In the run up to Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, Glasgow has been identified as the UK’s most cultural and creative city.

The latest recognition follows the city being named European Capital of Sport for 2023, and one of the world’s most sustainable business event destinations – all three accolades arriving in the space of just a few days.

[Source: SEC]: The naming of Glasgow as the UK’s top cultural and creative city is part of a landmark report by the European Commission.

The report puts Glasgow ahead of London, Bristol, Brighton and Manchester which make up the rest of the top five in the UK. Edinburgh is ranked 6^th in the list. As befits the city’s ‘People Make Glasgow’ slogan, the report also ranked Glasgow as Europe’s leader for ‘openness, tolerance and trust’.

The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor 2019 report looked at 190 cities from across 30 European countries and ranks 29 different aspects of a city’s cultural health, including its cultural vibrancy, creative economy and ability to attract creative talent and stimulate cultural engagement.

The report states: “Glasgow was one of the first European Capitals of Culture, in 1990. Known as an industrial city, it has now gained recognition as a creative and cultural centre of European importance.”

Dr Bridget McConnell CBE, the Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We always knew Glasgow was a global cultural leader and we’re delighted that the European Commission has confirmed our position of the UK’s leading cultural and creative city.

“Glasgow is a city bursting with energy, passion and creativity and filled with artists, designers, creators and innovators. We have world-class museums and galleries, incredible architecture and history and as a UNESCO City of Music, there’s nowhere better to enjoy a gig. A focus for the performing arts and a hub for the creative industries, it’s no wonder that we’ve come out top of the ranking.

“What’s more, our openness, tolerance and trust has been rated as the best in Europe, confirming what we already know, that our people make Glasgow the best city in the world.”

Glasgow is home to more than 100 cultural organisations and five of Scotland’s six internationally renowned national performing arts companies, namely the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; National Theatre of Scotland; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. It is also home to music venues including the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, City Halls and Old Fruitmarket.

More people visit Glasgow’s museums each year than in any other UK city outside of London, with both Kelvingrove Art Gallery and the Riverside Museum attracting more than 1.3 million visits each in the last year. The city is also investing £66 million in a full refurbishment and redisplay of The Burrell Collection, which is set to re-open to the public in 2021. Glasgow’s nine city museums are home to Europe’s largest civic arts collection, with masterpieces by Dali, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Whistler and Monet as well as stunning works by the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists – all on show for free in the city’s museums. In terms of contemporary art, Glasgow has no fewer than eight Turner Prize winners and 12 nominees who have hailed from, trained in, or worked out of the city in recent years.

The city is also the place to come to admire the genius of architect and designer, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, or a gig at the SSE Hydro which in 2018 was named the world’s best performing music venue by size, or to enjoy shows by trailblazing companies such as The Citizen’s Theatre. Glasgow is also home to a year-round calendar of major cultural events from the UK’s biggest Mela to the Merchant City Festival and the World Pipe Band Championships. Every January, the city’s Celtic Connections festival welcomes more than 2,000 artists from across the globe to take part in some 300 events on 35 city stages as part of an incredible celebration of traditional and folk music. The city is also home to the Glasgow Jazz Festival, Glasgow International Comedy Festival and the Glasgow Film Festival.

Dr McConnell added: “We’re proud to have a huge and diverse cultural offer that’s open to everyone, whether that’s enjoying a community pantomime in venues across the city or being inspired in our world-class museums. We also recognise that we need to invest in our cultural legacy and we are doing just that with a £66 million refurbishment of The Burrell Collection. I have no doubt that when we once again reveal Sir William’s incredible gift in its new home, Glasgow’s cultural credentials will be lifted to even greater heights.”

Work is progressing on a new Culture Plan for Glasgow which will set out ambitious new targets to build the city’s reputation as globally recognised creative and cultural world city, with citizens at its heart.

Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE is speaking on the opening panel of Host City 2019, “Let’s Do This Together!” on 26-27 November in Glasgow. Register here.

