Host City: The largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events

Sport is key driver of Orlando’s tourism recovery

[Orlando, Florida] Al Kidd, President & CEO of Sports ETA, the international association for the sports events and tourism industry, is one of a several influential voices hailing Orlando’s rapidly recovering tourism industry and identifying sport as a key driver.

“As we emerge from the restrictions and challenges of the pandemic and return to business, great cities like Orlando are poised to recover faster than others. Sports events and sports tourism in Orlando have shown to be the re-entry catalyst, generating new and much needed business”, he said.

Jesse Martinez, General Manager at The Alfond Inn, Chairman of the Central Florida Lodging Association Board of Directors, and Board Member at Visit Florida, agrees. “In my opinion, Central Florida has a tremendous head start on all other major city travel destinations. After seeing a huge influx of travelers this past spring break, we have not slowed down since.” 

“Sports tourism was an early bright spot when Orlando began to reopen in the summer of 2020 as we hosted the NBA bubble, the MLS is Back Tournament and youth events such as the AAU’s Jr.  National Volleyball Championship,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, who echoed the sentiments of Jesse Martinez by saying that “Orlando has a one-year head start”.  

To underline this, the 2021 edition of the same AAU Youth Volleyball event - hosted just a few weeks ago - drew over 130,000 participants and visitors.  Mark Tester, Executive Director at the Orange County Convention Center said: “The event drove one of our highest food and beverage totals in the Center’s history.”

Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International, added: “All eyes were on Orlando during the pandemic as the NBA and MLS restarted their seasons. It was impressive to watch their collaborative community come together to host in the most trying of circumstances.”  

Orlando believes its emphasis on encouraging sports-related travel and welcoming teams and players has been a game-changing factor in keeping its infrastructure ticking over.

“When business travel collapsed, some cities were saved by their youth and amateur sport travel business” said Jason Siegel, CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “There is no doubt in my mind that sports tourism is a viable pathway for generating visitor spending and promoting a destination – which is why Orlando puts such a high priority on it”.

In normal times, Orlando has the largest tourism industry in the USA, producing $26 billion a year, exceeding Las Vegas with $19 million. One in five workers in Orlando (21%) worked directly in hospitality and leisure in 2019. When COVID-19 struck, the unemployment rate skyrocketed. “Our neighbors at Port Canaveral, who derive significant revenue from the cruise industry, lost 43% of their workforce,” said Siegel.

But as life normalizes, the recovery is swift, much more so than many anticipated. Hotels are taking bookings; forward occupancy is very promising and optimism abounds.

According to a study authored by Adam Sacks of Tourism Economics, hotel room demand overall has reached 89% of 2019 figures and air passengers are at 71% (June 2021). Leisure trips will be nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, although business will take longer. He has said: “Overall, sports are outperforming the market as youth sports have returned well before other business-related events. In fact, we are hearing from clients that sports have been the star performer in what has been an otherwise dismal market”

Orlando, one of 17 US candidate host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, is hoping to be selected for the final 10. “I believe our reputation as a collaborative tourism community and reliable partner to sport – and our popularity as a destination – suggest we surely deserve a place” Siegel summed up.

Host City 2021 welcomes events to Refresh, Regenerate and Reconnect in Glasgow on 7-8 Glasgow

(Photo: Host City)

Host City 2021, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, takes place at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow, Scotland and Online on 7-8 December under the theme of “Refresh, Regenerate, Reconnect”.

The conference tackles a wide range of pressing issues facing the industry: the return of live audiences; diversity and integrity in leadership; transformational models of event hosting; public versus private governance; digital transformation; esports and localisation.

The agenda has been developed with the input of the new Host City Advisory Board, namely: Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland; Sir Craig Reedie GBE, Member, International Olympic Committee; Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events, Glasgow Life; Sarah Lewis OBE OLY; Brian Lewis, President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee; Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau; Dave Gordon OBE, Head of Host Broadcast, Birmingham 2022; David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Centre for Sport & Human Rights; John Langford, Chief Operating Officer, AEG Europe; Paul J. Foster, CEO, Global Esports Federation and David de Behr, Head of Sales Aggreko Event Services, many of whom are speaking.

Other speakers set to join include: Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games; Kristin Kloster Aasen, Chair of the Future Hosts Commission (Summer) and Member, International Olympic Committee; Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life; Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships; Clare Briegal, Chief Executive Officer, International Netball Federation; Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark; Jason Ferguson, Chairman, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association; Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH - International Association of Horticultural Producers and many more to be announced.

Host City 2021 takes place with the support of: EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow Convention Bureau; Headline Sponsor Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Sport Event Denmark; Silver Sponsors AIPH – International Association of Horticultural Producers and DB Schenker; and Strategic Partner Global Esports Federation.

Sponsorship: adam.soroka@cavendishgroup.co.uk

Enquiries: ben.avison@hostcity.com

For more information visit www.hostcity.com

NEP

Undefined

Host City Americas: events unite to embrace change and “bring back the joy”

The opening panel (L-R, top row first): Ed Hula, Founder, Around the Rings; Anita DeFrantz, IOC VP and LA28 Board Member; Al Kidd, Sports ETA CEO; Gabriela Ramos, Asst DG, UNESCO; Prof. Erdener, Chair of Medical and Scientific Commission, IOC; Ingmar Vos, President, FEI

A global audience, including IOC members, FIFA, sports ministers and leaders of event organizing committees and international federations, united for the first meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events for the Americas on 29-30 June.

The two-day conference opened with a keynote address from IOC vice president Anita DeFrantz. Speaking of a world ravaged by the coronavirus, she said the sports industry was forced “to examine everything” as events took a financial hit. But through virtual offices, new visions of how to produce and present sports had emerged.

