CityAccord keynote to explain digital transformations in the stadia environment

Paul Yeomans, Managing Director of industry strategists the PMY Group, is to address the 'Rise of the Smart Stadium' as the keynote speaker for the CityAccord conference on the Gold Coast next month.

Part of SportAccord, the annual global gathering for sporting business leaders, the conference program for CityAccord, being held on Tuesday 7th May, has the theme 'Mindful Event Hosting, Respecting the Past with a View to the Future'.

Yeomans, whose keynote will follow the Host City Welcome given by Queensland Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones, stated “I will be involved in chatting about how digital and technology investments are transforming the stadia environment and look forward to catching up.

“SportAccord is bringing the world of sport, entertainment and technology to the Gold Coast in 2019. Come along to hear from global experts in their field, build relationships and share insights across this exciting sector."

CityAccord is always a popular conference with SportAccord delegates and this year will be no exception. The World Sport and Business Summit will welcome over 160 cities and regions to the Gold Coast edition of SportAccord. 

CityAccord will be opened by Co-Chairs Mélanie Duparc, Secretary General, World Union of Olympic Cities and David Simon, Senior Advisor, Los Angeles Sports Council. 

Simon commented “CityAccord is a unique opportunity for cities, regions and sport commissions to expand their horizons by hearing from some of the world's foremost experts on various aspects of hosting major events.

"This is especially true of this year's program, whose theme is 'Mindful Event Hosting: Respecting the Past with a View to the Future'."

To hear Paul Yeomans in person and take part in the Audience Q&A following his Keynote Address, delegates can register for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit.

CityAccord delegates will also hear from leading experts in four Tool Box Sessions: Innovative City/Event Ticketing Approaches moderated by David Eades, Journalist & Anchor, BBC World. Case study presenters will include: Brian Nourse, Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games; Essar Gabriel, World Urban Games 2019 – Budapest, Consultant, GAISF; Marne Fechner, Chief Executive, Netball Australia; Maria O’Connor, Managing Director, Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand; and an international sports federation.

A mid-afternoon panel session: Major Event Fan Safety in Arenas, Cities, Fan Zones will discuss what cities and event organisers are doing to protect their fans and their reputation, followed by an Audience Q&A. Panellists will include: Susanne Schödel, Secretary General, World Air Sports Federation (FAI); Craig Sheridan APM, Managing Director, Sheridan Consulting Group; Ian Stuart APM, Commissioner, Queensland Police Service; a city regional representative and an international federation (IF).

The final CityAccord panel session followed by an Audience Q&A will cover: Sport Destination Cities Branding – What Works. Delegates will hear insights from leading experts in the field to include: Damien de Bohun, General Manager Major Events, Visit Victoria; Carol Hudson, VP Sports Development, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, EventScotland, also a Silver Partner and exhibitor (Stand 50) at SportAccord.

Cities, regions, national events organisers, sports commissions, host cities, bidding cities, local event organising committees, and development authorities will also be able to attend City-to-City ahead of CItyAccord.

This year’s City-to-City will take an unusual step and focus, and discuss why ‘hosting non-conventional events’ broadens the potential, opportunities and horizon for cities and bidders with four experiences being interactively discussed during the morning sessions.

In addition to CityAccord, a full conference program will take place across the week with four additional conference streams: SportAccord Summit, LawAccord, HealthAccord and MediaAccord.

Future events and host cities for the SportAccord organisation include Regional SportAccord Pan America which is set to take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA (10th to 12th December 2019), and SportAccord 2020 in Beijing, China (19th to 24th April 2020).

Organisations can take further action and raise the visibility of their organisations and brand by investing as an Exhibitor or Partner.

Contact the sales team sales@sportaccord.com or cal +41 21 612 3070.

Click here for information on the 2019 SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.