[Source: Glasgow Convention Bureau] New figures have shown that despite the current challenges facing the meetings industry, Glasgow has secured 28 new conferences from a range of sectors since 1 April 2020. The conferences will welcome over 36,000 delegates to the city and have an economic value of £84m.

Throughout the last year Team Glasgow have championed a partnership approach, working together to keep Glasgow front of mind for organisers as a world leading conference destination.

Glasgow Convention Bureau is proud to have worked closely with the city’s academic Conference Ambassadors to secure future conferences, two of which include the 2022 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Europe Annual Conference and the 2022 bi-annual AMA SERVSIG Conference.

“Never has partnership working been more significant than during the last twelve months. Glasgow has continued to win conferences for future years, despite the current restrictions. This is a clear endorsement of the confidence that the global meetings industry holds in our city, and the importance of our world-class academic ambassadors who invite their international peers to meet in Glasgow,” said Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau.

The annual CASE Europe Conference will take place in the city from 29 August – 1 September 2022 at the Scottish Event Campus, welcoming 1,200 delegates to Glasgow with an economic benefit of £2.4m.

“I am delighted that Glasgow has been chosen to host the CASE Europe Annual Conference in 2022. The opportunity to network with colleagues and share ideas and best practice has never been more mission-critical, and the opportunity to welcome colleagues from across the globe to Glasgow is hugely valuable to the University and our communities,” said Rachel Sandison, Vice-Principal, External Relations at the University of Glasgow.

Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales at the Scottish Event Campus said: “The SEC was delighted to support the University of Glasgow in the bid to secure CASE Europe for Glasgow in 2022. Conferences are key to supporting economic and social change, and CASE Europe is the perfect example. The goal of the event is to champion education to transform lives and society, and there is nowhere better to host the event than in Glasgow.”

The bi-annual AMA SERVSIG Conference is to be held in the city in June 2022 and will welcome 250 delegates to the University of Strathclyde Technology & Innovation Centre, worth £350K to the local economy.

“The bi-annual AMA SERVSIG conference brings academics from all over the world to highlight the superb research being undertaken in the service research community. I am proud that Glasgow will host SERVSIG in June 2022 at the University of Strathclyde Technology & Innovation Centre, and look forward to welcoming delegates to the city for the conference, which will provide an excellent platform for innovation, knowledge exchange and collaboration,” said Dr Matthew Alexander, Associate Dean (Post-Graduate Research), University of Strathclyde.

Gordon Hodge, Head of Conferencing & Events, University of Strathclyde Technology & Innovation Centre said: “We’re delighted that Matthew and his colleagues in Strathclyde Business School have won the right to host SERVSIG 2022, and we can’t wait to welcome delegates to our award-winning Technology and Innovation Centre next summer. It’s a great example of the power and potential of the partnership between the Convention Bureau and the city’s universities, something that will surely be a key driver as we work together to reposition and to re-assert Glasgow’s status as a leading conference destination in the post-COVID world.”

[Source: ASOIF] At its first meeting of 2021, the Council of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today agreed to organise its General Assembly virtually on 8 June, due to the ongoing global pandemic. This year’s annual gathering of the ASOIF member federations will feature the election of three Council members.

During its virtual meeting, the Council agreed on proposing to the General Assembly amendments to the ASOIF statues, aimed at improving gender balance within the representation of International Federation (IF) delegates at the General Assembly. The draft wording states that if any member federation intends to send the maximum number of three delegates to the ASOIF General Assembly, then both genders must be represented.

In another move to continuously enforce good governance, the ASOIF Council discussed arrangements for the fourth ASOIF review of IF governance and endorsed the launch of a pilot study on organisational culture within IFs.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said on this occasion: “It’s important to have rules and regulations in place, but we all know that the behaviour and actions of people play a large role in how an organisation really functions. Our new pilot study on organisational culture is a complex exercise but we are convinced that the outcomes will be highly beneficial to our member federations.”

