[Source: Interkultur] This year, the biggest singing event in the world is coming to Flanders. Starting on October 30, more than 300 choirs from all corners of the world will take part in the 11th edition of the World Choir Games for a week. On September 15, the President of INTERKULTUR Günter Titsch and the Director of the World Choir Games 2021 Flanders Koenraad De Meulder officially kicked off both the campaign and ticket sale for the singing festival at the Handelsbeurs in Antwerp. Flemish Minister of Culture Jan Jambon, Flemish Minister of Tourism Zuhal Demir and the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever were also present.

Every two years since 2000, INTERKULTUR has organized the World Choir Games, the so-called "Olympic Games for choirs". This 11th edition, Antwerp and Ghent are the host cities. From 30 October to 7 November they will be the scene of the world's largest singing festival. In doing so, they are following in the footsteps of cities such as Bremen, Cincinnati and Sochi. The organization expects more than 300 choirs to participate both live and digitally.

During this musical week there will be many events in and around the two Flemish host cities. Not only competitions, but also ceremonies, gala concerts and workshops. Ticket sales start today. The Friendship Concerts are free of charge. Given the current pandemic, which has already postponed the Choir Games by a year, unfortunately not all choirs can physically attend. The organization of the singing festival therefore developed a unique digital platform. This gives choirs the opportunity to contribute to the unique, cohesive atmosphere of the World Choir Games from their home countries.

Digital, social and fun

For the first time, the World Choir Games will be a hybrid event. "We are proud to present our innovative digital platform 'The Virtual Village' today. The unique concept offers the choirs, who in the current context cannot travel to Flanders, the chance to compete for eternal glory in the Virtual Games," says Sophie Detremmerie, COO of the World Choir Games 2021 Flanders. "But also the visitors will be able to enjoy the unique atmosphere of this event via the daily live streams in the digital Music Hall at home." The versatility of the Virtual Village is enormous.

"There is something for everyone," Sophie Detremmerie continues. "The host cities have worked out tourist content in 2D and 3D for the international singers in the digital Tourist Office, unique blogs and vlogs will appear, choirs can meet colleagues from all over the world in a virtual café, ..." Moreover, through a unique collaboration, the choirs will also be seen in more than 30 Flemish residential care centers. This way, the residents can attend the concerts in a safe way.

The Choral Flame brings light through Flanders

By analogy with the Olympic flame, the World Choir Games have a Choral Flame. It was handed over to Flanders in Tshwane (South Africa), the previous host city. On September 15, it was re-lit and began a five-week relay trip to numerous Flemish cities. The Choral Flame is a symbol of the warmth that singing together spreads in society. You can also follow the Koorvlam in the Virtual Village. The effect of the flame reaches further. Special efforts were made to involve disadvantaged groups in the Studio Koorvlam event. For example, a caravan travels through Flanders stopping at people with dementia, with physical disabilities, people in poverty and at an interfaith singing group. 

Flemish cultural heritage

Flanders was not randomly chosen as host region. Singing is an important element of our culture. Today Flanders has more than 1,000 choirs and 35,000 singers. No less than 1 in 3 Flemings are directly or indirectly involved in an amateur arts organization such as a choir. This puts us at the top of the lists worldwide in terms of cultural participation. Flemish Minister-President and Minister of Culture, Jan Jambon: "Flanders has a rich tradition in the field of vocal culture. We are therefore very proud to be able to organize the World Choir Games this year. The Games allow the many participating Flemish choirs to meet their international colleagues in a creative and inspiring way. Moreover, in this way Flanders gets the chance to show itself from its best side with our heritage and our gastronomy."

Meeting point for the international World Choir Council

In addition to the numerous concerts and virtual meetings, the General Conference of the World Choir Council marks also an important part of the World Choir Games. "It is a fantastic sign that we can also hold the General Conference of our most important advisory body in Flanders – live and virtually! More than 120 representatives from over 90 countries and regions are invited to come together to discuss current developments in the international choral scene and to exchange practical experience. Thus, as ambassadors, they will bring confidence to the choirs in their home countries, motivate them and make the stages of the world resound again soon", says Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR, the World Choir Games & World Choir Council.

Tickets for the competitions, workshops, ceremonies Main Ceremonies and Celebration Concerts will be on sale starting September 15 through the World Choir Games website, www.wcg2021.be. The Virtual Village is accessible free of charge beginning September 15, at www.virtualvillage.be.

