With PyeongChang 2018 just around the corner, the following Winter Games might seem a long way away – but four years is a short time in the Olympic movement.

According to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, all venues will finished by the end of 2019, in time for test events in 2020.

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Games will feature 26 venues, all of which are under construction. Some of these are being repurposed after hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. Others, mostly in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, are being built from scratch.

Speaking at World Winter Sports Expo in Beijing, Irina Gladkikh, Winter Sports Director, IOC said: "There is a great progress across all areas. The IOC president attended the opening of the China National Games where he took the opportunity to visit several Olympic venues of the 2022 winter Games. And the IOC president was very excited about progress in the venue development.

“The sport department of the organising committee is working in close collaboration with the IOC sport department and they are doing a fantastic job.

“We are also delighted to see that the Winter Olympic federations are heavily involved in the Games planning and delivery in the venue development progress, in the test event planning and building a good strong team to deliver the Games. The international federations bring great knowledge and experience and they do share your vision for the great Games, for the great legacy and for the growth of winter sports in China and the global promotion of China as a winter sports destination.”

Risto Nieminen, President, Finnish Olympic Committee and Member of IOC Coordination Commission for Beijing 2022, expressed Beijing’s readiness with an allegory from Canadian Paralympic athlete Chantal Petitclerc, winner of 13 Paralympic gold medals.

“I was listening to her presentation in Montreal in a Congress in 2012 and she was explaining about her career and told her life story, and her progress to be in the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008 where she won five gold medals in wheelchair racing.

“In the end of her presentation she showed us a video in which she was achieving her greatest victory in the 100m in the Paralympic Games. It was so exciting, because she only won in the last metre. Everyone jumped up from the audience and started applauding.

“And then she said, thank you for applauding but this is not the reason I came here today to tell my life story. And thanks for the empathy – she was paralysed when she was 13 years old – but that’s what I need either.

“She said, I came here to tell you to understand that I didn’t win the gold medal in the 16 seconds you just saw – I won it in the 16 years I spent preparing for it. And if you have respect for me, don’t have respect because of the 16 seconds, but because of the 16 years I spent trying to achieve my goal.

“And I think this is the essence of sport. It’s not about the victory, it’s not about the instant wins – it’s about the pursuit. It’s about giving everything you have and trying your best, and that’s where the respect comes from.

“We all understand that China will achieve the goals. I know we will build every facility that is needed. But at the same time, we need to be cultivating the winter sports culture behind it, understanding that it’s not the instant victories –  it’s the long-term pursuit, trying your best at building the culture that actually makes the result.

“My second remark is about the very extraordinary thing we have to understand about winter sports. Snow and ice include a very playful, joyful element. Every time you see a kid in the snow – and that includes me at my age; when I see snow and ice it makes me want to place – every kid wants to play with the snow and ice.

“That makes winter sports very special, because lots of winter sports are not only about skills but about having fun and playing, and that’s part of the winter sports culture that’s unique. It makes people want to play – it’s very joyful and very playful sport. That makes it a sport for all. That is something that’s very necessary to understand when we are building facilities, that it is sports for all.

“And it includes the fact that winter sport is always open to new forms of sport. We know that China is very strong in new sports and is open for creating new forms of sport, and that’s very necessary for the development of sport in our society.

“My third remark comes to the issue of sustainability. When we are building facilities and speeding up building, we have to keep up the sustainable ideology. Every method that we are using must be sustainable and the process of planning must be very sustainable so that we are not building anything that’s not necessary or that has no real use. I know that here for Beijing 2022 we are not building anything that does not have a plan for using it as a sports facility for the future.

“To conclude, it’s very much about building and cultivating a winter sports culture, involving a joyful element, remembering winter sports is a fun sport for all, and it’s about understanding youth and new sports in a sustainable environment.”

This comments in this article were made at World Winter Sports Expo in Beijing in September 2017 and first appeared in the Winter issue of Host City magazine.

I have the pleasure of welcoming you all to my host city for the third time – and seeing how this event has developed and grown over the years.

The overall theme for this year is "High impact events in the current climate" and there are a number of very qualified people to speak about this today and tomorrow – not least my colleagues from the International Olympic Committee in the first two panels.

The recent change by the IOC to award two summer Olympic Games at the same time to Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028 certainly covers the phrase "High Impact Events" – and you will hear from two absolute experts in that decision – Patrick Baumann who chaired the IOC Evaluation Commission and Christophe Dubi, the Olympic Games Executive Director. You will also hear from David Grevemberg, who ran the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

I used to know what I thought was a lot about the IOC bidding process, having served on three Evaluation and two Coordination Commissions – and then bidding twice with Manchester and once with London as we tried to convince the IOC of the joys of our case – and thankfully, one of these efforts worked.

