Sports Business

13Jun By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Guides, Sports Business, Sports Travel

2020 #SportsBiz conferences: sports tourism and travel industry events

Sports business and sports tourism conferences are a huge driver for the travel industry. However, the sector has been hit hard this year by the coronavirus pandemic with many events cancelled, postponed or rescheduled. Here we look at the #SportsBiz events, conferences, exhibitions and awards scheduled to take place in 2020. All events are subject to change due to Covid-19. Sport + Travel Magazine: sign up for the free monthly digital publication 2020 sports calendar: major sporting events 2020 sports business calendar  December 2020 Business of Sport Summit When: 1-2 December 2020 Where: RACV City Club in Melbourne, Australia and delivered digitally Website: sportsleaders.com.au The Stadium Business Summit When: 1-3 December 2020 Where: online Website: stadiumbusinesssummit.com Maj...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

The Sports Tourism Blog: how esports blur the lines between reality and virtual reality

By Ramy Salameh Imagine having the chance to compete against a true sporting great. It’s unthinkable for the vast majority of people, but based on the current esports revolution this may well be a plausible concept in the cyber world of the future.  Since my last article - Could esports be the ‘virtual’ savior of global sporting events? - many more international sports stars, clubs and events have announced and seen the potential of running an esport tournament.  It provides global sports fans entertainment, links into growing esports audiences since the coronavirus pandemic halted conventional sports and most importantly, provides the sports industry a means to charitably support efforts to tackle Covid-19. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism News & Events Major ...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Sports Tourism Blog: can esports be the ‘virtual’ saviour for major sport?

The Sports Events Blog by co-editor Ramy Salameh The Covid-19 pandemic will reignite the many questions around the “risk vs. return-on-investment” when hosting major sporting events and whether destinations will be reticent to bid in the future. Tokyo’s Olympics and Paralympics have now announced a postponement until July 2021 and the economic implications for Japan are yet to be fully realised based on this deferment.  However, could the esports industry provide some form of safety net and a major new opportunity to help balance the books of major sporting festivals of the future? The discussion has been on the table for a few years now. So much so, that esports may well be on track to be included as a demonstration event, to run prior to and in conjunction with the 2024 Olympic Ga...

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11May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Sports Tourism Blog: ‘Dear NFL, please bring the Atlanta Falcons to London in 2021’

by Sports Tourism Media co-editor Mike Starling | @mikejstarling The NFL has confirmed that the 2020 London games will not be going ahead. As a fan of the Atlanta Falcons this is really disappointing news.  The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged this year’s sporting schedule and the NFL’s popular UK events have become the latest to fall victim to Covid-19.  NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said: "The NFL's London Games have become a major part of the NFL season and the UK sports calendar. But the uncertainty in the current sporting landscape and the tremendous amount of long-term travel and planning required to stage successful London games mean this is the sensible decision to make." Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media Bitter blow for the FA, Spurs and ...

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8May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

World Football Summit and Brazil icon Ronaldo Nazário launch WFS Live virtual event

World Football Summit (WFS) has teamed up with legendary striker Ronaldo Nazário and Octagon Brasil to launch a four-day virtual conference - WFS Live powered by Octagon.  Taking place online from 6-9 July 2020, the football business event will see global leaders from the game come together to address the challenges and opportunities in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a WFS statement executives from clubs, leagues, federations, broadcasters, agencies and sponsorship brands will “lay sound foundations for the sport to continue growing into a new era”. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media Brazilian icon Ronaldo Nazário, a two-time Fifa World Cup winner, is owner of Spanish La Liga club Real Valladolid and is also president of Octagon Brasil.  “T...

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7May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

UFC returns: Dana White on UFC 249, Fight Island and 23 May event in Las Vegas

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White had already confirmed three events for this month and now he has revealed plans for a fight night in Las Vegas on 23 May.  Due to the coronavirus measures the mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation was forced to suspend its calendar. However, UFC 249 is now rescheduled for this Saturday (9 May) while cards are also planned for 13 May and 16 May.  The three events will be held behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Florida.  In a pre-UFC 249 interview with Sports Illustrated, White also revealed plans for Vegas later this month.  He said: “While everybody was f------ lying out by the pool, hanging out and doing whatever the f--- they're doing in quarantine, we were in here f------ grinding, man. Fighting crazy wars every day to put ...

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7May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Bundesliga is back on 16 May: German football is first to restart in Europe

The German Bundesliga will be the first European football league to restart after getting the go-ahead from the government.  Chancellor Angela Merkel has approved plans for the top two professional divisions to resume and the German Football League (DFL) has confirmed that the first matches will be played on Saturday 16 May.  As part of the country’s ongoing coronavirus measures all matches will be played behind closed doors. Nine rounds of fixtures remain in the Bundesliga and the new schedule will see the final weekend of the season played on 27-28 June. Bayern Munich are currently top of the table.   Christian Seifert, DFL managing director, said: “[The] decision is good news for the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is associated with a great responsibility for the clubs and t...