Three weeks before the postponed Tokyo Olympics get underway, she said the execution of Games planning for event organizers and athletes had been hugely challenging against the backdrop of the pandemic.

“We may face similar issues with Beijing 2022. The good news is we will have the experience of Tokyo to make certain things go well. The Olympics and Paralympics can bring back the joy,” she told delegates.

Prof. Uğur Erdener, head of World Archery and Chair of the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Commission, said the global vaccination program led him to believe “we are approaching the exit of the dark tunnel”.

Gabriela Ramos, assistant director general of UNESCO, said it was vital for sport to be part of policies to help countries, cities and communities emerge from the pandemic.

Erin Bromaghim, director of Olympic and Paralympic development for the Mayor of Los Angeles office, said LA had been a game-changer for the Olympic movement in 1984 and was poised to do so again in 2028. “Sustainability and reuse are baked into our hosting model,” she said.

David Siegel, president and CEO of Los Angeles Sports Council, pointed out that with more professional sports teams than any city in world, and the Olympics, Superbowl, FIFA World Cup and MLB’s 2022 All-Star Game on the horizon, LA is “uniquely positioned to capitalize on this.”

Among several organizing committees present was Santiago 2023, who gave an update on what they described as “the most important event in the history of our country”, with CEO Felipe de Pablo saying “We have a lot of tasks but we are confident in delivering and meeting the expectations of visitors.”

Peter Hutton, Facebook’s director of sports partnerships, talked about how social media could harness the power to connect rights holders with fans in authentic ways. “Live sports need to be on platforms where younger audiences are… to create interesting experiences. It can really grow the sports for the future.”

Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services, said there was a shift among traditional broadcasters to embrace opportunities for ongoing engagement and interactivity with fans, which had led the IOC to create its own digital platform – the Olympic Channel. “It’s a great opportunity for all rights holders.”

Brian Sullivan, CEO of NEP Group, said technology had to catch up with changing consumer desires and trends. “It’s a very exciting time. There’s a huge amount of innovation coming in the next 5-10 years. The lesson is ‘try to reinvent yourself before you need to’.”

Karin Korb, Paralympian and a Para-Sport consultant, urged event planners and rights holders to bring Gen Zers and millennials to the decision-making table to get their perspectives on environmental, social and governance questions.

Angela Ruggiero, co-founder and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab suggested that gambling presented host cities with interesting possibilities to grow revenue streams. “The question is how federations and sport grapple with the sensitivities around it.”

On NFTs, she said: “It’s definitely the shiny new object right now. If you’re getting into it, be very thoughtful. It’s a big opportunity to allow fans to own something wherever they are in the world.

In his closing remarks, conference director Ben Avison said: “According to our audience polls, all the changes we’ve been discussing here over the last two days – managing the pandemic, digitalization, private investment, ESG criteria – are having a positive impact on live events.”

Host City Americas was staged in partnership with Event Delivery Partner NEP Group, Official Sustainability Partner Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Orange Sports Forum; Preferred Event Technology Partner OnePlan, Silver Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission and Iventis; Strategic Partners Edmonton Events, Global Esports Federation, Mailman, S2|FOAMHAND and World Championship Air Race.

Following the first Host City Americas, the eight global Host City 2021 event takes place in Glasgow on 7-8 December. Follow www.hostcity.com for updates.

Host City Americas Day Two: event hosting innovations and technologies mark way forward

Host City Americas was hosted from NEP Group subsidiary Creative Technology's XR studio (Clockwise from left: Moderator Ishveen Anand, Alan Gilpin, Angela Ruggiero and Ricardo Fort)

Speakers on day two talked about how Covid-19 has forced event organizers and stakeholders to explore new ways of securing and delivering events. They also debated shifting trends in technologies, commercial ecosystems, how to capture and retain new audiences and the importance of environmental, social and governance criteria to Gen Zers and rights holders.

The inaugural event reached a combined global audience of close to 1,000 registrants.

The opening panel discussed changes in ‘Hosting events with international federations’.

Paul Bush OBE, director of events at VisitScotland, said it was crucial for rights holders and host cities to collaborate effectively, but the financial impacts of Covid-19 and what it means for return on investment in events would be “pretty challenging” in the short term.

“We’re seeing a sea change in the way events are constructed and developed – we’re now into negotiations and not bids,” he added. “It’s about the symbiotic relationship between the rights owner and the host. Traditionally they sat in different camps; they now sit in the same camp, working collegiately, because everyone’s realized that’s the best way forward.

“We’re entering an exciting and very different period for the events world.”

Darryl Siebel, CEO of World Lacrosse, said the federation was “not just looking for hosts but event partners” who shared its values.

Tom Dielen, secretary general of World Archery, said Covid-19 had added another layer of complexity to hosting events. But the pandemic had accelerated plans to use remote production in broadcasting its global events.

Janelle Janis, director of Edmonton Events, said the pandemic “made people realize how much they love and value events and the vibrancy they bring to our city”.

She said Edmonton Events was “aggressively going after events to recover our economy”, dedicating more resources to that mission.

Janis made an interesting point about working with LOCs and rights holders to leave sporting and social benefits behind, not simply creating memorable experiences and economic impact assessments. She suggested the one-size fits all mentality had been abandoned in favour of a more flexible approach on sustainability: “it’s not about the money”.

Event bidding was “more a negotiation or conversation with rights holders, determining what outcomes we want to achieve together”.

A presentation on digital transformation in major event planning followed. Rugby Football League chair Simon Johnson and Joe Cusdin, CEO and founder of Iventis, gave an overview of the digital collaborative mapping tool.

