iSportconnect, the world’s largest global private network of sports business executives, is delighted to announce that the first set of panellists has been assembled for the 2015 Stadia Masterclass.

The second edition of the event, which is undertaken in partnership with global design practice Populous, will take place on 11th November at Lord’s, The Home of Cricket.

The theme of the event will be “engaging people at home and around the globe – creating a physical and digital place for your tribe or community” and the confirmed panellists are:

– Roy Westwood, Creative and Innovations Director, Levy Restaurants

– Emma Taylor, Head of Marketing, Tottenham Hotspur FC

– Cathy Long, Head of Supporter Services, The Premier League

– Simon Jordan, Co-Founder and Principal, Jump Studios – A Populous Company

– Nicholas Reynolds, Senior Principal and Founder of Populous Activate

– Christopher Lee, Senior Principal and Managing Director, Populous

Roy Westwood has 20 years’ experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, holding leadership positions in operations, trouble shooting, brand and concept development, sales and marketing and he has also run his own consultancy.

He is currently focused on revolutionising the customer experience in large multi-faceted venues such as ExCel London, Twickenham Stadium, Swansea Stadium, Wimbledon, the O₂ Arena, Bristol Zoo, and many, many more.

Emma Taylor has 17 years’ experience as a senior leader within the Premier League. As Head of Marketing at Tottenham Hotspur FC, Emma is responsible for all aspects of the brand, internationally and at home.

Engaging with fans, linking the story of Spurs across digital and social media platforms and driving commercial returns, Emma is also actively involved in the plans for the exciting new stadium and community facilities.  Prior to joining Spurs, Emma led the marketing at Fulham FC for 9 years.

Cathy Long is responsible for a wide-range of Premier League projects covering stadium and fan issues and is particularly focussed on improving the stadium experience. Her recent work includes establishing the VisitFootball project which is transforming the way that Clubs view match days for fans.

The Stadia Masterclass will be a unique environment for delegates to come together and discuss best practice and the changing nature of venues and how we engage with sport and events, both at the ground and remotely.

Populous, with their partners Jump Studios, will explore how stadia, and the spaces inside and outside of them are designed to create the platforms for engaging with your communities and fans, at all levels.

Simon Jordan is a co-founder of Jump Studios, an award-winning architecture and interior design practice based in London. Jordan works with consumer facing brands, technology companies and agencies on a wide range of design initiatives, mainly in the design of physical spaces, products and furniture, increasingly enhanced with digital technologies.

Key clients include Google, delivering their campuses in London, Madrid and Tel Aviv; Nike, Rapha, Bloomberg, and Starwood Hotels.

Nicholas Reynolds is a Senior Principal of Populous. He is currently leading the 60,000 seat football stadium for Olympique Lyonnais, a new arena for Bristol and the transformation of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, taking the iconic building from its successful games use to its long term multi-functional legacy.

In 2004, Nicholas founded their internal brand activation and experience agency, Populous Activate. Populous Activate specialises in connecting brands to sporting and entertainment venues and fans, delivering commercial value through innovative design. Recent clients include the Premier League, Manchester City FC, O₂ and Cadburys.

Christopher Lee is a Senior Principal of Populous and Managing Director of the EMEA region. Christopher has worked for major international sports clients and designed over 30 stadia on five continents, including the main Stadium for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal Football Club, and Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland and is leading the design of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s new stadium.

Populous is a global design practice with over 30 years’ experience in the sport and entertainment industries. In addition to being the only architects to work on three Olympic Games, Populous has designed iconic sports facilities like Wembley Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Royal Ascot, Silverstone circuit and the O2 arenas in London, Dublin and Berlin.

The Stadia Masterclass is an exclusive, invitation only event.

To register your interest, please contact: Elyse Gallacher at elyse.gallacher@isportconnect.com

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This week, it’s been reported organisers have held meetings to make urgent savings on the cost of the Games.

The operational budget is 2.4billion dollars, with the bulk of it coming from the private sector.

However, Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada said that “The days of lavish spending are over.” And that organisers needed to be creative in the way they find savings.

The financial concerns are likely to have been brought on by the recession currently engulfing Brazil, with inflation above 10 per cent and the national currency in a downward spiral in a global context.

Despite that, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes remained upbeat and promised that Games infrastructure and venues would be delivered on time.

Rio 2016 chief executive Sidney Levy echoed Paes’s comments, telling local reporters that the Games preparation would go off with no corruption whatsoever.

He also promised a “clean, fit and fun Olympics” once the event begins on August 5th next year.

Watch the latest episode of the Road to Rio 2016 now on iSportconnect TV for more on this story.

