Host City 2020 Post-Event report by cavendish-group

THE BIG RESTART: RECOVERY WITH A PURPOSE FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

POST-EVENT REPORT

8-9 December 2020 Hosted online from Glasgow, Scotland

The Largest Meeting of Cities and Sports, Business and Cultural Events

THANK YOU 2020 has been an unprecedented year for Host City, for the events industry and indeed for humanity. We are all innovating to survive, adapt and develop. In this context, we cannot express highly enough our gratitude to Paul Bush OBE and his team at EventScotland, Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE and Glasgow Life and Aileen Crawford at Glasgow Convention Bureau for their continued support this year. It has been an incredible privilege to provide a virtual platform, via Glasgow, Scotland, for 100 of the most influential and engaging speakers from the world’s greatest sports, business and cultural events and host cities to reach a live global audience of 814. While at times this year it seemed the conference theme “The Big Restart” might be premature, Host City 2020 came at a time of hope, with the majority of delegates saying they expected the events industry to return to “normal” by 2022. But what will the comeback look like, in a world that has transformed seemingly overnight? It was a joy to hear a highly diverse line up of speakers discussing what “Recovery with a Purpose for the Digital Age” means to them, with digitalisation, the environment, Black Lives Matter, diversity and inclusion all taking pride of place on this year’s agenda. Young and old, black and white, male and female were all well represented and we thank you all. We particularly thank Sir Craig Reedie GBE, who has been kind enough to attend every Host City since its launch in 2014. We’d also like to thank our Gold Sponsors: AIPH and Orange Sports Forum; and our Silver Sponsors: Aggreko, Cannes Convention Bureau, DB Schenker, the Department for International Trade, Foamhand, SailGP and Super League Triathlon. We also thank all our other partners, including World Athletics, Come Play in Florida, Wonderful Copenhagen, Sport Event Denmark, the Global Esports Federation, AEG Europe, the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES), the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC), the International Association of Event Hosts, and media partners Access All Areas, Around the Rings, fcbusiness, MEI, Mondo Stadia, Score & Change and SportBusiness, While most participants in Host City 2020 were physically at home on 8-9 December, in spirit we were all in Glasgow, Scotland. We very much look forward to bringing the Host City community together again there, following Glasgow’s hosting of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference next year. Sincerely, Ben Avison Conference Director Cavendish Group

Event Industry Rises to COVID Challenges and Eyes Recovery in 2021 Host City 2020 was full of fascinating insights and debate about the state of the events sector, this year held against the backdrop of coronavirus and its ongoing impacts across the industry A virtual conference for the first time, the conference shed fresh light on how rights holders and organising committees are adapting to the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak, both in the UK and globally. Ho s t C i t y h i g h l i g ht e d h ow eve nt organisers have put the health and safety of athletes, spectators and staff at the heart of their plans to reopen for business. Across two days, 814 delegates tuned in to listen to the 100-plus speakers at the largest annual meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. The focus of debate was the “The Big Restart”, and they evaluated how event stakeholders could bring about “Recovery with a Purpose for the Digital Age”. The conference opened with speeches from Host City’s supporting partners, Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, and Bridget McConnell, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life. Bush sounded an optimistic note despite the difficulties being experienced by the events industry due to coronavirus. He said the next few years may be challenging for everyone: “We as an industry will have to be even more focused, brave

and ambitious along with seeking logical pragmatic solutions that are evidence based.” McConnell spoke about the need for event organisers to remain ambitious, bolster strategic partnerships and focus on innovation and citizen engagement to deliver their visions. Keynote addresses were given by S i r C r a i g Re e d i e , a m e m b e r o f t h e International Olympic Committee, Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai. Thobois said COVID-19 had forced Paris 2024 to “review our priorities and adapt our planning… but our vision has not changed”. There was a renewed focus on promoting sports participation, using sport as a tool to change society and showing through a major public engagement program that “everyone can play a role”. Expo 2020 Dubai was scheduled to be one of this year’s biggest international events before it fell victim to COVID-19.