The Council also reviewed the latest developments in the final preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and welcomed the COVID-19 countermeasures “Playbooks”, which also lay out the framework for IF operations at Games-time. ASOIF and its member IFs remain fully committed to delivering successful and safe Games in Tokyo. Everybody is working hard to find practical and fair solutions regarding the Olympic qualification process.

With the pandemic having accelerated the interest and participation in virtual simulations of IF sports and disciplines, the Council endorsed an esports project to explore strategic and business options for all IFs to engage with gaming/esports.

Finally, the Council welcomed the recent views expressed by the European Commission in support of the European Model of Sport. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted sport’s important contribution to society in social, health and economic terms as well as the need for solidarity within the sports movement. The Council stressed that the fundamental elements of the European Model of Sport – solidarity, revenue redistribution and sport autonomy – should be protected and that the public authorities should be mindful of the third-party sport event promoters’ impact on the European Model of Sport.

[Source: Global Sports Week] A unique global-local event concept saw speakers gather in venues across four continents, with the action linked live to a central base at the heart of the Eiffel Tower.

More than 20,000 people from 153 countries visited the immersive digital platform, where they were able to participate virtually in more than 100 sessions.

With themes including the rise of athlete activism; the new sport-for-health agenda; the emergence of new digital sports formats and revenue streams; women’s sport; social justice; and the climate emergency, Global Sports Week demonstrated the massive on-going transformation happening across the world of sport.

Over 200 speakers made an appearance across six future host cities of the Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Olympic Games – Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, Milan, Dakar and Los Angeles.

The main GSWArena stage incorporated broadcasts from hub venues at the French Institute Tokyo, the Embassy of France in Beijing and the Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar, as well as from ‘virtual hubs’ in Milan and Los Angeles. Each of the international lives opened with a message from the Mayors Anne Hidalgo (Paris), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles), Soham El Wardini (Dakar), and Giuseppe Sala (Milan), Vice Mayor of Beijing Zhang Jiandong and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, who each presented their vision for sport and the Games in the future of their cities.

As in 2020, the voice of the next generation was represented throughout the week by a group of 34 Young Sports Makers, under-25s drawn from 16 nations, who were tasked with challenging leaders and helping to shape discussions in line with their concerns.

Global Sports Week 2021 was also the stage for a number of significant announcements. These included:

> The launch of two new toolkits by Global Sports Week patron UNESCO, unveiled by Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Gabriela Ramos, and designed respectively to empower young people to influence physical education policy; and to support policy makers in implementing the change in national systems.

> The unveiling by Paris 2024 and AFD (L’Agence Française de Développement) of a new joint incubator and the 26 athlete-entrepreneurs who will receive support to champion high-impact social and environmental projects in France and across 10 countries in Africa. The project was presented at the Eiffel Tower by Rémy Rioux, Chief Executive Officer of the AFD, and Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of their agreement, signed at Global Sports Week in 2020.

> The launch by Global Sports Week’s Founding Partner and the first Paris 2024 Premium Partner Groupe BPCE of its annual analysis of the French sports economy. BPCE L'Observatoire estimates that the French sport economy experienced a drop of approximately 21% in 2020 in comparison to 2019, which represent a much deeper recession than for the rest of the economy (-8.3% according to INSEE.)

> The launch of a five-year, pan-European project by Global Sports Week Founding Partner adidas, addressing the brand’s Global Purpose pillar of Breaking Barriers for Girls. adidas will work with 15 non-profit sport for good organisations across different regions of Europe across the five years, improving their capacity and capability to serve women and girls in their communities in order to empower 100+ Breaking Barriers Champions and engage with 50,000+ female participants. The project aims to increase girls’ participation in sport by building the capacity of the sport-for-good ecosystem to better serve women and girls, as well as to provide inspiration for girls to become their best selves.

Lucien Boyer, President and Co-Founder of Global Sports Week, said: “At Global Sports Week’s inaugural edition at the Louvre in 2020, the big message was about the need for change. This year, we clearly witnessed the revolution happening across the world of sport, which reflects the fundamental links between sport, business and society.

