On 24 November, the professional and business community of the Hungarian Sport Business Association (MASÜSZ) will once again come together at the Hungarian House of Sports. The IV. MASÜSZ SportUp conference is a forum built for genuine professional dialogue, where the Association’s member organisations, sports leaders, business partners and everyone with an interest in the sports economy can think together about the future of sport. This year’s event centres on sustainability, opportunities in the sports economy and the future operation of sports organisations. We spoke with Renáta Kosaras, President of the Hungarian Sport Business Association, about why the conference is worth attending, what makes the MASÜSZ community valuable, and why working together, sharing knowledge and finding solutions jointly matter more than ever today.
A professional community that keeps growing
MASÜSZ SportUp has now reached its fourth edition. What do you consider the greatest achievement of the conferences so far?
Above all, the professional community that has taken shape at these events and keeps growing. The feedback from our earlier SportUp conferences confirmed that there is a real need for occasions where sports leaders, sports federations, sports organisations and representatives of the business world can genuinely talk to one another.
At previous events we explored sports marketing, sponsorship, innovation, the sports economy and wellbeing in the sports workplace. Many valuable professional relationships were formed, and what matters most to me is that participants went home not only with information, but with new ideas, new thinking and new collaborations and partnerships. Sharing knowledge is in all of our interests if we want to move forward.
What makes this year’s SportUp different
Why is it worth coming to SportUp on 24 November? What will set this year’s event apart?
This year’s SportUp explores a subject that could fundamentally shape how sports organisations operate in the years ahead: the SportESG360 Hungary® framework developed by MASÜSZ’s own experts, which interprets the environmental, social and governance dimensions of sustainability in the context of how the sports economy actually works.
We did not want a theoretical conference. We are bringing international best practice, Hungarian expert experience and practical approaches to the table. Alongside speakers from MASÜSZ’s own professional areas, respected sports leaders and business professionals will also take the floor.
The keynote presentations will be followed by interactive panel discussions, with room for questions, differing views and shared problem-solving – including from the audience. Through the SportWellbeing360®, SportBusiness360® and SportGrassroots360® pillars, we will also show how sustainability connects to people, youth development, organisational operations and business thinking.
In addition, a number of our business members will be presenting themselves in an exhibition area.
The community that connects sport and business
One of SportUp’s greatest assets is the professional and business community built around MASÜSZ. What makes this community special, and why does it matter that new participants and newcomers can also join the conversation at the conference?
I am genuinely proud of our members – the sports federations, sports organisations and our professional and business partners – who stay open to new knowledge, are curious about each other’s experience and are ready to work together for the development of Hungarian sport. What I find particularly valuable is that we come from very different fields, yet we are connected by the same drive to improve, the same appetite for learning and the same willingness to cooperate.
SportUp is first and foremost a professional gathering for this community, but we have also opened a limited number of places to those outside it. I believe that the sports business needs new voices, insights from other industries and fresh thinking in order to develop. The strength of MASÜSZ lies precisely in its ability to bring these different perspectives together – and to turn networking into genuine professional and business collaboration.
From searching for direction to finding solutions together
In the current economic and sporting environment, many are looking for new directions. What message do you want the conference to convey?
There is a genuine search for direction going on, and it would be a mistake to ignore it. Sports organisations are facing economic, operational and social challenges all at once. I do not believe we have a ready answer to every question.
What I am certain of is that without thinking together, cooperating and a real will to act, we will not move forward. It is important that we dare to ask questions and share our experiences – but above all, that we do not stop at listing the problems. The emphasis has to be on recognising solutions and opportunities, and on working together to achieve them.
That is why SportUp is more than a professional programme. It is networking, relationship-building, business thinking, new opportunities – and a good atmosphere, too. We want participants to leave feeling that it was worth coming, worth talking and worth learning from one another.
A message to those still deciding
What would you say to those who are still undecided about attending?
Come along, join the conversations, and bring your questions and your experience with you. We do not have to agree on everything to move forward together.
The future of sport depends not only on the opportunities we have, but on what we do with them together. That is what we believe in at MASÜSZ, and that is exactly what we want to show at SportUp.
The IV. MASÜSZ SportUp – The Future of Sports with a New Perspective conference will be held on 24 November 2026 in Budapest, at the Hungarian House of Sports. MASÜSZ members can attend free of charge with prior registration, while a limited number of tickets are available to those outside the Association. The full programme and registration details are available at www.masusz.hu.