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6May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

£740m ‘black hole’: UK sport bodies face financial meltdown

Sport governing bodies in the United Kingdom are facing hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue losses from events and matches called off because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a hearing on Tuesday industry bosses from football, cricket, rugby union, Olympic and Paralympic sports told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (DCMS) of the financial crisis for UK sporting organisations.  The Daily Telegraph reports that sport’s “darkest hour” will see a £740m “black hole” in the budgets of governing bodies. While the BBC puts the figure at “almost £700m”.  According to the Telegraph UK sporting organisations are facing the following: £200m shortfall for English Football League clubs £107m losses for rugby union if England’s autumn internationals are cancelled £380m ...

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6May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Business

UCI WorldTour 2020 calendar: what dates are the Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España and Tour de France?

Cycling’s world governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has revealed details of its revised 2020 calendars for the UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour. The 2020 season has been suspended since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and major events such as the Tour de France have been rescheduled. In a news release the UCI has confirmed that the men’s cycling WorldTour will start with the Strade Bianche in Italy on 1 August and finish at the Vuelta a España on 8 November. The series will include 25 events.  The Tour de France is scheduled to take place from 29 August to 20 September while the two other grand tours - the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España - will overlap in October. The Giro d’Italia is scheduled for 3-25 October while the Vuelta a España is scheduled f...

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5May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

International Sports Convention in London postponed to June 2021 

This year's International Sports Convention (ISC) in London has been postponed and will now take place from 8-9 June 2021.   Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will remain the host venue for ISC 2021 and also for future editions of the sports business event.  Nigel Fletcher, CEO of ISC, said: “Like everyone, we have been actively monitoring the evolving situation related to the novel coronavirus [COVID-19] and share the concern about the coronavirus and the questions this challenge presents.  “The health and wellbeing of everyone is always paramount. The goal, of course, in any moment of public health concern, is to be guided by expert information, grounded in scientific and medical data, and sourced from public health and government authorities.  “Borrowing one of the most famous advertising c...

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5May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

‘Economic catastrophe’: US sports industry to lose $12bn in revenues

Analysis by ESPN has found that the Covid-19 pandemic will cost the US sports industry $12bn in revenue and see the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Describing the situation as an “economic catastrophe”, the broadcaster says the meltdown is “a fraction of the crisis spreading across the country”, but it is “nonetheless historic”. Patrick Rishe, from Washington University in St Louis, said: “As an economist, you stand back, you look at the carnage that’s taking place - dumbfounded, awestruck, mind-numbing. All of those phrases, they’re all relevant because we just have never seen anything on this scale.” Should the US college football and NFL schedules be wiped out by the pandemic this could see the economic damage double for the sports industry in the States.  The analysis predic...

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5May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Swimming: Fina World Championships in Fukuoka moved to 13-29 May 2022

Swimming’s governing body Fina has moved the World Championships and World Masters Championships in Japan to 2022 following the rescheduling of the Tokyo Olympics Games.   The postponement of this year’s Olympics in the Japanese capital means the mega-event will now take place from 23 July to 8 August 2021. This would have caused a clash with Fina’s two events.  Fina’s swimming World Championships in Fukuoka, which had originally been scheduled for 16 July to 1 August 2021, will now be held from 13-29 May 2022. The World Masters Championships in Kyushu have been moved to 31 May to 9 June 2022, having originally been scheduled for 3-12 August 2021. Fina president Julio Maglione said: “After liaising with the relevant stakeholders and receiving feedback from them, we have no doubt that th...

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5May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

SailGP: season two to now take place in 2021

SailGP will remain suspended for the rest of this year and its second season has now been rescheduled for 2021. In a news release sailing’s global racing championship announced that two of the four impacted events have been allocated new dates for 2021. The event in San Francisco will be held on 17-18 April and New York will be on 4-5 June.  Season two will be expanded from five events to a minimum of seven during the year-long period beginning in April 2021. Results from 2020 Sydney SailGP – the first and only completed event of the year – will be null and void. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “This terrible pandemic has led to the tragic and ongoing loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, and first and foremost, our though...