“This remains the heart of the Global Sports Week concept, which itself has reinvented in a creative and ambitious new format fit for a future, healthier and more socially-conscious world.

“Sport belongs at the heart of this future, and we are clearly seeing how the positive pressure of young people is helping the ecosystem to change and play a bigger role across the key issues in global society. We look forward to welcoming the world back to Global Sports Week in 2022 to continue the journey of positive transformation together.”

[Source: Global Sports Week] The world of sport will gather virtually this week for its annual Global Sports Week, which will take place across six future host cities of the Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Olympic Games.

Paris will again take centre stage, with the Eiffel Tower set to play host to the spectacular main event studio – the production base for a 30-hour livestream that will incorporate broadcasts from hub venues in Tokyo, Beijing and Dakar, and from ‘virtual hubs’ in Milan and Los Angeles.

An opening ceremony will be broadcast from the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, attended by key figures and special guests, including Yannick Bestaven, skipper of IMOCA MAÎTRE CoQ, fresh from his victory last week in the legendary Vendee Globe solo round-the-world yacht race.

Throughout the week, a significant focus is expected to be placed on questions surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Holders of 51 Olympic and Paralympic medals will be among more than 200 speakers participating across the week. Other athletes on the programme include football superstars Gerard Pique, Didier Drogba and Mikael Silvestre; tennis champions Justine Henin and Francesca Schiavone; F1 driver Romain Grosjean; NBA All-Star Tony Parker and reigning World Cup ski queen Federica Brignone.

Senior Olympic movement leaders present will include International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, IOC Athletes Commission Chairperson Kirsty Coventry and top leaders of the Organising Committees of Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Milan 2026, Dakar 2026 and LA28.

Mayors Anne Hidalgo (Paris), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles), Soham El Wardini (Dakar), and Giuseppe Sala (Milan), Vice Mayor of Beijing Zhang Jiandong and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike will each give a message, presenting their vision for sport and the Games in the future of their cities.

Reinvention in action

The theme of this year’s Global Sports Week will be Reinvention in Action, following a year of unprecedented disruption, which has accelerated underlying trends impacting the world of sport.

As in 2020, the voice of the next generation will be represented by a group of Young Sports Makers, under-25s drawn from 26 nations, who will be tasked with challenging leaders and helping to shape discussions in line with their concerns.

Issues on the agenda include the rise of athlete activism and entrepreneurship, the new sport-for-health agenda and the emergence of new digital sports formats and revenue streams. Women’s sport, social justice and the climate emergency will also feature strongly.

NBA among coalition of partners

Global Sports Week comprises three programme streams: the main GSWArena, the partner-led GSWVillage and the GSWPro zone, featuring professional development content.

An immersive GSWMarketpace will additionally house 50 exhibitors.

 In total, more than 50 hours of content will be produced over 100 sessions throughout the week.

The event programme has been co-created together with 42 Global Sports Week partners, which include a number of the world’s leading sports rightsholders. Last week, the NBA became the latest to come on board as an official Proud Supporter.

Lucien Boyer, President and Co-founder of Global Sports Week, said: “The strength of this year’s programme is testament not only to the quality and impact of our inaugural edition at the Louvre. It also reflects a huge built-up energy in the world of sport right now, which is looking for expression.

“At the same time, we believe it is crucial that sport does not simply talk to itself. This year has shown us the extent to which sport is a function of societal and economic influences, while also being fundamental to the health of society itself.

“The mission of Global Sports Week is to bring people together across the boundaries of sport, business and society. We believe the diversity of this year’s line-up will lead to very exciting discussions, new partnerships and tangible outcomes that will shape the future of sport as we enter this new era.”

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The Global Esports Federation starts the new year following the successful staging of the first edition of the #worldconnected series (#wcs20) in December 2020. The event saw participation from 75 countries and territories across seven regions of the world.

