Nasser Al Khater, the Assistant Secretary General for Tournament Affairs at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC). CENTRE: Legendary former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez (also right), now playing for Qatar's Al Sadd, is seen in
The Soccerex Asian Forum 2016, taking place at the Grand Hyatt Doha from today, will provide the global football industry with unique insight, and access to the key development projects ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
With more than 30 large scale infrastructure and stadia related tenders currently open ahead of this groundbreaking tournament, the Asian Forum - supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy - will allow delegates to hear from, and connect with, the decision makers directly responsible for their fulfillment.
The event, which ends tomorrow, brings together the buyers and suppliers in football across the region for two days of insight, networking and business. The event combines a conference, exhibition and programme of structured and social networking opportunities.
Here Marketing Director of Soccerex, David Wright tells us how the Soccerex Asian Forum 2016 programme has been put together to meet the specific needs of the region, particularly focusing on major event planning, delivery and legacy, sports performance and sports marketing.
Question: Hi David, many thanks for talking to us ahead of the Soccerex Asian Forum in Qatar, Soccerex’s first event to be held in the nation. Could you start off by outlining what brings Soccerex to Qatar? And, what your objectives are for the Forum?
David Wright: We are delighted to be hosting the Forum with the support of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy who we have a fantastic relationship with, dating back more than six years when many of its members where involved with Qatar’s successful World Cup bid. Discussions have been ongoing for a while as to how we could collaborate to bring Soccerex to Qatar and provide a platform that not only showcased the wonderful passion and potential of the nation but also promoted the development of the football industry across the region. This year’s event is our first step towards our objective of delivering such a platform in the years building up to the 2022 World Cup and beyond.
Q: With the nation preparing for its inaugural FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar is a hotbed for commercial opportunities. How will the event help to explore these opportunities?
DW: Firstly, it is important we are talking about Qatar in the context of more than just 2022. The nation has a hugely impressive vision for development and growth – of which football and the 2022 FIFA World Cup are key parts – reaching up to 2030 and our aim is to provide an event which both supports the nation’s growth and reflects the opportunities presented by it across this period.
The Soccerex Asian Forum will unite senior business figures, government officials and football experts from across Qatar, the Middle East and the rest of the world for two days of knowledge sharing, networking and business conversations. The Forum will feature all aspects of the Qatari football ecosystem with representatives from the likes of the Aspire Academy, Aspetar, the Qatar Football Association and the Qatar Stars League all set to attend alongside the Supreme Committee’s team and many of the different regional organizations involved in Qatar’s development plans.
Q: As part of your role as marketing director you are assembling the Forum’s conference programme. Can you give us an outline of what will be featured on the agenda?
DW: The programme for the Forum will tackle three key subject areas – major event planning delivery and legacy, elite performance and coaching, and sports marketing and media. Within the major event focus we will be looking at the preparations and planning for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
Our sports performance section will look at the latest innovations in tackling injury.
