[Source: ABPCO] Upgrading to an ABPCO Preferred Partner has placed ACC Liverpool among some of the top conference and meetings venues in the country.

ABPCO’s Association Director, Heather Lishman commented on their new partnership: “We at ABPCO are delighted to have upgraded ACC Liverpool to a Preferred Partner. ABPCO are truly looking forward to working more closely with ACC Liverpool and its team, to share knowledge and excellence within the association conference and events industry.”

ACC Liverpool Account Manager, Heather Bonner comments on their decision to upgrade: “We are proud to have been members of ABPCO for many years and are pleased that we have the team’s continued support by becoming a preferred partner.  The association provides a great platform for networking, sharing knowledge and the opportunity to collaborate with fellow industry members with the combined objective of hosting world class events in the UK.  We at ACC Liverpool look forward to continuing to explore the opportunities that being a member of ABPCO and working closely with PCOs brings us as we continue to deliver major conferences.”

Heather Lishman concludes: “The upgrading of ACC Liverpool truly highlights our commitment to collaborating with outstanding and high-profile industry leaders. I look forward to seeing this partnership bear fruit for all involved, particularly as they benefit from our focus on excellence, learning and belonging.”

[Source: SportAccord] Returning to the Canton of Vaud and the Home of International Sport, SportAccord will take place from 19-24 April 2020 at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre.

Now in its 18th edition, SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli remarked: “We are delighted that Lausanne will be hosting SportAccord once again, as a major event in the international sporting calendar, Lausanne provides a favourable location for sport and business leaders to meet, given its strong commitment to sport and industry.

When SportAccord was last in the Olympic Capital and Home of International Sport in 2016, visitors and delegates were welcomed with open arms and we are already feeling this again. We truly look forward to delivering another successful SportAccord in this dynamic city and within this short period of time.”

On becoming Host City to the next SportAccord, Mayor of Lausanne, Grégoire Junod commented: “As the Olympic Capital, Lausanne is proud to be hosting the 2020 SportAccord and looks forward to supporting the organisers in making this major event successful. Once again, it is with great pleasure that we open our doors to the international sports family.”

With State Councillor, Department of Economy, Innovation & Sport, Philippe Leuba commenting that: “After the Lausanne2020 Youth Olympic Games and before the World Hockey, Petanque and Road Cycling Championships, the Canton of Vaud is pleased to welcome, still in 2020, the largest sports convention in the world.”

Attending SportAccord enables delegates to network with sporting leaders at the highest levels, access an extensive conference programme, and experience the many opportunities on offer in one location, at the world’s leading global sports business event.

The conference programme will feature five streams – CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord, and the SportAccord Summit – with numerous influential speakers already lined up to offer unmissable insights into a variety of vital areas in sport.

Partners, exhibitors and delegates who have registered to attend the event in Beijing will be contacted shortly with registration re-opening for SportAccord 2020 in Lausanne as of Monday, 24 February. For general enquiries, please email info@sportaccord.sport.

[Source: Global Sports Week] The French Development Agency has become the first non-commercial Olympic Games partner with rights to the Olympic Rings. The unprecedented announcement was made at the opening of the first Global Sports Week Paris at the Carrousel du Louvre. The partnership will provide for a concrete financing programme to support projects aimed at fostering development through sport around the world.  

Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, said: "Sport can change everything. And we want this ambition to go beyond the French borders through this new strong cooperation between Paris 2024 and the French Development Agency.”

Remi Rioux, Executive Director of AFD, also commented: "This partnership is unique. We have never connected the power of sport and the power of development projects funding. The Olympic and Paralympic Movements are a universal initiative and it is only natural to unite them with the international development programmes.”

Flash quotes from the Global Sports Week Arena Stage

In the Opening Session, Tony Estanguet, Roxana Maracineanu, Andrew Parsons, and  Nadia Nadim were challenged by four young international leaders about the role of sport around key social issues.

Andrew Parsons, International Paralympic Committee President, said: "The first thing the international sport movement has to do is stop sweeping issues like doping or abuse under the carpet. We need to face them, otherwise young people don't buy it, they don't have trust to engage with us."

He added: “Yes, international sport has joined the party too late on climate change. But the strength we have is the athletes. It’s important they understand their power to drive change with the right messages.”