Al Hashimy said the 1 October 2021 Expo may be the first mega-event to take place in the wake of the global pandemic. Commenting on the resilience of Dubai, she said the Expo was the product of extensive international cooperation – and even at the height of the pandemic “work continued apace with its partners”. Hosting in the Digital, Post-COVID Era Paul Foster, COO of the Global Esports Federation, talked about the importance of connecting with gaming audiences, athletes and the communities in a sustainable and dynamic way. The huge growth of Esports, which has triggered plans to stage the first Global Esports Games in December 2021, was an opportunity for host cities “to think about how we consume entertainment”. Despite the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to next summer, Reedie said the IOC was confident in Japan delivering and getting crowds back to sport. He was encouraged that Japan was now bringing spectators into baseball and football matches. The theme of adaptability surfaced again

We as an industry will have to be even more focused, brave and ambitious along with seeking logical pragmatic solutions that are evidence based Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland and conference chair

and again in conference panels related to the repercussions of COVID-2019. Paris 2024’s Thobois said the biggest shift for Olympic organisers was integrating new hires into the team while adopting a working from home philosophy during the pandemic. But he said Games preparations were “very much on time and on target into terms of planning” with construction on a limited number of projects due to start in early 2021. Ian Reid, CEO of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said the shake-up of the 2022 events calendar to incorporate the rescheduled world and European athletics championships in Oregon and Munich respectively, together with the 2022 UEFA Women's Championship, was one challenge. Abandoning plans for one athletes’ village in favour of a multiple village model was another, a decision which “has de-risked the project”. A panel discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement evaluated whether it was prompting the sports, business and cultural events industries to change for the better. Densign White, Chair of Sporting Equals and CEO of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, said BLM had made people more aware about institutional racism. But he raised concerns about the ongoing lack of diversity in ethnic minority representation in the leadership of sport at board level and in coaching: “There’s a lot of talk but the needle has hardly moved in terms of those numbers.” In a session on inclusion and diversity in the boardroom and playing field, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, winner of 16 Paralympic medals in a glittering career, said sports bodies needed to listen to the lived experience of disabled people and include more of them in coaching and administrator roles. Saoud Al Ansari, Precinct Director of Al Thumama Stadium, Competition Venues, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, gave an update about progress across the project. Three of the eight host stadiums are finished. All venues in the compact host city plan are within 75km distance, a “strong advantage for players and the fans,” Al Ansari said. ‘How major events are contributing to environmental goals’ was a thoughtprovoking panel. Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence for Paris 2024, said the environment was a focus in early concepts of Games preparations. It had guided decisions including a sustainable procurement strategy and throughout the supply chain. Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of the International Association of Horticultural

Producers, spoke in a session titled ‘Aligning event strategies with green city plans’. He said global horticultural expos “provide a great opportunity to showcase green innovation and to set the scene for the development of a city into the future”. They also provided huge economic benefits and stimulated environmental and sustainable best practices. Industry Eyes Revival and Stability in 2021 On day two, there was plenty of optimism expressed by speakers about a strong recovery next year. Rights holders, organising committees, facility managers and suppliers discussed how they’ve used the unprecedented pause in event staging due to COVID-19 to rethink business models and strategies. Joe Ryan, Head of Health and Safety at the Birmingham 2022 Games, talked about how organisers were well-positioned to react quickly to new public health messaging from government and changes

He said it was “far from easy and only possible due to strict COVID protocols”. World Athletics had to “to take back control of the competition environment”. Ridgeon praised the “strong cooperation a n d c a n - d o a t t i t u d e” of t h e Po l i s h government, local organising committee and city of Gdynia. Although there were increased costs in holding the World Half Marathon amid the pandemic, coupled with significantly reduced income streams, it was deemed a major success. Ridgeon said athletics’ governing body was now better placed to upscale its COVID protocols and improve them for bigger events in 2021. Tatsuo Ogura, Director of International Communications for the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, gave an update on how organisers are preparing to stage COVID-safe Games next summer. He said athletes were front and centre of plans and the Olympics “provides a symbol of hope, resilience and the power of humanity working as one”.