[Source: Glasgow Convention Bureau] Glasgow has been recognised as one of the world’s top five cities for its commitment to sustainable business tourism.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) published its 2019 rankings today (Thursday, October 31), with Scotland’s largest city climbing three places from joint-seventh to fourth.

The announcement comes at the close of the 58th annual International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) World Congress, which has been taking place in Houston, Texas this week.

It’s a huge boost for Glasgow as the city prepares to host the United Nations’ 26th Conference of the Parties Climate Change Conference (COP26) next year.

Governments and destinations around the world are responding to the global climate emergency and Glasgow’s ambitions include a pledge to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2030. The Scottish Government has set a net zero emissions target for Scotland by 2045.

The GDS Index was launched in 2016 and promotes responsible business tourism best practice.

Compiled by global sustainability academics and policymakers, it ranks nearly 60 cities around the world based on four key criteria – environmental strategy and infrastructure; social sustainability performance; the strategy of the host city’s Convention Bureau; and industry supply chain support (from the likes of convention centres, meetings venues, hotels, restaurants and transport operators).

To date, Glasgow remains the only UK city to feature in the Index, which also includes Sydney, Barcelona and Kyoto.

Glasgow’s ranking recognises the city’s People Make Glasgow Greener campaign, which was launched by Glasgow Convention Bureau in 2017 and updated again this year.

A key feature of the campaign is a toolkit identifying some of the city’s leading sustainable businesses – from hotels and restaurants to conference venues, transport operators and corporate entertainment providers. It’s geared at simplifying the process of organising a sustainable conference in Glasgow and helping meetings organisers to find the services they require from suppliers with similar green objectives.

Glasgow’s ambition is to be at the forefront on climate action and we are determined to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2030 and a world-leading centre for sustainable policy and innovation.

Being named as one of the world’s top five sustainable conference and business events destinations by the Global Destination Sustainability Index shows the great strides that we are making in that respect.

Glasgow is home to some of the world’s biggest energy companies and we’re internationally recognised as having one of the healthiest and most diverse energy industries globally; particularly in terms of low carbon industries, which has had a hugely positive impact on the volume of conferences that we’re attracting in these sectors.

Glasgow hosted 25 energy, sustainability and carbon reduction related conferences in the 2018/19 financial year, boosting the city’s economy by nearly £8m.

Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau said: “Today’s announcement is a fantastic achievement for Glasgow and it would not have been possible without strong partnership working and collaboration between the city’s tourism sector, academic and business communities, and the City Government.

Kathleen Warden, Director of Conferences Sales at the SEC said: “This is fantastic news for the city and we are proud to play a key role in helping to position Glasgow as the world’s 4th most sustainable conference destination. At the same time, being named a finalist for the GDS-Index’s Leadership in Sustainability Award is testament to our ambitious goals as a city.

“The SEC has been nominated to host COP26, which will put both our venue and the city on the global stage in terms of showcasing our green credentials. This is an incredibly important event for Glasgow, Scotland and the UK at a crucial time for governments across the world as they address climate change. We’re looking forward to working with partners across the city to build on our sustainability efforts and ensuring that we provide the best possible environment for world-class events.”

Guy Bigwood, Managing Director of the GDS-Index said: “Glasgow as a meetings and events destination has made a significant jump in sustainability performance in 2019. We are delighted to see that a UK city has risen to number 4 in the Global rankings, and has a strong strategy to develop even further. Glasgow is in the first division of pioneering cities that is defining what sustainability leadership stands for.”

Queensland’s calendar of activities features events of all genres from professional to mass participation sport, to arts and culture, music festivals and business events, across the length and breadth of the Australian state. Like Glasgow in 2014, Queensland’s Gold Coast hosted a highly successful Commonwealth Games in 2018.

As Gold Partner, TEQ will send a delegation to Host City 2019 led by CEO Leanne Coddington, who is giving a keynote Destination Showcase address.
She said: “We are very excited to partner with Host City and look forward to reconnecting with old and establishing new relationships with a range of entities across the conference and exhibition.

