CARDIFF COUNCIL CYNGOR CAERDYDD EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING: 3 NOVEMBER 2011 WORLD BOXING CONVENTION 2013 (WBC) REPORT OF CHIEF OFFICER (CITY DEVELOPMENT) AGENDA ITEM: 11 PORTFOLIO : TRANSPORT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Reason for this Report 1. To enable Cardiff to host the World Boxing Council Convention 2013 and approve appropriate budgets to assist in developing the event programme. 2. To attract a World Title bout and Convention which will have an economic impact of up to £3.2m in the city economy 3. To enhance Cardiff’s reputation as an international sports capital and to generate significant global media exposure to promote the city on an international stage. Background 4. Over the last decade Cardiff has built an international reputation for the successful delivery of high profile sporting events, including; the Rugby World Cup; the FA Cup and Heineken Cup Finals, the Ashes Test and the Ryder Cup. Alongside this the city has developed a world-class sporting and visitor destination infrastructure. In recognition of this Cardiff was recently awarded the status of European Capital of Sport. 5. It is recognised that this programme of major sporting events has led to significant benefits for the city economy, including: attracting tourists and the additional consumer spend they bring into the local economy; world- wide media coverage and profile; increased civic and national pride and encouraging increased participation in sporting activities. 6. The World Boxing Council Night of the Champions and World Boxing Convention therefore represent significant opportunities for Cardiff to build on its established platform and to expand into a new events market, with the ultimate aim of becoming a recognised location for major boxing events. Page 1 of 7 World Boxing Council Night of the Champions 2010 7. In May 2009 WBC Cardiff 2010 Ltd 1 approached the Council to assist in attracting the WBC Night of Champions 2010 event to Cardiff. The World Boxing Council Night of Champions is a Gala Awards event held every 5 years at which the global boxing community celebrates and acknowledges lifetime achievements, unsung heroes, and boxing’s contribution to developing youth and the wider community. The awards ceremony is usually attended by over 100 past and present World Boxing Champions and is complemented by a series of events held across a host city including visits to community events and facilities and local boxing gyms. 8. Given the benefit which sporting events have brought to the city, Cardiff’s track record in successful delivery and the region’s strong tradition in the sport it was agreed that the Council would bid to host the WBC Night of the Champions in 2010. Furthermore, the event was seen to offer an opportunity to promote Cardiff’s 2009 status as one of only four other European cities with the status of ‘European City of Sport’ and support Cardiff’s bid to become ‘European Capital of Sport’ in 2012. The event was therefore subsequently included in the Council’s Corporate Plan 2010-2013, which states that:- ‘the Council will collaborate with partners to deliver leading sporting, cultural, arts and entertainment events across the city by hosting the WBC ‘Night of Champions’ and the international amateur boxing tournament ‘Great Britain vs. the rest of the world.’ 9. In November 2009, the Council was invited to attend the World Boxing Council’s World Convention in Jeju, Korea as a guest of the WBC, along with WBC Cardiff 2010 Ltd, to pitch for Cardiff to become the chosen host city for the 2010 event. In December 2009 Cardiff was announced as the preferred location for the event which was to take place in July 2010. 10. Crucially, hosting the ‘Night of the Champions’ event was seen as an opportunity to build strong relations with WBC officials to promote Cardiff as a location for future World Championship bouts. In particular the event was from the outset regarded as a pilot event with a view to positioning Cardiff to host a larger WBC event in 2013 which would be wrapped around World Championship boxing bouts, and as such would command an even higher profile with national and international media. ‘Night of the Champions’ Event 2010 11. In July 2010, the WBC Night of Champions event was successfully staged in Cardiff. The event welcomed 75 past and present world boxing champions to the city and included:- 1 WBC Cardiff 2010 Ltd was established by former boxing professionals Kevin Hayde and John H. Stracey, along with boxing promoter David Walker, UK Director of the World Boxing Council (WBC). The company was formed specifically to attract the WBC Night of Champions 2010 event to Cardiff Page 2 of 7 • An International Amateur Boxing tournament entitled ‘ Great Britain versus the rest in the world’ in which several of the UK and overseas boxers in line to compete in the London Olympics 2012 featured. This formed part of a wider strategy to attract Olympic boxing teams to base themselves in the city both prior to and during the 