IF Seminars

The Seminar scheduled for 2nd of June 2020 will be held in the form of a webinar, covering the topic of digital fan engagement.

In light of the developments regarding COVID-19, it has been decided that a gathering in the size of the IF Seminar would be irresponsible and not in line with social distancing policies of the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud.

Instead, a webinar naturally suggests itself as a substitute. We are convinced that the webinar format suits perfectly as a platform for IF staff to maintain exchange among each other and to take away key learnings for their day-to-day work.

Please find below the description of the webinar topic to which we cordially invite you:

Digital Fan Engagement

New ways of how international federations can effectively retain fan engagement for their sport and their events

With fans having been restricted to their homes in recent months, the increasing importance of online engagement has become evident. In order to retain existing fans, to provide alternative services for cancelled sporting events and to possibly attract new audiences, digital fan engagement is something rights holders should pay special attention to.

However, in times of limited resources and competing sources of distractions, it is not easy to actively and effectively engage with the wider public without running the risk of overcommunicating and without running the risk of giving away too much for free and thus drying out potential revenue sources.

What are those latest approaches to digital fan engagement and how can international federations best make use of them?

This webinar aims at answering the above questions by providing participants with an up-to-date overview of the digital fan engagement landscape, as well as with a case study of an IF successfully applying a state-of-the-art digital fan engagement strategy.

Speakers at this Seminar:

• Steve Mandincea, Fantastec

• Tatiana Holifield-Arthur, Pacers Sports and Entertainment

• Stéphane Schwander, FEI

Crisis Communication: How can IFs best prepare for and manage a crisis?

International federations and their members may be faced with various crises or issues that can damage their reputation and, by ripple effect, their sport. With the world being increasingly connected, the risk of having to handle a crisis – regardless of its nature – is therefore significantly higher today than before.

It is however possible to limit the level of uncertainty inherent in any crisis and its potential negative impacts if one is well prepared. Thus, sports organisations have much to gain by anticipating and preparing for a potential crisis in order to be able to react in an agile and orchestrated manner. This translates into the implementation of crisis communication strategies and processes long before a crisis scenario becomes acute.

Based on contemporary crisis communication models and best practices, how should IFs prepare and perform appropriate crisis communication operations? And in what ways can an IFs support their various stakeholders once news about a crisis is breaking?

Providing expert views from both inside and outside the sports industry, the Seminar aims at answering the above questions by including an overview of state-of-the-art techniques of crisis communications as well as relevant case studies to demonstrate real-life implementation. All this should contribute to the ultimate goal of the Seminar to provide IF staff with tangible take-aways which they can use in their day-to-day work.

Programme:

• 9.00 –9.05: Welcome – Lausanne Olympic Capital

• 9.05 – 9.20: Introduction – Sebastien Gillot

• 9.20 – 10.20: Major changes of the Code and the International Standards and daily implications (WADA presenting changes, tools available at that moment and what is expected (update of policies, new concepts, etc…)

10.20-10.50 Coffee break

• 10.50 – 11.05: COVID-19 – What WADA has done and expects

• 11.05 – 11.20: COVID-19 – ITA: how they adjusted the testing programs of IFs and way forward

• 11.20 – 11.35: Education – requirements of the new ISE + communication with Athletes (WADA)

• 11.35 – 11.50: Education – IF presenting how it adapted to the COVID situation (FIAS)

• 11.50 – 12.05: Education – IF presenting how it adapted to the COVID situation (WT)

Development: What is the current ‘state of play’ in supporting the mental health of elite athletes and how can IFs best provide National Federations and athletes with mental health resources in order to enhance their development programmes?

As the level of knowledge in sports medicine is increasing in general, so is the level of knowledge as regards to athletes’ mental health. Until recently, measures supporting mental health in an elite sporting context were primarily centred around building literacy and awareness of the signs of mental ill-health among athletes.

In recent years, however, it has been recognised that such awareness is necessary, but not sufficient to address the various needs of elite athletes. Rather there is a need for a comprehensive framework to promote athlete mental health and wellbeing, acknowledging that an athlete’s needs in this area are as important as their physical health needs, and that both contribute to optimising the athlete’s overall performance.

After the above paradigm shift, what is the current ‘state of play’ in supporting the mental health of elite athletes? Within this framework, what is the role of IFs in contributing to the mental health of the athletes of their sport? And how can IFs best provide support the development work of their Member Associations?

This seminar aims at answering the above questions by including three different perspectives:

• Ajla del Ponte, Swiss sprinter and Olympian, talks about the mental challenges and needs for support of a modern elite athlete.

• Denis Hauw, Professor for Sports Psychology at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), provides a comprehensive overview over the latest scientific findings as regards to mental health and how they are translated into concrete initiatives.

• A representative from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) explains how the everyday implementation of initiatives for the promotion of athletes’ mental health can work from the perspective of an International Federation.

Innovation: The latest digital developments in fan-engagement solutions

The seminar will aim at not only inspiring participants with brand new solutions in fan engagement, but it will also allow for federations to exchange about how such technologies can be adapted and implemented within the realities of today’s international sport landscape.

The subject will be approached in two ways:

Pitches of 5 minutes: A selection of Sport Tech Companies & Start-ups will each have five minutes to present a new solution in the field of fan-engagement which can be applied by IFs

Panel discussion: It will be facilitated, featuring a selection of IF who will exchange about how they utilise fan engagement technologies, whether for their own events or for their members’.

Please note that given the current sanitary restrictions in Switzerland, the seminar will be run online on Tuesday, December 1st, from 9:30 to 11:00.