Coliseum Summit EUROPE hailed for showcasing ‘best content’ in stadium business

• 30 top expert speakers make presentations
• Nearly 200 delegates representing top European clubs and stadiums
• Conference highlights 11 different segments of the stadium business under a single roof

The 1st Coliseum Summit EUROPE at the iconic Amsterdam Arena witnessed an overwhelming response with nearly 200 delegates representing top European clubs and stadiums in attendance. Hosted by the MJR Group, the two-day conference on March 15-16 brought together 30 top expert speakers from the stadium and venue business.

“I am very happy about the feedback that we received from the delegates. Of course we are aware about some mistakes we have done but for our first edition in Europe we also need to be satisfied with ourselves. 186 delegates and a world class content – no regrets so far,” said Coliseum Founder and MJR CEO Michael Rennschmied.

The summit offered a unique platform for the experts from the stadium and sports venue business to come under a single roof to discuss the future of the sector. The conference was formatted to highlight 11 different segments of the stadium business, namely: Venue TECHNOLOGY, Venue OPERATIONS, Venue SECURITY, GREEN Venue, Venue VIP, Venue EXPERIENCE, Venue DESIGN, Venue CONSTRUCTION, Venue BUSINESS, DESTINATION Venue and Venue EDUCATION.

The structure of the conference to have so many different segments while keeping the participants in a single room was greatly appreciated by the attendees.

“In fact, the content was pretty good. Frankly speaking even the best conference in terms of content in the field of stadium business that I have visited so far,” said Andreas Hinder, Head of IT, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Germany. A speaker at the conference, Hinder spoke at a session titled ‘Technology vs Fan experience and highlighted on “How much technology can be implemented within a venue? Is there a maximum?”

Elaborating on the structure of the conference, Rennschmied added: “Only if we listen to each other’s challenges we will have a better venue at the end. Therefore there are no break-out sessions at Coliseum. Otherwise it will end up as an alumni meeting, rather than exchanging knowledge.”

The conference showcased the newest European stadium projects such as Liverpool, Barcelona and West Ham United etc while also offering insights into about how the English Premier League wants to improve the match day experience for its supporters or the French Football League plans to increase attendance in the French stadiums after the Euro 2016.

The sessions were highly diverse but engrossing at the same time highlighting myriad aspects of the stadium and venue operations.

Disney Institute showcased a perfect example what the venue industry can learn from the amusement park industry in terms of ‘fan experience’ while worldwide venue operator AEG explained how much technology is really required for a stadium or an arena. Companies like Huawei and Microsoft gave perfect information about big data and how to handle it during the match-day and otherwise. Jens Koenig, VP Stadiums & Arenas, Lagardère Sports Germany described, what kind of content is beneficial for the venue.

Some of the sessions also focused on idea of the virtual stadium of the future; and a few globally renowned architectural practices offered the future outlook for the next generation of stadiums.

Participating delegates also got a unique ‘behind the scene’ experience through three venue tours that included Ziggo Dome, a 17,000-seat multi-use indoor arena; the historic Olympic Stadium built for the 1928 Games; and indeed the Amsterdam ArenA, the largest stadium in the country.

Coliseum Summit is the only global sports venues business summit with 4 dedicated stadium and arena conferences per year in 4 key regions in the world: Europe, Americas, Asia and the Middle East.

Next on their annual calendar is Coliseum Summit ASIA 2016 to be held in Beijing on September 20-21. Budapest has been chosen as the venue for Coliseum Summit EUROPE 2017 which is scheduled for March 29-30 next year.

The event pictures will be available at https://www.instagram.com/coliseumsummits/

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