2012 Olympic Games, and to highlight the sporting facilities that Cardiff has to offer the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA) ahead of Games. The boxing event was also screened on Chinese national TV to a large audience. • The Night of Champions Gala Dinner and Awards which brought together former and current boxing champions of all weights to a high profile ceremony. Due to the attendance of the reigning WBC World Heavyweight Champion (Vitali Klitschko) and the number one contender (Shannon Briggs) the event received extensive local, national and global media coverage providing increased international profile for Cardiff and the WBC. • The world film premiere of the movie ‘Risen’ – profiling the life and boxing career of former world WBC Featherweight Champion Howard Winstone, produced by local Welsh film-makers Neil Jones and Stuart Brennan, showcasing Wales’ creative industry talent at an international event. Following the Cardiff premiere ‘Risen’ has won a Welsh Academy Film Award. • A programme of community activities, including charity visits to The Children’s Hospital of Wales; local boxing gyms; an appearance at the Cardiff Big Weekend; an open top bus ride through the city and a morning at Cardiff Castle. The visits to local gyms were particularly well received, and formed the basis of the ‘Sporting Chances’ legacy project which aims to provide disadvantaged young people with a professional and sporting programme that will develop transferable skills through boxing and training. One of the boxing gyms visited by the champions had only 6 members registered at the time - this membership has now risen to close to 100. The ‘Sporting Chances’ legacy project forms an integral part of the proposition for 2013. 12. The Night of the Champions 2010 received substantial local, national and international media coverage, including coverage in the South Wales Echo, the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, BBC television and website, Sky Sports, Chinese National TV and coverage throughout Europe, the Americas and the Far East. World Boxing Convention 2013 Proposal 13. Following the success of the 2010 event an opportunity to bid for hosting the WBC World Boxing Convention in 2013 was presented to the city. The 2013 event will mark the WBC’s 50 th anniversary and will therefore be one of the most high profile and significant dates in the boxing calendar that year. It can be estimated that an international convention of Page 3 of 7 this scale would have a direct economic impact in the region of £1.8m in the city economy. 2 14. An initial bid was submitted by Cardiff and Co to the WBC Board at the 48 th Convention in Mexico in November 2010 (Attached as Appendix 1). Presentations on Cardiff were made and high level negotiations and discussions took place between Cardiff and WBC officials resulting in Cardiff being announced as the preferred host city for the 2013 WBC Convention. Hosting the WBC convention was subsequently agreed as a corporate objective for 2011-2014 as part of the Council’s developing Events Strategy 2020. 15. The proposed early-stage programme for the WMC 2013 Convention includes:- • A Convention which will attract international boxers, promoters, managers, administrators of the sport, trainers, contenders, champions and former champions and up to 1000 delegates; • An event to host boxing promoters and agents and promote the various boxing arena options within the city that can host championship boxing events and highlight Cardiff’s reputation for hosting major sporting occasion; • A programme of Champions visits to charities, local boxing gyms and community projects and the launch of a pilot ‘Sporting Chances’ project. It is proposed that this project will focus on working with young offenders and will be delivered in partnership between the Council and WBC Sporting Chances Ltd and their network of British former world champions and boxing ambassadors; • The Council is also hoping to secure commitment from the WBC for a World Title or Championship Title fight to take place within Cardiff during the convention week. World Boxing Convention 2011 16. Cardiff has been invited to the WBC Convention 2011 in Las Vegas later this year to present detailed proposals for the 2013 convention. It is anticipated that Cardiff will be publicly announced as the host city for the 2013 event and further discussions with WBC officials will take place on defining the event programme. Cardiff will also start its destination marketing campaign to the members present at the 2011 event to maximise the number of delegates that choose to attend the event in 2013. In addition the Cardiff team will look to confirm with WBC that a World Boxing title bout will take place in Cardiff as part of the Convention. There is still significant interest from other major international cities towards the 2013 convention and it is important that Cardiff is present at the 2011 Convention to ratify the bid, secure the 2013 event and raise the profile of Cardiff as host city.