Sports Business

22Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Event focus: International Sports Convention London | June 2020

The International Sports Convention (ISC) will be held for the first time in London in 2020.  Previous editions of the event have taken place in mainland Europe, but from Wednesday 17 June to Thursday 18 June the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium makes its debut as host venue. Headlined as the “meeting place for sports business”, ISC London 2020 will feature seven conferences and three masterclasses.  Organisers predict there will be 1,500 delegates attending the event at the new Spurs stadium and more than 150 speakers will take part in the various conferences, masterclasses, round tables and networking sessions.  Nigel Fletcher, CEO of ISC, said: “The move to this unique entertainment and sporting venue will provide delegates around the world with the best possible sports business event expe...

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22Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Four million grand prix fans attend Formula 1 races in 2019

Formula 1 has announced that 4,164,948 spectators attended at least one of the 21 grands prix during the 2019 season.   According to data supplied by race promoters, 2019 had a +1.75% attendance increase compared to the previous season, despite the Saturday cancellation of the Japanese Grand Prix due to Typhoon Hagibis.  Adding to this total the 80,118 F1 Paddock Club ticket holders (+7.15% compared to 2018), the average attendance per race was 202,146 (+1.85%).  Three GPs had an attendance of more than 300,000 spectators over a race weekend – Great Britain (351,000), Mexico (345,694) and Australia (324,100) – while a total of eight attracted crowds of more than 200,000, including Singapore and USA (268,000 each), Belgium (251,864), Hungary (230,000) and Austria (203,000).  Five circui...

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15Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Clarity Sports named official team travel partner of the Football Association of Wales

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) and Clarity Sports have announced a new partnership that will see Clarity provide all domestic and international travel for the Welsh national teams.  Clarity Sports, who also work with a number of top-flight English and Scottish football teams, has signed a three-year contract that will see the business provide its best-in-class services at an exciting time for the FAW, with Euro 2020 on the horizon. Wales have been drawn against Italy, Switzerland and Turkey and will play games initially in Baku and Rome.  The women’s international team will continue their 2021 European Championship qualifying campaign, where they currently sit second in the table, in April 2020.  Rob Slawson, director of sports travel at Clarity, said: “The role we play is to t...

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15Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Event focus: Global Sports Week Paris | February 2020 | Paris

More than 1,000 international leaders will be in Paris in February 2020 when the French capital city hosts its Global Sports Week. Taking place at the Louvre Museum’s Les Salles du Carrousel from 5-7 February, the main event of Global Sports Week Paris will see leaders, delegates and speakers discuss sports industry themes and trends.   The event’s official website says: “Sport has a two-way relationship with society. On one hand, it enjoys greater cultural and societal influence than ever before. The rise of the purpose economy, combined with the changing lifestyles of a new generation, is driving a new emphasis on sport’s capacity to positively impact the world.  “But the world itself is changing. And the forces of economic, technological and societal disruption are als...

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15Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Wales to host International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) in 2020

Wales’s golf industry is celebrating the announcement that the 2020 International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) will be hosted in the country. IGTM 2020 will take place from 19-22 October at the Celtic Manor Resort and the brand new International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales). The event will be held in partnership with The Vale Resort, Marriott St Pierre and Royal Porthcawl. More than 1,000 golf travel professionals are expected to be in Wales for the first ever IGTM in the United Kingdom. It will coincide with the ten-year anniversary of the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.  In a statement Ian Edwards, chief executive of Celtic Manor Resort and ICC Wales, said: “Being the first UK venue to host IGTM is something I am incredibly proud of. “In our first month of opening at ICC Wales, we ha...

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15Dec By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

China International Boat Show and The Lifestyle Show return to Shanghai in 2020

The 25th anniversary of the China International Boat Show (CIBS) will be marked with its 2020 edition at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai from 31 March to 2 April.  Organised by Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets, the four-day CIBS 2020 will cover more than 28,000sqm of the NECC with 600 companies exhibiting. It’s also expected that 40,000 professional visitors will attend.  Highlights in 2020 include more real boats from major brands such as Beneteau and Jeanneau. Among the models on show include high-speed boats, official business boats, sailboats, fishing boats, motorboats and leisure boats.  There will also be a wide range of boat equipment and accessories.  Boat engines, spare parts, safety equipment, boat furniture and electric...