Roxana Maracineanu, French Minister of Sports, said: "Athlete welfare has been at the heart of my mandate as a Minister from the very start. This is one of the key reasons why the Sports Ministry wants to take place in the debates happening here this week."

“There is never one day, in my conversations with other government ministers, when I don’t see a way for sport to help provide solutions for other policy issues, such as health, environment or education."

Nadia Nadim, professional football player, PSG, and Champion for girls’ and women’s education, UNESCO, said: "Access is the biggest barrier for young people to get in sport. It's easy for young people to be on their digital platforms at home, but to play sports they have to drive an extra mile."

Guillaume de Monplanet, SVP, General Manager, adidas France, said:  "adidas saw the sport evolve and we evolved and changed with it. We noticed that our business impacted a lot of people around the world. Our core belief is that through sport WE can change lives (not only see sport change lives). This is a real mind shift."

He added: "Textile industry is one of the 5 worst industries in terms of the environmental impact. We have a big responsibility. By 2024 we will be at 0 virgin plastic in our products. Today we are at 50%, it is a long way to go, but we are moving in this direction."

Danone announced on stage at Global Sports Week that the company-run sport event Danone Nations Cup will be the first international competition to join Common Goal, an organisation putting the good at the heart of sport. 1% of the Danone Nations Cup revenues will be given to Common Goal.

Mathias Vicherat, SVP, General Secretary, Danone, said: “Kids represent 30% of the population and 100% of the future. For 20 years we at Danone have been organising a competition for kids to play soccer in 30 countries. By joining the Common Goal, we will be able to further promote the Sustainable Development Goals such as diversity and gender equality around the world.”

[Source: Global Sports Week] The role of sport in the climate emergency is set to dominate discussions at the first Global Sports Week Paris taking place tomorrow and Friday at the Carrousel du Louvre.

The new annual gathering of the world sports economy is organised under the patronage of UNESCO and the high patronage of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.

The event will bring together 1,500 delegates and more than 100 international media around an agenda focussed on the future of sport at the intersection of business and society.

On the programme are issues ranging from sport’s role in driving gender equality to the impact of digital transformation on the industry’s core business model. Sports tech and social business also feature strongly.

But climate considerations dominate the agenda for the first edition, with keynote contributions expected on the subject from F1 Executive Chairman and CEO Chase Carey, Ocean Race Director Richard Brisius and incoming Wimbledon CEO Sally Bolton, alongside athlete activists including big-wave surfing star Justine Dupont.

Major sponsor brands including Dow, adidas and EDF are also expected to share their vision of a sustainable future, alongside media executives including Yannick Bollore, Chairman of the Havas Group and the Vivendi Supervisory Board.

On Friday, Global Sports Week will be the stage for key carbon policy announcements from the All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon) and the French Football Federation in partnership with the French ministry of sport.

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu will host a meeting of her international counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.

The agenda for Global Sports Week Paris has been significantly shaped by a group of 50 under-25s, drawn from 22 countries, and billed as representatives of a new global generation.

Global Sports Week Chairman Lucien Boyer explained: “We believe it is crucial to understand the interests and expectations of the emerging consumer generation if sport is to continue to grow its influence and impact in the world.

“On climate, we hear very clearly the young generation’s clamour for change. Sport itself faces tangible impacts, but it also has a great potential to contribute to solutions.

“We hope Global Sports Week can be a place to put some new ideas into action.”

Global Sports Week organisers confirmed details of the event’s own sustainability practices, which include no single-use plastics; zero waste; and the use of 100% recycled materials in the site build and overlay.

Host City’s Editorial Director Ben Avison is attending and reporting on Global Sports Week – contact ben.avison@hostcity.com to arrange a meeting there

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord has unveiled five Principal Media Partners for its World Sport & Business Summit 2020 in Beijing, ensuring quality coverage of sport’s No.1 annual global gathering.

SportAccord has teamed up with iSportconnect, SportBusiness, Sportcal, SportsPro and Yutang Sports due to their exceptional coverage, reach and expertise within the global sports industry.