Johnson said ways of delivering bids and events had traditionally been labour intensive, costly and inefficient particularly from a management perspective. “But digital tools now exist to enable faster, more efficient, more cost-effective and better managed collaboration.”

Referencing his involvement in England’s FIFA 2018 World Cup bid, he said that had digital planning and collaboration tools been available, “it would have saved us, in my estimation, about three months of management time and tens of thousands of pounds in costs”.

Cusdin spoke about the difficulties in coordinating and integrating plans between various event teams, adding: “What we are trying to do is digitize that planning process, to provide a collaborative visual platform available to everybody involved in planning a major event where they can interactively produce, manage, update and share their plans covering every aspect of operations.”

Another panel evaluated how technology trends were shifting how audiences engage with events and brands and what sports, entertainment and business events can learn from each other in the battle for attention.

Sarah Lewis OBE, Global Sports Leader and a presidential candidate for the International Ski Federation, said there was a shift from passive fans to greater engagement. Fans were being empowered to follow events on their mobile devices and AR technologies and virtual reality sport gaming were “ways to satisfy the interests of audiences and come closer to experience what athletes experience”.

In a session on the role of environmental, social and governance criteria and progress being made in the Americas in diversity and inclusion, Jimena Saldaña, vice president of the Mexican Olympic Committee, said there was a demand from millennials and Gen Zers for event organizers and rights holders to be much smarter about sustainability and climate change issues. Good governance and transparency in sport and from sponsors was also important.

Brian Lewis, president, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, said ESG criteria depended on the sport, the event and the target audience: “Some audiences may have different interests, climate change or racial and social justice.

“I think events and rights holders bidding for an event must be very clear what their objectives are and what is their target audience. You will then be very clear on what elements of ESG will resonate with your audience.”

Karin Korb, Paralympian and a Para-Sport consultant, said “a lot of progress” was being made in the Americas in diversity and inclusion – but not quickly enough. She applauded organizers of the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama for efforts to leave a legacy of disability inclusion in a multisports event by staging wheelchair rugby.

Korb urged event planners and rights holders to bring Gen Zers and millennials to the decision-making table to get their perspectives.

A presentation by Willie Cruickshank, race series director of World Championship Air Race, focused on the evolution of the sport and how it was gearing up to be staged on city centre tracks and creating fun family experiences.

Cruickshank spoke of innovations in aviation performance and a move to greener technologies to minimize environmental impacts. The new series starts next year, and host cities are sought for 2023 and beyond. “We have flexible business models to suit all locations and budgets,” he said.

Angela Ruggiero, co-founder and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab, World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin and Coca Cola’s former head of sponsorship Ricardo Fort were among speakers in a panel looking at opportunities to generate revenues from non-fungible tokens (NFTs), gambling and CBD.

Gilpin said rugby’s governing body was taking a cautious approach to the commercial opportunities, highlighting ethical and moral issues around gambling. “The World Rugby policy for our owned properties is no partnerships with gambling companies,” he added.

Ruggiero suggested that gambling presented host cities with interesting possibilities to grow revenue streams. “The question is how federations and sport grapple with the sensitivities around it.”

On NFTs, she said: “It’s definitely the shiny new object right now. If you’re getting into it, be very thoughtful. It’s a big opportunity to allow fans to own something wherever they are in the world.” She suggested there was also lot more revenue potential to come in ecommerce merchandising and licensing.

Commenting on sponsorship and revenue generation, Ruggiero said athletes would play a greater role: “I truly believe the pie will be bigger for everyone. The athlete is the voice, the influence… empower athletes to tell their story and your story and increase interest in your event.”

Fort added: “Broadcasting and all the different forms of OTT distribution of content will continue to pay the vast majority of the bills for rights holders. The good rights holders are bringing it all together, and making offers to sponsors in which they can package the live experience with the content being produced in the ‘off event’ time – that’s what makes a proposition for a sponsor more compelling.”

A presentation by Gideon Clark, business director, Mailman Group USA focused on ‘The Next Age of the Global Sports Tourist. He said the global sports tourism industry represented $800bn and 10% of the international tourism industry.

Forecasting strong growth, he said the driving forces were pent-up demand post-Covid, demand for experiential, continuing globalization and the many major sporting events on the horizon. The profile of the global sport tourist was: a millennial, high value spender, adventurous, multicultural, eco-conscious, socially aware and principled, digital and tech savvy.

How Covid-19 has reshaped the outlook for live sporting and entertainment events was the subject of a fascinating panel debate. There was talk of events and venues getting more savvy with mobile ticketing and contactless concessions to maintain social distancing and reduce queues and having to work hard to ensure the safety and security of fans and athletes as coronavirus restrictions are removed.

Jim Mercurio, executive vice president and general manager at San Francisco 49ers – Levi’s Stadium, said: “The jury is still out about the anxieties of people coming to all of our facilities and the tolerances they are going to have [for crowds and fans eating, making a noise nearby etc].

“I have a strong suspicion that it’s not going to go over very well with a subset of people. Additional spacing for folks may be the answer.”

Jeremiah Yolkut, director, Major League Baseball, said the league was focused on the welfare of fan’s game-day experiences and keeping staff and players safe. Best practices have been shared across teams and guidelines created.

After a pandemic-hit year, “things have normalized fairly quickly” said  Tad Bowman, venue director of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Denver Coliseum. The venues were back to full capacity by the middle of June, but backstage areas had fewer people, “less hectic, more of a bubble”.