Events will return… we just don’t know when, how and what shape they will be

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland and conference chair

in policy to bring people back to work in the office and accelerate preparations: “We need to monitor those and implement change where we need to and be very reactive.” Michelle Hooper, Tournament Director of Rugby World Cup New Zealand 2021, said the event organisation had benefited from the government going “hard and early to stop COVID coming in at the border”. John Langford, Chief Operating Officer of AEG Europe, which operates multipurpose venues such as The O2 Arena in London and Staples Center in Los Angeles, said the sports and entertainment giant had worked hard on health and safety plans to prepare for a full re-opening of COVID-secure venues. But there were uncertainties over “what the future will look like” in terms of ticket demand, the economy and how existing business models might have to change. Jon Ridgeon, CEO of World Athletics, presented a fascinating case study on how track and field’s governing body had successfully staged the World Half Marathon championships in Gdynia, Poland, in October. It had been postponed from March.

Another topic of discussion was the convergence of digital and real-world events. It brought examples from Super League Triathlon and golf’s European Tour about how they have innovated to stage virtual sports for elite athletes as they look to learn lessons from the Esports community and integrate VR and AR into event strategies. And in a session led by Katie Traxton, Chief Communications Officer of Formula E, four young ‘Gen Zers’ explained the importance of social media channels in their lives and how they engage and share content with friends. It offered some eyeopening comments for the events industry about how young people connect with each other in 2020. Wrapping up Host City 2020, Bush of VisitScotland said the level of conference discussions was “phenomenal”. He was encouraged to hear that across the industry events executives are planning smartly to prepare for business returning, but summed up the uncertainties, “we just don’t know when, how and what shape they will be”.

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A GLOBAL MEETING PLACE HOST CITY 2020 IN NUMBERS

814 ATTENDEES

100 SPEAKERS

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

CONTENT SESSIONS

83% RATED THE EVENT "EXCELLENT" OR "GOOD" 85% LIKELY TO ATTEND THE EVENT AGAIN 88% WOULD RECOMMEND HOST CITY TO OTHERS

60 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED AT HOST CITY 2020 TOP 10 COUNTRIES

COMPANY ACTIVITY

25% Suppliers 23% Event Owners 22% Cities / Destinations 13% LOCs / NOCs 10% Venues 7% Media

65% Sports Events | 22% Cultural Events | 14% Business Events

GLASGOW

Glasgow:

the perfect host city Glasgow is a leading conference and events destination and boasts a wealth of experience in delivering success for our clients.

W LIFE DPS The city has won numerous accolades, including being crowned the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading Festival and Events Destination in 2019 and being recognised as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top five Ultimate Sports Cities. With our world class infrastructure and proven track record in staging global events such as the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and the inaugural European Championships in 2018, we are perfectly placed to be your host. Looking forwards, there are significant dates in the diary including COP 26 in November 2021 and the first edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023, cementing our reputation for excellence. The city backdrop is vibrant and full of character, with magnificent architecture, brilliant shopping, world class art, museums and culture as well as incredibly friendly people - all the ingredients for a perfect host city.

Don't take our word for it

What participants said about us

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It was an awesome pleasure to work with Host City. The quality and insight of the speakers were immense. Raising awareness and bringing together committed advocates to ask the tough questions and agitate hard answers and conversations will contribute to fostering the needed change Brian Lewis, President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) I appreciated the opportunity to share our vision for Greater Orlando with such a tremendous international audience. The folks at Host City always do a great job, not only organizing events but bringing leaders of industry together for meaningful conversation Jason Siegel, President & CEO, Greater Orlando Sports Commission An excellent opportunity to hear from a wide range of senior figures in the sport and events industry, with a balanced and interesting agenda James Savage, Sports Business Group, Deloitte LLP Host City is always a great place for networking and building closer relationships with existing connections, It’s also inspirational to hear what is happening in the industry: last year’s event in Glasgow inspired the idea of the Arena Games which was a gamechanger for us in this pandemic year. Finally the team is always very helpful in providing information and helped us to best leverage our participation Michael Dhulst, Co-Founder & CEO, Super League Triathlon Host City is unique for the very high quality level of the speakers and the transparency when it comes to describing challenges and solutions found. There is something to learn in every session and the vast majority of those learnings can be applied instantly Sven Bossu, CEO, International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC)