The news organisations will provide media and marketing support for SportAccord 2020, including in-depth reporting from the event, which will take place from 19-24 April at the China National Convention Center. Aside from providing breaking news, bulletins and feature coverage, the Principal Media Partners will also be able to conduct interviews via video and podcast formats, with high-profile attendees set to provide significant interest.

The news organisations have been granted key rights, including recognition in marketing material and sponsored signage in high-visibility areas, as well as publication distribution on dedicated stands. They will also have the opportunity to host workshops and will play a key role at the heart of the bustling SportAccord 2020 Media Zone, which is set to attract hundreds of media representatives from China and worldwide.

iSportConnect is considered to be the world’s largest private sports business network. iSportconnect moved up a tier to become a Principal Media Partner at SportAccord 2019 in Gold Coast.

SportBusiness is stepping up from Media Partner status at SportAccord 2019. SportBusiness provides unique news, analysis, data, consulting and events for executives in the business of sport.

Sportcal has supported SportAccord since its inception in 2003. Sportcal is a world-leading market intelligence service, providing news, data, reports and insights into the competitive world of sport.

SportsPro is a leading sports business media company in print, digital and events. SportsPro delivers up-to-the-minute news, analysis, opinion and in-depth reports across multiple platforms.

Yutang Sports delivers sports market intelligence and sports marketing through its media outlet and sponsorship agency, offering insights into the Chinese and international sports industries.

John Hewitt, Event Operations Manager, Communications, SportAccord said: “The high-level meetings at SportAccord 2020, as well as the Summit, CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord, MediaAccord conference programmes that will attract key decision-makers in the business of sport. Delegates will be also be introduced to the inaugural InvestAccord conference programme which will focus on connecting tech start-ups with investors in sport.

“We are delighted to have lined up an established selection of Principal Media Partners, all of whom have been involved in SportAccord for several years. Their coverage – before, during and after the event – will provide a vital platform for the key messages, insights and news developments in relation to the highly anticipated SportAccord 2020 in Beijing.”

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. It is the only global sports business event attended by all the international sport federations and their stakeholders, who host their Annual General Assemblies during SportAccord.

In October, CNN was unveiled as the Top Media Partner for SportAccord 2020, as well as the inaugural Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019, that took place from 10-12 December at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

Registration is open for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2020 in Beijing, the 18th annual SportAccord event. Organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport.

Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord using #SA2020, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook. For media enquiries, email media@sportaccord.sport.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a hugely influential global event. Although only 3,000 delegates are invited to the conference, 30,000 others are attracted to the Swiss resort of Davos every year to get involved in fringe activities. This takes it into the realms of the large-scale events showcased at Host City.

And it’s not just scale that links WEF with the world’s biggest sports and cultural events – it is the scope and reach of the event’s content. The themes of WEF20 are all extremely pertinent to the stakeholders of major sports and cultural events.

Take the first theme, “Healthy Futures”. A major objective of major sports events is for on-field performances to inspire people to be more active and improve public health. Major events can also have a catalytic effect on the healthcare sector – the standard of medical provision in Beijing improved as a result of hosting the Games in 2008, for example.

The next question of “How to Save the Planet” will be as complex for the delegates flying into Davos as it is for the owners, hosts and organisers of major sports, business and cultural events. Many areas of business and society are rapidly increasing their focus on sustainability, and major events are no exception. It will be fascinating to see how the world’s most powerful business and government leaders at WEF20 set out their approach to this challenge. Large scale event organisers must also play a greater role in the rapid transition that is so urgently needed to prevent runaway climate change and environmental degradation.

The third and related theme, “Better Business” focuses on how industries can “shift their time horizons, look beyond short-term profits, and transform themselves into sustainable and inclusive organisations.”

It’s not just businesses that struggle to take this long view. Democratic governments cannot be certain of any power beyond the typical 5-year electoral cycle. In contrast, the timelines of major event organisers are extremely long – 13 years from bid to delivery, in the case of Los Angeles 2028 – and the aim of the organizing committees is not to generate profit.

Major events can also be trailblazers for inclusion and equality – the 2021 Rugby League World Cup for example will be hosting women’s, disabled and men’s events concurrently for the first time. Perhaps global business leaders could learn something from such projects.