Speaking about security issues, Andrew Lynch, senior director of S2|FOAMHAND, talked to delegates about the company’s CertScan Prism technology and how it delivers a secondary layer of security by providing a direct line from X-ray machines to professional X-ray detection technicians on demand.

He said the benefits included reducing potential for single point failures in the security screening  operation during an event and the fact it can network multiple systems/ venues.

Wrapping up the conference was a session called ‘Get fit for the future’.

Dr. Melita N. Moore, board member and chair of the health and wellness commission of the Global Esports Federation, said live esports events were opening up again. With the first Global Esports Games to be held in Singapore in December, she said uncertainties remained but was hopeful the event will go off with a bang.

“I don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like. I hope fans, players and stakeholders get to see more of what we had in 2019, not in 2020.”

Moore said this year was more about esports unifying and telling its story, while a partnership with football legend Ronaldo had launched a wellness initiative for esports athletes.

“It’s about promoting healthy digital lifestyles. It’s so important to engage everyone,” she said, noting that there are 3 billion gamers worldwide and 130 million-plus gamers in US aged 18-34.

Host City Americas is brought to you in partnership with Event Delivery Partners NEP Group and Creative Technology, Official Sustainability Partner Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Orange Sports Forum; Preferred Event Technology Partner OnePlan, Silver Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission and Iventis; Strategic Partners Edmonton Events, Global Esports Federation, Mailman, S2|FOAMHAND and World Championship Air Race.

Following the first Host City Americas, the eight global Host City 2021 event - the largest annual meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events - takes place in Glasgow on 7-8 December. Follow www.hostcity.com for updates.

Host City Americas Day One: event organizers rise to pandemic challenges

The opening panel (L-R, top row first): Ed Hula, Founder, Around the Rings; Anita DeFrantz, IOC VP and LA28 Board Member; Al Kidd, Sports ETA CEO; Gabriela Ramos, Asst DG, UNESCO; Prof. Erdener, Chair of Medical and Scientific Commission, IOC; Ingmar Vos, President, FEI

Under the conference theme of “Investing in Events”, speakers at the inaugural Host City Americas digital conference voiced optimism about the post-Covid recovery for the events industry and offered fresh ideas and solutions to global challenges.

With FIFA soon to select the 23 host cities for the 2026 World Cup and Santiago staging the 2023 Pan and Parapan American Games ahead of the much-anticipated 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics, the two-day conference debated the hot-button issues affecting them.

A global audience of close to a thousand, including IOC members, sports ministers and leaders of event organizing committees and international federations, registered for the first meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events for the Americas.

The themes of post-Covid recovery, digitalization, sustainability, private investment, esports and the changing media landscape all resonated with those in attendance.

The two-day conference opened on Tuesday with a keynote address from Anita DeFrantz, an IOC vice president. Speaking of a world ravaged by the coronavirus, she said the sports industry was forced “to examine everything” as events took a financial hit. But through virtual offices, new visions of how to produce and present sports had emerged.

Three weeks before the postponed Tokyo Olympics get underway, she said the execution of Games planning for event organizers and athletes had been hugely challenging against the backdrop of the pandemic. Preparing to host 11,000 athletes from 206 countries to compete in 33 sports was a tough undertaking for the IOC and Tokyo organizers.

“We may face similar issues with Beijing 2022. The good news is we will have the experience of Tokyo to make certain things go well. The Olympics and Paralympics can bring back the joy,” she told delegates.

The first panel, ‘Emerging from the perfect storm’, brought pandemic recovery issues front and centre.

Prof. Uğur Erdener, president of the Turkish NOC, head of World Archery and Chair of the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Commission, said the global vaccination program led him to believe “we are approaching the exit of the dark tunnel”.

Through measures to combat the virus, the chair of the IOC’s medical commission insisted the Olympic governing body and Games stakeholders in Japan had worked hard to create a “safe and secure environment for athletes and participants in the Games, but also the people of Japan”.

Ingmar De Vos, president of the International Equestrian Federation and an IOC member, revealed that the FEI has suffered like all sports due to the pandemic, with 1,200 international events cancelled and revenues down 60 per cent.

The federation responded by cutting costs and rethinking travel for sporting events and meetings on governance.

“For future events I think we learnt a lot… to have other ways to engage with fans by introducing new technologies and new ways to follow the sport by explaining it better,” he added, raising the prospect of innovations to deliver shorter formats for FEI events to grow appeal to mass audiences.

Al Kidd, CEO and president of the Sports Events & Tourism Association, also spoke about a shift in the consumption of live events via multiple platforms as new technologies are adopted. Evaluation metrics are widening from economic impact to traction on digital and social media.

Gabriela Ramos, assistant director general of UNESCO, said it was vital for sport to be part of policies to help countries, cities and communities emerge from the pandemic.

Santiago 2023 Pan American Games organizing committee CEO Felipe de Pablo and Juan Carlos Chamy, CCO and CMO, gave an update on what is billed as “the most important event in the history of our country”.

Progress was sustained through the pandemic, Chamy said. The 1,300-apartment Games Village was a significant infrastructure project, while work on new and renovated venues was hitting deadlines. Tenders are still to be awarded for services including food and beverage, broadcasting, ticketing and merchandising. A workshop later in the day, chaired by Dave Crump, CEO of Creative Technology - from whose studio Host City Americas was broadcast - enabled international suppliers to address questions to Chamy about these opportunities.

De Pablo said the Games for over 8,000 athletes from 41 countries will leave a positive legacy for Chilean sports. “We have a lot of tasks but we are confident in delivering and meeting the expectations of visitors, he said.