I have been increasingly concerned that the IOC bidding process seems to be directed at how the process can be made shorter, cheaper and more accommodating. Perhaps we should also be prepared to speak out rather more about the huge benefits of hosting the Games that can be delivered by a well organised combination of political, organisational and sporting skills.

I am not going to repeat the huge benefits from London 2012 – and echoed in many ways by the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games – where the development of village, infrastructure and sports facilities provide legacy benefits for generations to come. But I was hugely encouraged by a recent report from the Mayor of London in October to the effect that East London – the home of the 2012 Games – is the fastest growing part of London as the "Olympic effect" continues to attract jobs and investment. This report reveals that an extra 110,000 jobs have been created in East London since the Games, more than three times the number forecast in 2012. This boom is expected to continue with an additional 125,000 jobs across the six Olympic Boroughs by 2030.

This can only be described as high impact and I can only hope that any city or National Olympic Committee thinking of entering the Olympic Bidding race might well look at the London experience, as well as making full use of the revised IOC candidature process to fit the Games into their own long-term planning. Glasgow also has a terrific record of bidding for and organising individual World and European Championships – perhaps most recently World Badminton and World Gymnastics, the best presentation of indoor sport I have ever seen.

You will all have the opportunity to study the context of this debate over the next day and a half with panels and discussions on practically every aspect – the size of the city, safety, technology, entertainment and many others. It should be interesting in the extreme and I am sure that Glasgow will be listening and paying full attention. And Glasgow should, because Host City is set to come back to Glasgow in 2018 – and expect even more interest and attendance than this year which is the best attended yet.

Welcome back and enjoy.

This article is edited from Sir Craig Reedie OBE’s opening address to Host City 2017 in Glasgow on 28^th November 2017

The biggest sporting event to be staged in Scotland since the Commonwealth Games, the first ever European Championships, gained momentum with a 200 day to go celebration on Sunday 14 January 2018.

Taking place from 2 to 12 August, Glasgow 2018 will see around 3,000 athletes compete in six sports at 12 venues across Scotland. The new multisport event is set to celebrate the country’s young talent and achievers coinciding with the Year of Young People.

During a significant year for sport, 12 venues across Scotland will host 84 sessions across six different sports - Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon.

Six ambitious young athletes, representing each of the sports, are looking forward to the spectacular and hope that the profile of Glasgow 2018 will help inspire more young people to get involved in sports.

The rising stars whose sporting ambitions are set to reach new heights in 2018 include 18-year-old Glaswegian BMX racer Mia Paton (pictured) who will benefit from the new Olympic-standard BMX track being built at Knightswood Park, which will host Europe’s best racers during the Championships.

Fraser Lynes, a 14-year-old gymnast from East Ayrshire who studies and trains at Glasgow School of Sport already has a collection of medals to his name, having represented Scotland in the sport several times, and says the Glasgow 2018 action at the SSE Hydro will help encourage more people into gymnastics and demonstrate the benefits of sport.

Troon golfing talent Hazel MacGarvie, 19-year-old University of Edinburgh rower Josh Armstrong, 13-year-old diver Danny Mabbott and 18-year old triathlete Iona Miller from Inverclyde are also full of anticipation for Glasgow 2018 and the momentum it will build within each of their sports.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: “2018 marks a milestone year for Scotland. In just 200 days we will make sporting history on the global stage when we host the first ever European Championships and in Scotland’s Year of Young People, celebrate the outstanding spirit and contribution of our young people. The feats of sporting skill and the cultural brilliance showcased at the Championships will inspire the whole country and allow Scotland and its young people to shine on the world stage.”

Leader of Glasgow City Council, Councillor Susan Aitken, said: “The Glasgow 2018 European Championships promises to be a fantastic platform to inspire, engage and celebrate young people – from sports fans and athletes to artists, performers and volunteers. In 200 days Glasgow and Scotland will come alive with an unforgettable display of sport and culture that is a must-attend, must-watch event for 2018.”

The first ever European Championships will bring together some of the continent’s leading sports including the existing European Championships for Aquatics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon with a new Golf Team Championships and Athletics hosted in Berlin.

To be staged every four years, the European Championships will be an 11-day celebration of world-class sport and produce a packed 10-day broadcast schedule, with audiences of up to 1.03 billion.

I’d like to welcome you all to Glasgow and Scotland for Host City 2017.

