Rene Fasel to Lecture at Russian International Olympic University

The Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) in Sochi has announced that René Fasel (IOC member and IIHF President) and three key executives from Sochi 2014 will be guest lecturers on its innovative Brand Building and Communications Programme later this year.

The announcement comes as sports organisations look to secure the final places on the course that will run from the 14 – 25 November 2011. Delegates will have the chance to learn from top experts in the Olympic field and return home with knowledge to add real, tangible value to their organisations. The Sochi 2014 lecturers are Igor Stolyarov (Executive Vice-President Marketing, Brand Management), Alexandra Kosterina (Vice President Communications, Sochi 2014) and Anna Kharnas (Head of Communications, Sochi 2014).

René Fasel spoke of how pleased he was to be involved in such an exciting programme and of the unique opportunity it presented for ambitious sports organisations:

"It is rare that I get a chance to work alongside top practitioners like those assembled for the RIOU Brand Building and Communications Programme, and so I am delighted to be involved. In the current economic climate any sports organisation that wants to be taken seriously by its target audiences, needs to learn to communicate effectively and efficiently. RIOU’s programme will show delegates how to do this."

The newly revealed lecturers will line-up alongside the already announced team of Jon Tibbs, one of the industry’s most respected brand building and communications experts, David Eades, BBC broadcaster, and Alan Abrahamson, sports journalist and member of the IOC Press Commission.

The first week of the course will centre on why sports organisations should behave like a brand and professionalise communications by looking at the core principles of brand building. The second week will use practical methods to address topics including communications strategies, issues management, media relations training, social media and evaluation techniques.

Professor Lev Belousov, Chief Executive Officer of RIOU, highlighted that having so many prestigious lecturers means delegates will receive invaluable insights:

"This course is designed for sports organisations in the 21st Century to be more cost effective and successful by learning how to develop and execute a communications strategy. Over 10 days, knowledge which has taken our lecturers years to acquire will be passed on to delegates through highly interactive classroom sessions."

The deadline for delegate applications to attend this course has been extended to 20 October 2011. Sports organisations wishing to request an application pack or looking for more information, should contact BrandCom2011@olympicuniversity.ru.

RIOU has the full backing of the Russian Olympic Committee and its President, Alexander Zhukov, and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee and its President and CEO, Dmitry Chernyshenko. RIOU was officially established on 21 October 2009, under the auspices of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, the Russian Olympic Committee, the Russian Federal Government, represented by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy and the holding company Interros. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is Chair of RIOU’s Board of Trustees. Further information on RIOU is available at the institution’s website, http://www.olympicuniversity.ru/web/en.

For more information, contact: 44 (0) 1892 860860.

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