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That Host City invited four Gen Z content creators to share their view on our purpose-driven digital future is testament to its innovative, culturally conscious outlook and relevance. Each panel offers unique perspectives and insight which inspire attendees from diverse organisations around the world Katie Traxton, Chief Communications Officer, Formula E. The host city conference constituted a highlight and ranks top of the list of many virtual conferences I attended in 2020. The topics were brought to life through some engaging and very competent speakers and provided practical insights for event organizers to build on 2021 Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, Global Technology & Sustainability Director, Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions It was a great compliment to moderate at Host City 2020 – the event organisers had gathered such a great panel of industry experts, keen to share their knowledge. The audience were incredibly engaged – the questions started coming from the minute the microphones switched on until the click signalled the end of our session Fiona Green, Director and Co-Founder, Winners FDD Another fantastic Host City Conference this year, despite the challenging times. It was a pleasure to be part of an outstanding event with some great speakers adding to the quality content. The discussions and networking opportunities this event provides will no doubt prove important as we work towards the recovery of the sector Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture These are challenging times, especially for the event industry. Therefore, it was very useful that Host City could take place as a digital exhibition, where leaders of the industry and key stakeholders could share their experiences, ideas and best practices regarding the challenges for events, suppliers, host cities etc. The digital platform was a good alternative for Host City Glasgow, where we got the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Nevertheless, we hope to see everyone next year again in Glasgow! Rick Sleegers - Project Manager - Orange Sports Forum

100 Speakers including »

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland

Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life

Sir Craig Reedie GBE, Member, International Olympic Committee

Tatsuo Ogura, Director, International Communications, Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Michael Cole, Chief Technology Officer, European Tour

Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Alban Dechelotte, Head of Partnerships & Business Development EMEA, Riot Games

H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai

Michael Dhulst, Co-Founder & CEO, Super League Triathlon

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, Scotland

Jakob Larsen, Director of Competition and Events, World Athletics

Paul J. Foster, Chief Operating Officer, Global Esports Federation

Aoife Delmas, Director of Business Development, European Society of Cardiology

John Langford, Chief Operating Officer, AEG Europe

Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, DL, Independent Crossbench Peer, The House of Lords

Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, Member, International Olympic Committee and Vice President, Badminton World Federation

David Leather, CEO, CGF Partnerships

Andy Westlake, Chairman, European Sponsorship Association

Angeline van den Broecke, Global Business Development and Marketing Director, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Geoff Ellis, CEO, DF Concerts

Jacob Gough, Production Director, Coventry City of Culture Trust

Fanta Diallo, Director of Sports, Youth and Community, City of Dakar

Ian Reid, CEO, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Niels de Vos, Executive Director, World Athletics Championships Oregon22

Densign White, Chair, Sporting Equals and CEO, International Mixed Martial Arts Federation

Brian Lewis, President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee

Jimena Saldaña, Vice President, Mexican Olympic Committee

David Grevemberg, Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Games Federation

Angela Adams Suggs, President & CEO, Florida Sports Foundation

Sabrina Ibanez, Secretary General, FEI

Jose Sotolongo, Director of Sports & Entertainment Tourism, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Kate Caithness CBE, President, World Curling

Jason Siegel, President & CEO, Greater Orlando Sports Commission

Bruno Marie-Rose, Director of Technology, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Mandy Keegan, Director Media Operations, Expo 2020 Dubai

Sven Bossu, CEO, International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC)

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Culture Creativity Place

Federico Addiechi, Head of Sustainability and Environment, FIFA

Olivier Debargue, Director of Procurement, Paris 2024

Julia Amour, Director, Festivals Edinburgh

Georgina Grenon, Director of Environmental Excellence, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Saoud Al Ansari, Precinct Director of Al Thumama Stadium, Competition Venues, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy

Jon Ridgeon, CEO, World Athletics

David De Behr, Head of Sales, Aggreko Event Services

Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH – International Association of Horticultural Producers

Chester King, Vice President & Chair, Education, Culture and Wellness Commission, Global Esports Federation

Michelle Hooper, Tournament Director, Rugby World Cup New Zealand 2021

Christian Hirschmüller, Head of Technical Services & Overlay, UEFA Events S.A.

