John Langford is joining AEG as Vice President and General Manager of The O2 in London on 1 November. The move follows three years as Director of Live Entertainment at The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, including The SSE Hydro arena.

Shortly after starting the new role he will be speaking at Host City 2016, the leading conference and exhibition for cities and sports, cultural and business events. He will be speaking on November 22 in Glasgow on the subject of “Creating Entertaining Experiences for Visitors” alongside other global leaders in staging major events.

Leading the team at The O2, Langford will be responsible for the overall operational management, commercial delivery, event booking and content creation at the London venue as well as setting the vision and strategy. Reporting directly to AEG Europe’s SVP Facilities, Richard Krezwick, he takes over as the venue approaches its tenth birthday in 2017.

John Langford also sits on the board of the European Arenas Association.

"With John’s knowledge of the music and entertainment business world and his proven track record in the venue management business, I know he’ll do a fantastic job,” said Krezwick. “John inherits a tremendously talented team at The O2 which will certainly make for a seamless transition and a bright future ahead.”

Langford’s leadership was pivotal in transforming The SSE Hydro into one of the world’s leading entertainment venues, during which time the arena significantly added to group profitably and economic impact for the City of Glasgow.  Prior to the SECC, he spent seven years as Chief Operating Officer at BIG Concerts International, Africa’s premier concert promoter and previously at senior management roles in the commercial radio industry.

“I am incredibly excited to be joining the team at AEG and The O2,” he said.

“I have always admired the impact that The O2 has on the live entertainment industry and I am greatly honoured that I can play a part in the future growth of this iconic venue.  I will miss my colleagues at the SECC tremendously and I wish them well as their incredibly successful journey continues.”

According to AEG, The O2 is the world’s most popular music and entertainment venue. Since opening in 2007, it has been visited by more than 60 million people and picked up awards including: Venue of the Year at the Music Week Awards, Venue of the Year at the Event Awards, Venue of the Year at the AEO Awards, Pollstar International Arena of the Year (nine consecutive years), Venue Team of the Year at the Event Awards, Best New Major Concert Venue, Venue of the Year at The Event Services Association and Favourite Venue at the TPI Awards.

In addition to the arena, The O2 is also home to indigo at The O2, a live performance space; an 11-screen Cineworld complex; Up at The O2 – an experience that allows visitors to walk across the roof of The O2; Brooklyn Bowl - a 12-lane bowling alley, 800 capacity live music space and 130 cover restaurant, and The Avenue, which features 26 bars and restaurants.

Read the exclusive Host City interview with John Langford here.

Holding training camps in Turkey is no rareness for years. Especially the region around Antalya is almost second home for professional soccer leagues in winter. Now Belek, only 30 kilometres away from Antalya and known as the mecca for golf enthusiasts, is becoming one of the most favoured destinations for top-ranking athletes from all branches. Thanks to Özaltin Holding, having founded the Gloria Sports Arena from the ground beginning of 2015, and now can boast about great occupancy rates in the second year of operation. 

Each day elite athletes – especially from Germany, Austria and Scandinavia – use the multipurpose sports facility for tests, training and regeneration. Athletes, swimmers and divers, martial artists, basketball and volleyball players as well as hockey players train in the proven outdoor and indoor facilities and in the aquatic centre, to optimize their best times for diverse competitions such as the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam or Olympics in Rio. The majority of the national coaches agree that the Gloria Sports Arena is one of the best sports complexes of Europe due to its comprehensive services, conditions regardless of weather and the reachability from many parts of the world. In particular the first internationally standardized hockey course of Turkey with Olympic coating is a blessing to hockey players for their outdoor-training even in winter.

Since the opening in January 2015 professional and amateur athletes from more than 54 countries and over 100 sports teams could convince themselves of the excellent training possibilities. 

