Coliseum Summit: 280 delegates representing 26 countries

Doha will play host to the 4th Coliseum MENA ConfEx on November 2nd and 3rd, 2014 (Hilton Doha, 8.30 am). The event is poised to draw a record participation from 280 delegates representing 26 countries.

The conference will be inaugurated by Ghanim Al Kuwari, Competition Venues – Director, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar; and Fahad Fadol Al Yafei, Head of the Venues Committee, 24th Men’s Handball World Championship, will give an update on the venues for the upcoming event.

The conference will also welcome representatives from the Project Management company ASTAD, Qatar Olympic Committee, Aspire Logistics, Qatar Stars League and many more.

Over the last four years, Coliseum has grown into a brand of conference and networking events dedicated to the various challenges and solutions in the global sports venue sector. It is the first and only conference series with four high-powered events being hosted annually in four major sports venue regions – US, China, India and Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

These events showcase the inherent strengths and limitations of each of these key markets, binding them together in an interconnectivity aimed at bridging the different levels of knowledge and expertise in these regions.

This year’s Coliseum MENA ConfEx will put the focus straight on the host nation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy offering a venue update for 2022 FIFA World Cup ™ in inaugural keynote address on Day 1 and the Local Organising Committee for the 2015 Handball World Championship delivering the opening keynote address on Day 2.

“Preparations for the World Cup is going ahead full steam led by the Supreme Committee. Eight venues have been planned for the matches. A few venues have recently been unveiled including the Al Wakrah and the Al Bayt Stadium. As the world keenly waits for all the venues, our speaker will take us through where we are now and what needs to be done to reach the final destination. What better way to kick-start the 4th Coliseum ConfEx?” quips Michael Rennschmeid, the CEO of MJR Group which is the parent group of Coliseum.

“On the other hand, Qatar is set to host the 24th edition of the World Men’s Handball Championship next year. The tournament will make Qatar only the second country in the Middle East to have hosted the event after Egypt in 1999. The games of the tournament will be played in Doha and in the newly created town of Lusail. The second keynote address will take us through the three new venues that are being constructed for the tournament,” he adds.

Various other sessions will be held along the two days of the event. Some of the main sessions would focus on the lessons learnt from Brazil World Cup and Sochi Winter Olympics – both of which were held this year; moving on to how South Korea is preparing for PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 and Russia’s overlay change for FIFA World Cup 2018.

Besides, there will be sessions and case studies on new stadium projects in India and Turkmenistan; recent new stadium openings in Singapore, Jeddah, Marseille and Al Ain; the new Perth stadium; National Stadium Hungary and Europa Point Stadium Gibraltar. An additional session will lay bare the Philips LED Lighting project at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea.

“While preparing for a new event and building new stadiums, it’s always a good idea to learn from previous events and projects. This is why Coliseum always comes up with a rich mix of future and past,” elucidates Rennschmeid.

With an impressive line of speakers and participants, the 4th Coliseum MENA ConfEx promises to offer a dynamic interface between local, regional and international experts who design, construct, operate and manage sports venues around the world. The participants represent all the different segments of the sports venue business including the various stakeholders such as the sports bodies, clubs, service providers, suppliers etc.

Coliseum brings together all the stakeholders under one roof without splitting the delegates in different rooms for categorised sessions. The idea is to offer a ‘looking-over-the-edge-of-the-plate’ view to all the participants as Coliseum believes that it is important to learn from the associate industry and business segments that feed the global sports venue sector.

It was announced in May that Coliseum is entering the United State for the first time next year, with the Coliseum US ConfEx set to make its debut on March 5-6, 2015 in Orlando.

Also next year, the 5th Coliseum MENA will be held in Saudi Arabia.

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