Sir Russell Coutts KNZM CBE, CEO, SailGP

Robbie Clyde, Head of EventScotland, VisitScotland

Kim Mejnert Frydensbjerg, Head of Events, Wonderful Copenhagen

Joanne Deponio, UEFA EURO 2020 (Glasgow) Host City Project Lead, Glasgow Life

Rick Sleegers, Project Manager, Orange Sports Forum

Andrew Lynch, Senior Director of Strategy, Foamhand

International Horticultural Expos AIPH, the International Association of Horticultural Producers has been approving and regulating International Horticultural Expos, since 1960.

Our mission is to be the World’s Champion for the Power of Plants. Our approved Expos help to green cities across the globe to enhance the environment as well as local and national economies. With every Expo, further awareness builds around sustainability and environmental issues, as well as leaving a beautiful and lasting legacy – these are echoed by the themes of each Expo.

If you would like to know more about the benefits of hosting an International Horticultural Expo, please contact us. We would also welcome discussions with suppliers to major events to explain our Preferred Partner Programme and how your business can benefit.

• www.aiph.org Treve Evans •Senior International

Relations Manager treve.evans@aiph.org AIPH EXPO Conference 16 March 2021 Online meeting

Could your city host an International Horticultural Expo? The impact of Covid-19 has dramatically affected and reshaped our lives, highlighting the critical role that local communities play in contributing to keeping people safe, maintaining connections, and promoting well-being and economic activity.

During the first lockdown, many people took to making their own world’s beautiful by growing plants to help cope with the uncertainty. A vast body of scientific research shows us growing plants enhance lives, advance societies, and will sustain our planet, for this generation and the next. The International Association of Horticultural Producers: AIPH is a non-profit organisation that has been pursuing key activities to support the global ornamental horticulture industry since 1948. AIPH approves the most exceptional horticultural exhibitions In addition to being the world’s champion for the power of plants, we have a mandate by international convention to be the international body responsible for approving the world’s most exceptional horticultural exhibitions. AIPH approval has been the pre-requisite for a horticultural Expo to receive the recognition of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) since 1960. The most recent World Horticultural Expo was in Beijing, China, in 2019. It attracted over nine million visitors. Currently, we have approved seven expos between 2021 and 2027 in Europe and Asia. Horticultural expos can vary from 25 to 500 hectares in size and last 5 to 6 months. Expos in Europe tend to

attract 2 – 4 million visitors, whereas those in Asia tend to draw 5 – 10 million. The minimum number of international participants required is 10, but numbers at previous expos have been between 10 and over 100. At our AIPH conferences, held twice a year internationally, cities seek AIPH approval to stage these spectacular events, often as part of a city development or regeneration programme. In September of this year, we hosted a virtual online conference, with delegates participating from every continent of the world made up of host cities, potential host cities, AIPH Members, horticultural industry representatives, major event service providers and the media. AIPH Secretary General, Tim Briercliffe says: “The pandemic has created real challenges for organisers of major events like Expos but it has also highlighted the importance of green spaces and leisure experiences to improving quality of life. During 2020 Expo organisers have continued to prepare their events and new applications from cities around the world demonstrates the importance they attach to creating greener places to live and making better cities for the future.” The following A1 World Horticultural Expos gave progress report presentations: •

E x p o 2 0 2 2 F l o r i a d e A m s t e rd a m A l m e re (t h e

• •

Netherlands) Expo 2023 Doha Qatar World Horticultural Exhibition 2027 Yokohama (Japan)

A n d t h e fo l l o w i n g c i t i e s p re p a r i n g B c a t e g o r y International Horticultural Exhibitions followed: • • • •

Expo 2021 Hatay (Turkey) 2021 Yangzhou International Horticultural Exhibition (China) Expo 2023 Kahramanmaras (Turkey) Suncheon International Garden Expo 2023 (South Korea)

