The second Host City Awards will take place in Glasgow, Scotland to celebrate exceptional accomplishments in hosting, delivering and promoting major events.

The Awards form part of the Host City 2025 conference, hosted at the Technology & Innovation Centre on 2-3 December, with winners announced at the Awards Dinner on the evening of  2 December.

Event hosts, rights holders and suppliers are encouraged to enter appropriate categories:

The Best Event Engagement award will recognise destinations that achieved exceptional audience reach and visibility relative to their size, location or resources.

The Most Sustainable Event award will celebrate events that delivered measurable environmental, social and legacy benefits for their host communities.

The Outstanding Economic Impact award will honour events that generated significant economic value and long-term financial benefits for their destinations.

The Best Commercial Strategy award will reward rights holders and organisers who delivered strong financial results and long-term value through innovative monetisation approaches.

The Strongest Fan Growth award will recognise events that successfully expanded, engaged, and monetised their fan base through effective strategies and platforms.

The Innovation in Event Technology award will spotlight suppliers who introduced groundbreaking technology that enhanced event performance or audience experience.

The Best Event Infrastructure Solution award will recognise outstanding contributions to the physical and digital infrastructure that supported safe, efficient, and sustainable event delivery.

The Excellence in Event Delivery award will honour organisations that played a key role in delivering high-quality event experiences

The Best Use of AI award will recognise outstanding applications of artificial intelligence that improved the planning, delivery, or commercial success of an event.

Organisations register to attend the Host City 2025 conference are eligible to enter for free, submitting concise written entries and optional supporting materials.

The diverse judging panel of highly regarded experts includes Jennifer Arnold, Vice President, U.S. Soccer Foundation; Iain Edmondson, Founder, Legacy Delivery; Sarah Lewis OBE OLY; Brian Lewis, Immediate Past President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee; Paul Bush, Chair, British Curling; Céline Payelle, Vice-President and General Manager, Events & Experiences, Cirque du Soleil, and more to be announced.

Matthew Astill, CEO of Cavendish Group, said: “We are very pleased to taking the Host City awards to the next level, following the success of last year’s launch. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the best and brightest in the global events community in Glasgow.”

Glasgow Life’s Director of Culture, Tourism and Events. Billy Garrett, said: “We’re delighted that the Host City Conference is returning to Glasgow in 2025. This prestigious annual industry event provides an invaluable platform for international partners in our sector to get together to share experiences and insights, and take part in productive discussions and debates on the key issues, challenges and opportunities that host cities face.

“So we’re really looking forward to Glasgow hosting Host City once again, and the fantastic opportunities this important event offers attendees to network and build connections that help foster mutually beneficial partnerships to impact business growth.”

Rob Dickson, Director of Industry and Events at VisitScotland, said: “Events play an important role in our communities, bringing economic benefits, fostering community pride and delivering global recognition. The Host City Awards are an opportunity to recognise and shine a spotlight on the contribution and impact of events, the people who design and deliver them and the innovation they bring.” 

Glasgow Life, the charity that leads culture and sport in Glasgow, has announced the appointment of Kay Morrison as its new Chief Executive.

An accomplished leader, Kay brings a track record of strategic vision, partnership development and more than 20 years’ experience working across Scotland’s culture and leisure sector.

Kay joins Glasgow Life from her role as Chief Executive of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, where she has led the successful transformation of the organisation over the past three years.

Previously, she was Chief Executive of Falkirk Foundation, the official charity partner of Falkirk Football Club, working to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities through physical activity and education programmes.

She will take up her new post on Monday 7 July 2025, replacing Susan Deighan who helped create Glasgow Life in 2007 and is retiring after more than 30 years of shaping the delivery of culture, physical activity, tourism, and events in Glasgow on behalf of Glasgow City Council.

A passionate advocate for inclusion and reducing inequalities, Kay is known for her commitment to enhancing community wellbeing through the power of culture and sport as well as her contribution to developing national policy and direction for the sector.

Her appointment marks a new chapter for Glasgow Life, as the charity looks to an ambitious future and to helping more people lead richer, healthier, and happier lives through the delivery of world-class cultural, physical activity, and learning programmes and experiences.

Speaking about her appointment, Kay said: “It’s a privilege to be joining Glasgow Life at such a pivotal moment. As one of Scotland’s most important charities, Glasgow Life offers rich sources of hope, meaning and social connection to the people of Glasgow and visitors to the city.

“I’m looking forward to working with my talented colleagues and partners to deliver a fair and inclusive future for local communities, and ensuring our vision remains integral to the city’s social and economic wellbeing as well as building on Glasgow’s impressive global profile.”

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Kay is an inspiring leader with a deep understanding of the vital role our charity plays across Glasgow’s communities, and her experience, knowledge and networks make her the ideal person to lead Glasgow Life as we look to a positive and ambitious future.

“On behalf of Glasgow Life’s Board, I congratulate Kay on her appointment and look forward to working with her to ensure our charity remains a force for good at the heart of a thriving, inclusive, accessible, and resilient Glasgow.”

Susanne Millar, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council, said: “I’m pleased to welcome Kay into the role of Chief Executive at Glasgow Life and as a valued member of Glasgow City Council’s leadership team. Kay brings a wealth of experience and a clear commitment to Glasgow. Susan Deighan has made an incredible contribution to Glasgow Life and to our city, and I know Kay is ready to build on that success.