This is the third consecutive year that Host City has been held in Glasgow and I am delighted to see how it has grown.

EventScotland has a strong heritage with this conference and, with so much happening in Scotland over the coming years; it is fitting to have so many of the world’s foremost event practitioners meeting in this great city ready to discuss high-impact events

International context

Having spent the last few weeks at home recovering from a new hip I have had lots of time to think, reflect and cogitate about the world sporting events landscape.

Unfortunately, several key words and phrases have stood out on more than one occasion:

• Governance – lack of leadership
• Transparency
• Athlete welfare
• The lack of desire to move with the times
• Doping
• Corruption
• Geo political instability
• A fragile world economy
• Terrorism
• Global warming
• Brexit
• Lack of bids for Olympics
• Bidding confusion over Rugby World Cup 2023

to name but a few.

I find all of this very sad and, whilst it may well be a reflection of where we are, the lack of positive dialogue in terms of what high impact events can achieve is woeful.

Challenges

Whilst we have many challenges I genuinely believe that we need to celebrate success much more and ensure that we articulate and communicate to the public, politicians, media and more importantly athletes and fans how important this sector is for the world’s economy.

Take this city, Glasgow. On the back of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Hydro entertainment venue is ranked second or third in the world and the local vicinity is a contemporary and vibrant place to work, live and play, supporting 2,500 new jobs with some of the finest restaurants and cafes in Scotland.

I hope that the next two days gives us all the opportunity to both share our wisdom, and also reinvigorate and celebrate all that is great about our global events industry – one that, if we are not careful, is in my view at risk.

We need to articulate the special DNA of High Impact Events:

• Create moments no one can ever take away
• Inspires others to achieve, perform and learn
• Create impact across global governments that no other sector can, from a 360-degree perspective such as sport, creativity, health, education, economy, tourism, young people, etc.
• And more importantly than ever contributes to the wellbeing of the community, the city, the country and our global wellbeing; and last but not least, makes people smile and have fun!!

Thank you for coming to Scotland and enjoy the conference. I am delighted to announce that we are working with Host City to further grow the event in Glasgow and Scotland next year and see this city as future the home of a world class conference for global event cities and events.

Thank you and enjoy the two days.

Paul Bush OBE is VisitScotland’s Director of Events, leading the EventScotland Team, Business Events and Industry Development.  EventScotland takes a strategic lead in the Scottish events industry and is responsible for working with partners to attract, bid for and secure major sporting, cultural and business events.

Over the past decade this has brought some of the world’s biggest event properties to the country, including The Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014, World Gymnastics Championships 2015, World Orienteering Championships 2015 the MTV Music Awards on two occasions and future events such as European Championships 2018, Solheim Cup 2019 and Euro 2020 Football.

Having been on the Commonwealth Games Scotland Board for four years as an independent non-executive Director, he was appointed Chairman in May 2015.

Paul was Chef De Mission for The 2006 Scottish Commonwealth Games team of 245 athletes and officials who secured a total of 29 medals. He was awarded an OBE in the 2007 Queen’s New Year Honours List for Services to Commonwealth Sport.

Paul Bush OBE is Chairman of Host City 2017, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, which took place in Glasgow on 27-28 November.

Host City, the world’s largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, took another major step forward this week, recording its greatest participation yet and with the announcement that the event will be returning to Glasgow in 2018 with a greatly increased exhibition.

More cities, event owners and organisers than ever joined the fourth Host City conference and exhibition in Glasgow to hear VIP speakers from international sports federations, cultural events, large scale congresses and mega event organising committees speak on the theme of “High Impact Events in the Current Climate”.

Attendees included more than 50 city representatives, 30 event owners, 20 organising committees, 15 media and two hundred delegates.

Around the two-day conference, Host City’s sponsors presented the event’s biggest exhibition yet, with a 500 square metre exhibition area filled with 10 large stands from organising committees, sports federations, architects and suppliers.

Host City 2017 was opened by the event’s Chairmen, Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland and Sir Craig Reedie CBE, IOC Member and President of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Paul Bush OBE said: “It is great to see so many city representatives, event owners, organising committees and events practitioners in Glasgow for this fantastic conference. While it is an exciting time for the industry with all the technological advancements and the rise in social media allowing events and audiences to be more engaged, it is also a very challenging time. The current security climate, the transparency and governance around the bid process, as well doping and corruption in sport, are all adversely affecting the confidence the public has in bidding for and delivering of major events. This year’s Host City programme has provided the ideal opportunity to tackle these challenges head on and ensure we maintain public support for high impact events around the world.

