Sports Business

14Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Beijing 2022: IOC marks one-year countdown to next Winter Olympics

To mark one year until the start of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shone the spotlight on the athletes preparing for next year’s games.   Formally inviting the National Olympic Committees (NOC) and their winter sports athletes to participate in the 2022 mega-event, IOC president Thomas Bach said: “One year from now, Beijing will write history as the first city ever to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. These games will connect the Chinese people with the world.  “Having seen how China is overcoming the coronavirus crisis, we are very confident that our Chinese hosts will ensure safe and secure Olympic Games in full cooperation with the IOC. “Every time that I have visited China, I am so impressed by the ...

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13Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Sport Liverpool board is created to oversee major events push

Liverpool is famous for its music, history and culture, but for many visitors it is sport and in particular football that is the real heartbeat of the north-west English city.   Home to two Premier League clubs, major stadia and arenas, Liverpool’s standing as a sporting destination has grown with events such as the Grand National horse race at Aintree and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series. Liverpool will also host Rugby League World Cup 2021 fixtures at Anfield and the M&S Bank Arena while next year the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held in the city.  Major sporting events are such a key driver for business and tourism that the city’s destination marketing organisation, Marketing Liverpool, has recently launched the Sport Liverpool board.  Ch...

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24Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

February 2021 sports business industry events and conferences

With the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), virtually all sports business industry events in early 2021 will be held online.  February kicks off with the Golf Industry Show, Global Sports Week and ISPO Munich taking place in the first week of the month.  Other #SportsBiz events in February include the National Sports Forum Virtual Winter Summit, Women in Sport Digital Conference and fourth Japan Sports Week.  Related articles February 2021 sports events: what’s on the month’s sporting calendar?Sports business 2021 calendar: industry events and conferences2021 sports events calendar: month-by-month guideSport + Travel Magazine: sign up for the free monthly digital publication February 2021 sports busines...

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1Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Blog: how to reach fans with ‘experiential’ sports marketing

During the MICE expo IBTM World Virtual 2020, Sports Tourism Media had the chance to listen to an interesting presentation by Juli Ferré Nadal, principal of Thinking Heads Sports. The talk focused on building a distinctive and exciting brand experience in the context of a sport event; establishing an emotional connection with fans and potential customers; and to assess how digital fits into an 'experiential' sports marketing campaign.  During the Covid-19 pandemic and various lockdowns in 2020, one area which left a big hole in our lives was when elite sports competitions were cancelled and there was no chance to be a spectator in a stadium or even to view on TV. We all came to realise just how important sport is and its ability to generate much emotion. When the English Premier Le...

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21Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

‘Events. Reimagined’: business events campaign launched by VisitBritain

VisitBritain is urging event organisers to innovate and “reimagine the future” as the sector looks to recover from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK’s £84bn events and MICE industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors by the coronavirus, with many venues still closed and conferences and exhibitions postponed or cancelled.  As part of its international hosted buyer partnership with The Meetings Show, the VisitBritain tourism agency has launched a new business events campaign - "Events. Reimagined". The aim of the campaign is to “reboot, refresh and reimagine” future events in the UK.     In a statement, VisitBritain said: “With such enormous upheaval recently, the events industry will see innovation and change unlike ever before. The new ‘Reimagine’ campaign is to h...

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13Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Holidays & Trips, Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel, Stadiums & Venues

F1 Portuguese Grand Prix: motorsport fans get revved up for Algarve race

Motorsport fans could witness history at the next Formula 1 grand prix when it descends on the beautiful southern shoreline of the Algarve later this month.  Having equalled Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 F1 victories by winning the Eifel GP at the Nürburgring, Lewis Hamilton could go one better with a win in Portugal and write a new chapter in the sport.  For that reason motorsport fans will be even more eager to say “I was there” if indeed Hamilton takes the checkered flag on 25 October.   This year the 2020 Portuguese GP takes place over 66 laps of the 4.684-kilometre Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão.  João Fernandes, president of Algarve Tourism, said: “Formula 1 has been absent from Portugal for 24 years and it is a prestigious int...

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12Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Scottish Golf Tourism Week: 2020 event postponed and new dates announced for 2021

The fifth edition of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, which was due to take place in November, has now been postponed until 2021. This year’s event had been scheduled for 5-11 November, but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced organisers to amend their plans. The event at the Fairmont St Andrews will now take place from 30 March to 1 April 2021.  A statement read: “Following consultation with international tour operators faced with little prospect of being able to travel to Scotland, organisers have sought to postpone the event. The good news for the Scottish golf tourism industry is that new dates have now been announced with Scottish Golf Tourism Week now returning at the start of the 2021 golf season.” Tom Lovering, commercial director at PSP Media Group, added: “Scottish Golf Tou...