More than 50 sports 
There are no limits regarding sports disciplines at the Gloria Sports Arena: More than 50 sports can be exercised on a total area of 105.000 sq. indoor, outdoor and in the aquatic centre. Next to the track and field stadium with a football field, comprising 1.600 spectators, all track and field disciplines, boxing, fencing, judo, wrestling, handball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, badminton, dance sports, weight lifting and more can be trained here. Outside of the stadium one Olympic pool, one short lane multi-purpose and diving pool, diverse running tracks, tennis courts, climbing walls and further areas for aerobic, Pilates and Boccia are at service. In the indoor halls the galleries can be extended for up to 1.200 spectators. The equipment is also second to none: The parquet floor for the basketball hall for example was imported from the USA and is the same, on which the NBA-stars sink as many baskets as possible. 

The aquatic centre of the Gloria Sports Arena on 5.800 sq. offers next to Olympic pools also areas for diverse exercises before or after the swimming practice.  Among the equipment are an Olympic outdoor pool with 10 lanes, an 50 m indoor pool with 5 lanes, an outdoor pool for short distances with 6 lanes (25m), an Olympic diving pool, an Olympic water polo pool and a rehabilitation pool. The aquatic centre is equipped with a mobile Contemplas high performance video analysis system for all pools. 

Whether professional or amateur – in the Gloria Sports Medicine & Performance Centre professional sports scientists look after the concerns of all guests. The areas of performance physiology, movement control, biomechanics and all sorts of sports performance analysis are covered here. Gloria Sports Arena is a certified physiotherapy partner of Eden Rehab in Germany (www.eden-reha.de). All requirements for modern physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation are fulfilled. The experienced team consists of sports scientists, physiotherapists, sports coaches and sports massage therapists, who were educated in leading institutions in Turkey, Europe and the USA. Those who wish to overnight in the Gloria Sports Arena can enjoy the sports hotel with 100 rooms, all looking over the track and field stadium. The hotel´s own restaurant offers an extensive buffet in the morning, noon and evening with focus on healthy nutrition. 

First LEED Gold Certificate in Turkey  
Özaltin Holding is known for its passion for the environment. As one of the leading construction companies of Turkey they have committed themselves to realize environmentally compatible projects. Among them is the 5-star Gloria Verde Resort, attracting the eye with its construction around the nature, and now also the Gloria Sports Arena, being awarded as one of the most energy- and resource-saving construction of Turkey with the LEED Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The Gloria Sports Arena is the first construction of Turkey with this worldwide recognition.  This is an important milestone for Gloria, duly framing the own campaign "Habitat of Gloria – For our future". 

Sports Events 2016
From top-class dancing tournaments via swim camps with professional coach Dirk Lange, former head trainer of the German and South African national league, up to the most challenging endurance sports event of the world, the Ironman, and the new three-week summer camps for kids from 6 to 16 – numerous occasions ensure that the Gloria Sports Arena remains a sporty melting pot of diverse cultures. 

Range of Events:  
14th - 16th October: Gloria Senior Open Dance Competitions
23rd October: Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey

Source: Gloria Hotels & Resorts

In just less than two months the second Ironman 70.3 starts in Turkey under the patronage of the brand Gloria: On 23rd October 2016 more than 2.500 athletes from over 60 nations are expected to Belek. The second edition of the Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey will be held in the memory of Nuri Özaltın, Özaltın Holding Chairman and Owner of the Gloria Hotels & Resorts, which sadly passed away a few weeks ago. Start and final is once again in the beautiful premises of the Gloria Hotels & Resorts: While swimming starts at the beach of Gloria Serenity Resort the finish line awaits the athletes at the Gloria Sports Arena, the largest sports facility of the country.

This race gives 20 qualifying slots for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. In 2015 the premiere of the Gloria Ironman 70.3.Turkey attracted 1.224 triathletes from over 60 countries, among them 25 percent of women. Thus, Gloria Hotels & Resorts could write a piece of history. More than 1.000 volunteers supported the event on 25th October in all areas. Together with the Gloria-Team more than 5.000 spectators shared the excitement onsite, while whole Turkey could follow the event on CNNTürk live.  

