Discover the SportAccord Summit sessions!

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 in Birmingham – West Midlands on 7-11 April will feature an exciting central conference programme with four specialist streams – CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord and MediaAccord – united under the theme “The Power of Sport”.

Today – less than 70 days to go to sport’s most influential industry gathering for over 1,500 delegates at the award-winning International Convention Centre (ICC) – we spotlight the hot topics set to be discussed revealing more world-class speakers.

Action-packed Summit 2024

The Summit will kick off with an opening ceremony on Monday 8 April, which will treat delegates to a taster from some of the world class cultural institutions including the Symphony Orchestra and Royal Ballet who call the West Midlands home.

Key sessions on the conference programme will focus on some of the sport’s top industry trends as well as challenges for 2024 and beyond, addressed with keynote speeches and panel discussions.

A line-up of top-level speakers will dive into topics including the way AI will shape our sporting landscape, the influence of gaming and e-sports have already had and lessons to learn from the commercially successful North American Leagues. Challenges to be addressed include online abuse in sport and wider expert discussions will centre around international sports diplomacy at a very difficult time on a global stage.

HealthAccord

On Monday afternoon, HealthAccord will get underway with opening remarks by Prof Dr Margo Mountjoy, a renown sports medicine physician. Featuring pressing topics covering elite athlete mental health, sport performance and reproductive health, HealthAccord is the go-to stream for everyone involved in ensuring athletes’ mental and physical well-being.

LawAccord

LawAccord will take place on Tuesday, 9 April, with a deep dive into legal issues being handled right now by the world’s best sports law specialists. David Casserly, a partner at Kellerhals Carrard, will open this stream with panels looking at how different federations have dealt with rules for transgender athletes; the contrasting ways that unionised and non-unionised sports have integrated athletes’ voices in their governance structures; as well as models of independence in regulatory functions like anti-doping and ethics. Special briefings will feature legal experts from the International Olympic Committee, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

CityAccord

Anyone involved in staging events of different sizes in world cities, should definitely attend CityAccord on Tuesday morning, to be introduced by Melanie Duparc, Secretary General of the World Union of Olympic Cities. Learn about growing complexities of hosting major events versus smaller events; challenges and opportunities related to new models of organising events across different continents; and innovative approaches to transport infrastructure – think cycling and walking!

MediaAccord

MediaAccord will take place on 11 April, featuring Pierre Galy, Head of Sports at Agence France-Presse (AFP). In focus: the latest innovations in coverage designed to attract a record global audience for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The session will also examine how technology is changing the overall media business in an environment where rights holders are under pressure to deliver better content, in greater volume than ever before.

In addition to the conference programme, SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 will be focused on providing delegates with top quality networking, superb catering and a series of evening events. Delegates will also want to explore the exhibition hall, featuring a large number of smart service providers, regions and cities and also showcasing some ambitious and growing sports.

Birmingham – West Midlands warm welcome

Delegates of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 will be welcomed with open arms by the City of Birmingham and the West Midlands region – with a range of sport business and cultural exchanges, aiming to leave a lasting impression on global visitors. The region has something for everyone to enjoy, from Shakespeare, to Heavy Metal, to Bhangra, and delegates can look forward to a memorable showcase of talent and creativity.

Early bird – a few hours to go!

The early bird delegate pass for World Sport & Business Summit 2024 is still available until midnight on 31 January – register now here to benefit from a favourable rate of CHF 1,500! As of 1 February, the rate for a delegate pass will increase to CHF 2,000 and thereafter to CHF 2,500 from 1 March.

Partners

The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 is supported by a number of strong partners and suppliers: