Kerry Haigh, widely recognized as one of the leading authorities in tournament golf course set-up and operations, has been named chief championships officer of The PGA of America.

Haigh, who joined The PGA in 1989, was most recently the Association’s managing director of Championships and Business Development. He will continue to lead the overall operation, administration, golf course set-up and success of the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and PGA Grand Slam of Golf. His responsibilities also include the managing of more than 20 PGA Club Professional, amateur and junior tournaments throughout the year.

“The golf industry looks to Kerry Haigh as an innovator and a master of championship set-up and management, and we are delighted that he will continue to lead the way,” said Pete Bevacqua, chief executive officer of The PGA of America.

After graduating from the University of Leeds, Haigh worked for the Professional Golfers’ Association in Great Britain, organizing events throughout Europe. In 1984, he became a tournament official for the LPGA Tour, working more than 30 tournaments a year. In 1988, he was hired by Kemper Sports to be the tournament director for the 1989 PGA Championship, held at Kemper Lakes in Chicago.

Following the 1989 PGA Championship, Haigh was hired by The PGA of America to oversee the entire Tournament Department. Promoted to managing director in 2004, he is widely considered one of the foremost experts on The Rules of Golf.

“Kerry is such an incredibly valuable leader on our team, and The PGA is most fortunate to have him as the caretaker of our championships,” added Darrell Crall, The PGA of America’s chief operating officer.

“It is an honor to be named chief championships officer for The PGA of America,” said Haigh. “The PGA stages some of the most compelling and drama-packed championships in all of golf. It is a privilege to manage these prestigious, world-class competitions that feature the finest players in the game.”

In addition to naming Haigh chief championships officer, The PGA of America promoted Kevin Carter to serve as managing director of Business Development. While serving as its senior director since 2006, Carter has steered The PGA’s continued relationships with an extensive list of sponsors, partners and licensees, including Official Patron sponsorships with American Express, Mercedes-Benz, OMEGA and RBC.

 

Rio 2016 CEO, Leonardo Gryner, will deliver the definitive insight into the planning and delivery of the next Summer Olympic Games in a live video presentation from Brazil during the 7th International Sports Event Management Conference, taking place on 6 -8 November 2012 at The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London.

With the eyes of the sports’ world now firmly fixed on Rio, Mr Gryner will discuss the lessons learnt from this year’s London Games, the unique challenges Rio faces and the solutions developed by the Organising Committee.

Speaking ahead of the official Olympic debrief session, Leonardo’s wide-ranging presentation will cover areas including transport, infrastructure, alignment with the FIFA World Cup, security and legacy issues. He will discuss the benefits from the infrastructure projects from the Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, addressing concerns on crowd management, security and integrating all levels of government.

Leonardo joins a star studded speaker line-up at ISEM which takes place in only two weeks’ time. Experts joining the speaker faculty include IOC Vice President Sir Craig Reedie, Secretary General of Qatar 2022 Hassan Al Thawadi, RWC Tournament Director of IRB, Kit McConnell, CEO of the Polish Organising Committee Marcin Herra, for this year’s co-hosted UEFA Championship and many more.

Editor’s Notes

NEW FOR 2012!

Technology Focus Day
6 November 2012

ISEM 2012 features a Technology Focus Programme which takes place on 6th November, prior to the two day conference. This focus day will address the challenges when planning and implementing technology and IT for major sports events. It will bring unique and comprehensive case studies, best practices and lessons learnt from CIO’s and CTO’s responsible for managing the technology for some of the biggest, most complex events in the world. If you are in charge of technology or IT for a major sports event, this is a must attend event.

Also taking place this year…

WORKSHOPS on Stadium and Facility Design and Management
Design and construct an efficient venue
Maximise revenue streams through improved operation and maintenance

Workshop Leaders:
Chris Jopson, Specialist Sports Architect, former Architect at Populous.
Michael Cunnah, Chairman, isportconnect, Former CEO of Wembley Stadium
Noel Jeffs, Stadium Management Systems Ltd, Director, Stadium Design & Operations

For More information visit www.sportseventmanagement.co.uk

 

Edgar Grospiron, chief executive of Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, has said the bid team has learned lessons from recent unsuccessful French bids for the Summer Games.

Paris was the favourite to win the bid for the 2012 Games, but eventually lost out to London. It also lost the bid to stage the 2008 Games, losing out to Beijing.

But Grospiron has said lessons have been taken on board, and the Annecy bid will be backed by prominent French sporting personalities.

He said: “The lessons from Paris have been learned and our strategy is different. We need a lot of people supporting us. It means we have to work closely with Jean-Claude Killy and Guy Drut but also with all the influential people at the international level.”

 

Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace will succeed Vikram Solanki as chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association following it’s annual general meeting on January 30.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wallace, 31, was chosen ahead of Northamptonshire batsman Stephen Peters, Leicestershire’s former England seam bowler Matthew Hoggard and Surrey seamer Jon Lewis.

Solanki, 36, who has joined Surrey from Worcestershire for next season, has stepped down after serving as PCA chairman for two terms, a total of four years.

PCA chief executive Angus Porter said: “Vikram has seen the PCA through some challenging times, and when I joined the association he had served a period as interim chief executive, which makes us doubly grateful for the contribution he has made over the last four years.

“He is a man of great character and integrity, universally respected throughout the game, and Mark is an outstanding choice to continue the good work Vikram has done, while adding a mark of his own.”

One-county man Wallace, who made his senior debut in 1999, said: “Filling Vikram’s sizeable shoes is a daunting challenge, and on behalf of all the players, I’d like to thank him for everything he has done as PCA chairman.

“I’m a big believer that the PCA is about the players – and by that I mean all the players, from the greenest rookies to oldest pros – and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring that the PCA is on hand to enhance the careers and lives of cricketers, past present and future, as much as possible.”

The PCA has also appointed Paul Garrett to the newly created post of finance director. The management of the PCA’s finances was previously outsourced to Dyke Yaxley, who will continue to manage the finances of the Team England Player Partnership and the PCA Benevolent Fund.

Garrett qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and has over 20 years of experience, much of it at board level in finance director roles in advertising agencies. His experience includes guiding relatively small businesses through a period of sustained and successful growth.

Greene King Brewing and Brands has confirmed its role as official supplier to Rugby Expo 2012.

Greene King, ampoule who will be exhibiting at the two day event, will also be providing drinks to the Rugby Expo Awards Dinner which is taking place on the evening of Wednesday 14 November at Twickenham.

As the supplier of the Official Beer of England Rugby, London Wasps, Harlequins and Sale Sharks, Greene King supports the game from international level through to grass roots, also working with community clubs to help to maximise additional revenue streams through their facilities.

Dom South, Greene King Brewing and Brands’ marketing director said: “We’re delighted to confirm our involvement with Rugby Expo this year. The event will provide us with the chance to engage not only with the key decision makers from professional sides but also a significant number of grass roots clubs, offering a fantastic opportunity to showcase what we can do to support clubs at all levels of the game.”

Jonathan Wilson, event director for Rugby Expo, said: “We’ve already confirmed a number of the sport’s biggest brands for this year’s event and it is fantastic to be able to announce Greene King as an official supplier to Rugby Expo 2012. The event is growing year-on-year and the combination of exhibitors, sponsors and official suppliers, alongside our list of industry expert speakers, makes for a fantastic two days at Twickenham next month.”

The Qatar bid committee to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup has agreed a sponsorship deal with international branding agency Lambie-Nairn, generic cheap it has been announced.

The agency is now the official supplier and official brand agency of the Qatar 2022 bid. Lambie-Nairn has been working with the Qatar 2022 Bid since November 2009.

Bid communications director Nasser Al Khater said: “Lambie-Nairn is a world-class branding and design company, and we are delighted to have them on board.

“This shows that our bid continues to attract global support and attention, and we hope to keep the momentum going, with the help of our sponsors, all the way through 2 December.”

CEO of Lambie-Nairn, Christian Schroeder, added: “Working with the bid team and their ambitious plans for 2022 continues to be an exciting journey, and builds upon our experience in the sport industry, and specifically football-obsessed Qatar.

“We take great pride in our status as an official supplier and firmly believe Qatar deserves to have its football dream realised.”