“Host City will provide us a great opportunity to share experiences, thoughts and learnings with industry leaders from around the world, while also showcasing what makes Queensland a great destination for successful major events, whether sporting, cultural or business events.”

Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director at Host City, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tourism and Events Queensland as a Gold Partner of Host City 2019, and particularly pleased to welcome Leanne Coddington as a keynote speaker. Tourism and Event Queensland’s focus on all kinds of events – sports, business and cultural – is an ideal match for Host City’s network.”

TEQ is a member of the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), with which Host City enjoys a Strategic Partnership.
Host City is delivered in partnership with EventScotland, its primary Supporting Partner.

Read Host City’s exclusive interview with Leanne Coddington here and in the next issue of Host City magazine.

About Tourism and Events Queensland
As the Queensland Government’s lead tourism marketing, experience development and major events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) identifies, attracts, develops and promotes major events that drive visitors to Queensland, contribute to the Queensland economy, raise the profile of Queensland and generate community pride.

Working strategically with event owners, rights holders and promoters, TEQ’s focus centres largely on growing the number of visitors from outside of Queensland to events on the calendar.

TEQ works closely with regional tourism organisations and local councils to assist event owners better connect with and promote tourism experiences, dining, entertainment and transportation to optimise the event experience of visitors.
https://teq.queensland.com/

Host City: Scotland will host the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023. Who were all the partners involved in securing this new event? Going forward, how important will partnership working be in creating and delivering this new event?

Paul Bush: The event is the vision of UCI President, David Lappartient, and we are extremely excited to be hosting the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023. We worked in collaboration with the Scottish Government, Glasgow Life, UK Sport and British Cycling to secure the event after the UCI announced its ambition to create this brand new cycling concept in 2018.

Collaboration will continue to be key amongst the current and future partners as we develop and deliver this event, especially as it will provide a visible focus to support the acceleration of a range of local and national policy initiatives across the areas such as of health, transport, sport and tourism.

Host City: Scotland has just successfully delivered The 2019 Solheim Cup, hailed the best-ever staged. How was it and what other major events has Scotland got on the horizon?

Paul Bush: I’m incredibly proud of what was delivered and could not have asked for a more thrilling finish! We set out four years ago to deliver an event that would take the Solheim Cup to the next level and Scotland has achieved that. Record crowds of more than 90,000 turned out to watch, making it the highest attended women’s golf event ever held in the UK.

We also set a new benchmark for accessibility and inclusion as well as the quality and scale of the infrastructure to support the event, including a dedicated family zone which significantly enhanced the event experience for parents bringing their children. It once again proved Scotland delivers on the international stage.

Looking ahead there’s lots to look forward to including the Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup and the LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships both in Glasgow this November and December respectively. Next year Scotland hosts the UEFA EURO 2020 and World Men’s Curling Championships in Glasgow, LEN Junior Championships in Aberdeen and the Women’s British Open at Troon. Beyond that there is The 150^th Open at St Andrews in 2021, the Sprint World Orienteering Championships in Edinburgh in 2022 and the Orkney Island Games in 2023. Together with our annual portfolio of events and festivals, there’s a lot taking place in Scotland over the next few years.

Host City: What impact do you think the new P&J Live in Aberdeen will have on Scotland’s ability to host major events?

Paul Bush: Aberdeen’s brand-new events venue and arena, P&J Live, is going to have a big impact on Scotland’s events industry. It is a world-class venue and is the largest event complex in the North of Scotland with 48,000sqm of flexible event space and is expected to contribute an additional 4.5million visitors, £113 million of visitor spend and £63m net GVA to the Scottish economy.

Already the venue has attracted major artists and events, including most recently BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019, which will be broadcast live to millions watching on BBC One. It will be a great showcase for the venue, Aberdeen and Scotland.   