“I look forward to working with Kay, in close collaboration with our city partners, as we continue to deliver on the things that matter most to the people of Glasgow. I also want to thank Susan for her exceptional dedication and wish her a long and happy retirement.”

From the moment we wake up, technologies bridge our physical life with one that is digital. In a paper published in July 2024, Dr. Matt Frew from the School of Business and Enterprise at the University of the West of Scotland, stated that “emerging DARQ[1]  technologies and an accelerating Metaverse are reshaping the event landscape, birthing a new era of extended reality events.” How DARQ is the future of events?

These are times of high uncertainty on many fronts, also for the events industry. During the AIPC Academy in Brussels it was one of the key areas for discussion during coffee-breaks and lunches. One thing is very clear however: technology will continue to become more important for the event industry and we will need to understand the change that comes with it.

Therefore, it is important to take a step back and read papers like the one published by Dr. Frew, as they provide a broader view on event trends, which allows us to focus on what is really important. While the title of his paper seems alarming, the content is far less so. Events indeed reflect wide changes happening in society – including technology – and should be considered as portals of transition. The technology-driven events we see today have little to do with the informal gatherings which are at the start of our industry. At the same time, the very basis has not changed: it is about bringing communities together.

What is new, however, is the acceleration of technologies, combined with the blend between physical and digital. As a result, communities now gather on a continuous basis in different environments, using different types of technology, including brain-computer interfaces.

Going forward, it is expected we’ll see more of these “blends”. Take the ABBA Voyage tour as an example, which is basically bringing together large crowds to watch the younger version of the band in the shape of avatars, and with the event experience being extended via followers and influencers to improve reach and turn involvement of the event community into revenue. Over a 12-month period, the show completed 374 performances and attracted 1,097,597 visitors, achieving an occupancy rate of 97.8%. Revenue from ticket sales was £103,665,597. And that’s just the tickets.

So next to the traditional live events and the cloned hybrid events, we’ll also need to consider extended reality events going forward. The challenge for the event industry will be to fully understand the potential these evolutions can bring and to decide accordingly on the technology investment to be done.

All of this will of course not happen overnight, but given the speed at which our physical and digital lives become intertwined, this new reality will be there sooner than later, making the debate between “live events” and “digital events” an obsolete one. They will not co-exist – they will become one, allowing for new models of engagement and community building. So the future is definitely not dark.

[Source: USA Swimming] USA Swimming has announced that Shana Ferguson is leaving the organization to become the Chief of Sport and Games Delivery of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ferguson joins LA28 from USA Swimming where she served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Commercial Officer, and most recently as interim CEO. Ferguson is a proven leader in operational strategy and organizational leadership, with more than two decades of experience in sports management. 

 “Shana Ferguson is a uniquely talented leader who has made innumerable contributions to USA Swimming,” said Chris Brearton, USA Swimming Board Chair. “She was instrumental in the success of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, onboarding numerous new partners to the Olympic movement, and countless strategic business initiatives, and we are grateful for her commitment to our sport and the success and wellbeing of our athletes. We wish her the best in her next chapter and look forward to working with her at LA28.”

As the USA Swimming Board continues the search for the organization’s next permanent CEO, the CEO Search Task Force welcomes three new members to help guide a refreshed evaluation of candidates. Board Chair Chris Brearton and former Vice Chair Kathy Fish will join the Task Force, along with Director of Swimming at the University of Texas and former Men’s Olympic Head Coach Bob Bowman. As the search continues, the Board announced that Bob Vincent, former Chair of the USA Swimming Board of Directors, will assume the role of Interim CEO, effective April 1.

A seasoned professional in athletic administration and proven leader at all levels of swimming governance, Vincent is deeply knowledgeable about all aspects of USA Swimming operations and well-positioned to lead the organization during this important transition period. Vincent brings extensive experience in the sports industry and leadership roles, having served as Chairman of the USA Swimming Board of Directors from 2018 – 2021. Vincent also served as Board Treasurer from 2016 – 2018, is an active USA Swimming official, and a member of the USA Swimming Foundation’s Champions Club. Vincent will resign from his current role on the Board of Directors to assume the Interim CEO position until his planned retirement once a new permanent leader is selected.

Brearton continued “We are extremely pleased to welcome Bob Vincent as Interim CEO and are thankful for his willingness to take on this service to the organization before his retirement, as we continue our work to support our members and prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”

During Vincent’s time as Interim CEO, he will focus on maintaining momentum for key strategic initiatives and events, including this summer’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore and the ongoing search process for the next National Team Managing Director.

“I am honored to step into the role of Interim CEO and help lead USA Swimming at this important moment,” said Bob Vincent. “I have witnessed firsthand the dedication and passion of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and staff, and I look forward to working closely with each of them while I serve in this role. The organization is poised for continued success, and I am eager to start engaging with the team in this new leadership capacity.”

“I am thrilled to congratulate Shana Ferguson on her new role as Chief of Sport and Games Delivery for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “It's awesome to see her apply the skills and experiences gained at USA Swimming to this monumental event. This transition showcases her remarkable talent and highlights the importance of knowledge transfer as we build a strong ecosystem of sports professionals in the United States. I also want to express my gratitude to Bob Vincent for his dedicated service to USA Swimming during this pivotal time.”