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25Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

4,000 meetings take place at 2019 Scottish Golf Tourism Week

The 2019 Scottish Golf Tourism Week (SGTW) was a resounding success with more than 4,000 meetings taking place during the event. Held from 28 October to 1 November at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews in Fife, the fourth edition of the trade event saw golf businesses network with international tour operators.  Organisers said on Twitter: “The Scottish Golf Tourism Week is the biggest tourism event for all businesses deriving revenue from the golf market. Over 100 businesses carry out more than 4,000 face-to-face meetings with over 100 international tour operators.” The 2018 SGTW is expected to directly contribute £19.1m worth of additional business to Scotland by 2021, and organisers expect the 2019 edition to be even more successful.  It’s also been announced that next year’...

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25Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Viagogo buys StubHub from eBay for $4.05bn: ‘a win-win deal for fans’

A major business deal has been confirmed in the sports ticketing industry with news that eBay Inc has agreed to sell StubHub to viagogo for $4.05bn in cash. The sale is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Eric Baker, viagogo’s founder and CEO, also co-founded StubHub while in business school, but left before the business was sold to eBay for $310m in 2007. He said it has been his “wish” to unite the two companies.  “I am so proud of how StubHub has grown over the years and excited about the possibilities for our shared future,” Baker added.  “Buyers will have a wider choice of tickets, and sellers will have a wider network of buyers. Bringing these two companies together creates a win-win for fans -...

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20Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

WSL Sydney Surf Pro in Manly to generate AUD$3.7m and 25,000 visitor nights

Manly beach in Sydney, Australia, will host the World Surf League’s newest event – the Sydney Surf Pro – for the next three years. The NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, has secured the event exclusively for Sydney as part of the new global WSL Challenger Series. The WSL Sydney Surf Pro will include men’s and women’s events and is locked in for Manly from 2020 to 2022, with the first event to take place between 8-14 March next year.  James Griffin, member for Manly, said: “Manly staged the first-ever world championships in May 1964, and in March this year our iconic four-kilometre beach attracted 11-time world champion Kelly Slater to compete. “Where better to kick off the WSL Challenger Series than in the hub of surf culture that is Manly?”  ...

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19Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

IOC and Airbnb agree Olympic partnership: all the details about the deal

International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Airbnb have announced a major partnership agreement to support the Olympic Movement through to 2028.  The nine-year, five-Games deal includes accommodation provisions that will reduce costs for Olympic Games organisers and stakeholders, minimise the need for construction of new accommodation infrastructure for the Olympic Games period, and generate direct revenue for local hosts and communities. Working together with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Airbnb will also promote accommodation that supports accessibility for people with disabilities or other accessibility needs. Reactions to the partnership IOC president Thomas Bach “This innovative partnership underpins our strategy to ensure that the efficient staging of the Olympic Gam...

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15Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Event focus: Extreme Sports Expo | January 2020 | Dubai

The Extreme Sports Expo returns from 9-11 January 2020 for its fifth edition at the Dubai World Trade Center in Dubai, UAE. Showcasing products from big brands in the world of action sports the Extreme Sports Expo, organised by Never Before Events in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, consists of three specialised events:  Dubai International Bicycle Exhibition Dubai Motorbike Festival Middle East Dive & Fish Expo More than 10,000 visitors are expected to visit the event over the three-day period, where they will be able to find out about special offers, product trials, raffle prizes, competitions and seminars. Zarir Saifuddin, of organisers Never Before Events, said: “The growth of the exhibition is in line with the popularity of action sports in the UAE as w...

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3Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

‘Golfbreaks by PGA Tour’ brand created after golf organisations join forces

PGA Tour has invested in Golfbreaks and the two organisations have created a new golf travel brand - Golfbreaks by PGA Tour. The partnership will give golfers the opportunity to book golf holidays to more than 2,500 destinations throughout Europe and North America.  Founded in 1998 in the United Kingdom, Golfbreaks has become one of the market leaders in golf travel. Following 21 consecutive years of revenue growth, Golfbreaks now looks to accelerate the expansion of its North American business.  Andrew Stanley, Golfbreaks CEO, said: “We opened our US office in 2016 to help the 30 million-plus golfers with a one-stop travel service offering of high-quality, good-value golf vacations.  “Having achieved three years of double-digit growth, the time was right for us to find ...

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1Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Sports tourism and travel industry events and conferences | 2019

STOP THE PRESS! *** We have an updated 2020 sports business calendar on this link. Click to see the latest events, conferences and exhibitions in 2020...*** 

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1Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

2019 sports business calendar: events, conferences and exhibitions

Sports business conferences and events are a huge driver for the tourism and travel industry. Here we look at the sports industry conferences, exhibitions, events and awards for 2019 and 2020. Plus we pick out the top travel and tourism events which feature sporting exhibitors. 2020 sports business and sports tourism calendar: events, conferences, exhibitions December 2019 International Luxury Travel Market (ILTN) Cannes When: 2-5 December 2019 Where: Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes, France Sports exhibitors: outdoor sports, golf, ski, sailing Website: iltm.com/cannes Women in Sport – Next Generation When: 3-4 December 2019 Where: London Stadium, London, UK Website: everythinginsport.com ICSTILO 2019: International Conference on Sport Tourism Industry and Local Org...

