Over 50 representatives of cities, regions and countries attending this year’s SportAccord Convention, have reached an overwhelming consensus to move forward with the formation of an international association of event hosts.

The representatives met at the City to City session facilitated by members of a working group who have been investigating the feasibility of forming an organisation for “not-for-profit” investors to share knowledge of hosting international events.

During the session, representatives learned from the successes and challenges of a number of recent events hosted at destinations across the world.

Representatives also provided feedback on different models of how destinations could share knowledge and generate greater benefits from hosting events. The working group will now take this feedback and develop a plan to formalise cooperation between destinations.

Members of the working group to date include:

•Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development

•Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance

•EventScotland

•Fáilte Ireland, National Tourism Development Authority

•London & Partners

•Los Angeles Sports Council

•New Zealand Major Events

•Sport Event Denmark

•USA National Association of Sports Commissions

Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events at London & Partners said “The very productive session at SportAccord Convention has again demonstrated the benefits of sharing experiences of hosting events. By working together I believe all investors in major events will generate greater long term value, whether they are public bodies, rights-owners or commercial sponsors.”

“Sharing knowledge of hosting events is very important and cooperating with other hosts in a trusted environment will benefit all of us,” said Lars Lundov, CEO of Sport Event Denmark.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events said: “Events and tourism have a hugely beneficial symbiotic relationship and this initiative can only do good for the industry.”

Rick Traer, CEO, Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance added “We’ve seen the advantages of working together and sharing best practices at a national level. Taking those experiences to the international level and learning from our colleagues around the world will be a very productive partnership. Our cities will reap the benefit of knowledge from other countries, and sport tourism will continue to be a vital and vibrant part of our economy.” 

Source: SportAccord Convention

International sports governing bodies are now more than a hundred years old, many having emerged in response to the rise of international sporting events: FIFA was established in 1904 and the IAAF in 1912, for example. 

World Expos began in London in 1851 and their international governing body, the BIE, was established in 1928. New governing bodies continue to be established today as event properties emerge – the International Tent Pegging Federation, for example, was founded in 2013. 

Sports event rights holders have many opportunities to share experiences, through a number of different membership organisations. But a unifying body for the host cities themselves has been lacking. While many event properties (the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup for example) have their own knowledge sharing procedures for organising committees, there has been no publicly recognised organisation in place to support and regulate cities in their perennial quest to benefit from hosting major events. 

Some stakeholders involved in attracting and hosting events have their own international networks: the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC); the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA); and European Cities Marketing, for Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) – but the city halls themselves are not yet fully connected.

This is in the process of changing. City meetings have started to take place at all the significant sector gatherings. The City Roundtable at Host City 2015, chaired by Paul Bush Direcor of Events for VisitScotland, saw a very large group of city officials sharing experiences. Host City is also pleased to have supported the “City Day” at SportAccord Convention. 

Event hosts have now publicly agreed to form a self-determining international association, a process Host City continues to fully support. Host City 2016, taking place in Glasgow on the 16 and 17 November, will be the next important gathering of cities and all types of events – not just sport, but business, culture and entertainment. We look forward to sharing experiences with you in the marketplace.

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH) came together from across the globe for the annual IAEH Forum at SportAccord Convention in Aarhus, Denmark yesterday to discuss and vote on the structure of the organisation.

Representatives from 24 of the 34 member organisations voted on the incorporation of the IAEH as a charity under English law, overseen by the Charities Commission in England. The establishment of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation was unanimously approved.

IAEH founding members Iain Edmondson from London & Partners and Devorah Blumberg from New Zealand Major Events said that the vote is a milestone in the association’s development. 

Edmondson said: "The agreement from members to incorporate the IAEH is a huge step forward for us as an association. It signals that we are globally aligned in our thinking as event hosts. The formalisation of the association provides a platform for growth as the global network for sharing our knowledge".

Blumberg went on to say: "The incorporation of the association will also provide members with an international shared voice for hosts of major events. We invite cities, regions and countries that aren't already involved in the network to join now and enjoy the benefits of working with peers on a global scale.

The membership discussed nine priority areas for knowledge sharing and the calendar of meetings for the period ahead. Of the priority areas for discussion the group identified a clear front runner of interest to event hosts - measuring economic and social benefits. Other subjects which were front of mind for members included attracting visiting tourists and alternative sources of funding. Members will discuss these priority areas in greater depth as part of the IAEH work programme.

Throughout 2017 IAEH members will have four more opportunities to meet ahead of the Annual Forum in 2018 which is usually timed with SportAccord Convention. IAEH members also met at Host City 2016 in Glasgow. Members see these meetings as valuable opportunities for sharing experiences from hosting major events with a focus on overcoming challenges and measuring success.