The World Choir Games are an international choir event of INTERKULTUR. The WCG 2021 are organized in Flanders on the initiative of EventFlanders - a partnership of Tourism Flanders, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media and the Department of Foreign Affairs - the cities of Antwerp and Ghent and Koor&Stem vzw. www.wcg2021.be.

[Source: Interkultur] Three regional meetings of the World Choir Council took place on August 25 and 26, 2021, where its members came together online to discuss current topics from the international choral scene.

The Regional Meetings were organized as a hybrid event for the first time. More than 100 participants from all over the world in total attended the meetings, including members of the World Choir Council and invited guests. The three conferences happened online with several additional events taking place at the same time in the City of Chengdu, China.

Hoping that this pilot project will lead to many other editions in the future, Mr. Günter Titsch, President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council said:

“The ’International Music Capital’ Chengdu played an elementary role, as a large part of the World Choir Council events took place live there. Participants from all over the world were digitally connected to the choral music workshops, master classes and a special symposium. The conference brought us a big step closer to our common goal of seeing choirs live on the stages of the world again. Special thanks to the City of Chengdu and the Chengdu Musical Fun Management Committee for the opportunity and to the China Chorus Association as well as "Chorus China" of Chinese Musicians Association for the opportunity”,

The focus of the regional meetings in August 2021 was mainly on mutual exchange and discussion rounds to hear the manifold voices and opinions of all World Choir Council Members. New ideas were born together and the participants learned from the broad expertise represented in the World Choir Council.

The topics of the three regional meetings varied for the different regions with the meeting for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and China focusing mainly on the role of choral music in boys’ education and on problems and challenges especially composers and arrangers are facing during the pandemic.

In the regional meetings with council members from North, Central and South America questions of Environmental Sustainability were discussed and the participants tried to find solutions on how to use their voices for a positive change. Also, they tried to find answers to the question on how children and youth choirs can be encouraged to sing again.

The last of the three regional meetings took place on August 26 with members from Europe and Africa. They addressed one of the biggest challenges of our times, namely to affect positive change in communities or countries where different ideologies are at odds within the population, and exchanged ideas around the use of choirs and choral singing as a vehicle to reach this goal. Further they discussed the different learnings from the Covid pandemic: What lessons can be learnt from the past 1.5 years and which rehearsal methods will live on?

All members of the World Choir Council who participated in the meeting were happy about the possibility of exchange with other choir experts, especially with regard to cultural differences, different measures and approaches in relation to the pandemic and the work with choir singers.

First Vice President of INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council, Ms Qin Wang was pleased about the wonderful opportunity to come together with the World Choir Council live and virtually through this pilot project:

“In the pandemic, our goal is to unite together, support each other and to help and motivate our choirs to return to the stage as soon as possible. Our hybrid event was a great start to reach this goal and I'm sure we will continue on this path in our future global and regional projects."

INTERKULTUR & World Choir Council hopes to continue the exchange in the future and to use the results to tailor future projects even better to the needs of the choral scene. For this purpose there will be an additional survey.

The next General Conference of the World Choir Council which traditionally gathers all council members at one place, is already being planned to take place on November 3, 2021 in Flanders, Belgium during the 11th World Choir Games.

For more information on Interkultur visit www.interkultur.com – and to find out how and why to host the European Choir Games visit https://worldofchoirs.com/ecg/

The pace of urbanisation, especially in China, is a “sensitive and significant” challenge facing humanity today, according to former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe and Mayor of Le Havre.

“The world changes all the time, but the challenges that we face now are literally dizzying,” Philippe said in a keynote address to the Annual Conference of the Fondation Prospective et Innovation.

The hybrid conference took place at Convention Center of Futuroscope with the theme of Finding Balance in an Unstable World.

He identified demographics, the environment and China as “three elements that are sensitive and significant”.

“Urbanisation is dizzying in its pace around the world,” he said, pointing out that since the outset of the industrial revolution in the early 19^th century it took until 1931 for the urban population to exceed 50%, and another 50 years to reach 80%.

This contrasts greatly with the much faster speed of urbanisation in China in recent years.

“The transformation of China is like a city as big as Rome being built every 2 weeks,” said Philippe, pointing out that China has experienced in 30 years what took 250 years in Europe, and has used more concrete since 2013 than the US did in the whole of the 20th century.

“This transformation of infrastructures is incredibly dizzying.”

He also highlighted the contrast between demographic changes in Europe and other developing countries, as global population growth continues to soar. Europe’s median age is 43 and its net population of around 5m fell in 2020, whereas Africa’s median age is 20, with a population of 1.3bn set to double by mid-century.