Next, WEF20 takes a look “Beyond Geopolitics”, promoting the power of cross-border cooperation to tackle big global challenges. International cooperation is crucial to the success of major events, from knowledge transfer initiatives between past and future hosts to new initiatives such as Paris 2024’s agreement to support the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games.

And the prospect of multiple countries hosting major events is now becoming a reality. The 2026 World Cup takes place in USA, Canada and Mexico. The 2022 Commonwealth Games is primarily staged in Birmingham, UK, but India could host Shooting and Archery at the same time. While this possibility has arisen through sporting demands, could it pave the way for pan-global events that could help “save the planet” by localizing audiences?

Leaders at Davos will also be grappling with how to deploy and develop “Tech for Good”. Robotics, AI, IoT and Data (RAID) are converging to disrupt all industries – and sports and entertainment is no exception. At worst, such technologies pose an existential threat to humanity; at best, they are revolutionizing the way sports and entertainment are experienced. In a world of esports, virtual influencers and OTT media consumption, what does this mean for our traditional communities of rights holders, broadcasters, stars and fans?

Discussion about “Society and the Future of Work” at Davos will focus on the displacement and disruption of human labour by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but also touches on the impact of technology on societies and communities. Sports and culture have a huge role to play in place-making and civic pride; it would be great to see this brought to the fore at WEF. The 15-hour working week envisioned by Keynes has not come to pass yet, but if it does, organized leisure will no doubt play an even greater role in what it means to be human.  

Finally, delegates at Davos will visualise “Fairer Economies”. While they are not in a position to directly redistribute wealth, major events already play a massive role in rebalancing economies. The Games staged in East London, Glasgow and Birmingham – with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK – all bring a major local economic impact. The cities / capitals of culture Hull 2017 and Coventry 2021 inhabit similar socioeconomic spaces (look out for Bradford 2025!)

I’m not suggesting that major sports, business and cultural events have any greater power to change the world than the government and business leaders converging in Davos. But it is interesting to note how pertinent the WEF themes are to Host City, and vice versa. If we can build a dialogue between our sector and the wider world of business and government perhaps we can help build a better world together. Now – where’s my invitation?

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli led the praise of Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019 as the inaugural event drew to a close yesterday at the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center in Florida.

Offering his closing remarks at the end of an engaging conference program, Chiulli expressed his thanks to Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sports Foundation, International Sports & Health Associates and MGO, as well as the event’s attendees, speakers and partners.

“This has been a very important occasion to meet, talk and learn,” Chiulli, who is also President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), said. “Fort Lauderdale is a marvellous place and we have been made to feel very much at home. My main takeaway from this event will be the atmosphere here in Fort Lauderdale. The discussions have been open and constructive and this is how friendships are built and consolidated.”

SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt joined Chiulli in thanking José Rodriguez of the Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019 Local Organizing Committee, as well as the event’s Gold Partners: Florida Sports Foundation, Greater Fort Lauderdale and Panam Sports.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed towards this inaugural event,” Hatt said. “I would also like to express my sincere thanks to nearly 550 people, representing 70 nationalities, who have come from across Pan America and also from around the world to help get this event off the ground.”

Leading sports stakeholders, influencers and decision-makers also lined up to hail the impact of the inaugural event, with the conference programme focusing on the topic of ‘A United Approach to the International Sport Landscape in the Americas’.

Neven Iván Ilic Álvarez, President of Panam Sports and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, said after his conference presentation: “I want to thank the organisers of this wonderful event and we will support the event in the future in any way we can.”

Nadia Comăneci, the legendary five-time Olympic gymnastics gold medal-winner, who also featured as a conference speaker, added: “I believe we have seen here at Regional SportAccord that doors are always open to discuss improvements in sport and I hope this is the start of an amazing opportunity for the future.”

Attention will now turn to the next event on the calendar – the highly anticipated 18^th annual SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit from 19-24 April 2020 in Beijing, China.

Registration is open for the annual Summit, which is supported by the IOC and attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders.

Email sales@sportaccord.sport for more further information about becoming an official partner or exhibitor. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord using #SA2020, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Email media@sportaccord.sport for any media enquiries.

[Source: SportAccord] SportAccord is delighted to announce that the dynamic and historic Russian city of Ekaterinburg will host the 2021 edition of the annual World Sport & Business Summit.