The VisitScotland Expo will also be held there next April. The two-day event is Scotland’s premier business to business travel trade event so again a great opportunity to showcase the venue and the region to key leisure buyers from all corners of the world.

Host City: Sports, business or cultural events – what is their relative importance to Scotland and how do you prioritise investment in each of these?

Paul Bush: All three types of events are equally important to us and it is not a question of prioritising investment in one type of event over another. We find taking a portfolio approach to events and festivals as outlined in our national events strategy works best for Scotland, our partners and the industry.

Taking this approach allows for a variety of large and small, fixed, recurring and one-off events to be identified and supported. It also ensures that over time a wide range of significant impacts can be delivered.

Host City: Scotland has hosted Host City since 2015. What are your expectations of Host City 2019 and its theme of “Innovate, Reformulate, Co-Create”?

Paul Bush: Scotland has a strong affinity with Host City and I’m delighted it’s returning to Glasgow for the 5^th consecutive year. I’m expecting another lively two days of thought provoking debate and discussion as we delve into this year’s theme, which is extremely relevant to the events industry as we need to continue to evolve and innovate in order to stay relevant especially in this ever-changing, dynamic and at times, unpredictable world.

Host City: How would you describe the main focus of Queensland’s event hosting strategy?

Leanne Coddington: As the Queensland Government’s lead tourism marketing, experience development and major events agency, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) identifies, attracts, develops and promotes major events that drive visitors to Queensland, contribute to the Queensland economy, raise the profile of Queensland and generate community pride.

The It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar is the platform from which we market events and our goal is to continue to grow the value of the calendar in delivering real economic benefit for the state. In 2019, the calendar is expected to generate $800 million for the state’s economy – having more than doubled in value from $380 million in 2015.

Host City: How does TEQ plan to achieve these ambitious targets?

Leanne Coddington: While the ongoing acquisition of new high-value events will certainly help drive this growth, we also endeavour to continually optimise the outcomes of existing events on the calendar. Working strategically with event owners, rights holders and promoters, TEQ’s focus centres largely on growing the number of visitors from outside of Queensland to events on the calendar. Optimising the event’s own marketing plans and leveraging TEQ’s tourism marketing channels and assets are some methods we employ to do this.

Host City: What does the Queensland calendar of events typically look like?

Leanne Coddington: Queensland’s calendar of events features events of all genres from professional to mass participation sport, to arts and culture, music festivals and business events, across the length and breadth of Queensland, from the Gold Coast and Brisbane in the south east of the state to Townsville and Cairns in the north and the Outback in the west of the state.

The calendar reflects the diversity of Queensland as a tourism destination and is therefore a highly effective form of destination marketing in its own right. Whether it be Wagner’s Ring Cycle strengthening Brisbane’s reputation as a world class arts and cultural hub, the Quiksilver Pro showcasing the Gold Coast’s iconic surf breaks or the Airlie Beach Race Week showcasing the spectacular sailing in the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, each event is a platform from which we can market our unique tourism experiences and also tells a story about the host destination.

Host City: How is the calendar promoted?

Leanne Coddington: Under the brand It’s Live! in Queensland we can augment the marketing efforts of our event partners, and raise the equity of Queensland as an event destination. Targeting key interstate markets including Sydney and Melbourne and international markets such as New Zealand, It’s Live! in Queensland is promoted across digital, print, television and at each TEQ-supported event.

Host City: Australia has long boasted a strong major event hosting reputation. How does Queensland compete against other Australian event destinations?

Leanne Coddington: Indeed, Australia has a great reputation when it comes to major events. We focus on leveraging our unique competitive advantages, centred around the diversity of event hosting destinations on offer in Queensland. The decentralised nature of Queensland means we have numerous destinations capable of hosting large international events – Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in the south east and Townsville and Cairns in the north of the State have all for example held world championship sports events.

Another competitive advantage is that our natural environment, ideal climate and laidback lifestyle makes hosting outdoor events possible all year round. This factor has certainly helped us carve out a reputation as a world class destination for endurance sport events such as triathlon, marathon and cycling.