“That said, I’m delighted Host City will be returning to Glasgow in 2018 and shows the continued positive impact hosting high impact events can have when you have a strong legacy plan in place to build on the success. The return of Host City for a fourth consecutive year is a real endorsement and clearly shows the legacy that’s been built from hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the work Glasgow has done to re-positioned itself as an events and tourism city.”

Sir Craig Reedie said: “Host City 2017’s debate on High Impact Events, with panels and discussions on practically every aspect – the size of the city, safety, technology, entertainment and others – is interesting in the extreme.

“When Host City comes back to Glasgow in 2018 we can expect even more interest and attendance than this year, which is this best attended yet.”

Participants in Host City 2017 included: Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games Executive Director, International Olympic Committee; Patrick Baumann, President, General Association of International Sports Federations; Sarah Lewis, Secretary General, Association of International Olympic Winter Federations; David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Federation; Hiromi Kawamura, Public Relations Secretary, Tokyo 2020; Jooho Kim, Executive Vice President of Games Planning and Operations, PyeongChang 2018; Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Deputy Mayor of Budapest and senior figures from non-sports events including Cirque du Soleil and World Expos.

Conference Director Ben Avison said “We are delighted to be returning next November to Glasgow and Scotland, where Host City has developed so rapidly over the last three years. With the incredibly high standard of participation this year, we look forward to a great flourishing of the exhibition space in 2018 around this peerless, world class conference of cities and cross-sector events.”

For further information on the panel sessions and other world class speakers for Host City 2017, please visit: www.hostcity.com

How important is the legacy of large economic investment in cities for major events, and what role can architects play?

This is a fundamental issue for any city that is interested in hosting major events. For such a large investment to secure local support and take advantage of focused global attention, a lasting legacy must be priority number one. Unfortunately, it is all too often an afterthought.

Brought in at the ground level, architects can effectively communicate a long-term vision for cities and local organising committees (LOCs). Through the built form, and through innovative design decisions, both the one-off event and the future legacy can be realised as one coherent journey.

Architects can help develop the best solutions for long-term infrastructure reuse and economic outcomes for a city. Even a sport cluster that is intended to be used for its original purpose can leave a practical legacy if the surrounding support infrastructure improves the wider city region. Likewise, enhancements to the built environment that support a City of Culture event need long-term business planning to make sure that the running of a new collection of large public buildings is self-sustaining.

AFL Architects is putting together a major events whitepaper for just this reason. We want to help LOCs plan wisely for a sustainable legacy when bidding for major events. After all, the single largest cost in most events is the built form. Getting this right – while at the same time preparing for the long-term use post-event – can make or break a city for years to come.

Why should sports, residential, healthcare and other building types be considered together when masterplanning?

Masterplans are the bedrock of any major city development. It goes without saying that the most successful masterplans incorporate appropriate mixes of many building use types around generous public open spaces and good transport links.

AFL’s multi-sector design studio positions us very well for large scale development sites where residential development, for example, may be necessary to underpin the financial viability of a stadium or arena development. Likewise, a community health and wellbeing centre could form a hub for a sustainable masterplan mixed with a new or improved educational facility to provide the long-term community facilities that a city region requires to maintain family life.

How will the Hull Venue help the UK City of Culture to attract cross-sector events and visitors beyond 2017?

The story of Hull Venue’s development is an interesting case study for how architects can influence a long-term legacy. When we were first approached by Hull City Council to design a new multi-purpose events arena as part of its tenure of UK City of Culture, our first question to the council was – why do you want to build a 10,000-seat arena? From a pure business standpoint, we were talking our way out of a larger job! However, our overriding feeling was that the building had to be designed with a solid business plan underpinning the legacy use.

Our second question was – what did multi-purpose truly mean? We wanted to break away from the traditional approach of designing a sports arena that was a second-class venue for alternative uses, so we decided to dig down and create something that was truly multi-purpose.

We brought in experts in venue business planning to create a truly three-dimensional brief. This would take in the appropriate scale of the venue and the ideal mix of event types that Hull would benefit from long term. Essentially, we all agreed that the venue needed to be sized based on the regional catchment and facilities provided that were lacking in the city and wider region.

The outcome of this process was a venue sited right in the city centre with a maximum capacity of 3,500. This would be perfect for its primary use as a live music venue, with the ability to scale down for entertainment shows and smaller events. At the same time, functions such as conferences, exhibitions and banquets requiring only 800 attendees would benefit from the large floor plate that the building would provide.