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4May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

FA chief Greg Clarke: ‘hard to see crowds of fans returning to football matches any time soon’

Greg Clarke, the chairman of the English Football Association (FA), admits that it’s “hard” to see crowds of fans returning to matches “any time soon”.  The coronavirus pandemic has seen football suspended across the UK and Europe and it’s uncertain if the 2019-20 season will be now completed. Governing bodies and organisations, including the Premier League, are busy working on scenarios to try and finish the campaigns with possible options including matches behind closed doors and games played at neutral venues.  However, in a letter to the FA Council Clarke explained that any potential restart for the Premier League and English Football League would need to be assessed by the government and health authorities.  Clarke said: “It is no secret that domestically, a huge amount of work is...

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3May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Cycling: UEC reschedules European Road Championships for September 2021 

The 2020 European Road Championships in Trentino, Italy, has been postponed and the cycling event will now take place in September next year.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) announced that the 2020 edition - which was due to be held from 9-13 September - will be delayed by 12 months and remain in Trentino.  The exact dates for next year’s event will be confirmed by the UEC within the next few months and options include 1-5 September or 8-12 September.  Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media In a statement the UEC said: “This decision was taken in full agreement and co-operation with the parties concerned, namely the Union Européenne de Cyclisme, APT Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle dei Laghi and Trentino Marketing, the city of Tren...

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1May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business

Japan’s first esports hotel to open in Osaka in 2020

The city of Osaka will be the home of Japan’s first esports hotel when it opens this year.  Featuring gaming facilities and 94 beds over nine floors, the “Esports Hotel E-Zone Cyberspace” will offer no-frills accommodation in order to prioritise on the in-game experience. In a news release the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said: “The first, second and third floors are dedicated to gaming, with over 70 top of the range gaming PCs.  “The floors above meanwhile will house sleeping cabins, though the seventh floor will also feature some rooms with their own PCs for serious gamer ‘otaku’ - eat, sleep, game, repeat!”   Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media About the hotel Name of hotel: Esports Hotel E-Zone Cyberspace Located: Nipponbashi, Osaka, Osak...

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1May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Study reveals impact of Covid-19 on the UK snow sports and ski industry

A survey of UK snow sports and ski industry professionals has revealed the damage that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on their businesses. Published by Ski Press and Skipedia, the research was conducted online from 24-29 April 2020 and sectors represented include tour operators, travel agencies, retail, brands, ski slopes and media. As well as the impact of the coronavirus measures, the study looked at what the future might hold for the winter sports industry during the next 12 months.  Some of the key findings were:  82% of companies suffered reduced sales due to the premature end of the 2019-20 season, with two-thirds experiencing lower than usual sales for winter 2020-21 so far Almost one in five have made staff redundant and a quarter are concerned they could go out of business...

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1May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Hundred postponed: 2021 launch will be ‘critical’ for future of English cricket 

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) CEO Tom Harrison admits the decision to postpone the launch of The Hundred is a disappointing one, but the event in 2021 will play a “critical” role in the sport’s revival and long-term future.  The ECB’s new 100-ball tournament was due to start this summer. However, like many sporting events in the UK, it has been called off due to Covid-19. The Hundred’s inaugural season will now happen in 2021.  Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media In a statement ECB chief Harrison said: “The situation we find ourselves in as a country means that delivery of The Hundred will not be possible this summer.  “Whilst we are naturally disappointed that we won’t get to realise our ambitions this year, The Hundred will go ahead in 2021 when we are s...

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1May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

‘Stay at Home Slam’: virtual tennis with Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and… Super Mario

There’s no majors on the schedule until the US Open in August due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but tennis fans can enjoy a grand slam with a difference this weekend. On Sunday 3 May eight of IMG’s top tennis clients - including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Kei Nishikori and Maria Sharapova - will participate alongside other celebrities in a live virtual tennis tournament titled the “Stay at Home Slam”.  Played on Mario Tennis Aces for Nintendo Switch, the Stay at Home Slam will see stars compete from their homes and each will receive $25,000 donated to the charity of their choice. The winner of the tournament will also receive an additional $1m in donation. As well as the all-star line-up on the virtual court, legendary tennis player John McEnroe and popular YouTube personality iJustine (...

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1May By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Scottish Highlands up first on Rally the Globe’s updated events calendar 

Rally the Globe, a not-for-profit members’ club for owners of pre-1976 vintage and classic cars, has announced a revised events calendar for 2020, 2021 and 2022. With the coronavirus causing major travel restrictions, many of the club’s events – including the Round the World circumnavigation – have had to be cancelled.  Anticipating the likelihood of international travel regulations being gradually relaxed, the amended calendar commences this autumn with the first of two events set entirely in the UK. First up on the revised schedule – government advice permitting – is the spectacular Highland Thistle Rally in the Scottish Highlands from 4-9 October. The rally will begin and finish at a five-star hotel in St Andrews and the five-day route is open to all pre-1977 models. The second UK-b...

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