Fifa will announce the host for the 2022 tournament on 2 December.

NIKE, generic Inc. announced today that Roger Wyett, President of its Affiliates, will be the company’s new Vice President of Action Sports with responsibility for the Nike Brand’s skateboarding and snow businesses, as well as Hurley International LLC.

Sandy Bodecker, the current VP of Action Sports at Nike, will now work on special projects involving long-term product innovation. In addition, NIKE, Inc. announced that Jim Calhoun, CEO of Converse Inc., will report directly to Mark Parker, President & CEO of NIKE, Inc.

“Roger’s leadership over these important businesses will help continue to drive success for Nike,” said Mark Parker, President & CEO of NIKE, Inc. “I’d like to thank Sandy for his strong leadership over the last five years and look forward to his continued significant contributions to the company.”

Scott LeClair, VP and GM of Nike Skate and Nike Snow, will report to Wyett. Bob Hurley, currently the interim CEO of Hurley, will also remain in that position and will report to Wyett.

Wyett, 55, first joined Nike in 1994 and has held a variety of roles including CEO of Hurley and Vice President of Global Apparel. He will report to Trevor Edwards, Nike’s Executive Vice President of Global Brand & Category Management.

Soccerex is delighted to announce the appointment of official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games sponsor Aggreko, sick as the latest sponsor to join the already great line up of supporters to the Soccerex Global Convention. Aggreko, viagra the global leader in temporary power and temperature control solutions, ask has confirmed its commitment to become the official power supplier to the Convention as well as the renewal of the sponsorship of the Soccerex Sky Walk for the second year running in Rio de Janeiro, 24-28 November.

Aggreko, the Official Temporary Energy Services Supplier to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games and to the FIFA World Cup 2010, will be powering both the Convention, which boasts three studios, over 120 exhibition stands and the Visa Networking Café, as well as the famous Soccerex Football Festival, which will take place on the world-famous Copacabana Beach, featuring legends of the game such as Carlos Valderrama, Juliano Belletti, Fabio Grosso and Jay Jay Okocha.

Through the sponsorship of the Soccerex Sky Walk, Aggreko will be welcoming all delegates with an inspirational and memorable walkway which connects the Sofitel Hotel and the Convention itself, over the Avenida Atlántica.

Commenting on Aggreko’s involvement at Soccerex, Marketing and Sales Development Director for Aggreko International Julian Ford said:

“With only two years until the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Soccerex Global Convention provides us with a phenomenal window to showcase our products and technologies to decision makers across the host country. Soccerex has already proven a success through our past experience, and due to the great organisation and dedication from their team, we have decided to strengthen our ties and work together once again.”

Daniel Paiser, Sales Director at Soccerex, welcomed the agreement:

“We are proud to welcome Aggreko back to the Soccerex Family as our official Power Supplier and Soccerex sponsor.  As temporary power supplier to some of the biggest events in the world, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games, Aggreko will bring an unrivalled service and experience to ensure only the best technology powers this year’s convention. We are looking forward to a fruitful relationship as well as supporting Aggreko throughout the show.”

The Soccerex Global Convention is a five-day business event consisting of a comprehensive seminar line-up, a number of networking opportunities, a two-day football festival and a packed exhibition which is already close to selling out.

Held in a purpose-built venue within the Forte de Copacabana, with panoramic views of both famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, the exhibition is a hub for business activity; as one of the main components of the convention it provides a platform for leading suppliers from around the world to showcase the latest industry products and services to delegates.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208742 7100 or visit www.soccerex.com/global.

European Mixed Martial Arts promotion, denture BAMMA, impotent has announced a television partnership with Abu Dhabi TV.

The deal sees BAMMA events broadcast across Bahrain, Egypt, Chad, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, exclusively on Abu Dhabi TV. The channel will also broadcast BAMMA events to the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan.

BAMMA’s Director, Ashley Bothwell said: “We are thrilled to partner with Abu Dhabi TV. In the business of sports promotion television is absolutely fundamental. This new deal firmly cements BAMMA’s position as the UK promotion with the largest broadcast reach, offering the greatest exposure for its athletes. We look forward to announcing further TV deals over the coming weeks.”