NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Thought leaders from around the world will come together today to explore how social media and technology are disrupting the sports industry in a virtual conference powered by Google+.

This open online event will feature representatives from leading sports brands, teams, leagues, agencies, networks and startups in a series of live interactive panels, case studies, interviews and Q&A sessions from 10:00am EST – 6:30pm EST.

"The goal of #SportsConf is to conveniently and affordably connect a global audience of sports digital marketers and industry professionals to network, learn, share and innovate," said Steve Cobb, Co-founder and Partner of Activ8Social. "This event will be the largest single usage of Google+ Hangouts on Air in any industry to date."

Participating organizations include the San Francisco 49ers, Everton FC, ESPN, Google, USA Today Sports, Red Bull, Octagon, NBA, Mashable, USOC, Bleacher Report, Turner Sports, Deadspin, Wasserman, Bloomberg Sports and over 40 other leading sport and technology brands.

The conference will feature an action-packed agenda that includes topics ranging from social media's influence on the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2014 World Cup to content creation strategies and in-stadium fan engagement. Cisco, Hendrick Motorsports, Tagboard and the Green Sports Alliance will present case studies.

The day will conclude with back-to-back Hangouts featuring professional athletes Jimmy Spithill of Oracle Team USA and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors, among others.

For free registration to #SportsConf, please visit www.hashtagsportsconf.com, and to learn more about Activ8Social, please visit www.activ8social.com.

Contact: For additional questions or to set up an interview, please contact:

Steve Cobb, Activ8Social: steve@a8s.com or 202-531-8943

ABOUT ACTIV8SOCIAL:

Activ8Social is a digital agency that specializes in driving fan engagement and loyalty for sports, entertainment and lifestyle brands.  Activ8Social affects change for clients though a growing network of strategic partners and properties that extend its reach and relevance to an international sports audience. In 2011, Activ8Social created Hashtag Sports as a free daily email newsletter to curate the top stories in sports, social and tech. It has since grown to an industry leading publication.

ABOUT HASHTAG SPORTS:

Hashtag Sports is the leader in curation for sports, social and tech through its growing network of properties and events that include the #SportsDaily email newsletter, #SportsAwards series and #SportsConf virtual conference.

SOURCE Activ8Social

RELATED LINKShttp://www.activ8social.com