Another panel, co-produced with Orange Sports Forum, explored how to create legacies for large-scale events. Speakers included Erin Bromaghim, director of Olympic and Paralympic development for the Mayor of Los Angeles office, David Siegel, president and CEO of Los Angeles Sports Council, and Mickel Beckers, director of sports, culture and education for the Dutch city Rotterdam.

Rick Sleegers, head of international affairs for Orange Sports Forum, a platform for internationally promoting companies, organizations and institutes that have a connection with Dutch sport, spoke about creating a footballing legacy in China through the development of 50 Cruyff Courts over the next five years.

He also highlighted a grassroots football plan for India that involved a partnership between the country’s football federation and PSV Eindhoven and included “an exchange of coaches and sharing of knowledge expertise”. The FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 was part of the “masterplan for youth” to help generate potential football players.

With 13 professional sports teams in Los Angeles, more than any city in world, and the Olympics, Superbowl, FIFA World Cup hosting and MLB’s 2022 All-Star Game coming, Siegel said the city is “uniquely positioned to capitalize on this” from an economic, sustainability and accessibility standpoint.

Bromaghim said LA had been a game-changer for the Olympic movement in 1984 and was poised to do so again. “Sustainability and reuse are baked into our hosting model,” she said, adding that LA Mayor Eric Garcetti had pulled forward an Olympic legacy program to make sport and fitness more accessible.

The presentation by Paul Foster, CEO and founder of OnePlan provided interesting insights into how the company’s digital technologies for major events can unlock operational and commercial value.

Used by events and venues in over 50 countries and by the likes of Arsenal FC, FIBA and World Triathlon, the technology simplifies and improves event planning and management. “What excel is to an accountant, OnePlan is to an event planner,” Foster said, going on to explain how the fully interactive “digital twin of your venue” offers scenario planning, with 3D digital assets helping to sell commercial space.

World Baseball-Softball Confederation secretary general Beng Choo Low joined Paul J. Foster, CEO of the Global Esports Federation and Matt Archambault of Riot Games to examine esports leadership issues and how gaming fits into the Olympic Movement.

Discussing the results of an audience poll that revealed divided opinions over what kind of electronic sports should be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Games, Archambault revealed that Riot was in dialogue with the IOC about this possibility, while Low said only virtual sports with physical activity could be included and Foster wisely said such matters should be left to the Olympic Movement to decide.

Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, gave a presentation on how the city had been transformed into a premier international sports destination from its hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 1994 to the Concacaf Gold Cup kicking off in July.

In a fascinating session on ‘The changing media landscape’, co-produced in partnership with NEP Group, Peter Hutton, Facebook’s director of sports partnerships, talked about how social media could harness the power to connect rights holders with fans in authentic ways. “Live sports need to be on platforms where younger audiences are… to create interesting experiences. It can really grow the sports for the future.”

Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services, said there was a shift among traditional broadcasters to embrace opportunities for ongoing engagement and interactivity with fans, which had led the IOC to create its own digital platform – the Olympic Channel. “It’s a great opportunity for all rights holders.”

Brian Sullivan, CEO of NEP Group, said technology had to catch up with changing consumer desires and trends and talked about the company’s cloud-based production aiding facilities in the US, Australia and The Netherlands. “It’s a very exciting time. There’s a huge amount of innovation coming in the next 5-10 years. The lesson is ‘try to reinvent yourself before you need to’.”

Day one of the conference wrapped with a session focused on organizing major events in the Americas in 2022 and beyond.

Niels de Vos, executive director of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, said state support didn’t waver when the event was postponed a year: “They stood behind us because, like most people, they see events as a great celebration”.

Gary Meador, director of event services at Aggreko North America, a conference partner, said the pandemic challenges led the company to develop technologies to raise air quality. “We have spent a lot of time thinking how we can emerge stronger and help our host city partners and federations,” he said. “We have developed a significant amount of different power options for customers, different ways of helping event organizers meet their sustainability goals.”

Join Host City Americas now for a thrilling second day with speakers leading VisitScotland, Edmonton Events, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), World Lacrosse, IAEH, Rugby Football League, Iventis, Inter-Parliamentary Union, AXS, Stora Enso, Mexican Olympic Committee, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, World Championship Air Race, Sports Innovation Lab, World Rugby, Mailman Group, San Francisco 49ers – Levi’s Stadium, Major League Baseball, City and County of Denver, Populous, S2|FOAMHAND, Concacaf and more.  

Host City Americas is brought to you in partnership with Event Delivery Partners NEP Group and Creative Technology, Official Sustainability Partner Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Orange Sports Forum; Preferred Event Technology Partner OnePlan, Silver Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission and Iventis; Strategic Partners Edmonton Events, Global Esports Federation, Mailman, S2|FOAMHAND and World Championship Air Race.

Venue Twin by OnePlan: The hyper-realistic new way to plan major events

Venue Twin is a fully interactive digital twin (Photo: OnePlan)

Host City: As you know from working on six Olympic Games, major events are extremely complex projects. What are the common pain points that you have seen appearing across the event planning process?

Paul Foster: Major events are complex operations to manage. With many stakeholders across different functional areas, partners, suppliers, broadcasters, government and more, it can be a real challenge to collaborate and co-ordinate the plan effectively. It’s easy to rely on legacy tools that don’t have the right functionality, or CAD solutions that require costly specialists to update. OnePlan answers these pain points and more – it combines the best characteristics of CAD and mapping in one easy-to-use solution that enables real-time collaboration across all stakeholders. 

In our hybrid world, stakeholders now expect more from event organisers and their technologies. A good example of this is the ability to visualise, at any moment, a hyper-realistic view of the stadiums, arenas, athlete villages and entire city. This is what our Venue Twin solution enables - a fully interactive 3D digital twin of your entire event. Virtual site visits 24/7 from any angle, meaning huge cost and sustainability benefits.