Philippe also identified the environment as another dizzying change, with the effects of global warming already palpable everywhere. Climate change is causing terrible fires in Siberia, famine in Madagascar, and also affecting his city.

“The problems that we see in Le Havre due to rising sea levels are making it very difficult to build in the lower part of the city, because of the flood risk.”

We should all be worried about these changes, he said. “Those who are not feeling dizzy are a worry to me!”

As for solutions: “We must underscore the role of leaders in this dynamic. Thought, insight and debate can contribute to understanding the situation.”

Cultural codes

As French Prime Minister in 2018, Phillipe met Chinese President Xi Jinping who told him that other nations had shouldered the universe for a long time, but now China has the power to carry the whole weight of the universe.

European nations have a key role in counterbalancing risk of polarisation between the global economic superpowers, US and China.

“We can work within our means to be a European power, to try to be a strong France within Europe,” he said.

“We need intelligence and multilateralism – we need to be very careful how we understand our US and Chinese counterparts.

“We share some cultural codes with the US, but that doesn’t make us natural allies.

“We have different language and culture to China; it’s crucial that we create links with a country that remains difficult for Westerners to understand.”

The Fondation Prospective et Innovation , chaired by former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is also co-organising RAID2021 (Regulation of AI, Internet & Data) online on 12 Oct. Register for free here: http://www.raid.tech/register

[Source: SportAccord] GAISF has launched the host city selection process for future editions of various world multi-sport events, including the World Urban Games, World Combat Games and World Mind Games.

The world multi-sport events bring the best of sport to host cities, driving global exposure and creating the perfect bridge between elite sport and local communities.

GAISF and SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli said:

“We are delighted to open the host city selection process for future multi-sport Games. All of these events bring the best of sport to the heart of a city, while engaging with youth communities through inspiring initiatives to encourage greater participation in physical activity.

“We are also excited to be working with SportAccord from an operational perspective on the delivery of these various events. SportAccord has extensive experience in the organisation of world-class events and a thorough understanding of the global sports community and multi-sport event landscape.”

Following the successful inaugural 2019 edition of the GAISF World Urban Games in Budapest, GAISF has scheduled a second edition for 2023. The initial version included BMX freestyle, inline roller freestyle, parkour, breaking, 3x3 basketball and freestyle flying disc, together with laser run and indoor rowing. The World Urban Games places sport at the heart of a family-friendly city-centre festival that also includes music and art.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was recently selected as the next host of the World Combat Games with Riyadh set to become the beating heart of martial arts combat sports in 2023. Finally, the World Mind Games are a multi-sport event centred on the gymnasium of the mind and highlighting the great value of the mind sports.

City representatives who want to learn more should not hesitate to contact GAISF Director and SportAccord Managing Director Nis Hatt at nis.hatt@sportaccord.com.

[Source: Birmingham 2022] Aggreko, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions, has been named the Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Games will see athletes compete in 19 sports at 14 locations, including the brand-new Aquatics Centre in Sandwell, all powered by Aggreko’s innovative temporary power solutions.

Aggreko will be applying relevant experience from previous international sporting events, including 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Recognised for its values-led approach to business operations, Aggreko’s appointment demonstrates its commitment to meeting the Birmingham 2022 Social Values Charter, which puts community at the heart of the Games.

Aggreko will be providing a modular energy solution that has sustainability and legacy at its core, with the launch of a number of community projects aimed to educate and leave a long-lasting legacy of the Games, improving opportunities and skills for those living and working in the area.

This support includes running educational events on sustainability, enhancing understanding of sustainable technology and the energy transition, as well as nurturing STEM skills in local schools and not for profit organisations. These events will run before, during and after the Games, with the first set offering local school children the chance of winning Birmingham 2022 tickets to attend the biggest sporting and culture event to happen in the UK for a decade.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete from 28 July until 8 August 2022. As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion.

Robert Wells, Managing Director of Event Solutions at Aggreko said: “On behalf of everyone at Aggreko, we are delighted to be partnering with Birmingham 2022, and look forward to helping to deliver a truly outstanding Games, embracing the key objectives, within the Games-Social Values Charter, as well as delivering world class energy solutions.

“Not only will we deliver reliable, efficient and renewable temporary power solutions, but we will also help educate the wider community on the energy transition and the skills and technology needed for this to succeed, helping us all to understand and become excited about the new horizons for sustainability.”

James Eade, Head of Energy at Birmingham 2022, said: “We are delighted to have Aggreko on board as they join us as our Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for Birmingham 2022. Aggreko are well-known for their experience in temporary power solutions and they have an enviable pedigree when it comes to multi-games events; they are the ideal partner to help deliver a safe and sustainable Games.

In selecting a delivery partner, we saw that Aggreko’s low-carbon corporate roadmap dovetails neatly with our pioneering zero-carbon games initiative. We are looking forward to using some of Aggreko’s new power generation and storage technologies as well as developing innovative approaches to powering the Games, whilst still maintaining the highest levels of reliability.

“In addition to their work on competition venues, Aggreko are committed to working with us on our community engagement activities, in particular focusing on nurturing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills within the local community. It is really important that we use exciting and engaging opportunities such as the Games to foster new talent in STEM subjects for the future benefit of our environment and well-being.”

Commonwealth Games Federation Executive Director Martin Reynolds said: “Having supported the previous two Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018, we are delighted that Aggreko’s commitment and expertise will once again power world-class competition at Birmingham 2022. We are proud that the Commonwealth Sport brand continues to attract world leading organisations like Aggreko who share our vision.”

[Source: Commonwealth Games Federation] The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) are delighted to announce that Katie Sadleir has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The New Zealander will take up the position from her current role at World Rugby, where she is the General Manager of Women’s Rugby. 

A Commonwealth Games medallist and an Olympian, Katie has a wealth of experience as both an athlete and sports administrator.

Born in Scotland and raised in Canada, Katie made New Zealand her home and represented her adopted country at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games in synchronised swimming, before competing at the Edinburgh 1986 Commonwealth Games two years later where she won the bronze medal in the women's solo. She also served as the Assistant Chef de Mission New Zealand at the Victoria 1994 Commonwealth Games and has attended six editions of the multi-sport competition in various capacities. 

Katie led the establishment of the New Zealand Academy of Sport network in the late 1990s before becoming General Manager of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (now Sport New Zealand) from 2000-2006.

She has held directorships with both Sport New Zealand and High-Performance Sport New Zealand while she has been a director with the International Association of Elite Sport Training Centres, a board member of the New Zealand Swimming Federation and a member of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) Athletes’ Commission.

Katie has been General Manager of Women’s Rugby at World Rugby since 2016, where she has been responsible for spearheading the global development of the women's game.

Amongst a number of key achievements at World Rugby, Katie successfully developed and implemented the transformational 2017-25 women’s strategic plan to promote, grow and commercialise the women’s game.

She will formally take up the CGF CEO position in November 2021.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “Following an extensive global search, the CGF are excited to be welcoming Katie Sadleir as our new Chief Executive Officer.

“As a former athlete and experienced administrator across multiple sports, Katie was the outstanding candidate for the position in what was a high-quality field. 

“She will play a leading role in driving the future strategic direction of our organisation through Birmingham 2022 and beyond. 

“We look forward to Katie joining us later in the year.”

New CGF CEO Katie Sadleir said: “I am delighted to be taking up the CGF Chief Executive Officer role at what is very exciting time for the Commonwealth Sport Movement.

“With Birmingham 2022 fast approaching and the Games nearing its centenary in 2030, there is a fantastic opportunity to enhance our global sporting movement as one that is fully focused on community legacy, benefit and impact through sport. 

“I look forward to working with my new colleagues at the CGF, CGF Partnerships and Commonwealth Sport Foundation.

“I am also excited to closely collaborate with our Commonwealth Games Associations, International Federations, Games Organising Committees, Host City Partners and Commonwealth institutions to help achieve our collective goals.” 

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “World Rugby would like to wish Katie every success in her exciting appointment as Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, a close partner of rugby. Katie leaves an impressive lasting legacy having successfully devised a transformational strategy to normalise, promote, grow and commercialise the women’s game. 

“As we approach the halfway mark of the women’s strategic plan, a solid platform is in place for the sport to continue to press on and make impactful change that will continue to accelerate the development of women’s rugby and women in rugby globally, cementing its place as a leader in this priority area.

“Katie, supported by all our unions and regions, has created an unstoppable movement and momentum that the rugby family will continue to harness and push forward to ensure the phenomenal advancement of women’s rugby and women in rugby continues to flourish.”

The recruitment process for the CGF CEO process was supported by leading global executive search and talent consulting firm SRI.

[Orlando, Florida] Al Kidd, President & CEO of Sports ETA, the international association for the sports events and tourism industry, is one of a several influential voices hailing Orlando’s rapidly recovering tourism industry and identifying sport as a key driver.

