AC Milan CEO Discusses The Club’s Brand and The Future At Expo 2020 Dubai

AC Milan’s CEO Ivan Gazidis spoke to Gulf News as the Rossoneri delegation attended the Expo 2020 Dubai as the Rossoneri hosted a headline event and an academy.

“This is something that, as a club, we strongly believe in, as demonstrated by the plans for a new Milan Stadium, which will be the best and the most sustainable stadium in Europe and will also be key for the future development of the club, the city of Milan and Italian football in general.”

“Hosting this event during a platform as powerful as Expo is a great source of pride for us, and is in keeping with our overall ambition to set the standard for others in our industry and beyond when it comes to important topics such as innovation and sustainability.”

“At AC Milan, one of our main areas of focus is to build and reinforce our bond with our global fan base. We know that the club is nothing without the loyalty and support of its fans. We are conscious that not all of our fans will have the opportunity to get to the San Siro and see their favourite players in action, which is why over the past couple of years, especially on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been investing heavily in the digital space.”

“I believe we are lucky to have one of the most recognisable brands in the world of football and we have a clear global strategy to continue developing its full potential. It is imperative for us to understand where football is going and continue to evolve accordingly.”

“We realise that the football fans of the future, and young fans today, are not connecting with football in the same ways that we did, which is also why we have been investing in the digital space. This is a challenge for us and for the whole football industry, but it is also a massive opportunity for us to progress.”

“We have to embrace these changes and look forward with creativity, invention and open-mindedness to make sure we can always be relevant to our existing fan base, while attracting new fans as well.”

“My management team and I understand that we are not just running a business, but are also stewards of a very important social institution. We have to balance the need to be successful on the pitch, financially sustainable off it and building the foundations for a club that fans can continue to be proud of for generations to come.”

“We see ourselves not just a football club, but also, in part, as an entertainment company. In this direction, we launched the new ‘Studios: Milan Media House’, which allow us to manage the entire production and distribution process for our video content and to be more effective in reinforcing the bond with our international fan base.”

“Overall, it is all about understanding where football and entertainment are going, anticipating as much as possible what the fans of the future will want, and being able to adapt to their needs.”

“During the pandemic, we immediately recognised the need to be able to adapt and be more digitally advanced to engage with fans in a time when football in stadiums was halted. That is why we have developed our presence in the digital world, a process that was, and continues to be, a continual evolution, but that was accelerated due to the pandemic.”