The Paris 2024 Olympics marked a pivotal moment for action sports, showcasing them on the world’s biggest athletic stage. This panel dove into a review of how sports like skateboarding, surfing, climbing and BMX freestyle have evolved within the Olympic framework. Panelists explored the impact of their inclusion on global sports culture, the challenges faced, and the reception by both athletes and audiences. They analysed the successes, areas for growth, and the future of action sports in the Olympic movement.

Events are the corner stone of the action sports industry, creating connections with community, raising your profile and getting your venue buzzing. But what are the secrets of making an event successful? From getting enough participants, a big enough audience to making it financially viable, for all parties. Our expert panel gave insight.

Traditional methods of finance are all but dead. Institutional lending parameters are too rigourous and PE firms want it all. So how do you fund an action sports project? This session on investment took a look at what other options exist for funding your project.

Charting the course of action sports from zero to hero. The benefits it has provided but also the sacrifices which have been made. We heard from the old guard on what the journey has looked like, how we have arrived here and what mistakes can be avoided in future. There were a couple of war stories.

Skateboard has got a pass until LA 2028, freestyle BMX in Tokyo & Paris gave us numerous medals and we have a world champion in snowboard. So what's the future for action sports in the mainstream market and how are local authorities and national institutions helping to support the future of action sports in the UK. Our expert panel gave their thoughts.

Action sports in some form or another are being used to market everything from phones to cars to TVs to soft drinks. But what value does action sports provide to the brand and what value can a brand give to action sports. Our expert panel discussed the future of branding in action sports now that the edgy counter-culture is going mainstream.

Our expert panel including Chris McLeod, Senior Innovation Consultant at the UK Sports Insitute and Anthony Gill, Head of Sport at British Cycling, are focused on performance. In this final interactive session, they discussed the pressure on the action sports industry to become more professional and what can be done to stem the seemingly inevtiable disappearance of what was previously an industry founded on counter culture.