The third edition of the Udinese Calcio B2B Lab took place at Dacia Arena on Friday – in person once again after the 2021 edition was held online.
The aim of the initiative is to foster business relations and encourage dialogue between Udinese Calcio partners at local, national and international level.
The 2022 B2B Lab proved to be another roaring success. The main topic this year was sustainability, an idea that has long been central to the Udinese philosophy – both in management and football terms – and one which represents added value for club partners.
Among the guest speakers at this year's edition were Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta, Infront Italy Strategy and Business Intelligence Manager Fabio Morandi, and Steven Mandis, an adjunct professor in the finance and economics department at Columbia Business School who has studied and analysed the Udinese business model.
Over 100 Udinese Calcio partners filled the business room set up at Dacia Arena to share their knowledge and successful business models, and lay the foundations for future commercial relations.
Magda Pozzo opened the event, which included a speech by Gianpaolo Pozzo:
“We are thankful that our partners share one of our key values, which is sustainability. Our club model and business model have received international recognition and been held up as an example and this has been possible thanks to the support of all our partners at B2B Lab – a wonderful opportunity to build new relations within the big Udinese family. It is a family underpinned by common values which enable us to move forward towards ambitious targets, leveraging innovative ideas and the consistency that's seen us remain in Italy's top tier for 28 consecutive seasons.”
Giuseppe Marotta:
“Sustainability is essential for a club to enjoy a long life and this is true for big and small clubs alike. The Pozzo family have shown tremendous foresight and expertise over the past decades to make Udinese one of Italian football's finest examples through sound management and intelligent use of their assets and footballers. Their scouting network is one of the best in Europe and remains among the most innovative to this day. They have been in the top flight for 28 years running – a record for a club outside the biggest cities and that is no coincidence. A B2B event is unusual for a club of this size and such forward-thinking in the way they deal with the media, club partners and all stakeholders speaks volumes. Over the years Udinese have shown the resourcefulness, the creativity and the expertise to compete even without having huge capitals to draw on.”
Steven Mandis:
“You need a sustainable economic-sport model and that's what Udinese have. They spend only what they make and this is rare in football because most clubs spend more than they make, which is obviously unsustainable. Owners have a false belief that winning generates revenues. What academic research shows is the opposite: revenues generates winning. Udinese take the money they earn from media rights, the stadium and commercial sponsors and reinvest it in players and club operations such as the wonderful Dacia Arena, essentially breaking even. This is the model that is innovative and many are now trying to copy. Udinese was one of the first to build a global scouting network and academy development system to find and develop talent and exhibit them in Serie A. Udinese is a very rare and precious gem with a sustainable economic-sport model. For a club that is in the 36th largest city in Italy competing with clubs in the four largest cities Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin, they have managed to stay in Serie A for 28 consecutive seasons. There are no doubts that the black and white striped jersey means something very special – family values, innovation and sustainability.”