"This year we dedicate the second edition of Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey to our Nuri Özaltin, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. His contribution to tourism and sports in the country is significant", says Mutlu Sagsözlü, Head of Sales & Marketing of the Gloria hotel group. "It is clear enough that sports is the best way to connect cultures and we will continue to work on this branch."

Again this year Gloria is promoting these four disciplines: "Swim, Bike, Run, and Holiday". Gloria Hotels & Resorts target athletes, who not only want to train on-site for the triathlon, but also want to enjoy a relaxing holiday with the family after the challenging event. With its Five-Star resorts Gloria provides a wide choice of accommodation: The bed capacity of all four hotels alone (Gloria Sports Arena Hotel, Gloria Golf Resort, Gloria Serenity Resort, and Gloria Verde Resort) amounts to 3.000. Moreover, there are numerous hotels around the premises of Gloria, which have profited from the event last year clear enough.  

The courses of Gloria Ironman 70.3 Turkey
The Ironman-Triathlon in Antalya and Belek will once again be challenging: The swim will start at the beautiful sandy beach of the Gloria Serenity Resort with a 1,9k one loop course in the calm and crystal clear water of the Turkish Riviera. From there the bike will be on a 90k one loop course, parallel to the Mediterranean, taking past the Expo 2016-area – this course has been optimized for this year´s event – and ends at the Gloria Serenity Resort. A 21,1k loop run course leads the athletes on two rounds through the picturesque landscape of the 45-hole Gloria golf course and through the streets of Belek centre back to the finishing line at the Gloria Sports Arena. 

Packages in the Gloria Sports Arena
The Gloria Sports Arena offers the ideal platform for athletes, who want to prepare for the triathlon. Diverse packages are available for young and old, among them complete packages for top athletes or for targeted individual training. Balance tests, gait analysis, Speedcourt training, ICELAB-units and more can be booked.  

Gloria Sports Arena – the largest sports facility in Turkey
It is 105.000 sq. large – the merely two years old Gloria Sports Arena, Europe´s most comprehensive privately financed sports arena, being the largest facility of Turkey for more than 50 sports disciplines. Next to a track and field stadium for 1.600 spectators, it houses an Olympic Aquatic Centre, a sports science and performance center and further indoor and outdoor areas for trainings of all kinds. There is also a sports hotel with 100 rooms, motivating to high performances with their direct view onto the stadium. The Gloria Sports Arena also convinces with its accessibility. The international airport Antalya is only 30 kilometres away and ideally connected from all important airports of the world. With the Gloria Sports Arena the owners Özaltin Holding have started a project, that is said to be a new landmark for the country´s sport tourism. 

Information and registration: www.ironman.com/turkey70.3
hotel bookings via www.gloria.com.tr.      

Host City 2016 is delighted to announce exciting additions to this year's speaker line-up.

In addition to representatives from Glasgow, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Brussels, city leaders that have recently confirmed their participation include: Adriaan Visser, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam and Alderman for Sports, Rotterdam; Ronnie Hansen, General Manager, Experience Economy, City of Odense; and Devorah Blumberg, Head, New Zealand Major Events.

News and updates on panels and speakers:

• Simon Clegg CBE, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020 – the world’s biggest non-sports event – is set to attend and speak at Host City 2016.
• Ann Delmiche, Director of Meetings and Events Department, International Association of Public Transport (UITP) will join other leaders on the panel “Business Events and Economic Development”, moderated by Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
• A panel discussing “How Cities Can Be Secure Hosts” will feature Karen Eyre-White, Chief Executive of the Sports Ground Safety Authority and Patrick Vajda, Sports and Events Consultant for Marsh – the Global Leader in Insurance Broking and Risk Management.
• A discussion dedicated to finding practical ways of “Making Event Infrastructure More Sustainable” will now feature Mark Breitenmoser, Head of Strategy, NUSSLI Group and moderator Daniel Cordey, Chairman, Association of Global Event Suppliers.
• In addition 25+ confirmed VIP speakers have confirmed attendance at Host City 2016. View the full speaker line-up on the Host City website.