And lastly, we are home to iconic tourism destinations and experiences. People love travelling here for an event, particularly participation sporting events and they love bringing family, friends and supporters with them because they can extend their trip and enjoy a holiday pre or post event.

Host City: How important is the broad appeal of the host destination to the success of an event?

Leanne Coddington: Very important. Events must be considered as experiences and a range of ingredients contribute to the delivery of a compelling event experience. While the quality of the event content itself and its delivery is key, perhaps the most important factor in delivering the success of a major event is the appeal of the host destination and how it engages with the event audience to augment the experience.

TEQ works closely with regional tourism organisations and local councils to assist event owners better connect with and promote tourism experiences, dining, entertainment and transportation to optimise the event experience of visitors. We’re also known for our friendly locals and our laid-back, friendly lifestyle is something we portray strongly under our tourism brand “beautiful one day, perfect the next”. We know that if we can optimise the event experience in this way, event visitors are far more likely to leave as advocates and come back again for a future holiday.

Host City: What is most important, attracting visitors from other states and countries into Queensland, or local community benefits?

Leanne Coddington: While TEQ’s strategy recognises the importance of both as ingredients to a successful event which deliver strong returns on investment, ultimately the attraction of visitors from outside Queensland carries the most weight in our event investment metrics. This is because it most closely aligns with the remit of TEQ. However, unless the event has a tangible benefit on the local community, the community is probably going to be less likely to engage with the event in a positive way. An event that is not engaged with the local community is unlikely to deliver a great experience for visiting attendees, therefore community engagement is certainly a consideration.

Host City: What would you say has been the most important impact of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games for the Gold Coast and Queensland?

Leanne Coddington: The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games delivered many great outcomes for Queensland. For TEQ, the event provided a high-profile platform to showcase Queensland’s tourism experiences to a large international audience. It also showcased the Gold Coast and Queensland’s major event hosting capability and given its success, has provided us with a great reputation to leverage and secure more events into the future.

Host City: How did hosting SportAccord in 2019 help with your sports event strategy?

Leanne Coddington: SportAccord 2019 was a highly strategic event acquisition that was about continuing to build the legacy of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Hosting the key decision makers from International Federations, national sports organisations, the IOC, event promoters and the world’s sports industry media all in Queensland – many for the first time ever – provided the opportunity to showcase our competitive advantages and most importantly build long term relationships that will ultimately result in future high-value events secured for Queensland.

Host City: We are delighted to welcome Tourism and Events Queensland as a Gold Sponsor of Host City 2019. What are your expectations of Host City, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events?

Leanne Coddington: We too are very excited to partner with Host City and look forward to reconnecting with old and establishing new relationships with a range of entities across the conference and exhibition. Host City will provide us a great opportunity to share experiences, thoughts and learnings with industry leaders from around the world, while also showcasing what makes Queensland a great destination for successful major events, whether sporting, cultural or business events.

Leanne Coddington is giving a keynote Destination Showcase address at Host City 2019

As we celebrate our partnership with Host City 2019, we look forward to sharing with those attending the conference our insights into the broader impacts that the public, private and third sectors are seeking, achieving, measuring and communicating from hosting some of the world’s largest and highest profile events.

Through our extensive work with rights holders and hosts, running procurement processes, negotiating optimum commercial deals, leading event bids and advising hosts on how to build a tailored event calendar, we have developed unique insights and carried out in-depth research into how to improve host partnerships that work for all stakeholders. That is to say, partnerships where host, rights holder and all other stakeholders are able to achieve their short and long-term objectives through a well-delivered event.

We have also witnessed first-hand how the major events landscape is changing as rights holders embrace new technologies and consumer trends whilst hosts seek events that speak to wider city and national priorities. This is impacting the way that hosts are evaluating opportunities and measuring impact.

At Host City 2019, we will share more about how we will be building on this insight as we utilise The Sports Consultancy’s extensive network of hosts and rights holders to research current and future trends in event hosting. This research will bring together data in a new way to benefit rights holders and hosts in their future hosting relationships.

