SportAccord 2019 was selected as Platinum Award winner for Best Event in Australia at the 2019 Meeting & Events Australia (MEA) and also scooped the overall Government Event of the Year and Queensland’s Event Legacy Award. The winners were announced at the MEALIVE 2019 Award virtual event held at ICC Sydney Studios.

Coming just a year after Gold Coast became the focus of the sporting world when it staged the 2018 Commonwealth Games to great acclaim, SportAccord 2019 benefited from receiving the full support of the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) as it welcomed over 1700 delegates to the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre last May.

The 2019 edition of sport’s most important annual gathering featured multiple high-profile networking events, a three-day exhibition, and more than 50 conference sessions with over 100 speakers and panellists from the worlds of sport, business and politics, including H.E. Ban Ki-moon, the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General.

SportAccord and GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “We are grateful that SportAccord 2019 has been recognised by Meeting & Events Australia for what was such a productive and enjoyable week in Gold Coast, Queensland. The recognition only solidifies the value of hosting SportAccord to cities, regions and countries and the legacy impact of our event.”

“The awards are a testament to the dedicated work of the local organisers and the incredible contribution of Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and the partners, suppliers and volunteers who made SportAccord’s first visit to Oceania such a success. The Gold Coast and Queensland were a magnificent host and its people truly embraced the event.”

The next edition of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit will take place in Ekaterinburg, Russia from 23-28 May 2021.

As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

Registration is open now for SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021, which will be held at the IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo convention centre. Organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord and keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to unveil its Gold Coast CityAccord conference programme: Mindful Event Hosting – Respecting the Past with a View to the Future. 
CityAccord is aimed at multiple event stakeholders including cities and regions, sponsors, international federations, organising committees, as well as industry. 
Queensland’s Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones will welcome delegates to CityAccord and commented why CityAccord would be an important part of SportAccord 2019 on the Gold Coast of Queensland.
“As the keynote speaker at CityAccord 2018 in Bangkok I know the importance of the conference and the opportunity it provides to speak directly to delegates.
“We are excited to host numerous great cities from around the world here on the Gold Coast in 2019 and look forward to sharing our experiences and expertise from developing Australia’s best events calendar and of course from hosting the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.”
The CityAccord conference will include panel sessions covering: Innovative City/Event Ticketing Approaches and Sport Destination Cities Branding – What Works?! with Q&As following each session.
Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord said:
“CityAccord is always a popular event at SportAccord and attended by organisations who have a vested interest in sport. This year’s CityAccord conference programme promises to deliver some innovative ideas on increasing revenue streams, including how to capitalise on secondary ticket sales, as well as make the most of the myriad opportunities available to a city when hosting an elite sports event.
“It goes without saying, hosting SportAccord in Gold Coast is a great opportunity for organisations to learn how much Queensland has to offer.”
This year’s Co-Chairs for CityAccord are Mélanie Duparc, Secretary General, World Union of Olympic Cities, and David Simon, President of the Los Angeles Sports Council.
The Gold Coast edition of SportAccord will host over 50 conference sessions with around 100 international speakers and panellists taking part. The five conference streams include: The Summit, CityAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord, and HealthAccord.
 

SportAccord today announced that the Gold Coast located in Queensland, Australia as its next Host City when the sporting business community gathers for the 17th edition of the World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 5-10 May 2019 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Gold Coast has set the scene for blockbuster movies and many world-class sporting events including the recent 2018 Commonwealth Games. With this, it is no surprise Queensland’s most charismatic city has been drawing visitors for more than 50 years. The Gold Coast offers an array of top hotels and expansive resorts set along more than a dozen golden sand beaches. The Gold Coast has something for everyone, from dedicated sport enthusiasts to easy-going families and sophisticated foodies. 

Queensland Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said:

“This event will bring 1500 representatives from up to 100 countries, representing 500 different international sports federations, rights holders, organising committees, businesses and other sporting organisations to the Gold Coast.

“This is the most significant meeting of international sport representatives held every year and securing it for the Gold Coast shows the world that we have one of the foremost major events destinations on the planet.  

“Hosting SportAccord gives us unprecedented access to key decision makers and provides the opportunity to showcase our capabilities first hand. 

“The success of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games proved we have everything required to host large-scale, international sporting events. As a result of the Games we have a range of newly-built and upgraded world-class sporting venues.

“Hosting SportAccord is the next step in securing major international events for the city and our state which will bring benefits to Queensland for years to come.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the city was the perfect host for the major international convention. 

“This is a great demonstration of the partnership we have built with the State over the past years.

“Having SportAccord in our city will turbo charge the opportunities for the Gold Coast to further activate our sporting arenas, as well as our sports science and training facilities. 

“This is post-Games legacy in action and I can’t wait to welcome SportAccord.”

Last year’s SportAccord gathering was hailed as an event to remember for delegates during a week of top-level networking, meetings, conferences, new initiatives and business in Bangkok, Thailand. 
The event’s President Patrick Baumann underlined SportAccord’s credentials as ‘the most productive meeting place for stakeholders in world sport.’
Looking ahead to SportAccord 2019, Patrick Baumann, President of SportAccord and GAISF said:

“It is a pleasure to bring the SportAccord to the Gold Coast of Australia and I would like to thank the Government of Queensland for hosting SportAccord 2019. The 17th edition of SportAccord will be a special one, as it will help mark the one-year anniversary of the delivery of a successful Commonwealth Games and will provide the chance for our delegates to embrace all the qualities and opportunities the Gold Coast and Queensland has to offer.” 

Mr. Baumann went on to say: “It is a unique opportunity for the whole Oceania sports community to meet, interact and mingle with all international sports leaders in a focused and efficient way.”

Organisations looking to become industry partners or send a delegation to SportAccord 2019 can read and watch highlights in The Review magazine. These include the SportAccord Keynote Zarah Al-Kudcy from Formula 1 discussing cultural change through diversity and openness; the incredible success story of LaLiga shared by Grégory Bolle, Head of Global Sponsorship and Sales; and Queensland’s Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development, and the Commonwealth Games, Honourable Kate Jones who talked about ‘Making Relationships a Priority’ during the Closing Keynote Address at the CityAccord conference.

SportAccord is also host to the annual general assemblies and official meetings for the event stakeholders, with representation from all the GAISF international sports federations, associates and observers in attendance.