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the network for ‘not for profit’ organisations representing cities, regions and countries who host major sporting and cultural events, will host its first Annual Forum in Aarhus, Denmark on Monday 3^rd April, on the eve of SportAccord Convention.

Since its establishment in Summer 2016, IAEH has grown its membership to 32 members, from 15 countries, across five continents.

At the private Annual Forum meeting, members will discuss the Association’s work plan for the forthcoming period, share experiences and lessons learned from hosting major events. Following the meeting, members will continue the discussion at a social dinner also restricted to members-only. Both the meeting and social dinner are sponsored by IAEH founding member Sport Event Denmark.

An opportunity for prospective members and industry representatives

Closing the day of activities, IAEH members invite other representatives of the industry and prospective members to an informal evening reception taking place at the Scandic City Hotel from 7pm on Monday 3^rd April. Individuals in attendance will have the opportunity to meet representatives of the most relevant organisations in the event hosting industry and learn about the Association’s work in representing event hosts.

Organisations in the events industry and representatives of cities, regions or countries that host major events are welcomed to attend the open reception. Those interested in attending should contact IAEH at olga@eventhosts.org.

On the evening of the 21^st of November 2016 IAEH (International Association of Event Hosts) members met in Glasgow after a day of activities at the Host City Conference. The closed meeting happened at a private room at the Corinthian Club in the city.

Steering Group members from six of the founding organisations were represented at the meeting: London & Partners, New Zealand Major Events, Fáilte Ireland, Visit Tampere, Canadian Tourism Sport Alliance and EventScotland. Iain Edmondson, from London, chaired the meeting, which also included other invitees from Finland and Ireland.

The IAEH members attending were: Iain Edmondson, London & Partners; Devorah Blumberg, New Zealand Major Events; Rick Traer, Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance; Perttu Pesa, Visit Tampere; Edel Mitchell, Fáilte Ireland; Stuart Turner, EventScotland; Emma Wilson, EventScotland; Saara Saarteinen, Visit Tampere; Saila Machere, City of Helsinki Sport Department; and Azeta Seery, Fáilte Ireland.

Updates on membership, content sharing and partnerships were the main points on the agenda. Future meetings and further actions were also discussed. IAEH is actively signing up new members and establishing partnerships to share expertise via its network and online portal (www.eventhosts.org).

Since the last formal meeting of IAEH, in August 2016 at Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic Games, the number of IAEH members has doubled. The Association now has 20 members representing cities, regions and countries across the world. Glasgow Life, represented by Ian Hooper, joined the Association during the Host City Conference and further members, including representatives in Asia and Africa, are expected to be confirmed in the near future.

Members will next be attending the International Sports Convention in Geneva, Switzerland on the 7^th of December 2016, and the next formal meeting of the Association will be the Annual Forum scheduled to be held on 3^rd & 4^th April 2017 in Aarhus, Denmark.

The International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), whose membership has grown to include six new destinations, has revealed plans to meet during Host City 2016 in Glasgow.

Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, takes place in Glasgow on the 21 and 22 November.

Meetings of event hosts have been taking place informally at a small number of conferences, including Host City in November 2015. But it was not until the SportAccord Convention in April 2016 that a number of destinations gave a joint resolution to form IAEH.

The next formal meeting of IAEH will take place during Host City 2016.

“Further new members will be announced soon along with plans for the next regional meeting in Glasgow at the time of the Host City conference, and informal gathering in Lausanne around the Smart Cities and Sport conference,” IAEH said in a press release published on its website on Thursday 15 September.

A group of founder members of IAEH also met at British House in Rio on 16th August and agreed details of the interim management of the Association.

“As a result of the meeting, new members will now be formally welcomed and be encouraged to participate in knowledge sharing initiatives over coming months. Initial research on key topics is expected to be shared by the end of the 2016,” IAEH said after the meeting in Rio.

The six new destinations that have joined IAEH are: Maryland Sports, Events Management Queensland, innsbruck-tirol sports, Seattle Sports Commission, Edmonton Events and Ottawa Tourism.

Maryland Sports is the Sports Commission for the State of Maryland in the USA.

Events Management Queensland is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the state-owned tourism and events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland, based in the Australian Gold Coast. 

innsbruck-tirol sports GmbH was formed from the legacy of the 1^st Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. 

Seattle Sports Commission is the Sports Commission for Seattle, USA. 

Edmonton Events is a strategic partnership between the Canadian City of Edmonton and Edmonton Tourism.

Ottawa Tourism is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization, working to profile Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region.

They join ten other city and country members of IAEH: Auckland; Canada; Denmark; Ireland; London; Los Angeles; New Zealand; Scotland Tampere; and USA.