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 and ambitious along with seeking logical Al Hashimy said the 1 October 2021 Expo conference shed fresh light on how rights pragmatic solutions that are evidence may be the first mega-event to take place holders and organising committees are based.” in the wake of the global pandemic. adapting to the fallout from the COVID-19 McConnell spoke about the need for Commenting on the resilience of Dubai, outbreak, both in the UK and globally. event organisers to remain ambitious, she said the Expo was the product of Host City highlighted how event bolster strategic partnerships and focus extensive international cooperation – and organisers have put the health and safety on innovation and citizen engagement to even at the height of the pandemic “work of athletes, spectators and staff at the deliver their visions. continued apace with its partners”. heart of their plans to reopen for business. Keynote addresses were given by Across two days, 814 delegates tuned Sir Craig Reedie, a member of the Hosting in the Digital, Post-COVID Era in to listen to the 100-plus speakers at the International Olympic Committee, Paul Foster, COO of the Global Esports largest annual meeting of cities and sports, Etienne Thobois, CEO of the Paris 2024 Federation, talked about the importance business and cultural events. The focus of Organising Committee for the Olympic of connecting with gaming audiences, debate was the “The Big Restart”, and they and Paralympic Games and H.E. Reem athletes and the communities in a evaluated how event stakeholders could Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for sustainable and dynamic way. The huge bring about “Recovery with a Purpose for International Cooperation and Director growth of Esports, which has triggered the Digital Age”. General of Expo 2020 Dubai. plans to stage the first Global Esports The conference opened with speeches Thobois said COVID-19 had forced Games in December 2021, was an from Host City’s supporting partners, Paul Paris 2024 to “review our priorities and opportunity for host cities “to think about Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, adapt our planning… but our vision has not how we consume entertainment”. and Bridget McConnell, Chief Executive of changed”. There was a renewed focus on Despite the postponement of the Tokyo Glasgow Life. promoting sports participation, using sport Olympics to next summer, Reedie said Bush sounded an optimistic note despite as a tool to change society and showing the IOC was confident in Japan delivering the difficulties being experienced by the through a major public engagement and getting crowds back to sport. He was events industry due to coronavirus. He program that “everyone can play a role”. encouraged that Japan was now bringing said the next few years may be challenging Expo 2020 Dubai was scheduled to be spectators into baseball and football for everyone: “We as an industry will one of this year’s biggest international matches. have to be even more focused, brave events before it fell victim to COVID-19. 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 Producers, spoke in a session titled He said it was “far from easy and only the repercussions of COVID-2019. ‘Aligning event strategies with green city possible due to strict COVID protocols”. Paris 2024’s Thobois said the biggest plans’. He said global horticultural expos World Athletics had to “to take back shift for Olympic organisers was “provide a great opportunity to showcase control of the competition environment”. integrating new hires into the team while green innovation and to set the scene Ridgeon praised the “strong cooperation adopting a working from home philosophy for the development of a city into the and can-do attitude” of the Polish during the pandemic. But he said Games future”. They also provided huge economic government, local organising committee preparations were “very much on time benefits and stimulated environmental and and city of Gdynia. and on target into terms of planning” sustainable best practices. Although there were increased costs with construction on a limited number of in holding the World Half Marathon amid projects due to start in early 2021. Industry Eyes Revival and Stability in the pandemic, coupled with significantly Ian Reid, CEO of the Birmingham 2022 2021 reduced income streams, it was deemed Commonwealth Games, said the shake-up On day two, there was plenty of optimism a major success. Ridgeon said athletics’ of the 2022 events calendar to incorporate expressed by speakers about a strong governing body was now better placed to the rescheduled world and European recovery next year. upscale its COVID protocols and improve athletics championships in Oregon and Rights holders, organising committees, them for bigger events in 2021. Munich respectively, together with the facility managers and suppliers discussed Tatsuo Ogura, Director of International 2022 UEFA Women's Championship, was how they’ve used the unprecedented Communications for the Tokyo Organising one challenge. Abandoning plans for one pause in event staging due to COVID-19 Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes’ village in favour of a multiple to rethink business models and strategies. Games, gave an update on how organisers village model was another, a decision Joe Ryan, Head of Health and Safety at are preparing to stage COVID-safe Games which “has de-risked the project”. the Birmingham 2022 Games, talked about next summer. He said athletes were front A panel discussion on the Black Lives how organisers were well-positioned and centre of plans and the Olympics Matter movement evaluated whether it to react quickly to new public health “provides a symbol of hope, resilience and was prompting the sports, business and messaging from government and changes the power of humanity working as one”. 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 Events will return… we just don’t know people more aware about institutional racism. But he raised concerns about the " when, how and what shape they will be ongoing lack of diversity in ethnic minority Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland and conference chair 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 policy to bring people back to work in Another topic of discussion was the In a session on inclusion and diversity in the office and accelerate preparations: convergence of digital and real-world the boardroom and playing field, Baroness “We need to monitor those and implement events.