Sport’s No.1 global gathering will take place from 23-28 May 2021 at the IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo convention centre.

Ekaterinburg is Russia’s fourth-largest city by population, situated on the banks on the Iset River and considered the crossroads linking Europe to the west and Asia to the east. The city, which is a hotspot for tourism, business and sport, is home to numerous professional teams and has an expanding events portfolio, having hosted 2018 FIFA World Cup matches and the recent 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. Ekaterinburg will also host games during the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship before staging the 2023 FISU Summer Universiade.

Raffaele Chiulli, President, SportAccord and GAISF said: “The beautiful city of Ekaterinburg will be an ideal host for the 19th edition of SportAccord. This will allow the world of sport to come together for the third SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in the sport loving country of Russia, facilitating unity, friendship and building joint bridges for athletes and the future development of sport.”

“Ekaterinburg is a city that has sport at its heart and will provide plenty of attractions and interests to keep delegates entertained and engaged for what I’m sure will be an outstanding and memorable event. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Russian Federation for embracing SportAccord once again.”

Evgeny Kuyvashev, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, noted: “Ekaterinburg is known for having strong traditions in sports and we are glad that the leading international sports federations and organizations will get an opportunity to see what our wonderful city offers, when we welcome them in 2021”.

“Our Region raised many outstanding athletes known worldwide. Sports becomes a key topic for Ekaterinburg as well as for the Sverdlovsk Region. Attraction of the global sports events in the Region shall not only stipulate healthy living standards for people, but it will become an important point of growth. We think that the SportAccord 2021 will become a starting platform for interesting events in the future.”

Ekaterinburg founded in 1723 and named after Catherine I is steeped in history. The city boasts a thriving arts and music scene and iconic architecture, ranging from historic stone and wooden buildings and more than 600 cultural monuments through to the world’s northernmost skyscrapers. Ekaterinburg will provide a stunning backdrop for a week of high-level meetings, engaging conferences and social events for delegates, exhibitors, partners, executives, officials, media members and athletes.

The city’s Koltsovo International Airport has expanded significantly in recent years and now handles more than six million passengers per year, providing direct routes to and from a number of major cities.

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. It is the only global sports business event attended by all the international sport federations and their stakeholders, who host their Annual General Assemblies during SportAccord.

Details about registering, exhibiting and becoming a partner of SportAccord 2021 will be shared in the upcoming months.

Registration is open for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2020 in Beijing, the 18th annual SportAccord event. Organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord using #SA2020, or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook. For media enquiries, email media@sportaccord.sport.

Registration also remains open for next month’s inaugural Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019, which will take place from 10-12 December at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. For more information, request a brochure or contact the sales team via info@regionalsportaccord.sport or +1 954 204 3081.

You can follow SportAccord’s events via Twitter @sportaccord or you can keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

On the surface, the investment of £1 billion on a new stadium could have been better timed. Tottenham Hotspur’s main source of income, TV rights – approximately £210m per year, assuming Champions League football – is undoubtedly on the decline.

As traditional advertising revenues continue to shrink, Sky and the many overseas channels that have cut deals with Richard Scudamore (the timing of whose retirement from the Premier League now seems impeccable) and his band of rights agents in the past, cannot possibly continue to justify the eye-watering billions that have been spent on TV rights.

And so the paradigm shift begins.

On the other hand, perhaps the club’s Chairman Daniel Levy has been exceptionally smart. As traditional revenue streams shrink, so new ones need to be created to feed the voracious financial appetites of the world’s most gifted footballers – and their ever-greedy agents.

At the recent Sports Ground Safety Association (SGSA) conference, Jon Babbs, Stadium Director at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gave some indications where the rest of the money is coming from to improve the bottom line.

The state-of-the-art stadium is only the beautifully crafted centrepiece of the overall development. On the footballing side, the site will soon also host a new performance centre and a medical centre. These will help Mauricio and his team continue to generate Champions League income (TV rights, sponsorship and additional match day revenue income combining to generate almost £100m per year), but the bottom line will really be boosted with the opening of the new hotel plus the residential and commercial developments that will become part of the complex.

