LAUSANNE, Switzerland – “Why Sport Matters” will be the conference theme of the ninth annual SportAccord Convention taking place in London next spring. Leaders in business, government and sport from around the world will debate sport’s unique social and economic role during the global summit at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel from April 3-8, 2011.
Conference participants will tackle provocative topics such as “What Sport Can Learn from the Banking Crisis” and “Are Sporting Heroes Dead?” A discussion entitled “In the Hot Seat” will examine preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games in London. Also on the programme will be sessions on “Why Sport Matters to the Entertainment Industry” and Brazil’s new prominence as host nation of both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. More details about the programme will be announced in coming weeks.
“Our conference will be a dialogue on key trends for global sport and its stakeholders and partners,” said Anna Hellman, Executive Director of the SportAccord Convention. “Our overall theme is ‘Why Sport Matters’ because sport really does matter more and more in so many areas of contemporary life, and its potential to contribute across the board is especially great in major cities such as London.”
Lord Digby Jones, Chairman of SportAccord London 2011, said: “It is such a privilege to be chairing SportAccord London next April. Sport matters. It matters economically, educationally and environmentally, for social inclusion, and entertainment and culture. The UK is THE international home for sporting events so where else for the rest of the world to come and show its wares but London? Next time, if you are serious about your sport and about your city then there is only one place to be and that’s London. I look forward to welcoming you to a fabulous event in the Olympic City of London.”
Held in a different city every year, the SportAccord Convention features top-level conference sessions and a dynamic exhibition as well as the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport. The Convention attracts over 1,500 leading representatives of international sport. Previous editions of the annual event have been sold out and delegates and press are encouraged to register early on the newly relaunched SportAccord Convention website athttp://www.sportaccordconvention.com
2011 marks the first time the UK has ever hosted the SportAccord Convention and is a key milestone in delivering the UK capital’s long-term aim to position London as the world’s leading city in the business of sport. With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games around the corner, the convention is a unique opportunity for the capital and the UK to showcase its expertise and increase its market share in the US$111 billion global sports business industry.
The organisation of the 2011 SportAccord Convention is being co-ordinated by the Events for London team at Visit London and has been heavily supported and funded by a number of the UK’s sporting and business bodies including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UKSport, the Greater London Authority, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), UK Trade & Investment and the London Development Agency (LDA) and VisitBritain.
For more information on the Convention, visit http://www.sportaccordconvention.com