The regional esports competitions hosted by the GEF’s Member Federations attracted close to 5,000 esports players worldwide competing in 11 titles, drawing over half a million spectators online. Top matches were streamed live on the GEF’s Twitch channel – twitch.tv/GEF.

In addition, the staging of the inaugural GEFcon attracted over 1,000 participants from around the world. GEFcon20, developed with Sports Innovation Lab, showcased 14 sessions with 50 global thought leaders from esports, sports, technology and innovation sectors. The GEFcon20 sessions remain available for free viewing at GEFcon.org/videos.

“While so many events around the world were cancelled or postponed in 2020, our #wcs20 program demonstrated the Global Esports Federation’s capability, drawing the world’s esports community together. We are encouraged by the support from our diverse Member Federations and are committed to continuous collaboration,” said Chris Chan, President, Global Esports Federation.

“We kick off 2021 with renewed determination and commitment to promoting the credibility, legitimacy and prestige of esports.”

“At the GEF’s December Board Meeting, we reaffirmed our commitment to provide an integrated service platform to our Member Federations, assisting further growth and development. This year we will focus on diverse strategic initiatives, as well as the development and delivery of our global events portfolio, including our annual flagship Global Esports Games,” added Chris Chan.

[Source: SportAccord, 1/12/20] At a meeting in Ekaterinburg, Governor Evgeny Kuivashev and Managing Director of SportAccord, Nis Hatt, discussed the preparatory stages for the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit, which will be held in Ekaterinburg in the spring of 2021.  

Mr. Hatt is currently on a working visit to the Sverdlovsk region. He heads the evaluation commission in charge of working out the details of holding the sports event in the Ural capital. During the meeting, the Governor and Managing Director of SportAccord discussed the stages of organising the summit, possible topics for dialogue within its scope, and the formation of a list of guests and participants. It is anticipated that about two thousand heads of international sports federations, organisational committees, cities and regions, as well as a delegation of the International Olympic Committee will gather in Ekaterinburg.

A special topic of discussion was the preparation of responses to the challenges faced by the world community during the epidemic. 

"The dialogue between representatives of the international sports community and the exchange of best practices for the recovery of sports following the pandemic should be continuous. Cooperation to meet modern challenges must continue even after the forum events", Evgeny Kuyvashev said. 

Nis Hatt noted that both he and the entire SportAccord delegation are happy to be back in Ekaterinburg.

"From what we have seen here over the past few days, I can say that everything is being carried out at a very, very high level. I am happy with what we have seen, you've advanced in many areas", he said.

The meeting was held at Dom Sevastyanova, a historic mansion, which is an object of the cultural heritage of federal importance and is rightly considered to be one of Ekaterinburg's most notable landmarks. Mr. Hatt suggested that the Governor consider holding one of the summit's events in one of the halls of Dom Sevastyanova, describing the mansion as "breathtaking". Evgeny Kuyvashev supported the initiative and gave the head of the Association a tour of the mansion.

Global Sports Week Paris to take place at the Eiffel Tower

Landmark Paris venue will host hybrid event from February 1-5 2021

[Source: Global Sports Week] The Eiffel Tower has been announced as the main venue for Global Sports Week in 2021.

The world’s most famous landmark will provide the stage for the Paris event, which is returning after the success of its inaugural edition at the Louvre in February 2020.

The new venue was revealed as part of an event marking 50 days to go to the 2021 edition, which will take place from February 1-5.

Organised under the high patronage of Mr Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and with the additional patronage of UNESCO, Global Sports Week brings together leaders and change-makers from sport, business and society.

The forum is billed as the ‘rendez-vous of the year’ for the world sports economy, with the 2021 edition taking the theme of “reinvention in action.”

Organisers have embraced the concept by introducing a new, multi-country connected format for 2021. It includes a mix of physical and digital events in Paris and five other future Olympic host cities: Tokyo, Beijing, Milan, Dakar and Los Angeles.

