Wednesday June 4th Conference Sessions   


Watch: Opening, Welcome, Keynote Address & Case Study 1


09:00-09:10 Opening of conference
Mr. Michail Liapis, Greek Minister for Culture

09:10-09:15 Welcome
Rick Burton, SportAccord Conference Host


09:15-10:00 KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Staying relevant in changing times

Real changes are now taking place in the sports marketplace. How can sport maintain its
position? What key issues does it need to address to continue to deliver value to the
consumer? What consumer trends are competing with sport? What aspects of sport are
alienating some of the audience? How does sport continue to attract fans, participants and
sponsors? A corporate view of future relevance.

Patrick Walker, Director of Video Partnerships, YouTube/Google


10:00-10:30 CASE STUDY I: What do today’s youth want from sport?

Reaching the target group of teens and young adults has become a key challenge facing
sports and their marketing partners. But what are these hard-to-get-to young consumers
looking for? And what’s necessary to capture their attention and loyalty?

Yannis Kavounis, Director, Henley Centre HeadlightVision


11:15-12:00 INTERVIEW and Q&A: Building and managing an athlete’s long-term career

Many years of hard work and preparation go into creating a sporting champion, so often to the
neglect of laying the foundation for a successful career after the days of competition are over.
What is the optimum balance between sporting and personal development, and how can elite
athletes get it right?

Moderator: Rick Burton, Sport Accord Conference Host & Former Commissioner of the NBL, Australia
Sergey Bubka, Olympic Champion, Pole-vault
Jonathan Edwards CBE, Board Member, LOCOG and Olympic Champion, Triple Jump
Nawal El Moutawakel, Minister for Youth & Sport, Morocco
Aksel Lund-Svindal, Winner, 2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup

 

12:00-13:00 STATE OF PLAY: A legal retrospective of 2007

What legal issues have made news and influenced decisions over the past year and how are
they likely to affect federations, teams, businesses, athletes, sporting events and sports fans?
A must-hear report for everyone involved in sport.

Gary R. Roberts, Dean & Gerald L. Bepko Prof. of Law
Indiana University of School of Law – Indianapolis

Hayden Opie, Director of Studies, Sports Law Program
Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne

14:30-15:00 INTERVIEW: Beijing’s moment in the sun with Hein Verbruggen

From supervising the Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2008 Games and presiding as
the President of GAISF, to serving as the ‘father’ of SportAccord, Hein Verbruggen has seen
the Olympic world from almost every conceivable angle. In an informal and personal setting,
Verbruggen will talk about the IOC’s efforts in Beijing – the challenges, the changes, the
possibilities and the impact this particular Olympic Games have had since the decision was
made for China to host the world’s largest sporting event.

Hein Verbruggen, Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the
XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008

 

15:00-16:30 EXECUTIVE STRATEGY SESSION: Future trends for sport business models

Sport’s current reliance on tv revenues and big rights fees from traditional broadcasters will
be changing with the advent of new media opportunities. How will this affect current sport
business models? What does the future hold? Where is sports’ money going to come from?

Moderator: Harvey Schiller, President, International Baseball Federation
Nicolas Hale-Woods, Founder & Managing Director, FWT Management SA
Nikos Lepeniotis, Executive Marketing & Business Director, Olympiacos B.C. & President, Sport Business Institute
Stewart Mison, Senior Consultant, futures sport + entertainment
Christopher Welton, CEO, Helios Partners