SBC Summit 2025 recap — corporate merch lessons from Lisbon
SBC Summit returned to Lisbon in September 2025 with the iGaming and sports-betting industry at full strength. From the corporate merch perspective, three patterns defined the event, two lead-time lessons emerged, and the 2026 SBC Summit edition (Lisbon, mid-September) is shaping up to apply the same playbook with sharper CSRD-aligned data.
What SBC Summit is and why it matters for Lisbon
SBC Summit is the iGaming and sports-betting industry's flagship exhibition and conference. It runs annually in Lisbon, hosted at the FIL (Feira Internacional de Lisboa) and the surrounding venues in the Parque das Nações area. The 2025 edition drew an estimated 25,000+ attendees across operators, affiliates, suppliers, payment providers, regulators and compliance professionals. The 2026 edition is scheduled for mid-September at the same venues.
SBC Summit is a working show, not a consumer show. The audience is B2B; the merch profile is therefore B2B-tech-vertical: minimalist caps, performance tees, recycled-fibre toots, premium drinkware, USB-C and wireless-charging accessories, premium notebooks, and high-end partner recognition kits. The decorum is professional; the merchandise is operationally useful, not souvenir-grade.
Independent of Corp-Merch.PT, SBC Summit is organised by SBC (Sports Betting Community) under the Lisbon-hosted conference brand. The Altice Arena and FIL are the venue partners. We supply merch to exhibitors and attending teams on a commercial basis; we are not an official supplier, sponsor, or partner of SBC, SBC Summit, FIL or Altice Arena.
Three merch patterns that defined SBC Summit 2025
The first pattern was the iGaming-vertical kit profile. The dominant kit for SBC Summit 2025 was a four-item booth staff pack: an embroidered structured cap, a performance tee with high-density screen-print, a recycled-fibre tote, and a premium stainless-steel vacuum bottle. A premium fifth item (recycled-leather notebook, wireless charger) was added for VIP and partner kits.
The second pattern was the rise of recycled-content defaults. Roughly two-thirds of the operators and suppliers we worked with at SBC Summit 2025 specified recycled-content variants as the default, with at least one operator specifying 100% recycled-cotton apparel across the entire staff pack. The premium versus virgin equivalents was 8-15% on the apparel items.
The third pattern was data discipline. CSRD/ESRS reporting under EU rules applied to most large EU operators at SBC Summit 2025. The merch data sheets were therefore auditable: SKU, weight, material breakdown, recycled content, country of origin per component, decoration energy per 100 units, supplier audit pack. The buyers could paste the data straight into their ESRS data lake for the FY 2024 reporting cycle.
Two lead-time lessons from SBC Summit 2025
The first lead-time lesson is that SBC Summit falls in mid-September, but the bulk of the merch production window is the eight to twelve weeks before the show. Operators that brief in June/July get the best lead times and the lowest per-unit prices. Operators that brief in August pay premium pricing and accept tighter decoration windows. Briefings after August 15 are operationally constrained.
The second lesson is on logistics to the Altice Arena and FIL. The Parque das Nações area has limited loading-dock access and a tight freight-window schedule during SBC Summit week. Buyers that ship to a Lisbon hub (the Lisbon fulfilment address or a hub partner) and use scheduled freight into the venue avoid the on-site freight delays that bit some operators in 2024 and 2025.
The implication for 2026 is clear: brief earlier, consolidate to a single Lisbon hub, use scheduled freight to the venue, and accept a 4-8 week production window from artwork sign-off. Operators that follow this playbook get the kit on the booth with time to spare.
The IVA 23% and AT angle for SBC Summit merch
SBC Summit is a Portuguese-domiciled event. The merch consumed in Portugal is documented under IVA 23% via Portal das facturas (AT) with monthly SAF-T (PT) submission. The Lisbon hub issues the ATCUD-coded invoice with QR verification on the day of delivery. For EU-based operators with Portuguese operations, the invoice is domestic B2B with full IVA reclaim under the normal rules.
For operators outside the EU (UK, US, Latam, Asia) attending SBC Summit, the merch consumed in Portugal is documented under the reverse-charge mechanism: the buyer self-accounts for VAT in its home jurisdiction. The Lisbon hub issues a zero-rated invoice with the reverse-charge annotation. The buyer accounts for VAT in its home jurisdiction under its local rules.
For operators with EU operations in multiple countries (Italy, Spain, Poland), the merch consumed in Portugal is documented under IVA 23% in Portugal; the operator claims the VAT back through the EU VAT refund procedure (Directive 2008/9/EC) where eligible.
What the 2026 SBC Summit implies for buyers
The 2026 SBC Summit in mid-September will be the third consecutive Lisbon edition and the most data-disciplined. Three implications for buyers: brief earlier (June or earlier is the new normal), insist on the CSRD-ready data sheet from your merch supplier, and budget for the recycled-content premium (8-22%, narrowing in apparel and bags).
For buyers that were at SBC Summit 2025, the 2026 cycle is a chance to formalise the merch programme: an annual kit template, a fixed decoration partner, a fixed Lisbon hub, and an audit-trail standard for CSRD reporting. The template approach reduces the brief-to-delivery window by 2-3 weeks and improves the data quality.
For buyers new to SBC Summit 2026, the playbook is to engage with a Lisbon-based merch supplier in Q2 2026, agree the kit template and decoration methods by Q2 end, and use the eight-week production window for delivery to the booth. The first-time buyers we worked with in 2024-2025 settled into this rhythm in their second cycle.
The Altice Arena and FIL as venues — what to plan around
FIL (Feira Internacional de Lisboa) and the neighbouring Altice Arena host SBC Summit each September. The venue is in the Parque das Nações area of Lisbon, easily reached via the Lisbon Metro (red line, Oriente station) and by TAP Air Portugal or easyJet or Ryanair into Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS). The freight access is via the FIL loading docks on the north side of the venue.
The venue has standard exhibition services (power, compressed air, freight, security). The merch hub for buyers is typically a Lisbon-based fulfilment address (the buyer's own Portuguese office, a hotel near the venue, or a partner fulfilment hub) with scheduled freight into the FIL loading dock during the build window (typically the Friday and Saturday before the show opens).
Booth design and freight logistics are usually handled by a separate partner (an exhibition contractor); the merch partner's role is the production, decoration, packaging, and last-mile delivery to the booth. The two need to share the build-window schedule.
FAQ
When should I brief my merch for SBC Summit 2026?
June 2026 is the practical target. Briefings after mid-August are operationally constrained.
Can you deliver directly to the FIL booth?
Yes — via a Lisbon hub address and scheduled freight into the FIL loading dock during the build window. We coordinate with your exhibition contractor.
Is Corp-Merch.PT an official partner of SBC Summit or FIL?
No. We supply exhibitors and attending teams on a commercial basis; we are not an official supplier, sponsor, or partner of SBC Summit, SBC, FIL, or Altice Arena.
Do you handle reverse-charge VAT for non-EU operators?
Yes — for UK, US, Latam and Asia-based operators we issue zero-rated invoices with the reverse-charge annotation under the EU VAT rules.