Access for delegates will be mainly online, with speakers and high-profile guests linked live from iconic studio settings.

Paris will remain the event’s epicentre, with the Eiffel Tower venue promising a spectacular backdrop for speakers and digital participants alike.

The main event studio will be set-up in the Salon Gustave Eiffel, suspended 57 metres above ground at the heart of the Eiffel Tower structure.

The venue offers unobstructed views of Paris and its world-famous skyline, with transparent facades providing an inside look at the iconic Eiffel engineering.

A strong partnership with the City of Paris

Use of the space has been facilitated as part of an agreement with the City of Paris, which builds on support provided by the Mayor to Global Sports Week in its first year.

The partnership reflects a shared ambition to promote France’s international attractiveness and the country’s global leadership in sport as it looks forward to hosting the Rugby World Cup 2023 and Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Pierre Rabadan, Paris Deputy Mayor in charge of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said:  “As the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, Paris is proud to be the capital of sport. We are delighted to have hosted and to continue to host sporting events that resonate worldwide and to help spread sporting values around the world.”

Jean-François Martins, Chairman of the Eiffel Tower Operating Company said: “The Eiffel Tower is a monument that symbolises Paris and France like no other, and yet it also belongs to the world.

“We’re delighted that the Salon Gustave Eiffel will provide the stage for Global Sports Week, which seeks to connect a worldwide audience and be a platform for positive change.”

Lucien Boyer, Co-Founder and President of Global Sports Week, said: “The Eiffel Tower is a landmark venue for a landmark event, and a statement of our global ambition.

“Now, more than ever, multilateral forums such as Global Sports Week are crucial, because multilateral action will be needed to seize the full opportunity of this new era in sport and society.”

Fresh, diverse and premium content

More than 10,000 sports leaders, cultural changemakers, athletes, activists and emerging talents are expected to participate across Global Sports Week, whose programme will feature talks, debates, pitch contests, exclusive screenings, sports demonstrations and behind-the-scenes venue tours.

Alongside the main Arena content channel, the new Global Sports Week digital platform includes access to intelligent networking tools as well as a Village channel offering partner workshops, activations and private professional masterclasses.

Global Sports Week Paris will take place between February 1 and 5 2021. Paid ticket holders will also benefit from on-demand access to Global Sports Week content as well as other exclusive experiences and networking opportunities year-round as part of an annual subscription to the new GSW Club.

SportAccord has announced that the inaugural ArtAccord will bring a new creative concept to the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg by showcasing the work of some of Russia’s best and brightest artists.

ArtAccord will take place during SportAccord 2021, which will run from 23-28 May, giving delegates the opportunity to experience pieces of art in an intimate, gallery-like setting after being introduced to some of the profiled artists.

The event will kick-off on Sunday, 23 May 2021 with Welcome Addresses from Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, President of SportAccord, and other prominent Russian figures from the Sverdlovsk Region and visual arts community followed by cocktails and canapés to allow attendees to take in the pieces and connect with other art enthusiasts. 

The launch of ArtAccord builds on SportAccord’s embrace of art and culture at previous editions of the World Sport & Business Summit in Russia. Notably, delegates at SportAccord 2013 in Saint Petersburg were granted a private visit to the famous State Hermitage Museum, and the work of the late Tuman Zhumabaev, one of Russia's most prominent contemporary artists, was featured in an Art Gallery exhibition at SportAccord 2015 in Sochi and SportAccord 2019 in Gold Coast.

Ekaterinburg, the host of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021, has forged an international reputation as a hub of art and culture, as well as sport. The city is home to numerous globally renowned institutions, such as the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts and the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

“We have always been keen to showcase local artistic and cultural offerings at the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit, providing delegates with an insight into the fabric of our host cities, regions and countries,” SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt says.

“Ekaterinburg has a heritage that is steeped in arts and culture, and we have a wonderful opportunity to give attendees a unique experience through the inaugural ArtAccord. I would like to thank the Sverdlovsk Region, Ekaterinburg, and the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts for supporting this exciting initiative, which I am sure will prove to be a memorable addition to SportAccord 2021.”

