Welcome to the New Year and we hope it is a good one for all of our members and readers.
Over the past 12 months readership on the Sport for Business website has grown by 60%, an echo of the growth in membership as we move from an interesting start up to a valued source of information, innovation and connection in the commercial world of Irish sport.
In 2015 we have ambitious plans to take that growth further and to develop new relationships and ideas that will benefit all of the organisations that form the community we have become.
Events
It starts this week with the second annual Business of Sports Science Conference as part of the 51st BT Young Scientist Exhibition at the RDS. We will bring Paul McGinley and Grant Best from the UK and home grown talent including Equinome, Avenir Sports and Amarach Research before an audience of sporting and business leaders.
We will also present our first Spark of Innovation Awards with Kitman Labs, Nutritious, Simply Golf and Gourmet Fuel competing for that particular honour.
On Saturday we will host the first Referee Conference to take place in Ireland with stars from ‘the middle’ including David Coldrick, Mark Halsey and Allain Rolland speaking to a multi sports audience on the pressures and pleasures of keeping sport on the move.
We will once more be involved with the Irish Sponsorship Summit in February, our 20/20 Showcase of sponsorship opportunities which will take place at an earlier stage this year to look at the possibilities for corporate engagement in sport through 2016, and in a bigger and brighter Digital Sport Conference in the Autumn.
These will be part of a growing number of events which we will bring together in collaboration with partners.
Engagement
There will be a tighter focus and a new look for our website during the year with key groups formed and developed in 12 key areas of engagement.
PwC are on board as our official Leadership partners for the next 12 months and we will have a new series of illuminating interviews with leaders in sport and business kicking off shortly.
We will be stepping up the activities of our Women in Sport group, starting this month, and forming others in areas of Sports Tourism in partnership with Aer Lingus, Technology, Education, Media, Community, CSR, Disability Sport, Education, Integrity and Workplace Fitness.
The last named of those will also see a major new initiative for companies looking to engage their staff and customers through sport in 2015. More details on this will be announced shortly.
We have an exciting new partner on board for our Sport for Business Round Table programme which we will kick off later this month.
Sport for Business is about creating opportunity for sport, business and society to work better together. We have built a strong and wide ranging community of leaders who see the value in being part of a network that can deliver for them and their organisations.
We look forward to the next twelve months with excitement and enthusiasm, and with you.
Join us for 2015
Be part of Sport for Business in 2015 and be the difference in your organisation.