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11Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Business

Racing League: 2021 meeting dates and how it works

Championship Horse Racing has confirmed that the inaugural season of the Racing League will begin in July 2021. Held over six consecutive Thursday evenings, the new flat racing competition will be contested at four of the UK’s leading racecourses - Doncaster, Lingfield Park, Newcastle and Royal Windsor. Racing League 2021 race days  Race Day 1: Newcastle – 29 July Race Day 2: Doncaster – 5 August Race Day 3: Lingfield Park – 12 August Race Day 4: Royal Windsor – 19 August Race Day 5: Lingfield Park – 26 August Race Day 6: Newcastle – 2 September Race Distances Each meeting will have six races over the following distances: 5 furlongs 6 furlongs 7 furlongs 8 furlongs – 1-mile race 10 furlongs – 1 and ¼ mile race 12 furlongs – 1 and ½ mile race The format will...

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5Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Holidays & Trips, Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel

Sport + Travel interview: Dinah Josephs, group fitness manager at The Campus, Quinta do Lago, Portugal

The wellness and activity holiday trend has been evolving rapidly over recent years. Right now there has never been a greater need for vacations which enhance your mental and physical needs, and Dinah Josephs, group fitness manager at The Campus, Quinta do Lago, Portugal is at the forefront of facilitating that trend. She has nearly two decades of experience under her belt as an international health, fitness and wellbeing lifestyle professional and consultant, in a range of sports environments. Dinah specialises in yoga practise, personal training, group fitness training, healthy eating, nutritional advice and guidance and natural health using a holistic approach to wellbeing. As for The Campus, Dinah cannot speak highly enough (and without bias) about her place of work. So read o...

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4Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Sport Events Congress 2021: Sport Tourism Canada aims to ‘bounce back’ in Ottawa

Sport Tourism Canada has announced the dates and host cities for the next four editions of its popular Sport Events Congress (SEC).  After the disappointment of having to cancel in 2020, Sport Tourism Canada is aiming to “bounce back” in the nation's capital when SEC21 is held at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa from 7-8 April. The hybrid event will also feature “SEC Virtually” on 9 April.   SEC, a three-day interactive and educational event, has previously attracted more than 400 attendees. Delegates include sport organisations, event rights holders, destination tourism professionals, event suppliers, event management firms and hoteliers. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media 2021 #SportsBiz events and conferences https://www.youtube.com/watc...

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30Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Holidays & Trips, Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel, Stadiums & Venues

Sport + Travel Interview: Marco Koch – Olympic elite swimmer

It is not often you have the chance to pose questions to a European and World Champion swimmer, who is the former world record holder in the 200 meter breaststroke (short course). So here at Sports Tourism Media we are both excited and delighted to introduce Marco Koch, a German competitive swimmer, specialising in breaststroke events who has competed at the 2012 & 2016 Summer Olympics and took gold at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Marco says "I'm in my comfort zone in the water as swimming is my passion. I enjoy every second. The water unfolds my full potential. It carries and leads me. Water gives me a great feeling." (marco-koch.org, 20 Jan 2018). We are grateful Marco has taken time out of a gruelling training regime to answer our questions… Newsletter...

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26Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

An £84bn industry in crisis: surely jobs in events and MICE are ‘viable’?

In September the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak outlined the UK government’s “Winter Economy Plan” which will see the furlough scheme replaced and more support given to sectors hit hard by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  While Sunak unveiled the new Job Support Scheme, which will launch on 1 November for six months, he also announced plans for business loans, VAT cuts and help for the self-employed.  The Treasury also said the new scheme will protect “viable jobs” in companies who are “facing lower demand over the winter months due to coronavirus”. So which jobs are deemed as “viable”. It’s a question many professionals across the UK are seeking answers for. Sky News business presenter Ian King asks: which are the workers who are most at risk of losing...

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23Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Holidays & Trips, Sports Business

Sport + Travel Interview: Martina Jamnig – director, Austrian National Tourist Office UK

Martina Jamnig is the director of the Austrian National Tourist Office UK, promoting a country which she describes as a "playground for sport". Originating from Austria’s sunshine state Carinthia, which borders with Italy and Slovenia, adventure sport is in her blood, as is football. As a season ticket holder at Arsenal FC, she plans vacations around the team's playing schedule and has travelled far and wide following the Gunners. Her two main passions, sport and travel, have been a consistent thread throughout her life, both personally and professionally. Examples of this include having worked as a project executive, in close collaboration with Uefa, for the Euro 2008 football championship. She also volunteered at the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, where she worked with fo...

