The role of sport - Hospitable Cities

PUTTING THE SPORT INTO HOSPITALITY

 EP and eHotelier are bringing together an international audience of 250 leaders from within the Industry to discuss, debate and learn from each other about what we all need to do for the future to make our cities more hospitable - and we want you involved.

Leaders of the sector must now come together to discuss and debate the future. Don’t miss this unique and first of its kind event. Book your tickets today.

WHY SPORT IS SO IMPORTANT:

Sport & Hospitality is destined to continue to grow but how will it do so if cities face security, fear and threat?

 This will be discussed at the Hospitable Cities Summit

Sport is becoming central to society and community. London is working to embed their vision of the capital becoming the most physically active city in the world. A range of sectors and locations and working towards this and hospitality should be ensuring it enables the transfer of knowledge and is part of the vision. The offer is two-fold: the hospitality offer at sporting events is now at a high level and other hospitality providers are offering sporting activities as a value-add. The tourist who visits the city for a sporting event is an essential visitor. The market must ensure their access to sports hospitality is simple and easy because it is becoming more valuable and has substantial commercial impact for the whole city. 

There is fear - large sporting events are under increasing security restrictions which may ultimately put someone off attending. However for those who do attend, the F&B offer, service provided and often most importantly, the welcome, must be excellent. This will ensure a successful overall experience and is sadly not the case for every event. Stadiums hold vast amounts of people who need to feel protected and safe during their visit. In the past hooliganism - aggressive and often violent behaviour perpetrated by spectators at sporting events - was at the forefront and now we all face other challenges. Terrorism is the most immediate threat to UK according to MI6 and this has only escalated fears for sporting fans. 

There are emerging sports which offer potential lucrative sponsorship opportunities. Especially because traditional sports have gone through all kinds of scandals - whether football, tennis or athletics. It is no longer a simple tactical transaction between a business and customer, but a collaboration where the sporting event is linked to a broader campaign and new sports are coming into the fold:

• Formula E - electric vehicles and sustainability
• UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship, leading sports brand for mixed martial arts
• eSports - competitive online gaming, estimated 148 million eSposts enthusiasts globally

All of these offer opportunities for the sector and we must ensure we are ready to serve these new markets within the sporting field.  This topic will be debated and discussed at Hospitable Cities on Friday 7th April 2017. Become involved below.

Tickets £250 plus vat For more information and to book,

please contact Lauran.Bush@epmagazine.co.uk