Host City 2016 is an event that you don't want to miss! Get your pass today to attend the leading meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 21-22 November. Register online

A limited number of speaking opportunities remain. For opportunities please contact Ben Avison on +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.net

The International Olympic Committee has elected to change the composition of its Executive Board, promoting Prof. Uğur Erdener and Juan Antonio Samaranch to Vice Presidents.
Three new Executive Board members have been elected in  Gian Franco Kasper (SUI), Angela Ruggiero (USA) and Ser Miang Ng (SIN).

The new Vice Presidents Uğur Erdener and Juan Antonio Samaranch now replace Sir Craig Reedie CBE and Nawal El Moutawakel who have served their terms, having made immense contributions to Olympism.

Sir Craig Reedie and Uğur Erdener are both set to speak at Host City 2016 alongside several other key figures from the Olympic Movement and the wider event hosting world. 
A Professor of Ophthalmology, Uğur Erdener is the President of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, President of World Archery and Chair of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission.  
“I am honoured to have been elected to the position of IOC Vice President,” said Prof Dr Erdener.

“The principles of Olympism are ever-more relevant in the modern world, and I am committed to supporting the goal of the IOC in building a peaceful and better world through sport.”
Prof Dr Erdener is the second World Archery President to have become an IOC Vice President. Jim Easton served in the role from 2002 to 2006.

Juan Antonio Samaranch is Vice President of the UIPM and Chair of the Board of directors of Olympic Channel Services. His father, of the same name, was IOC President from 1980 to 2001.
The changes to the Executive Board see the departure of René Fasel, Claudia Bokel, Anita Defrantz and Gunilla Lindberg.

Ching-Kuo Wu and Patrick Hickey are resuming their seats as representatives of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) respectively. Also remaining on the Executive Board are Sergey Bubka and Willi Kaltschmitt.

The US ice hockey player Angela Ruggiero replaces outgoing German fencer Claudia Bokel on both the Executive Board and the IOC Athletes’ Commission. She joins the Executive Board at the same time René Fasel, IIHF president, leaves.

“René’s leadership has been inspiring, and I hope I can represent hockey with the same pride now that he is leaving,” she said.

These changes, as well as the election of eight new IOC members, were confirmed at the IOC Executive Board meeting at the outset of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The newly composed Executive Board will begin its work after the Games.
 

At the 129th IOC Session on the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games, eight new members were elected to the International Olympic Committee by its current membership. 
The new members, recommended by the IOC Executive Board on the advice of the IOC Members Election Commission, are highly diverse, representing business, politics and sports administration. 
Nita Ambani, chair of the Reliance Foundation and owner of the Mumbai Indians cricket team, became the first Indian woman IOC member. 
Finland also gained its first woman IOC member in the politician and former race walking champion Sari Essayah.
South African film producer Anant Singh and Colombia's former ambassador to the U.S Luis Moreno were also elected to the IOC. 
Three National Olympic Committee (NOC) leaders were elected, with Austria Olympic committee chief Karl Stoss, Canadian Olympic committee president Tricia Smith and Secretary General of the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee Auvita Rapilla all taking up membership. 
Ivo Ferriani, the Italian president of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation, was the only representative of an International Federation (IF) elected as a new member. Up to 15 NOCs and 15 IFs can be represented within the IOC membership.
The election brings the total membership to 98. IOC members vote on host cities of future Olympic Games and sports to be included in the Games, as well as providing direction for the Olympic Movement. 
As part of the “Agenda 2020” programme of reform of the Olympic Movement initiated by Thomas Bach and approved by IOC members in 2014, the IOC is taking a fresh approach to bringing new members on board, to “move from an application to a targeted recruitment process”.
The IOC Members Election Commission is taking a more proactive role in identifying the right candidates to filling vacancies in order to best fulfil the mission of the IOC.
Under the new procedure, the profile of candidates must now comply with a set of criteria submitted by the Commission to the IOC Executive Board for approval. 
These criteria relate to the IOC’s needs, which it identifies as including: “skills and knowledge (e.g. medical expertise, sociological expertise, cultural expertise, political expertise, business expertise, legal expertise, sports management expertise, etc.); geographic balance, as well as a maximum number of representatives from the same country” and “gender balance”. 
Agenda 2020 also highlights “the existence of an athletes’ commission within the organisation for representatives of IFs/NOCs.”
The IOC Members Election Commission is chaired by Princess Anne of Great Britain, herself an IOC member. According to Reuters, she identified Moreno, Singh and Ambani as “candidates outside the Olympic and sport community who could usher in a fresh approach and new skills to the organisation”.
 

