SportAccord Opens Delegate Registration -- Conferences and Conventions

(ATR) Full registration for the SportAccord Convention 2016 opened this week. Delegates can now register online and receive a discounted delegate accreditation rate.

The convention is moving to the Olympic capital Lausanne, Switzerland from Apr. 17-22 and features a three-day exhibition at the Swiss Tech Convention Center.

The exhibition floor plan opened to potential exhibitors on Wednesday. Interested exhibitors can view an interactive online floor plan that is linked to the registration system. The interactive floor plan provides details about price, size and current reservations.

The conference will undertake several changes in 2016 thanks to its newleadership.

Following former SportAccord president Marius Vizer’s condemning remarksabout the IOC at the 2015 SportAccord Convention that led to hisresignation, ASOIF president Francisco Ricci Bitti took over the reinsof the convention. International Ski Federation president Gian-FrancoKasper is serving as the interim president of the SportAccordorganization.

Although the convention and the organization are currently separateentities, the SportAccord Council will begin talks to merge the twobodies on Jan. 26.

The leadership change also brought about the location change for the event.

"What better place could SportAccord Convention have chosen to hold itsannual event than Lausanne, a city which is made for sport," said IOCpresident Thomas Bach.

Prior to his resignation, Vizer had proposed the convention remain inSochi, Russia on an annual basis as opposed to rotating around the globeas it has since its inception in 2003. The deadline for cities toexpress interest in bidding to host the 2017 or 2018 conventions is Jan.28.

Smart Cities & Sport Launches New Website

The annual Smart Cities & Sport conference heads to Lausanne from Oct. 12-14 hosted by the World Union of Olympic Cities.

The conference launched its new website to begin the new year as part of the World Union of Olympic Cities' "vision to become a leading platform for exchange of knowledge about cities' interaction with sport".

Speakers at the event include Vancouver 2010 chief executive officer John Furlong, IOC chief executive officer Christophe de Kepper, IOC member Gilbert Felli and many more.

The third edition of the event is expected to draw more than 250 participants from 60 cities.

One Week Remains for World Stadium Congress Pre-Launch

Interested participants in the World Stadium Congress can book their spot online for 15 percent off until Jan. 21. The coupon code is discount code ‘16797.010_PRELAUNCH’.

The congress will take place in Doha, Qatar from May 16-19 and features presentations by leaders in the sports stadium industry from UEFA, DFL Bundesliga, Arsenal F.C. and Amsterdam ArenA International, among others.

The final agenda for the congress is expected to be revealed next week. The current draft of the agenda can be found on the website.

The conference is expected to attract more than 350 attendees as well as over 30 sponsors and exhibitors.

Conference Schedule

AISTS SEMOS 2016: Feb. 1-5

City Events 2016: Mar. 14-15

SPORTELAsia 2016: Mar. 15-17

SportAccord Convention: Apr. 17-22

World Stadium Congress: May 16-19

The Academy: Jun. 1-2

Sustainable Sports & Events: Jun. 9-10

IT in the Olympics: Jun. 10-14

World Football Forum: Jul. 7-8

8th International Sport Business Symposium: Aug. 16

International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport: Aug. 31-Sept. 4

Smart Cities & Sport Summit: Oct. 12-14

World Sports Tourism Summit: Nov. 21-25

International Sports Convention:Dec. 7-8

IPC Vista Conference: Sep. 19-22, 2017

Written by Kevin Nutley

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