As part of their application process for AIPH approval, the conference also received presentations from Chengdu (China), Izmir (Turkey) and Quang Binh (Vietnam), all seeking to host B category International Horticultural Exhibitions in the coming years. AIPH spreads awareness of the need for city greening Green City is not just a faraway notion; there is a growing imperative to address climate change, air pollution, biodiversity, mental health, and social cohesion and the development of green cities will help balance these needs. Horticultural Expos are significant events for the national and international promotion of a host city. These events boost tourism, culture, business development, sustainability and green credentials, as well as the local and national horticulture industry. They especially encourage creative green space development and the importance of plants in our society and for our well-being One of the pre-requisites for Horticultural Expo approval from AIPH stipulates the host city must demonstrate a genuine commitment to becoming an internationally recognised green city. AIPH Technical Advisor, Dr Audrey Gerber, says: “AIPH Expos attract millions of people. When they visit an Expo people see how plants play an essential role in many aspects of life. Home gardens contribute significantly to urban greening with much of the land in cities being privately owned or managed. We need individuals and communities to contribute to urban greening to make sure that our cities are liveable and resilient.” Horticultural Expos create a lasting and beneficial legacy for the host In 2019, AIPH commissioned MI Associates, specialists in major events, to provide an event asset valuation of Category A1 and B Expos through a combination of research, economic modelling and strategic input. MI employed a direct expenditure methodology to calculate the projected expo economic impact. The metrics used were from the following data to create these projections: Attendance; Visitors; Visitor spend; Visitor nights, and Valuation. Also, MI identified and performed an evaluation of the non-economic and legacy benefits provided by these expos. In the concluding report, Blooming Economies, the following conclusions focused on the Institutional Capacity Legacy. Watch Institutional Capacity Legacy video

AIPH Expo Support Programme The AIPH has a support programme to help stage a World International Horticultural Expo and to bring together experts from different industries, often from outside the host city, to build together and deliver benefits for all before, during and after the Expo. Our Organiser’s Expo Guide is packed full of information. You can find many details, including our regulations and applications on the Exhibitions page on our website. AIPH would be delighted to discuss the opportunity to host an expo, so please do speak to our AIPH Senior International Relations Manager treve.evans@aiph.org

Sverdlovsk Governor Evgeny Kuivashev and SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt Meet to Discuss SportAccord 2021 At a meeting in Ekaterinburg, Governor Evgeny Kuivashev and Managing Director of SportAccord, Nis Hatt, discussed the preparatory stages for the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit, which will be held in Ekaterinburg in the spring of 2021. Mr. Hatt is currently on a working visit to the Sverdlovsk region. He heads the evaluation commission in charge of working out the details of holding the sports event in the Ural capital. During the meeting, the Governor and Managing Director of SportAccord discussed the stages of organising the summit, possible topics for dialogue within its scope, and the formation of a list of guests and participants. It is anticipated that about two thousand heads of international sports federations, organisational committees, cities and regions, as well as a delegation of the International Olympic Committee will gather in Ekaterinburg. A special topic of discussion was the preparation of responses to the challenges faced by the world community during the epidemic. "The dialogue between representatives of the international sports community and the exchange of best practices for the recovery of sports following the pandemic should be continuous. Cooperation to meet modern challenges must continue even after the forum events", Evgeny Kuyvashev said. Nis Hatt noted that both he and the entire SportAccord delegation are happy to be back in Ekaterinburg.

"From what we have seen here over the past few days, I can say that everything is being carried out at a very, very high level. I am happy with what we have seen, you've advanced in many areas", he said. The meeting was held at Dom Sevastyanova, a historic mansion, which is an object of the cultural heritage of federal importance and is rightly considered to be one of Ekaterinburg's most notable landmarks. Mr. Hatt suggested that the Governor consider holding one of the summit's events in one of the halls of Dom Sevastyanova, describing the mansion as "breathtaking". Evgeny Kuyvashev supported the initiative and gave the head of the Association a tour of the mansion.

On-Demand Conference content 100 speakers joined Host City 2020 to share their experience and insights. Follow the links below, or visit www.hostcity.com for the full on-demand schedule. Welcome Address: Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland