The Dublin Sports Business community put its best foot forward last night as over 100 gathered for Sport for Business’ hosting of the Irish leg of the international #SBWeek16.
Kate Kirby, sport psychologist to Annalise Murphy in Rio was first up with Rob Hartnett on stage sharing stories on how Team Murphy coped with the twists and turns of Olympic sailing in windy conditions on the water.
They were based in an AirBnB apartment in the city and Kirby revealed how relaxed Ireland’s silver medallist had been and why she thought she may have had an edge of some of those she passed from London to secure her medal.
“You can’t dwell on your failures but recognise them and then move on. Learn from them but don’t dwell on them” was key advice lapped up by the audience.
Tickets
John Gillick from AIG was next up taking a well earned break from ensuring AIG customers are catered for with tickets for Sunday’s All Ireland Championship Finals.
Former Dublin County Board Chairman reminded us before the show got under way that it was 25 years since Arnotts first appeared on the Dublin shirt but AIG have taken it to a new level with support for all four codes in the capital and a close working relationship with management and players.
AIG’s global experience in sponsoring the All Blacks and Man United has been brought to bear in what has now been year three of the relationship and Gillick left us last night to ensure that the giant jersey adorning the front of the HQ building on the Quays was all set to be dropped this week.
Rosin Glynn and her team from AIB have been preparing for their own All Ireland Final this week with elements of content all ready to be released depending on events in the game on Sunday.
AIB have been supporting Club GAA for 25 years and rolled the popular #TheToughest campaign into the Senior Inter County Championship to great affect.
“We scored well with a player day where we filmed players doing ‘walk ups to camera and got some great content which has proved really popular.”
It was also a winner for us that we had filmed Michael Quinlivan from Tipperary so our fresh approach carried all the way through to the Final.
Team
It’s been a massive team effort with all our agencies and the whole campaign has been a winner in terms of people’s engagement with the brand.
Richard Barrett, one of our fellow co-founders of the One Zero Conference gave us a run through of the exciting global leaders who will be landing in Dublin to shape the future of world sport on October 21st.
“We are neither for nor against Lance Armstrong as an individual but we are providing a platform where his story and his impact can be discussed in depth with the man himself.”
“It’s a vital story in sport and part of our bringing this event to life.”
The evening rounded out with a rising hum of conversation as contacts were formed, friendships established and ideas hatched that was always the intention for what Sport for Business does.
Olympics
Cliona O’Leary who managed RTÉ’s stunning Olympics Coverage from Rio was in the room alongside Padraic Kane fresh from bringing the Aer Lingus College Football Classic to town and already working on the next edition in 2018.
Our Paralympians are all in action in Rio but Donal Byrne who manages the Irish Powerchair Football team was with us and outlined how his team is preparing for next year’s World Cup .
Miriam Malone from the FAI was remembering that Harry’s on the Green was the same venue where staff from the Association had gathered to watch Ireland’s famous victory over Italy in the Euros earlier in the year.
Ciaran Medlar from BDO and Jim Glennon from Edelman were locked in conversation on one side of the room while Diarmaid Murphy of the GAA and Gareth Field of Lifestyle Sports were also soaking up the atmosphere.
Prizes
We rounded out the night with a twitter prize competition that saw Jennifer kelly from PSG Sponsorship, Ronán O’Coisdealbha from TG4 and Neil O’Gorman from RTÉ Digital walk out sporting a mix of Dublin and All Blacks gear courtesy of AIG.
Roses are blue,
Violets are black
Wait, no they’re not,but these shirts are!#SBWeek16 @SportforBusines@AIGIreland pic.twitter.com/IuCTGrhBaM— Rónán Ó Coisdealbha (@RonOCois) September 13, 2016
It was a great night all round. We had a team from Griffith College producing video content on the night and will share that in the days to come.
All the money raised on the night has gone towards the V Foundation for Cancer Research and will be added to the money similarly raised this week in 48 cities around the world. Well done to Russell Scibetti and Josh Duboff for the work they put in to pulling us all together as the industry of today and very much tomorrow.
Watch out for more opportunities to come together shortly and thanks to everyone involved for coming together to share their stories and their friendship.