Global trends

We have gathered and analysed the data on how global trends are affecting the major events industry. Urbanisation and demographic shifts, ageing populations and increasing inequality are affecting the design and content of cities as governments prioritise inclusion and welfare. Global talent is more mobile, meaning that cities are competing to attract and retain it. Attracting new businesses and inward investment are increasingly important in a competitive and connected international marketplace. Climate change is a growing concern resulting in a rising focus on sustainability, as well as an increased scrutiny on public spending. Technology is also a significant factor in how cities are changing, working towards being ‘smarter’ and demonstrating their innovation credentials.

All of these macro trends are impacting the initiatives that governments choose to invest in and how they seek to use events to benefit their economies and populations. We are seeing a shift in objectives as event investment is less outward focused and gradually more targeted towards providing for existing citizens. This means a reduced focus on tourism and visitation and more of a focus on social impact, community cohesion and building a city with a great quality of life.

However, economic impact is still the primary measure of success in many cases (for the time being at least) as new priorities are not supported by our ability across the industry to measure social impact in a way that can justify substantial public sector expenditure. Developing effective measurement approaches for social and community impacts is a priority for hosts. A number of rights holders have recognised this and are investing in detailed social impact studies of their largest events, along with measuring economic and media impacts. We will share further insights into impact measurement in Glasgow in November.

Consumer behaviour

Further trends specific to the sports and entertainment industries are impacting rights holders. This is affecting the events that they are taking to market and how those events are positioned to engage and entertain the public.

Consumers are following more sports less avidly and sports events compete with an array of leisure and entertainment properties and activities. Digital media is an increasingly popular form of consumption of events, competing even with live attendance. More niche events and sports have a new avenue to market through over-the-top (OTT) coverage. Whilst this may lead to reduced live audiences it provides more opportunities to reach a younger audience. However, content demand is changing and events have to be creative in how they build awareness and generate engagement.

Finding the right hosts

For rights holders, finding the right hosts that understand their ambitions and can enhance their offering as aligned partners, is increasingly important. Rights holders are being more targeted geographically, but are also becoming more open to changing their hosting models to ensure the benefits are there for hosts and to open up their events to new territories and emerging markets. Our host procurement processes are incorporating new approaches to allow flexibility and build the most effective partnerships, while protecting interests on both sides of the hosting relationship.

This is balanced by a need to ensure that premium events are contributing to rights holder finances, particularly for International Federations where flagship events can support the organisation for multiple years. This may need to be accompanied in future with a greater appetite from the rights holder to share risk and, therefore, reward.

We look forward to sharing further insight in the build up to Host City 2019 and offering those attending the conference, unique insights from our work and research, into the ever-evolving relationship between rights holders and host cities and the solutions we are creating and applying for our clients. We also look forward to learning more from hosts and rights holders about their evolving challenges and the solutions they are employing to combat them.

Major events can have an incredibly positive impact on their host cities and citizens. If we are to avoid the lack of public support that can lead to the likes of Calgary and Graz withdrawing their bids for the 2026 Winter Olympics, we must ensure that major events achieve an international reputation for being cost effective, inclusive and having long-term sustainable benefits. We need to work together to engage with all stakeholders, including the general public, so that everyone feels involved.

In my 37 years with CSM Live (in its different guises) I’ve had the pleasure to work with many great organisations and hosts that understand the benefit of branding not only event spaces and fan zones, but entire cities and countries, and the importance of wide public engagement.

London 2012 is a fantastic example of this attitude. They worked to get the public onside right from the start, launching the 2004 / 2005 bid in tandem with a major PR campaign which included events and a city dressing campaign around the whole of the UK. This commitment to bringing the excitement of the Games into the public domain only increased during the actual games, with the aim to ‘Inspire a Generation’. CSM Live took point on both the venue and the city dressing, creating the space branding guidelines, and producing and installing the branding.