“As we emerge from the restrictions and challenges of the pandemic and return to business, great cities like Orlando are poised to recover faster than others. Sports events and sports tourism in Orlando have shown to be the re-entry catalyst, generating new and much needed business”, he said.

Jesse Martinez, General Manager at The Alfond Inn, Chairman of the Central Florida Lodging Association Board of Directors, and Board Member at Visit Florida, agrees. “In my opinion, Central Florida has a tremendous head start on all other major city travel destinations. After seeing a huge influx of travelers this past spring break, we have not slowed down since.” 

“Sports tourism was an early bright spot when Orlando began to reopen in the summer of 2020 as we hosted the NBA bubble, the MLS is Back Tournament and youth events such as the AAU’s Jr.  National Volleyball Championship,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, who echoed the sentiments of Jesse Martinez by saying that “Orlando has a one-year head start”.  

To underline this, the 2021 edition of the same AAU Youth Volleyball event - hosted just a few weeks ago - drew over 130,000 participants and visitors.  Mark Tester, Executive Director at the Orange County Convention Center said: “The event drove one of our highest food and beverage totals in the Center’s history.”

Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International, added: “All eyes were on Orlando during the pandemic as the NBA and MLS restarted their seasons. It was impressive to watch their collaborative community come together to host in the most trying of circumstances.”  

Orlando believes its emphasis on encouraging sports-related travel and welcoming teams and players has been a game-changing factor in keeping its infrastructure ticking over.

“When business travel collapsed, some cities were saved by their youth and amateur sport travel business” said Jason Siegel, CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. “There is no doubt in my mind that sports tourism is a viable pathway for generating visitor spending and promoting a destination – which is why Orlando puts such a high priority on it”.

In normal times, Orlando has the largest tourism industry in the USA, producing $26 billion a year, exceeding Las Vegas with $19 million. One in five workers in Orlando (21%) worked directly in hospitality and leisure in 2019. When COVID-19 struck, the unemployment rate skyrocketed. “Our neighbors at Port Canaveral, who derive significant revenue from the cruise industry, lost 43% of their workforce,” said Siegel.

But as life normalizes, the recovery is swift, much more so than many anticipated. Hotels are taking bookings; forward occupancy is very promising and optimism abounds.

According to a study authored by Adam Sacks of Tourism Economics, hotel room demand overall has reached 89% of 2019 figures and air passengers are at 71% (June 2021). Leisure trips will be nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, although business will take longer. He has said: “Overall, sports are outperforming the market as youth sports have returned well before other business-related events. In fact, we are hearing from clients that sports have been the star performer in what has been an otherwise dismal market”

Orlando, one of 17 US candidate host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, is hoping to be selected for the final 10. “I believe our reputation as a collaborative tourism community and reliable partner to sport – and our popularity as a destination – suggest we surely deserve a place” Siegel summed up.

Host City 2021, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events, takes place at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow, Scotland and Online on 7-8 December under the theme of “Refresh, Regenerate, Reconnect”.

The conference tackles a wide range of pressing issues facing the industry: the return of live audiences; diversity and integrity in leadership; transformational models of event hosting; public versus private governance; digital transformation; esports and localisation.

The agenda has been developed with the input of the new Host City Advisory Board, namely: Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland; Sir Craig Reedie GBE, Member, International Olympic Committee; Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events, Glasgow Life; Sarah Lewis OBE OLY; Brian Lewis, President, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee; Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions, Glasgow Convention Bureau; Dave Gordon OBE, Head of Host Broadcast, Birmingham 2022; David Grevemberg CBE, Chief Innovation and Partnerships Officer, Centre for Sport & Human Rights; John Langford, Chief Operating Officer, AEG Europe; Paul J. Foster, CEO, Global Esports Federation and David de Behr, Head of Sales Aggreko Event Services, many of whom are speaking.

Other speakers set to join include: Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games; Kristin Kloster Aasen, Chair of the Future Hosts Commission (Summer) and Member, International Olympic Committee; Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life; Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships; Clare Briegal, Chief Executive Officer, International Netball Federation; Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark; Jason Ferguson, Chairman, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association; Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH - International Association of Horticultural Producers and many more to be announced.

Host City 2021 takes place with the support of: EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow Convention Bureau; Headline Sponsor Aggreko; Gold Sponsor Sport Event Denmark; Silver Sponsors AIPH – International Association of Horticultural Producers and DB Schenker; and Strategic Partner Global Esports Federation.

Sponsorship: adam.soroka@cavendishgroup.co.uk

Enquiries: ben.avison@hostcity.com

For more information visit www.hostcity.com