Regional Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of the Sverdlovsk Region, Mr. Vasily Kozlov says: “ArtAccord will provide a platform for some of Russia’s most engaging artists to reach a wider audience through the international sporting community. We believe delegates will be inspired by what they see and experience during this innovative new part of the SportAccord 2021 programme in Ekaterinburg.”

The annual World Sport & Business Summit is a six-day event attended by leaders of the global sports community. As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord also 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 for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021 in Ekaterinburg, the 19th edition of SportAccord’s flagship annual event. Organisations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport, with SportAccord also offering an interactive exhibition floorplan and 3-D flyover of the SportAccord 2021 exhibition space.

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

Event organisers today emphasised that the health and safety of athletes, spectators and staff is their number one priority in reopening for business in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

On the second day of Host City 2020, speakers from across the events and venues industry, including rights holders, organising committees, facility managers and suppliers, exchanged views about tackling the COVID challenges. They also discussed how they’ve used the unprecedented pause in event staging to rethink business models and strategies.

More than 1,000 delegates tuned in to listen to the 100-plus speakers at the largest annual meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. The theme was “The Big Restart”, with panels over two days assessing how event stakeholders can bring about “Recovery with a Purpose for the Digital Age”.

The opening panel focused on the road to recovery, asking the question ‘What strengths have carried our sector through the storm?’.

Joe Ryan, Head of Health and Safety at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, talked about how they had dealt with COVID challenges and were well-positioned to react quickly to new public health messaging from government, the rollout of the coronavirus vaccination programme and changes in policy to bring people back to work in the office and accelerate preparations: “We need to monitor those and implement change where we need to and be very reactive.”

Michelle Hooper, Tournament Director of Rugby World Cup New Zealand 2021, said the event organisation had benefited from the government going “hard and early to stop COVID coming in at the border”. For the rugby showcase in autumn next year, the managed isolation and quarantine requirements for 12 teams was a critical collaborative effort with the government and World Rugby.

John Langford, Chief Operating Officer of AEG Europe, which operates multipurpose venues such as The O2 Arena in London and Staples Center in Los Angeles, said the sports and entertainment giant had worked hard on health and safety plans to prepare for a full re-opening of COVID-secure venues. But there were uncertainties over “what the future will look like” in terms of ticket demand, the economy and how existing business models might have to change.

He said government help was needed because commercial insurance was not available. “Without a government-backed insurance scheme we don’t believe we can open effectively. There’s so much risk about events being rescheduled or cancelled again.”

In the week when the first COVID vaccine jabs were administered, speakers were optimistic that 2021 would see a much-needed revival in the events business.

Jon Ridgeon, CEO of World Athletics, presented a fascinating case study on how track and field’s governing body had successfully staged the World Half Marathon championships in Gdynia, Poland, in October. It had been postponed from March.

He said it was “far from easy and only possible due to strict COVID protocols”. World Athletics had to “to take back control of the competition environment”. More than 100 men and a similar number of women, drawn from 53 member athletic federations, participated.

Ridgeon praised the “strong cooperation and can-do attitude” of the Polish government, local organising committee and city of Gdynia.

Athletes and officials were tested for coronavirus and accommodated in a COVID-secure bubble across two hotels. Managing the testing regime, including administering about 90 tests per hour for a peak inflow of athletes and their entourage, keeping the hotel bubble secure and understaffing of the medical team were among the challenges.

Although there were increased costs in holding the World Half Marathon amid the pandemic, coupled with significantly reduced income streams, it was deemed a major success. Ridgeon said athletics’ governing body was now better placed to upscale its COVID protocols and improve them for bigger events to come in 2021.

“We’ve got our head around the fact that the first half of 2021 is going to be compromised,” he added, saying he hoped more athletics events would be staged from summer onwards.