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken note of the views expressed by some concerning the timing of publication of the Agency’s independent McLaren Investigation Report, which was published by Professor Richard H. McLaren on 18 July, exposing Russian State manipulation of the doping control process; and, the Agency’s subsequent recommendations – both that led to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision of 24 July.
WADA understands that the timing of the McLaren Investigation Report has been destabilizing for a number of organizations as they prepare for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, WADA wishes to factually clarify that the Agency acted immediately on allegations concerning Russia when it had corroborated evidence and the power to do so under the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).
When German-based ARD released their first documentary in December 2014 that contained corroborated evidence, WADA quickly initiated its Independent Commission. The Commission, which was chaired by Richard W. Pound, commenced its investigation in January 2015 when WADA acquired its new powers of investigation under the 2015 Code.
“While our Independent Commission’s Report suggested that doping in Russia was likely not restricted to athletics, and that the Russian secret services (FSB) were present within the Sochi and Moscow laboratories, the Commission did not uncover concrete evidence to the effect that the Russian state was manipulating the doping control process,” said Richard W. Pound. “The Pound Commission leveraged all information that the whistleblowers had provided; and yet, there was no concrete evidence to support State manipulation.”
On 9 November 2015, the Pound Commission reported and exposed wide-spread doping in Russian athletics; and, on 10 November 2015, WADA took quick and decisive action on the Commission’s recommendations.
“It was only when CBS 60 Minutes and the New York Times, on 8 and 12 May 2016 respectively, published the allegations from the former director of the Moscow and Sochi laboratories, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, that WADA had concrete evidence suggesting Russian state involvement that could be investigated by initiating the McLaren Investigation, which we did immediately,” said Craig Reedie, WADA President. “This decision was endorsed by WADA’s Executive Committee and WADA’s Athlete Committee,” he continued. “It must be understood that Dr. Rodchenkov was heard several times by the Pound Commission in 2015; and that, he never provided the information that he later revealed to the New York Times in May 2016. This information was subsequently corroborated by the McLaren Investigation, which also unveiled a wider implication of the Moscow laboratory.”
“WADA’s Executive Committee – composed in equal parts by representatives of the Olympic Movement and Governments of the world – supported Professor McLaren’s independent mandate, which was to obtain evidence as quickly as possible in the interest of clean athletes,” said Reedie. “While it is destabilizing in the lead up to the Games, it is obvious, given the seriousness of the revelations that he uncovered, that they had to be published and acted upon without delay.”
“Further to the International Olympic Committee’s criteria being outlined on 24 July, WADA has facilitated the transfer of relevant information that is available to date, concerning individual athletes, from the McLaren Investigation team to International Federations,” said Olivier Niggli, Director General, WADA. “It should be noted however that Professor McLaren’s focus thus far was on establishing involvement of the Russian State and not regarding individual athletes that may have benefitted,” Niggli continued. “WADA will continue supporting anti-doping organizations by providing information as and when it becomes available via McLaren’s ongoing Investigation.”
As it relates to WADA’s process of accreditation and proficiency testing of anti-doping laboratories, it focuses on the technical abilities of laboratories. In the case of the Moscow laboratory, WADA suspended the laboratory in 2015 as soon as breaches were identified via the Pound Commission. Addressing corruption within the anti-doping system – including state or secret service interference in laboratory operations – will be one of the topics discussed during the first in a series of multi-stakeholder Think Tanks that WADA will hold in September 2016.