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17Aug By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Sailing: next edition of The Ocean Race to start in Alicante in October 2022

The Ocean Race organisers have confirmed that the next edition of the event will start from Alicante, Spain, in October 2022 and finish in Genova, Italy, in the summer of 2023.  For the first time in its history, further event dates have also been confirmed through the next 10 years and a feasibility study is currently underway for a European race to take place in the summer of 2021.  The change to the start date for the next edition of the round the world race follows a strategic planning process and consultations with stakeholders to determine the best path forward in a sporting landscape impacted by Covid-19.  Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media Richard Brisius, race chairman, said: “Since 1973, The Ocean Race has been one of the toughest challenges in sport. Win...

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11Aug By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Sport + Travel Interview: Pip Hare – British single-handed ocean racing sailor

At 12:02 GMT on the 8th Nov 2020, 34 competitors of the Vendée Globe race, will sail non-stop, unassisted, single handed around the world via three capes and three oceans in an effort to complete one of the most demanding and prestigious events within the sailing and sporting calendar. Pip Hare is one of those competitors; a British single-handed ocean racing sailor, journalist, coach and inspirational speaker. With 2 world-first endurance records to her name, the winner of multiple international yacht races, and 20 years of experience in ocean racing, Pip will be taking part in this year’s iconic Vendée Globe – the world’s toughest single-handed yacht race - with the ambition of breaking the current female record. Sports Tourism Media wishes Pip good luck on this tremendous endeavour and...

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13Jun By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Guides, Sports Business, Sports Travel

2020 #SportsBiz conferences: sports tourism and travel industry events

Sports business and sports tourism conferences are a huge driver for the travel industry. However, the sector has been hit hard this year by the coronavirus pandemic with many events cancelled, postponed or rescheduled. Here we look at the #SportsBiz events, conferences, exhibitions and awards scheduled to take place in 2020. All events are subject to change due to Covid-19. Sport + Travel Magazine: sign up for the free monthly digital publication 2020 sports calendar: major sporting events 2020 sports business calendar  December 2020 Business of Sport Summit When: 1-2 December 2020 Where: RACV City Club in Melbourne, Australia and delivered digitally Website: sportsleaders.com.au The Stadium Business Summit When: 1-3 December 2020 Where: online Website: stadiumbusinesssummit.com Maj...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

The Sports Events Blog: how esports blur the lines between reality and virtual reality

By Ramy Salameh Imagine having the chance to compete against a true sporting great. It’s unthinkable for the vast majority of people, but based on the current esports revolution this may well be a plausible concept in the cyber world of the future.  Since my last article - Could esports be the ‘virtual’ savior of global sporting events? - many more international sports stars, clubs and events have announced and seen the potential of running an esport tournament.  It provides global sports fans entertainment, links into growing esports audiences since the coronavirus pandemic halted conventional sports and most importantly, provides the sports industry a means to charitably support efforts to tackle Covid-19. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism News & Events Major ...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Sports Events Blog: can esports be the ‘virtual’ saviour for major sport?

The Sports Events Blog by co-editor Ramy Salameh The Covid-19 pandemic will reignite the many questions around the “risk vs. return-on-investment” when hosting major sporting events and whether destinations will be reticent to bid in the future. Tokyo’s Olympics and Paralympics have now announced a postponement until July 2021 and the economic implications for Japan are yet to be fully realised based on this deferment.  However, could the esports industry provide some form of safety net and a major new opportunity to help balance the books of major sporting festivals of the future? The discussion has been on the table for a few years now. So much so, that esports may well be on track to be included as a demonstration event, to run prior to and in conjunction with the 2024 Olympic Ga...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Sports Travel Blog: ‘Dear NFL, please bring the Atlanta Falcons to London in 2021’

by Sports Tourism Media co-editor Mike Starling | @mikejstarling The NFL has confirmed that the 2020 London games will not be going ahead. As a fan of the Atlanta Falcons this is really disappointing news.  The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged this year’s sporting schedule and the NFL’s popular UK events have become the latest to fall victim to Covid-19.  NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said: "The NFL's London Games have become a major part of the NFL season and the UK sports calendar. But the uncertainty in the current sporting landscape and the tremendous amount of long-term travel and planning required to stage successful London games mean this is the sensible decision to make." Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media Bitter blow for the FA, Spurs and ...

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8May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

World Football Summit and Brazil icon Ronaldo Nazário launch WFS Live virtual event

World Football Summit (WFS) has teamed up with legendary striker Ronaldo Nazário and Octagon Brasil to launch a four-day virtual conference - WFS Live powered by Octagon.  Taking place online from 6-9 July 2020, the football business event will see global leaders from the game come together to address the challenges and opportunities in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a WFS statement executives from clubs, leagues, federations, broadcasters, agencies and sponsorship brands will “lay sound foundations for the sport to continue growing into a new era”. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário, a two-time Fifa World Cup winner, is owner of Spanish La Liga club Real Valladolid and is also president of Octagon Brasil.  “T...

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