To ensure uniform, easily-accessible branding across the country, we created an online catalogue from which local authorities and institutions could order Games Look and Feel elements based on a pre-designed Kit of Parts. In the end, we dressed 33 London Boroughs, 11 Host Cities, 43 Live Sites and communities throughout the UK, with everything from banners and bunting to giant shot putts falling from the sky and over-sized inflatable mascots rising from the ground; we lit up buildings in brand colours; installed branded planting, pavements, transport and transport hubs; and created soundscapes across bridges and light projections in the sky.

Obviously, this approach can be very expensive, but one solution is to find a sponsor or partner with similar goals. The Tour de France Grand Depart found that in Yorkshire Building Society, who were extremely proud to be able to sponsor this iconic event as it travelled through their heartland during their 150^th anniversary celebrations. We worked closely with the event organisers, local councils and Yorkshire Building Society to create activations and branding concepts that helped local people celebrate their proud Yorkshire heritage.

For a perfect example of how a unified and integrated major events policy can positively impact a whole country, just look to the country that’s hosting Host City. I have had the pleasure of working in Scotland many times including both the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games during their amazing 2014 year - the “Big G” logo, which we created for the Games is now a permanent selfie inspiring fixture, and I expect big things as they continue the ‘Scotland the Perfect Stage’ strategy onto 2025.

Hear Andrew Hodson’s “lightning talk” at Host City 2019, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 26-27 November

[Source: UCI] The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zwift, a global online training and racing platform for athletes, for the governance and development of cycling esports as a new cycling discipline.

This MoU follows the integration of cycling esports into the UCI Constitution, which was approved by the Federation’s Congress in September 2018 in Innsbruck (Austria). The objective is two-fold: to establish requirements that guarantee the speciality meets the standards of sporting integrity and fairness necessary for all UCI-sanctioned disciplines, and to launch the inaugural UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in 2020, as well as qualification events for these Championships, on the Zwift platform.

The news follows the confirmation of Zwift as Official Supplier to the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, Great Britain.

As part of the MoU, the UCI and Zwift will collaborate to ensure the sporting credibility of cycling esports events. This will include the establishment of a hardware programme that is reliable enough to be used in events sanctioned by the UCI, a performance verification programme that will validate a rider’s performance and ward against technological fraud, and a rider identification system, including height and weight. Moreover, different formats of racing, for individuals and teams, will be tested. The UCI Regulations will be updated accordingly.

On the sporting side, the UCI will organise the 2020 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships (on the Zwift platform). These will be held on a date and at a venue that are still to be confirmed. The UCI and Zwift have agreed that a maximum of 15 National Championships will be organised in select countries as well as Continental Championships; these competitions, organised on-site or remotely on-line, will act as qualification events for the new UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. The Zwift application will be the only programme used for all these events.

 Following the first edition of the World Championships, the UCI will launch a bidding process to determine the provider with which it will collaborate for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships after 2020.     

UCI President David Lappartient declared: “Cycling esports is a fantastic opportunity for the development of cycling. It is a new way of practising cycling that is expanding rapidly and enables more athletes, whether beginners or more experienced, to train and race regardless of what the weather is like and where they live. The Memorandum of Understanding between our Federation and Zwift is a decisive step towards the total integration of cycling esports by the UCI.”

Zwift’s Esports CEO Craig Edmondson added: “Earlier this year, we stated our ambition to develop an esports platform, but I think it’s much more than that. We are looking to establish a new approach to the sport. This partnership is a significant leap forward in that journey. We are at the very beginning of a long and exciting roadmap here at Zwift as we look to establish a new and innovative cycling discipline.”

About Zwift
Zwift is a fitness company born from gaming, that is dedicated to fitness and experienced in software and video game development. Combining that passion and deep understanding of the fitness world, Zwift is the first company to use massive multiplayer gaming technology to bring the outdoor experience indoors. Athletes from around the globe can train and compete with each other in rich, 3D-generated worlds simply by connecting their existing devices & hardware (e.g. cycle trainers, power meters, treadmills, heart rate monitors, etc) wirelessly via open industry standard ANT+ and BLE. From friendly competition, to racing and structured training programmes, Zwift is building a community of like-minded athletes united in the pursuit of a better social fitness experience.