 

Host City: With so many different venues and items involved in events like these, a single planning tool sounds like the holy grail for organisers. How does OnePlan make it possible to plan and track all these variables on one platform?

Paul Foster: OnePlan and Venue Twin seamlessly integrate, so any change made is instantly reflected in the hyper-realistic 3D world, and vice versa. 

Our platform is built for real-time collaboration - we know how important that is for event planning. It’s easy to control the admin rights so any team member or stakeholder can make updates based on their access - including adding comments to be reviewed. The dashboard makes it easy to select from any map type, analyse your event data, procure from suppliers, and so much more. 

Ultimately, it’s all possible because that’s what our customers – including LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, World Triathlon and 2,000 events worldwide – are asking for! A good example is being able to plan independently on separate floor levels of a venue. We built that feature based on customer feedback.

 

Host City: The pandemic has forced us all to rely more on technology to communicate and monitor projects. How has OnePlan helped event planners over this period – for example, enabling virtual site visits?

Paul Foster: The pandemic has fast-tracked how venue owners and major event organisers realise the opportunities that innovative technology gives them. Venue Twin massively reduces the need for site visits – because you can now visit your venue 24/7 virtually, from any angle and any scenario. It means a huge cost and time saving – directly reducing travel expenses – as well as significant sustainability benefits. 

Our customers are telling us this is a fundamental shift in how they plan their events and venues. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton have told us it’s a ‘game-changer’ for them – they’ve switched to OnePlan as an integrated solution, and can now use Venue Twin to improve fan experiences and sell better to sponsors and advertisers with the hyper-realistic brand visualisations. OnePlan’s technology enables centimeter-accurate planning and the instant ability to visualise exactly how your venues will look in real-life.

 

Host City: Your background is in crowd management – how is OnePlan helping venues to manage flow of people and capacity during this time of social distancing?

Paul Foster: That’s right, my background is in event security and operations, including crowd management. I’ve worked on six Olympic and Paralympic Games, and was responsible for last-mile operations at London 2012, for example. During the last year or so, this has been valuable in how we’ve created a Social Distancing Toolkit that any OnePlan user can easily incorporate into their event plans. It includes modelling crowd flow - inside and outside venues - as well as ensuring government regulations are adhered to. 

We’ve had a number of sports teams in the NBA and English Premier League - including Brooklyn Nets, Arsenal and Chelsea - use OnePlan to model crowd flow so their venues can stage safe events when fans have returned.

 

Host City: What impact do you think the pandemic will have on the events industry and your work in the longer term?

Paul Foster: As vaccinations help us come out of the pandemic, I believe the events industry will bounce back stronger than ever. People love live experiences – nothing beats being in a stadium enjoying the sport or music you idolise as a fan – and as a technology platform, we love helping our customers plan incredible events. 

We’re already seeing customers switch to Venue Twin as a way of reducing their site visits and improving sustainability of their events. Having a hyper-realistic – and fully interactive – version of your venues makes planning events simpler and better. It delivers long-term benefits today - Venue Twin is already being used to plan events and venues in 4-5 years’ time.  

Beyond this, the impact of the pandemic is making event organisers and venue owners race towards the commercial opportunities that now exist. The events industry is hybrid, and with Venue Twin major events can now engage international fans in incredible new ways. OnePlan connects together the operational and commercial opportunities that now exist.

 

Host City: We’re really looking forward to hearing you speak at Host City Americas – what are your expectation of the event and the opportunities for staging events in the Americas?

Paul Foster: We’re delighted to be the Preferred Event Technology Partner at Host City Americas this year! We’re expecting a great energy around the major events happening soon in the Americas, and the opportunities that new technology enables – both operationally and commercially. We’re at the start of an exciting few years for American sport and events on the international stage, and our US team is looking forward to helping your delegates unlock these huge operational and commercial opportunities.

Paul Foster is speaking at Host City Americas on day one, June 29. To find out more about OnePlan visit their website.

Final Agenda and Speakers revealed for Host City Americas, 29-30 June

The first Host City Americas takes place one week today – on 29-30 June – with the greatest figures in sports, business and entertainment events tackling a highly topical agenda finalised today.

Host City Americas is broadcast from NEP Group’s Creative Technology studio, with 65 speakers joining from three continents and with an interactive online global audience (register here).

The online conference opens with a Keynote Address from Anita DeFrantz, Vice President, International Olympic Committee and Board Member, LA28. She addresses the sporting, societal, and economic opportunities in the Americas and bring into focus her expertise concerning LA28.
The panel that follows, Emerging from the Perfect Storm, opens with a special update from Prof. Uğur Erdener, Chair of the IOC’s Medical and Scientific Commission on preparations for a safe Olympics in Tokyo. He’s joined on the panel by Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General, UNESCO, Al Kidd, CEO & President, Sports Events & Tourism Association and fellow IOC Members Ingmar De Vos, President, International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and Anita DeFrantz.

The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Organizing Committee’s CEO Felipe de Pablo, and CCO & CMO Juan Carlos Chamy then give a Project Update. Later in the day, they chair a workshop where international experts ask about opportunities to get involved in the project.

Erin Bromaghim, Director of Olympic and Paralympic Development, Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles and David Siegel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles Sports Council and Southern California Committee speak on the panel “Creating legacy before, during and after large-scale events”, joined by Mickel Beckers, Director of Sports, Culture and Education, City of Rotterdam and Rick Sleegers, International Affairs at Orange Sports Forum, which is co-producing the panel.