UEFA has extended its partnership with ICT provider Interoute.

Interoute will continue to provide managed ICT infrastructure and services for UEFA’s football competitions, anesthetist websites, impotent events and business operations.

Read more HERE.

Australian sporting administrator Michael Brown has been named as the CEO for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

He will be tasked with delivering a successful World Cup which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Full story HERE. 

Northern Creative Studio and iSportconnect today announced an innovative marketing partnership highlighting the commercial potential of animated content for teams, cheap events and other sports properties and brands.

The new partnership makes its debut today at the International Sports Convention in Geneva, Switzerland, where iSportconnect will give Northern Creative Studio a promotional presence on its exhibition stand from December 10-11, 2014.

“One of the main purposes of iSportconnect is to help businesses stay ahead of the curve when it comes to operating more effectively and profitably,” said iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma.

“We are convinced that as the digital world becomes ever more competitive, animation will become an increasingly valuable tool for teams, events and sponsors to stand out from the crowd.”

At the start of 2015, Mr Varma will join the new Advisory Board of Northern Creative.

“iSportconnect provides an ideal platform for telling the story of how animation can help sport engage new and younger fans and customers via online and mobile,” said Northern Creative CEO Mark Solomon.

“We admire the vision behind iSportconnect and we are really looking forward to working with Sree and his excellent team.”

Northern Creative will be developing animation to enhance the iSportconnect offering, including iSportconnect TV and the exclusive Directors’ Club series of events.

About Northern Creative Studio

Founded by Hollywood animation veteran Mark Solomon, Northern Creative Studio delivers the enduring appeal of character-based animation for promotional campaigns, major events and other public or web-based initiatives.

The company, in close consultation with clients, provides everything from writing, design, and storyboards, to the final animation, sound and music.

To learn more, visit http://northerncreativestudio.com/

H.E. Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, pharmacy Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail and Cedric Betis, Chairman of the Corporate Wellness Committee for Dubai Holding will speak at the 2^nd edition of the iSportconnect Directors Club Dubai on 12^th November 2014.

The closed door, invitation only event, is held under the support of Dubai Sports Council and will be hosted by Falcon and Associates, taking place in the heart of Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai, UAE.

Speakers and topics:

H.E. Dr Ahmad Al Sharif will open the event and welcome delegates on behalf of the Dubai Sports Council.

During the interactive panel debate, Cedric Betis, Dubai Holding and David Graham, Oman Sail will join other panelists to address some of the major issues in the region in sport business.

Topics will include grassroots sports and emiratisation, increasing spectator numbers, increasing awareness and building sustainable events to help grow sport and drive more business to the region.

After the discussions, attendees are invited to a networking reception and dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel DIFC.

Attendance is exclusive to government, federations, clubs and sponsors.

The full line-up of speakers and panellists will be announced soon. Please check our website for more information.

Abu Dhabi

iSportconnect will also be hosting a Directors’ Club in Abu Dhabi on 10^th November, at Yas Viceroy Hotel, Yas Island.

An impressive panel of high-profile speakers will participate in an interactive Question-Time debate.

The debate will be followed by a networking reception and Dinner at Atayeb restaurant on Yas Viceroy’s terrace overlooking the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race track which will host the final Grand Prix of the season just two weeks later.

Register your interest:

If you would like to attend* or look at partnering with the Directors Clubs in the Middle East, please get in contact.

Our partners benefit from a range of different branding opportunities and introductions to potential clients.

*Please note this event is through invitation only, however please register your interest and we will get back to you.

Contact us:

Please contact Sally Corander at sally@interact-events.com or call +971 50 1522497

OR

Sylvia-Line Lamaro at sylvia-line@isportconnect.com

PARTNERS

Supported by: 

 

 

 

 

 

Official Host Partner: 

 

 

 

 

 

Official Partners:

       

 

The Abu Dhabi-based sports manufacturer Romai Sports have become the new kit supplier of the Senegal national football team.

The Senegalese Football Federation officially announced the kit deal with Romai at a press conference on Monday in Dakar, attended by Senegal Football Federation President  Augustin Senghor and Romai Sports Head of Operations Omar Massri.

The deal, brokered by Marvin Neufville Consultancy Limited and Football agent Djily Dieng,will begin from January 2017; with Romai Sports supplying Senegal’s kit at the African Cup of Nations Tournament in Gabon.

Senegal are currently Africa’s highest-placed nation in the official FIFA rankings. This is a new collaboration for both Senegal and Romai Sportswear, who have plans to partner with high-profile clubs competing in top European leagues.