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23Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Trends

Interview: StubHub president Sukhinder Singh Cassidy talks NFL, London, Brexit and ticket trends

Hosting major US sporting fixtures has cemented London’s position as an international sports hub - and the perception of the UK has improved for fans who attended the events.   That’s according to a study published in October by online ticket company StubHub which looked at sales data ahead of the 2019 NFL London Games. This year London hosted the NBA regular-season match between the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks at The O2 in January. And for the first time baseball arrived on UK soil with the Boston Red Sox taking on rivals New York Yankees in two MLB matches at the London Stadium in June. In October and November American football has once again been on the London sporting calendar. Two NFL games were played at Tottenham and two are taking place at Wembley.    The StubHub stu...

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22Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business, Sports Travel

MLB World Series to generate $6.5m economic impact for Washington DC

Washington Nationals’s qualification to the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series is set to generate a $6.5m economic impact for Washington DC. Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organisation for the US capital city, has announced that the impact will come from two World Series home games against the Houston Astros on Friday 25 October and Saturday 26 October.  Both matches will be played at Nationals Park in the Capitol Riverfront neighbourhood in south-east DC with the potential of a fifth game on Sunday 27 October. “The World Series is an amazing opportunity for the Washington Nationals, their fans and the economic impact for the nation’s capital,” said Elliott L. Ferguson II, president and CEO, Destination DC.  “We’re excited to showcase Washington DC ...

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17Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Runnin’City wins 1st UNWTO Sports Tourism Start-up Competition

Smartphone app Runnin’City has been named the winner of the 1st United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Sports Tourism Start-up Competition. Launched in partnership with the Barca Innovation Hub and supported by the Qatar National Tourism Council, the competition saw hundreds of start-ups enter. Five companies - Runnin’City; Fly-Foot; Kamui Daisetsu Barrier-free Institute; Oevit; and WeFish - were then shortlisted for the final. In October, the five finalists took centre stage at the Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau, with the first SportsTech edition of the WTO’s Tourism Tech Adventures initiative celebrating the most disruptive ideas and innovators from around the world.  Within the framework of the Forum, the five finalists were invited to Macau for a special masterc...

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17Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel

Man Utd and Marriott Hotels unveil the ‘Seat of Dreams’ at the Theatre of Dreams 

Manchester United and Marriott Hotels have unveiled the “Seat of Dreams” - a new concept that will be launched at the club’s Old Trafford stadium. United’s Premier League clash against rivals Liverpool on Sunday 20 October will see the Seat of Dreams used for the first time. This unique matchday experience allows supporters to watch the action from a coveted vantage point in the ground while also enjoying special perks such as complimentary food and drinks, early entry to the stadium, and the opportunity to meet Man Utd legends. The new addition at the Theatre of Dreams will be awarded to four fans at random through a complimentary upgrade to their existing match ticket. Official hotel partner The debut of the Seat of Dreams concept also marks the kick-off of a larger relationship be...

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12Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Clarity Sports is launched after recruitment of 17 Thomas Cook Sport staff

Clarity has launched a new sports travel division - Clarity Sports - after recruiting the entire Thomas Cook Sports team travel management team. Within 48 hours of the collapse of Thomas Cook on 23 September, Manchester-based business travel firm Clarity stepped in and employed the Thomas Cook Sport staff. The new division was then created.  Pat McDonagh, CEO of Clarity, said: “Players, fans and officials of multiple teams across football, rugby and cricket have all been left in a very difficult situation following the demise of Thomas Cook Sport.  “The logistics of moving sports teams from game to game is a complex operation and because we were already working with many of these clubs, we were able to move quickly to offer jobs to those impacted by the Thomas Cook situation. They quick...

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12Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business, Sports Travel

2021 World Athletics Championships: an ‘unparalleled opportunity’ to showcase Oregon

Following the conclusion of the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, the countdown is now on to the next edition of the event which takes place for the first time in the United States.  The 2021 World Athletics Championships will be held from 6-15 August in Eugene, Oregon - better known as “TrackTown USA”. Hayward Field at the University of Oregon will welcome thousands of athletics fans and nearly 2,000 competitors from more than 200 countries for one of the biggest sporting events in 2021. Oregon governor Kate Brown said: “We could not be prouder to bring the World Championships to the United States for the first time ever, and it is only fitting that TrackTown USA serve as the host.  “Oregon is a running mecca, and we are excited to bring the globe’s elite athletes...

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