The design process was a delicate balancing act which we believe has played out well in the final design. Now being constructed and due to open next year, Hull Venue will continue the legacy of Hull 2017, attracting thousands of visitors right into the centre of Hull for years to come.

How do you think your work at the AIMAG will contribute to the ongoing development of Ashgabat and Turkmenistan?

Although the stadium was built to host the opening and closing ceremonies for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2017, it needed to also be designed for a sporting legacy as part of the wider Olympic Complex in Ashgabat.

The brief was to be both IAAF and FIFA compliant while being able to host ceremonies and concerts. As these are not directly compatible we took the approach to design for athletics first while optimising for football use and then incorporating other events into the design modes.

Configuring the stadium seating bowl and sports facilities for all these events was a challenging exercise, with conflicting sight lines, c-values and program. The final design optimises all the requirements while minimising seat loss in football, which is a common issue with this type of multipurpose venue. This means that with only minor modifications, this venue could feasibly host a future FIFA Football World Cup group game on top of its existing capabilities to host tournaments such as the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

What are your further ambitions for the major events sector internationally?

As world leaders in delivering truly flexible and adaptable stadiums, arenas and masterplans, we want to create closer collaborations with our clients at the very start of their major event journeys. It is only in this way that cities can realise their visions for a sustainable future.

Above all, we want to create legacies that improve the places where we live and work, optimise costs and above all – deliver a world-class experience.

Marcel Ridyard is speaking at Host City 2017 in Glasgow on 28 and 29 November

[Source: SportAccord Convention] Global sports sponsorship is set to achieve $44 billion in 2017 with strong growth projected to continue in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region as well as other parts of the world, including Europe and the USA. On top of this, the global spending power of Millennials is $2.5 trillion annually with 95% saying they will switch to a brand with a good cause.[1]

Influencer marketing, social responsibility, social activism, data rights, virtual reality, live streaming channels, brand purpose and brand co-creation, as well as attracting millennials who no longer watch television or visit websites – are some of the biggest challenges facing organisations today involved in the business of sport.

Activations on and off the field of play, content engagement, connected experiences and much more, will all be addressed at SportAccord Convention 2018, the only global sports gathering attended by every international sports federation as well as many of the key stakeholders in sport.

Set to take place from 15 – 20 April 2018 at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, Thailand, the plenary conference will focus on the theme: Uniting a Global Audience – Marketing and Sponsorship for the Future. As part of the full conference programme, additional conference streams - CityAccord, MediaAccord, LawAccord and HealthAccord, will also examine the challenges that lie ahead when it comes to sponsorship and marketing.

As a result, SportAccord Convention registrations have soared (compared to this time last year), and record numbers of international sports federations have committed to exhibition booths. Many partners are re-signing having experienced the intrinsic value the Convention brings, while Malaysia Major Events has moved up a tier (to Gold).

Other partners to re-sign include Sport Event Denmark, (Gold Partner and Co-Host of last year’s Convention in Aarhus, Denmark) and DB Schenker (Delivery Partner), both of whom have been closely involved with the Convention since its inception in 2003, and Host City has become a Delivery Partner for the first time. Silver Partners Edmonton Events and Event Scotland, and Bronze Partners FIBA and Visit Victoria, as well as many media partners, have already confirmed their commitment to return and will be in Bangkok.

Not wanting to miss out, newcomers from the APAC region such as MI Associates will experience the world sport and business summit for the first time. Other organisations are taking advantage of their global presence to send C-level teams from Asia-Pacific such as Lagardère Sports Australia, while Great Big Events is bringing its largest delegation to date from both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Regarded as the sports business hub for collaboration and discovery, Greg Bowman, Managing and Creative Director commented:

“Great Big Events has been attending SportAccord Convention since its inaugural event in 2003. Our team is very excited to be involved once again, as we always find it a great event for discussing innovation and progress in sport and discovering ways to continue to push our industry forward into new and exciting territory.”

With so much to address and so many opportunities to be gained from taking part in one of the most important summits in 2018, organisations are encouraged to register and take part in the SportAccord Convention. Currently priced at CHF 2,000 and due to rise by CHF 500 on 6 November 2017, a delegate pass provides access to the most exclusive network of key decision-makers, stakeholders and experts in the world of sport.

Delegates have access to the full conference programme, 3-day exhibition, the Thai Pavilion, and numerous networking opportunities, including social events, the Opening Ceremony and Closing Event, luncheons, evening cocktails, the After Hours Bar, and much more. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @saconvention using #SAC2018, as well as LinkedIn and Facebook.