About the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
Founded in 1900, in Paris (France), the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the worldwide governing body for cycling. It develops and oversees cycling in all its forms, for all people as a competitive sport, as a healthy recreational activity, as a means of transport, and also just for fun. The UCI manages and promotes the eight cycling disciplines: road, track, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, cyclo-cross, trials and indoor cycling. More information on www.uci.org.

John Langford, COO, AEG Europe

“I’m delighted to be joining the Host City conference in Glasgow this year. This is a great opportunity to share my thoughts on the industry and meet fellow representatives of sports, business and cultural events from across the globe. I look forward to discussing the challenges of hosting major event at our venues as well as discovering new opportunities and learning from industry leaders.

“There are a number of important considerations venue planners should bear in mind to maximise commercial opportunities around entertainment facilities.

“Firstly: know your market. Understanding consumer needs allows venues to match their capabilities with the expectations of customers. Providing a product and service that customers want is the foundation upon which volume and margins can be maximised.

“Secondly: flexibility. Entertainment venues cater for multiple different audiences. Every night, our arenas see a different crowd from the night before. Facilities need to be able to flex from champagne at Andrea Bocelli to burgers and beer at ZZ Top – and everything else you can imagine in between.

“Thirdly: adaptability. Customer expectations change over time, particularly as new generations spend more in the entertainment sector. Flexibility in spaces, premium experiences, food and beverage options, access and add-ons all mean that venues need to adapt quickly to market changes.”

David Tunnicliffe, Commercial Director, GL events UK

“Host City will bring together excellent people for open, frank discussions that will allow us to share experience and best practice. The event combines a formal daytime structure with a more relaxed evening format, meaning there will be plenty of opportunity to network with new and existing contacts.

“Are venue owners fully informed of the opportunities available to them in terms of temporary infrastructure? Yes and no – this really depends on the venue, as well as the culture and approach of its team. General awareness can be an issue; while some venues can be so focused on their permanent USPs, or under so much pressure to deliver prices-per-head, that they overlook the many exciting creative possibilities presented to them by temporary infrastructure.

“Other venues – Hampton Court Palace is an excellent example, frequently innovate; enhancing and adapting their offering with temporary infrastructure and overlay.

“At GL events we’re no stranger to all kinds of requests and the possibilities for venues are endless. We’ve created entire temporary venues to support refurbishment works, as well as creating everything from additional kitchens to ballrooms, reception spaces and exhibitions on behalf of all kinds of venue. Temporary swimming pools, ice-rinks, cinemas… working with venues is a great opportunity for event infrastructure suppliers to showcase their creativity.”

Ken Scott, Head of Inspectorate, Sports Ground Safety Authority

“A pressing concern for organisers is what we call ‘Zone Ex’ – the area outside the stadium that spectators must pass through when arriving or leaving an event. Stadium and event operators can no longer think about the stadium in isolation. When considering safety, the sum of all parts is critical to creating as safe an environment as possible for everyone at the ground.

“We’re looking forward to attending Host City 2019 to discuss this and other safety issues with colleagues from across Europe.”

Cyril De Greve Managing Director, European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA)

“We’re expecting more and more from stadium management today. Besides a range of new threats (terror, drones, cyberattacks, etc.), it is not only delivering a safe and secure event; people are looking for unforgettable experiences. Training staff to deliver these experiences is definitely a challenge, as well as the demand for a more multifunctional use of the venues.

“Our aim at Host City 2019 is to share knowledge, expertise and exchange best practice with all delegates linked to the stadium industry.”

Host City 2019 takes place in Glasgow on 26-27 November, organised with support from EventScotland. For more information visit www.hostcity.com