The second edition of SPORTCITIES Expo & Summit, held on October 21 and 22 in Valladolid, brought together the professional sports infrastructure and equipment sector. Carlos Javier Lafuente Martínez, commercial manager of FanBase Seating, visited the meeting to learn about market trends, exchange experiences and reflect on the new challenges of sports facilities.
Valladolid became for two conferences in a meeting point for professionals working in the design, construction, equipment, maintenance and management of sports facilities.
The city, recognized as European City of Sports 2026, hosted a new edition of SPORTCITIES Expo & Summit, an event specialized in infrastructure, equipment and services for the sports sector that had previously held its first edition in Valencia.
On behalf of FanBase Seating, our commercial manager, Carlos Javier Lafuente Martínez, visited the fair with an objective that goes beyond learning about new products or trends: to share experiences with other professionals and understand where a sector in full transformation is evolving.
And its main conclusion invites us to reflect on the future of professional meetings.
Beyond traditional fairs: the value of meeting each other
Technology has transformed the way in which companies relate, present products and generate business opportunities.
Today we can hold international meetings without traveling, present solutions using digital tools, share technical documentation in real time and even use artificial intelligence to analyze projects and optimize processes.
This new scenario is also changing the way companies value their participation in professional fairs.
Are traditional formats still profitable? How can you really measure your return? What do professionals expect from these meetings?
For Carlos Javier Lafuente, the answer is to enhance what technology still cannot completely replace: the face-to-face exchange of knowledge, experiences and different points of view.
«Perhaps traditional fair formats must evolve, especially when companies question their profitability and the difficulty of quantifying their return. But there is something that I am very clear about: we need to promote meeting points between professionals, facility managers, designers, architects and manufacturers. Spaces where we can share knowledge and compare how our market is evolving.
— Carlos Javier Lafuente Martínez, commercial manager of FanBase Seating.
The reflection presents an opportunity for organizers and participants: to convert professional meetings into spaces where technical conversations and collaboration have as much prominence as the commercial exhibition.
Sports facilities are much more than spaces to practice sports
One of the most important aspects Interesting aspects of the evolution of the sector is the growing diversity of disciplines involved in the development of a sports facility.
Years ago, many of the decisions focused on construction issues, capacity, equipment and budget.
Currently, designing or renovating a stadium, pavilion or sports center requires considering many more factors.
Spectator safety, accessibility, sustainability, maintenance efficiency, digitalization of venues, user experience and new commercial possibilities are part of the same conversation.
And each decision can affect other areas of the project.
For example, the choice of seats for a stand is not only an aesthetic issue. It also influences spectator comfort, cleaning operations, durability of materials, customization possibilities and future maintenance needs.
Therefore, collaboration between architects, engineers, sports managers, public administrations and manufacturers is essential to develop more efficient and future-ready facilities.
Artificial intelligence, data and new technologies: the next challenges
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to occupy a relevant space in conversations about the future of sports facilities.
Their possible applications range from the analysis of usage data to maintenance planning, energy optimization and the improvement of certain management processes.
These technologies open new possibilities, but they also raise important questions.
How to integrate new digital solutions into existing facilities? What information is really useful to improve management? How to balance investment, innovation and real user needs?
For FanBase, innovation must have a practical application.
In our field of specialization, this means developing sports equipment solutions that respond to the needs of each project, combining engineering, design, resistance, ease of installation and maintenance.
Because technology makes sense when it helps solve real problems.
The role of manufacturers in the sports facilities of the future
At FanBase Seating we have been linked to the transformation of plastic materials through industrial injection processes for more than 40 years, an experience that we apply to the design and manufacture of seats for stadiums, pavilions, sports centers and other collective spaces.
Our participation in the sector allows us to closely understand the needs of the different professionals involved in each project.
For an architect, it is important to have solutions that adapt to the characteristics of the venue and the design requirements.
For a municipality or a managing entity, durability, safety, ease of maintenance and investment planning are essential.
For a sports club, visual identity, the comfort of its fans and the experience offered by the facility also come into play.
These perspectives do not compete with each other. They complement each other.
And precisely that is why we believe that manufacturers must participate from the first phases of the projects, providing technical knowledge and helping to find appropriate solutions for each installation.
SPORTCITIES 2026: an opportunity to listen to the sector
The celebration of SPORTCITIES in Valladolid also highlights the importance of generating spaces for collaboration between administrations, sports entities and specialized companies.
The development of sport does not depend exclusively on the results of athletes or the construction of new facilities.
It also needs professionals capable of maintaining, modernizing and adequately managing existing infrastructures.
In this context, meetings such as SPORTCITIES make it possible to contrast experiences, identify shared needs and establish relationships between organizations that, from different fields, work to improve sport.
For FanBase, the visit has served to reaffirm a conviction: the future of sports facilities cannot be built from a single specialty.
We need to listen to those who design, those who build, those who manage and those who use each space.
And also to those of us who manufacture the products that are part of these facilities for years.
The future of the sector is built together
The visit of our commercial manager to SPORTCITIES 2026 leaves us with a reflection that we want to share.
In an increasingly digitalized environment, where artificial intelligence and new technologies are transforming business processes, face-to-face meetings continue to play an important role.
But their true value should not be measured solely by the number of exhibitors, visitors or business contacts.
It should also be in the quality of the conversations, the shared knowledge and the collaboration opportunities they generate.
Because the best sports facilities are not born. only a good design or a good product. They are born from collaboration between professionals who understand that each decision is part of a much larger project.
At FanBase Seating we will continue to participate in these meeting spaces, listening to the sector and contributing our experience in the design, manufacture and installation of sports seats.
The future of our sports facilities is built by sharing knowledge. And we want to continue being part of that conversation.
Are you designing, renovating or managing a sports facility?
At FanBase Seating we collaborate with architects, engineering companies, construction companies, sports clubs and public administrations to develop seating solutions adapted to the technical needs of each project.
Discover our sports equipment solutions and contact our technical-commercial team