Tatsuo Ogura, Director of International Communications for the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, gave an update on the pandemic’s impacts and how organisers were working on a pathway to stage COVID-safe Games next summer. With 226 days to go, he said athletes were front and centre of plans and the Olympics “provides a symbol of hope, resilience and the power of humanity working as one”.

In a fascinating interview session, Sir Russell Coutts, CEO of SailGP, spoke about his transition from an Olympic gold medallist with five Americas Cup titles under his belt, to sports administrator. He has transformed sailing with the launch of what is billed as “the world's most cutting-edge sail racing league”.

“People looked at sailing as being far away and quite slow moving. SailGP couldn’t be further from that,” he said, adding that it was both financially viable and in a format that could be neatly packaged for broadcasters and consumed by a global audience. Coutts said there was a big effort on sustainability and youth engagement programmes and ensuring a low carbon footprint.

Another topic of discussion was the convergence of digital and real-world events. It brought examples from Super League Triathlon and golf’s European Tour about how they have innovated to stage virtual sports for elite athletes as they look to learn lessons from the Esports community and integrate VR and AR into event strategies.

Michael Dhulst, Co-Founder & CEO of Super League Triathlon, spoke about the SLT Arena Games held in Rotterdam in August. Developed in partnership with Zwift, the new concept blended real life and virtual racing and offered “a new level of immersive viewing experience” for fans.

He said it was a huge hit across triathlon’s digital channels and an opportunity for the sport to extend the concept beyond the pandemic to become part of its events portfolio.

Later on the conference programme, in a session led by Katie Traxton, Chief Communications Officer of Formula E, four young ‘Gen Zers’ explained the importance of social media channels in their lives and how they engage and share content with friends. It offered some eye-opening comments for the events industry about how young people connect with each other in 2020. They highlighted the importance of being authentic and when posting on their social platforms, and of only identifying with brands that reflect their values.

In the final panel session, sports officials from Florida spoke about how they are readying to welcome the world again once the pandemic has passed.

Angela Adams Suggs, President & CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation, said the not-for-profit corporation’s goal was to continue to grow partnerships and promote professional and amateur sport to maintain its thriving sports industry and attract international visitors in 2021.

Wrapping up Host City 2020 with final remarks, Paul Bush, director of events at VisitScotland, one of the conference’s supporting partners, described the level of discussions and debate across the two days as “phenomenal”. Among the highlights, was hearing speakers say that “events will return… we just don’t know when, how and what shape they will be”.

ENDS

Speakers at Host City 2020 are shedding new light on how rights holders and organising committees are adapting to the impacts of the COVID-2019 pandemic.

The largest annual meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, is being held virtually to debate the theme of “The Big Restart” and evaluate how event stakeholders can bring about “Recovery with a Purpose for the Digital Age”.

The two-day conference opened on Tuesday with welcome addresses from its supporting partners, Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, and Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life.

Bush sounded an optimistic note despite the difficulties being experienced by many in the events industry due to coronavirus. He said the next few years may be challenging for everyone: “We have not lost our drive, ambition and determination for Scotland to continue to be the perfect stage for events.

“We as an industry will have to be even more focused, brave and ambitious along with seeking logical pragmatic solutions that are evidence based.”

McConnell outlined Glasgow’s rich heritage and expertise in staging international events. She noted the roster of upcoming events including holding UEFA Euro 2020 matches and the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023, the year Glasgow is European Capital of Sport.

She spoke about the need for event organisers to remain ambitious, bolster strategic partnerships and focus on innovation and citizen engagement to deliver their visions.

Keynote addresses were given by Sir Craig Reedie GBE, a member of the International Olympic Committee, Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Thobois said COVID-19 had forced Paris 2024 to “review our priorities and adapt our planning… but our vision has not changed”. There was a renewed focus on promoting sports participation, using sport as a tool to change society and showing through a major public engagement program that “everyone can play a role”. He cited the Le Club Paris 2024 digital platform as one area where the organising committee was increasing engagement to maximize the social impact of the Games.