The stadium has a capacity of 62,214 and is sold out every other week. The stadium will also be buzzing on European nights – when the 42,000 season ticket holders are expected to re-buy their seats! Saracens have also made Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the base for their annual ‘Big Game’ Gallagher Premiership Rugby showpiece.

The impressive South Stand – the largest single terrace in Europe with a capacity of 17,500 – will be bouncing to the rhythm of rock and hip hop from the summer of 2020, adding further to ticketing, merchandising and food and beverage revenues.

Spurs have been super-smart to team up with the Beavertown micro-brewery, combining the economic benefits of home-brew with the longest bar in Europe (65 metres!), 15-second self-filling pints and a cashless environment, to ensure that at least 50,000 pints of beer are consumed by the faithful at any home game. To credit Spurs, prices have not been inflated and the ‘Burger and Pint’ deal for £5 has forced local pubs to reduce their pricing to compete.

Perhaps the most innovative partnership secured by Levy and his board is the 10-year deal with the NFL, which begins with a minimum of 2 NFL games per season and may develop over the decade to the re-homing of a full franchise.

Everything in the stadium whiffs of the NFL: the dedicated changing rooms to house the army which makes up each team; the design of the new hotel (which will have NFL size corridors and beds) and, of course, the ‘pitch below the pitch’. This innovative design allows the soccer pitch to be divided into three for the outside two edges to disappear under the East and West stands, the middle section to disappear under the North Stand, and the fan zone outside of the stadium to reveal the markings of a 5G NFL grid. There can be little doubt that the cost of this magnificent engineering would not have been on the basis of simply twenty games and the odd concert – we can look forward to much more Grid Iron in North London in the near future.

One of the more adventurous money-spinning additions soon to arrive at the stadium is an O2-esque roof walk – going one step further on the adrenaline rankings by finishing the tour with an abseil down from the roof. For Tottenham Hotspurs, the sky really is the limit for revenue generating opportunities.

The challenges of running a football stadium, and lessons learnt from other UK events in near past will be discussed at the UK Sports and Venues Summit at The London Stadium on November 21st. For more information, please visit: https://meievents.eventsair.com/uk-sports-venues-summit-19/ or call O207 709 2350

VIP speakers will kick off the opening conversations at Host City 2019 in Glasgow on 26-27 November with conversations that explore new paradigms of how rights holders, cities and brands are working together to create exciting events, and which areas of the major events sector are ripe for disruption through creative new partnerships.

Co-creation is also a big discussion point as a way of taking all stakeholders in major events with you. These eminent speakers will share invaluable insights into creative leadership and how to promote a culture of innovation and collaboration while staying ahead of the competition.

The opening conversations will be led by conference Chair:

• Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland

joined by:

• Sarah Lewis OBE, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations (AIOWF)
• Ian Reid, CEO, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee
• Markus Stenger, Managing Director, DFB EURO 2024
• Antonio Arimany, Secretary General, International Triathlon Union

Paul Bush said: “I’m delighted to be chairing such an esteemed panel of speakers for the opening conversation of this year Host City conference. We operate in a dynamic and ever-changing world and as an industry we need to be agile, smart and brave to deliver meaningful major events for all. By putting collaboration and co-creation at the heart of the event delivery model, we can ensure that real transformational change, both socially and economically, is delivered for everyone.”

Sarah Lewis said: “FIS and the International Winter Sports Federations are constantly endeavouring to innovate and evolve our event properties. Partnerships with other stakeholders is a key component of our event strategy. I look forward to exploring these themes from the different perspectives of  cities, sports and business at Host City, which is always a valuable opportunity for the different organisation and entities involved with events to learn and exchange amongst each other.”

Ian Reid said: “I’m really pleased to be invited to be part of Host City 2019 and I’m looking forward to talking to attendees about the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, an event which is being organised by a group of partners, who have all come together to jointly create what will be the biggest sports and culture event ever to be staged in Birmingham and the West Midlands region.”

Markus Stenger said: “With the UEFA EURO 2024 we want to organize a EURO for everyone. We want everyone to get involved and participate for the good of the community.”

Antonio Arimany said: “I’m very happy to be able to attend and honoured to have been asked to speak at the event. We have seen time and time again that working closely with cities brings enormous mutual benefits and that is the message that I hope will be underpinning the conference.”