Source: WADA

The organisers of Host City 2016 are delighted to see new partners and sponsors signing up for what is set to be the largest EU-based gathering of event destination markets, international federations, event owners and rights holders, and suppliers.

In addition to Host City 2016’s Supporting Organisers EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, new sponsors that have joined include: audioBoom, Aggreko, Populous, MatchVision, Rio Convention & Visitor Bureau, Hemingway Corporate Finance, 4global, Finnish Olympic Committee, Marsh, DB Schenker, Rotterdam Topsport, Nussli, Arena Group, Terre Des Hommes, Citec, Kanstet and De Boer.

Host City 2016 creates a truly unique opportunity for the world’s leading hosting destinations to exhibit alongside the most attractive and lucrative events in the worlds of sports, business and culture.

The format of the conference and exhibition and the layout of the state-of-the-art Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow are optimised to create maximum opportunities for delegates to network with other senior attendees and engage with the event partners and sponsors at the numerous exhibition stands.

Rights holders will meet cities that are looking to host their events and build long term relationships. Hosting and bidding destinations will showcase the capabilities of their cities and venues to an audience of event owners.

The exhibition is built around a world class conference with an outstanding VIP speaker and panel debate programme. Recently confirmed speakers include: Sir Craig Reedie CBE, Vice President, IOC and President, WADA; Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, Visit Scotland; Sarah Lewis, Secretary General, FIS and AIOWF (Association of Winter Olympic Sports Federations); Dimitri Kerkentzes, Deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos); Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer, Dubai World Expo 2020; Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO, Messe Munich; Prof Dr Ugur Erdener, President, NOC of Turkey; Executive Board Member, IOC and WADA ; Carine Saloff-Coste, Head of Economic Development, City of Paris; John Langford, Director of Live Entertainment, SSE Hydro & SECC; Michael Nagy, Director, Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau; Kulveer Ranger, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications, Atos UK and many more.

See the latest agenda here.

The large number of sponsors and delegates already signing up shows there is great demand for being part of this unique event for the global market of cities bidding for and hosting multiple types of events.

Book your Exhibition Stand today with Adam Soroka on +44 (0) 203 077 8732 or adam.soroka@bric.com

Organised by Major Events International (MEI), the only global major events professional network, the Summit brings together experts from current and future organising committees, sports bodies, venues & key commercial suppliers involved in major sports events to knowledge share and network.

Ensuring the format is as interactive as possible, ThinkWall’s display screens and real time voting system will enable attendees to have their say via social media and vote in opinion polls after each panel discussion. Tweets, photos and poll results will be displayed live on screens around the venue, creating a buzz amongst attendees.

Commenting on the partnership, Dennis Mills, Chief Executive of MEI said, “ThinkWall’s technology is essential to the format of the Summit which focuses on interaction. We are keen to differentiate the event from a conference with the emphasis on thought leadership, knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer relationship building. We are delighted to be working with ThinkWall, a member of the Major Events Network.”

The interactive displays will also be a feature of the Summit Awards dinner, which will be held on the evening of 12th October, celebrating the contributions of suppliers, experts and event organisers to global major events. 

Andrew Spode Miller, Director at ThinkWall said, “We are happy to be showcasing our technology at the Major Events International Summit, the leading gathering for major sporting event professionals, a key event in our calendar. We look forward to working with the team at MEI.”