Taking place on an AI-enabled digital platform, this free-to-register conference is a fantastic opportunity for the major events sector to “Refresh, Regenerate and Reconnect”.
Following welcome addresses from Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland, Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life and Sir Craig Reedie KBE, Honorary Member, International Olympic Committee (IOC), delegates will be treated to an enticing programme of speakers and discussion.
Lord Sebastian Coe KBE, President, World Athletics and IOC Member gives a Keynote Address on the successful hosting of Tokyo 2020 and future trends in major events.
Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games brings a Keynote Presentation on “Paris 2024 Games: a new model bringing people around sustainable Games with creativity”.
His counterpart at Milano Cortina 2026, Chief Executive Vincenzo Novari also gives a keynote update on preparations for the Winter Olympic Games.
Looking further ahead, Octavian Morariu, IOC Member, Chair, Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, IOC and President, Rugby Europe gives an exclusive insight into the process of engaging with future Olympic hosts.
Katie Sadleir, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Federation also gives a Keynote Address on Birmingham 2022 and beyond.
Host City 2021 also features Q&A sessions: IOC Executive Board Member Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski speaks to Host City on engaging with next generation audiences; IOC Member Anita DeFrantz and LA28 Board Member talks about the Games coming to her city and the power of sports and events to break barriers; and Jamaican swimming champion Michael Gunning shares his own experiences of “Turning the tide of prejudice”.
Panel discussions at Host City 2021 feature extremely engaging speakers and topics. Dagmawit Girmay Berhane, Member, IOC, Andrew Ryan, Executive Director, ASOIF, Paul J. Foster, CEO, Global Esports Federation and Jon Dutton, Chief Executive, Rugby League World Cup 2021 consider “How has the pandemic changed the events sector?”.
Sam Ramsamy, Vice President, FINA – and close friend of Nelson Mandela – joins the IPC’s Rita van Driel, the CGF’s Brendan Williams and David Grevemberg CBE to discuss “Diversity and integrity in leadership”.
Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK join on “Partnership approaches to event hosting”.
The question of “Broader casting – who owns the rights?” is taken on by Jamie Hindhaugh, Chief Operating Officer, BT Sport, Peter Hutton, Director of Sports Partnerships, Meta, Facebook and Jeff Foulser, Chairman, Sunset+Vine.
It’s not just about sports events either. Geoff Ellis CEO, DF Concerts, Francesca Hegyi OBE, Executive Director, Edinburgh International Festival and Susan Sawbridge, Manager, New Zealand Major Events share outlooks on “The return of live audiences, travel and tourism”.
Laura Lopez, Director, Conference Affairs, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau speak on “The meetings industry in the post-pandemic world”.
Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Culture, Creativity, Place chairs a workshop on “Cities of Culture – changing places forever” with Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Prof. Jonothan Neelands, Academic Director for Cultural Partnerships, University of Warwick and Angus Farquhar, Creative Director, Dandelion.
Iain Edmondson, Director, Legacy Delivery chairs a workshop of event hosts and rights holders on “Defining event impacts and promoting positive outcomes” in relation to ASOIF’s “Common Indicators for Measuring the Impact of Events”.
Other great speakers at Host City 2021 include: Shiny Fang, Secretary General, UIPM; Clare Briegal, Chief Executive Officer, World Netball; Jason Ferguson, Chairman, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association; Sarah Lewis OBE OLY, Global Sports Leader; Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events, Glasgow Life; David de Behr, Head of Sales Aggreko Event Services, Aggreko plc; Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH - International Association of Horticultural Producers; Katie Traxton, Board Director, European Sponsorship Association; Daniel Cordey, Chair, Association of Global Event Suppliers and more to be announced.
Host City 2020 welcomed 1,000 registrants from 60 countries and, with such a stellar speaker line-up, Host City 2021 is set to exceed expectations.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland, said: "EventScotland has a strong partnership with Host City, having been a supporter of the conference since its inception in 2014, and we are delighted to be welcoming it back to Scotland and Glasgow for the 7th consecutive year.
“As we continue to navigate the return of events in this new normal, the conference is great opportunity for the global events industry to come together and learn from one another while also looking ahead to what the future holds for major events under the theme of refresh, regenerate and reconnect.
"We look forward to working with the Host City team to deliver a conference that ensures a bright future for all events."
Dr Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life, said: “As a proud supporter of Host City, we’re delighted to welcome the event back to Glasgow for the seventh year in a row.
“As one of the world’s leading host cities for festivals and major events, Glasgow has keenly felt the impact of Covid-19. As we begin to recover and rebuild from the pandemic, we know this event will be a key milestone for many of our colleagues across the world, and seeing how well last year’s Host City event was delivered on a digital platform was hugely encouraging and the global feedback was fantastic.
“We look forward to working with the Host City team once again in just a few weeks’ time to ensure that 2021’s event is even bigger and better than previous iterations, and to share best practice with our colleagues across the world as we all work to create the best possible future for events.”
Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games said: “I am very pleased to be invited to speak once again at the Host City conference, to share with inspiring personalities my experience of organising the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the biggest sporting event on the planet. In a world of rapid changes and high expectations from citizens, we must succeed in organising an event that is both spectacular and sustainable, that monitor its impact while leaving a positive legacy on society. To achieve this, at Paris 2024, we have one watchword: creativity.”
Host City 2021 is delivered with supporting partners EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow Convention Bureau.
Event supporters include Headline Sponsor, Aggreko; Gold Sponsor, Sport Event Denmark; Silver Sponsors, the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), DB Schenker and Sunset+Vine; Strategic Partners, The Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) and Global Esports Federation.

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