After a presentation on “Creating Digital Twins for Major Events to Unlock Operational and Commercial Value” from Paul Foster, CEO & Founder, OnePlan, the third panel, “Leading the World with Esports”, stars Beng Choo Low, Secretary General, World Baseball-Softball Confederation, Paul J. Foster, Chief Executive Officer, Global Esports Federation, Matt Archambault, Head of Partnerships & Business Development I Esports I North America & Oceania, Riot Games.

This is followed by a presentation from Monica Paul, Executive Director, Dallas Sports Commission

Panel 4 asks the question “Can Private Investment Save Traditional Sports?”, with Finn Taylor, CEO, Volleyball World, Matt Pound, Director, World Table Tennis and Gareth Balch, CEO, Two Circles.
The following panel, coproduced with NEP Group, explores “The Changing Media Landscape” with Peter Hutton, Director of Sports Partnerships, Facebook, Yiannis Exarchos, CEO, Olympic Broadcasting Services and Brian Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of NEP Group, with Katie Traxton, Chief Communications Officer of Formula E sharing insights on working with influencers.

Three more organising committee leaders: Niels de Vos, Executive Director, World Athletics Championships Oregon22; Nick Sellers, CEO, The World Games 2022 Organizing Committee and Chris Carroll of Lake Placid 2023 Winter World University Games; join Gary Meador, Director of Event Services Team at Aggreko North America to discuss the challenges and opportunities of “Organizing major events in the Americas in 2022 and beyond”.

Day Two opens with a workshop on Hosting Events with International Federations, in which Event Hosts and International Federations exchange hosting plans, priorities and requirements. Coproduced with the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the speakers are: Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland; Janelle Janis, Director, Edmonton Events; Nichapa Yoswee, Senior Vice President in Business Development of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); Sabrina Ibanez, Secretary General, FEI; Jim Scherr, CEO, World Lacrosse and Tom Dielen, Secretary General, World Archery.

This is followed by a presentation, Digital Transformation in Major Event Planning from Simon Johnson, Chair, Rugby Football League and Joe Cusdin, CEO & Founder, Iventis.

The topic of “How to Capture and Retain Audience Attention” is tackled by panellists: Emily Blitz, Digital Event Strategist, Inter-Parliamentary Union; Tom Andrus, COO, AXS; Sarah Lewis OBE OLY, Global Sports Leader, Presidential Candidate FIS 2021; and Sara Kvarfordh, Communication Manager, Stora Enso – presenting sponsor of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

The next panel, sponsored by Aggreko, asks “How Important are ESG Criteria to Event Audiences?”, with expert views from Jimena Saldaña, Vice President, Mexican Olympic Committee, Brian Lewis, President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and Karin Korb, Paralympian and Para-Sport Consultant.

The theme of sustainability continues in a presentation on "Racing for the future, racing for purpose" from Willie Cruickshank, Race Series Director, World Championship Air Race.

In Panel 9, Alan Gilpin, CEO, World Rugby, Angela Ruggiero, Co-Founder & CEO, Sports Innovation Lab and Ricardo Fort, Founder, Sport by Fort Consulting bring tips on “Expanding the Frontiers of an Event’s Commercial Ecosystem” before Gideon Clark, Business Director, Mailman Group USA presents on “The Next Age of the Global Sports Tourist”.

For Panel 10, coproduced with the Association of Global Event Suppliers, we go “Back to the Future” to find out “How COVID-19 Has (and Hasn’t) Changed Live Events” with Jim Mercurio, Executive Vice President & General Manager at San Francisco 49ers – Levi’s Stadium, Jeremiah Yolkut, Director, Major League Baseball, Russ Simons, Owner and Managing Partner at Venue Solutions Group, LLC and Tad Bowman, Venue Director, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Denver Coliseum, City and County of Denver.

Eoghan Gill, Director of Strategy at S2|FOAMHAND gives a presentation on safe and secure event hosting. 

Host City Americas closes with a panel on how all stakeholders in the events industry can “Get fit for the future”, with David Goldberg, Senior Advisor, TPG and Board Member, GAN, Dr. Melita N. Moore, Board Member and Chair of Health & Wellness Commission, Global Esports Federation and Ricardo Trade, CEO, Brazilian Basketball Federation and former CEO of the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup.



Host City Americas is supported by:
Event Delivery Partner NEP Group; Official Sustainability Partner Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Orange Sports Forum; Preferred Events Technology Partner OnePlan and Silver Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission and Iventis.

Edmonton Events, S2|FOAMHAND, Mailman, Global Esports Federation and World Championship Air Race are Strategic Partners to Host City Americas.

The conference is delivered on the Eden platform by Creative Technology, as part of NEP Group.

Join 1,000+ participants at Host City Americas to discover the opportunities ahead as we emerge from the pandemic to a landscape defined by digitalisation and large-scale investment.


For more information visit www.hostcity.com or email ben.avison@hostcity.com

Facebook, Olympics, Esports, Investors and Leagues star in Host City Americas debut

The elite of the international events sector is completing the line-up for the inaugural Host City Americas conference, taking place online on 29-30 June.

Recent additions include IOC Members and IF Presidents Ingmar De Vos and Prof. Ugur Erdener on the opening session, during which Prof. Erdener will address the safe staging of the Tokyo Olympic Games during the pandemic.

Peter Hutton, Director of Sports Partnerships at Facebook, Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services and Brian Sullivan, CEO of NEP Group join to discuss The Changing Media Landscape.

Paul J. Foster, CEO, Global Esports Federation, Dr. Melita N. Moore, Board Member and Chair of Health & Wellness Commission, Global Esports Federation and Beng Choo Low, Secretary General, World Baseball-Softball Confederation tackle conversations about leadership in Esports and its role in health.

