun Fund partnerFrank, who delivered opening speeches. The summit discussion also featured guests such as Li Yu, founder of Renyuxian; Tiaotiao, founder of Supermonkey; Gao Kening, co-founder of Lexiangdong; Zhou Yana, founder of Lemon Fitness; Lu Qing, founder of Chunyue Life;Xiong Mingjun, founder of Yoga; Liu Yao, co-founder of Haosepai; and Dongdong, partner of Yuedomi.Wake, among others, who participated in the panel discussions.
A total of300industry professionals were invited to attend. The guests shared their entrepreneurial journeys and insights on hot topics such as “How do you view the female label among entrepreneurs?” and “From a company’s perspective, how can the softer side of women be better showcased?”, providing the audience with valuable takeaways.5hours of insightful content greatly benefited all attendees.
Nanshan District, Shenzhen4Implements Major Measures to Support the Sports Industry
▲ Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen
“The Shenzhen municipal government has invested1000million in the sports industry fund this year, and the Nanshan District sports support fund and its target amount are set to be achieved within5years,” clearly stated Liu Chi, Deputy Director of the Nanshan District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Shenzhen.,“First, the output value should reach5000million. The industry includes eleven sectors such as sports manufacturing, sports intermediaries, club operations, and sports R&D. Second, a sports industrial park must be established. Third,,the government's support methods will be implemented at the individual level. For example, if a gym session currently costs30yuan, the government subsidizes20yuan, and the individual pays10yuan. How is the subsidy provided? There is now an app called ‘Nanshan Wenti Tong.’ Next year, several tens of millions of yuan in funds will be allocated for subsidies. Similar to Taobao, the app promotes fitness, with the government covering the costs—unlike before when subsidies went directly to venues. Fourth, government procurement of services. For organizing good competitions—those with positive social impact—the government will allocate a portion of funds for subsidies, with the maximum amount reaching40%.
Sports Becoming a New Favorite Among Women
▲ Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen Kastone Sports
In the eyes of the vast majority of industry professionals, the market potential of the women's sports market is immeasurable. "The spending power of one woman equals that of...50men," while somewhat exaggerated in summarizing modern women’s consumption ability, undoubtedly reflects a future market trend. In the field of sports, female consumers have similarly been elevated to an unprecedented level. Fitness and exercise have become a fashionable lifestyle — just like lipstick and high heels, sports have become the new favorite of women.
"The combination of sports and fashion represents the merging of two trends, forming a way of living and an attitude toward life. The original product channel promotion methods have now evolved into the era of content and traffic. Only with compelling stories and engaging content can better consumer experiences and participation be achieved."
This was the sharing theme of Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Shenzhen KASTONE Sports, at the yesterday's China Sports Industry Market event in Shenzhen, and also2017the purpose of the2Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo held on24-26at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.The
Asia Ladies2017What does KASTONE do? Some may not be familiar, but when mentioning Alibaba's Yunqi Conference, Alibaba, or Mercedes-Benz car launch events, it becomes clear: KASTONE is a service provider focused on sports and exhibitions, and is listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ).
KASTONE Sports is a company dedicated to sports exhibitions, creating happiness and value for the public, aiming to truly build an event that delivers value to more enterprises and the general public.
KASTONE Sports has perfectly created the major event of “Sports Meets Fashion.”
In China, as rising stars, domestic brands such as Li-Ning, Anta, and Erke have continuously integrated fashion themes amid the boom in sports events, launching batches of sports products that combine athletics and style, securing their own place in the wave. This is the sports market.
The Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo, with keen market foresight and based on various market researches, has segmented the market to create a women's sports-dedicated platform distinct from typical comprehensive expos. Its aim is to not solely rely on the traditional exhibition
The Asia Lasies2017,B2B display model, but rather through the promotion of a brand-new lifestyle and attitude, to help more Chinese women’s sports brands emerge — similar to foreign native emerging brands like “B2C,” “heyjuice” — along with more products suited to the Chinese physique, furthering the development of Chinese smart wearables, enabling the Chinese sports industry to truly align with international standards and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world.lululemonOf course, diving into this trend isn’t a one-sided effort by the Asia Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo alone. In today’s era of resource integration and data dominance, beyond traditional booth sales, conventional display methods can no longer keep up with current trends,
as more brands have launched training camps and interactive experiential activities— especially with the growing popularity of cross-industry collaborations, leading to an increasing number of interactive and experiential events. When such activities emerge, the original product channel promotion methods have transformed into the current era of content and traffic, where only compelling stories and content can deliver better consumer experiences and engagement.Three major themes shape the Women’s Sports Festival
Therefore,
the expo adopts a presentation format of “activities + exhibition
+ carnival”to bring the latest and mosthealth-conscious lifestyle to today’s sports and fashion enthusiasts. Among the highlights, Suisheng, Aolai, and AVIC Fitness hosted an on-site fitness carnival for thousands;INBalance School, Meng’s Yoga, and the Yoga Association organized a thousand-person yoga session, while Boiling Point presentedpartyextreme sports performances, and PurCotton, Suisheng, and Tuoding held new product fashion, runway shows — all perfectly blending the three themes of women, sports, and fashion into a dynamic carnival.PSYCHOSMoreover, the expo also tapped into the current craze for “washboard abs” in women’s fitness, joining forces with the first-ever...TLive performances such as stage shows perfectly present a carnival that blends the three major themes of women, sports, and fashion.
Not only that, but the exhibition also capitalizes on the current trend of visible abs in women's fitness, in conjunction with the firstSHAPE
GIRLThe organizers of the Waistline Contest have joined forces to jointly create2017the second editionShape
Girlof the Waistline Contest, reshaping the most intuitive lifestyle and health concepts for contemporary women, allowing more beauty-loving women to showcase their best form.
Of course, having only sports brands involved is not enough. The exhibition itself is an industry exchange event — there must be buyers to have sellers, to drive the industry chain forward.The Asia Lasies2017The Asian Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo has partnered with resources such as Joyrun, Shenzhen Outdoor Mountaineering Association, Shenzhen Women’s Marathon, Swarovski, and iRanShao to co-host two major events: the “China Women’s Sports Events Alliance” and the “China Running Club Conference.” These initiatives bring together national running club communities, female running groups, and running club icons, jointly creating a significant industry event. This allows more sports enterprises at the exhibition to see the real needs of the industry community, engage both online and offline with zero distance, and activate the entire industry chain.
There are many entrepreneurial opportunities in sports. Everyone understands that making a product is easy — you just need the resources. But building a brand is very difficult. Aside from being influenced by the embedded marketing of well-known international brands, Chinese brands still have a long way to go in key areas such as design innovation and wearing experience. Many platforms have emerged in the industry, but very few can truly calm down, start from the market, consider customer needs, and jointly explore and cultivate platforms that fit the Chinese sports market. Perhaps, as Zhao Morlei, General Manager of Kastone Sports Industry, said:Sports and fashionare a positive attitude toward life.We hopeThe Asia Lasies2017the platform built by the Asian Women’s Sports & Fashion Expo can allow more women to express their individuality and lifestyle, making the entire sports community even more complete with the inclusion of women.