Ft Sport Industry Summit 2008 Line-up Unveiled

On 4th November, an impressive collection of the biggest powerbrokers in business and sport will gather for The FT Sport Industry Summit 2008 in association with the Honda Racing F1 Team’s earthdreams programme.

Bolstering the programme, the industry leaders listed below have confirmed their attendance as panelists at this year’s Summit and will debate on some of the key issues facing sport:

• Lord Stevens, former Commissioner, London Metropolitan Police


• Alastair Campbell, former Press Secretary, British Prime Minister


• Martin Broughton, Chairman, British Airways


• Lord Triesman, Independent Chairman, The Football Association


• Nick Fry, CEO, Honda Racing F1 Team


• Roger Draper, CEO, Lawn Tennis Association


• Mel Young, Co-Founder, Homeless World Cup


• Cristophe Jouan, Managing Director, Future Foundation


• Paul Charles, Head of Communications, Virgin Atlantic


• Mike Lee, CEO, VERO Communications
  

Further high-profile panelists scheduled to appear at the 2008 Summit will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Summit will provide the gathered delegates from all corners of the sport industry with clear advice on how to meet the many and varied challenges of the economic situation head on, specifically across four core areas affecting the sporting landscape – Crisis Management, Consumer Trends, Finance, and Leadership.

Mixed in with in-depth one-on-one interviews with leading industry figures, the informative panel sessions for the day are:

PANEL 1 – Crisis Management – Can you ever be prepared?

How can your business communicate itself in a sporting crisis?
As has been the case with the Olympic Torch Relay, is your business now being targeted as a platform for political demonstrations like never before?
Is sport a victim of its own success when it comes to becoming a political sounding board?
How can you protect your business better for such scenarios?
How unpredictable are global sports events from a security viewpoint?
How much of a concern is crisis management for London 2012?

PANEL 2 – Consumer Trends – Does good business make good business?

Consumers are purchasing based on a different set of values with environmental concern and corporate social responsibility dictating what, when and how people buy. Is your business responding to this?
What can meaningfully be done by you to instigate social behavioural change?
Is sport setting the right example at present?
Has the commercialisation of sport impacted on its ability to promote a moral message?
Is there a PR job to be done in communicating your social message through sport?
Which sports are the most successful at using their platform to promote social change?

PANEL 3 – Your Business – Are you recession-proof?

Are you prepared for the demands of an economic downturn?
How can sport and your business evolve their offering to continue to succeed during a recession?
Have you got your product right to thrive in an economic downturn?
Is the globalisation of sports properties the appropriate reaction to the economic situation?
Can you achieve the right balance between entertainment and the traditional sport offering?
How can you protect and/or grow your investment in sport during a recession?
What is the value of sport to your business as a PR and marketing platform during economical hard times?
Does constant repackaging of a sport’s format affect its long-term commercial success?

PANEL 4 – Leadership – Leading in Tough Times

A panel of leading figures from both business and sport will discuss the role of leadership in your business and how best to move forward in the current economically challenging market.

Building on the success of the last two years, the Summit is now a pivotal date in the sport business calendar.

Previous high-profile panelists at the FT Sport Industry Summit have included Brian Barwick, Chief Executive, The FA; Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive, Premier League; Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport; Etienne de Villiers, Chairman, ATP; David Gill, Chief Executive, Manchester United; Dick Pound, former Chairman, World Anti-Doping Agency; Paul Deighton, Chief Executive, London 2012; and Tim Leiweke, Chief Executive, Anschutz Entertainment Group.

To hear first hand the thoughts of these high-powered protagonists from both the worlds of sport and business BOOK YOUR DELEGATE PLACE TODAY.