American event hosts are showing up in force, including Monica Paul, Executive Director, Dallas Sports Commission, Nick Sellers, CEO, The World Games 2022 Organizing Committee and Chris Carroll of the Lake Placid 2023 Winter World University Games, joined by Gary Meador, Director of Event Services Team at Aggreko North America.

Jim Mercurio, Executive Vice President & General Manager at San Francisco 49ers – Levi’s Stadium, Russ Simons, Owner and Managing Partner at Venue Solutions Group, LLC, Tad Bowman, Venue Director, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Denver Coliseum, City and County of Denver and Jeremiah Yolkut, Director, Major League Baseball go “Back to the Future” with Jeff Keas, Senior Principal, Populous to question the impact of Covid-19, on a panel co-produced with the Association of Global Event Suppliers.

Sabrina Ibanez, Secretary General, FEI and Tom Dielen, Secretary General, World Archery join the Workshop on Hosting Events with International Federations, along with Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland and the International Association of Event Hosts.

In keeping with the conference theme of Investing in Events, Host City Americas welcomes Gareth Balch, CEO, Two Circles and David Goldberg, Senior Advisor, TPG and Board Member, GAN.

OnePlan Founder Paul Foster brings expertise and solutions from the frontier of major event planning technology.

Simon Johnson, Chair, Rugby Football League joins Iventis CEO and founder Joe Cusdin to present on event mapping.

And David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Centre for Sports and Human Rights moderates the conversation on How Important are ESG Criteria to Event Audiences.

These speakers join other great experts already announced: IOC VP and LA28 Board Member Anita DeFrantz; Sports ETA President & CEO Al Kidd; UNESCO Asst DG Gabriela Ramos; Santiago 2023 chiefs Felipe de Pablo and Juan Carlos Chamy; World Athletics Championships Oregon22’s Niels de Vos; Sports Innovation Lab CEO Angela Ruggiero; World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin; Matt Archambault of Riot Games; Finn Taylor, CEO, Volleyball World; Matt Pound, Director, World Table Tennis; Sarah Lewis OBE; Emily Blitz of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; Mexican Olympic Committee VP Jimena Saldaña; Paralympian Karin Korb; Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee President Brian Lewis; Brazilian Basketball Federation CEO Ricardo Trade and World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr.

Host City Americas is supported by: Official Sustainability Partner Aggreko; Event Delivery Partner NEP Group; Gold Sponsors OnePlan and Orange Sports Forum; and Silver Sponsors Dallas Sports Commission and Iventis.

Global Esports Federation is a Strategic Partner of Host City Americas.

The conference is delivered on the Eden platform by Creative Technology, as part of NEP Group.

Join 1,000+ participants at Host City Americas to discover the opportunities ahead as we emerge from the pandemic to a landscape defined by digitalisation and large-scale investment.

IF events and vaccination show Tokyo Games will be safe, says IOC President Bach

With global Covid-19 cases only recently starting to fall from their highest level, and with just 59 days to go to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the safety of participants is a matter of urgent global concern.

In his address to the SportAccord IF (International Federation) Forum, to which Host City was invited, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Just like the athletes who are preparing for these Games with so much concentration and focus, we are also getting ready for this final sprint. In this final stretch our top priority continues to remain on organising a safe and secure Olympic Games for everyone – the athletes and all participants as well as our gracious hosts, the Japanese people.

“This is why, together with all our Japanese partners and friends,  we have put in place comprehensive Covid-19 countermeasures to ensure the athletes of the world can come together in  a safe environment for everyone.”

He referred to the recently updated Playbooks, which outline the responsibilities of all Games participants and the rules that must be followed.

“The Playbooks have been developed based on science, taking into account the latest medical expertise – and also built on experience from all of you, the IFs, who since last year have collectively organised more than 120 World Cups and World Championships with the participation of cumulatively more than 51,000 athletes.

“In doing so, you have demonstrated that sports competitions can be organised safely, even under current restrictions. This is why I’d like to thank all of you for leading the way in this respect. Your collective experience gives all of us confidence in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, because you gave proof that large international sports events can be organised successfully whilst safeguarding the health of everyone.

“And you accomplished this without having access to vaccination, from which we can greatly benefit at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

Bach highlighted offers from three vaccine producers to the IOC for Games participants. At least 70 per cent athletes and officials will be vaccinated before the Games, he said.

“We can only encourage all of you to continue these efforts, because vaccination is not only about protecting yourselves and protecting your athletes – it’s also a demonstration of respect and solidarity with our Japanese hosts.

“This is why I would like to say thank you to all of you for demonstrating in a great way that, whether in sport or in the many challenges of life, we are always stronger together.

“This is the lesson we have learned from the coronavirus crisis. We need more solidarity within societies and among societies. This lesson also applies to sports and sports organisations.”

 

The post-coronavirus world

“One thing is clear: the post-coronavirus world will need sport and its values,” said Bach. “The important role of sport in society is acknowledged in the meantime by the international community, from the UN to the WHO, the EU and many more. Numerous studies confirm the contribution of sport to promote physical and mental health, education, social inclusion, gender equality and many more.

“As countries round the world are starting the long journey of recovery, this IF forum sends an important message: sport and athletes everywhere are ready to contribute to rebuild a more human-centred and inclusive society.

“We at the IOC are happy to have such reliable partnerships with each of you, as we face not only the many challenges of this crisis but also, and even more, the opportunities it presents.

“So let us seize these opportunities, as we are used to in sport – giving it our best and embracing change.  In this Olympic spirit I wish you fruitful discussions and an excellent IF forum.”

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