Expo 2020 Dubai was scheduled to be one of this year’s biggest international events before it fell victim to COVID-19. Al Hashimy told said that when it runs from 1 October 2021 it may be the first mega-event to take place in the wake of the global pandemic.

Commenting on the resilience of Dubai, she said the Expo was a product of extensive international cooperation and even at the height of the pandemic “work continued apace with its partners”. The bulk of construction for the Expo will be completed in the next few weeks.

In the first panel ‘Hosting with a purpose in the digital, post-Covid era’, Paul Foster, COO of the Global Esports Federation, talked about the importance of connecting with Esports audiences, athletes and the communities in a sustainable and dynamic way. The huge growth of Esports, which has triggered plans to stage the first Global Esports Games in December 2021, was an opportunity for host cities “to think about how we consume entertainment”.

Despite the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to next summer, Reedie said the IOC was confident in Japan delivering and getting crowds back to sport, encouraged by the fact that Japan was now bringing spectators into baseball and soccer matches.

The theme of adaptability surfaced again and again in conference panels related to the repercussions of COVID-2019.

In one titled ‘Preparing to deliver the greatest shows on earth’, Paris 2024’s Thobois said the biggest shift for Olympic organisers was integrating new hires into the team while adopting a working from home philosophy during the pandemic. But he said Games preparations were “very much on time and on target into terms of planning” with construction on a limited number of projects due to start in early 2021.

Ian Reid, CEO of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said the shake-up of the 2022 events calendar to incorporate the rescheduled world and European athletics championships in Oregon and Munich respectively, together with the 2022 UEFA Women's Championship, was one challenge.

Reid said the athletes’ village for Birmingham 2022 had “fallen foul to COVID” but led to a multiple village model welcomed by the Games family: “It has de-risked the project”. The impact of coronavirus lockdowns on office working was also being felt. Hiring through the pandemic has seen staff grow from 80 to 250; procurement had also become more difficult as Birmingham accelerates its preparations.

A panel discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement evaluated whether it was causing sports, business and cultural events industries to change for the better.

Densign White, Chair of Sporting Equals and CEO of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, said BLM had made people more aware about institutional racism and forced organizations “to rethink and re-evaluate how they do things to be more diverse and more inclusive”.

But he raised concerns about the ongoing lack of diversity in ethnic minority representation in the leadership of sport at board level and in coaching: “There’s a lot of talk but the needle has hardly moved into terms of those numbers”

“Unless there are targets and consequences for governing bodies for not making sure targets are met I don’t think we are going to see any change,” he said.

In a session on inclusion and diversity in the boardroom and playing field, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, winner of 16 Paralympic medals in a glittering career, said sports bodies needed to listen to the lived experience of disabled people and include more of them in coaching and administrator roles

On a future event delivery panels, Bruno Marie-Rose, Director of Technology at Paris 2024, said the organising committee was harnessing digital platforms to connect with the French population. Technology was also being used to contribute to the Games’ neutral carbon goal, he added.

Elsewhere on Day One, Saoud Al Ansari, Precinct Director of Al Thumama Stadium, Competition Venues, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, gave an update about progress across the project. He spoke about the organiser’s responsibilities to deliver an outstanding World Cup while aligning with the long-term legacy vision of Qatar.

Three of the eight host stadiums are finished. All venues in the compact host city plan are within 75km distance, a “strong advantage for players and the fans,” Al Ansari said.

‘How major events are contributing to environmental goals’ was an interesting panel. Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence for Paris 2024, said the environment was a focus in early concepts of Games preparations. It had guided decisions including a sustainable procurement strategy and throughout the supply chain.

Wrapping up the day was a session looking at ‘Aligning event strategies with green city plans.’

Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH – International Association of Horticultural Producers, said global horticultural expos “provide a great opportunity to showcase green innovation and to set the scene for the development of a city into the future”. They also provided huge economic benefits and stimulate environmental and sustainable best practices.