World experts in stadium design and construction gather for 3rd edition of World Stadium Congress
Doha, Qatar--The 3rd edition of Qatar's World Stadium Congress has arrived in Doha. Kicking off on 19 May, this year's Congress will feature the architects, solutions providers and stadium operations consultants behind some of the world's most inspired sporting venues.
As part of a global series of conferences on stadium design, delivery and construction, the World Stadium Congress 2014 is the region's top forum for discussions on stadium design; sustainable practices; and construction challenges.
ASTAD Project Management's H.E. Ali Bin Nasser Al Khalifa and SPOR SANAYI's Yasar Meral will open the first day of the conference with keynotes on world-class sporting infrastructure. H.E. Ali Bin Nasser, in particular, will provide a window into the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup in Qatar in his session titled, "Delivering world-class infrastructure to support Qatar 2022".
"Qatar will host FIFA 2022, one of the largest sporting events in the world, and exceptional project management will play a critical role in the delivering a memorable mega-event," said H.E. Ali Bin Nasser. "Of course we will draw from ASTAD's significant experience building sports facilities in Qatar, but it is also important for senior stakeholders within the industry to share their expertise and knowledge so that we may identify solutions to common challenges and ensure continuous improvement in design and construction."
Tariq Al Abudulla, General Manager of the Qatar Olympic Academy and Head of Technical Affairs at the Qatar Olympic Committee, will follow with a keynote address on Day Two, laying out the Qatar Olympic Academy's unique Sport Venue Management programme.
The keynote speakers will be joined by the industry's leading minds, who will share their experiences of venue construction in Brazil, Russia, the UK, Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Italy, US, and, now, the Middle East. Among them is Jon Sellins, Head of Business Development--Consultancy at Wembley Stadium, who will draw from the Champions League Final 2013 to convey best practices in hosting and facilitating major sporting events.
Sustainability is the keyword at this year's conference. "It is important to us that the lasting impact of our stadiums on the community is a positive one," says Architecture Manager at AECOM, Brazil, Diogo Taddei. "In designing the sporting and non-competition facilities for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, we took Rio's and Brazil's sporting ambitions into account, and focused on the provision of a cost-efficient design for permanent and temporary venues," he continued. "The legacy conversion plan cannot be overlooked."
On the second day of the two-day conference, Taddei will confer his insight on designing and implementing the Rio 2016 Olympic Park, and discuss AECOM's approach to stadium design in the Middle East.
Dan Meis, Global Director of Sport at Woods Bagot, will also prioritise stadium longevity and community integration at this year's Congress. "Given the number of stadiums that are being contemplated for the region, it is very important to discuss how we can ensure that these venues continue to benefit the community beyond the tournaments for which they were built."
During his session, Meis will illustrate the efforts that Woods Bagot has made in crafting AS Roma's new €700m stadium as a mixed-use sports and entertainment destination.
In addition to speakers' segments, the World Stadium Congress will feature panels, case studies and roundtable discussions organised by IQPC.
Meis, Taddei, Mark Fenwick of RFA Irribarren Architects, and Markus Pfisterer, director of GMP Architekten, will sit on a panel on trends in stadium design.
Jon Parrish, Director of Global Sports, AECOM, UK; representatives from Honeywell and Grundfos; and event chair Paul Hyett of HKS Architects will carry a group of roundtable discussions.
For the first time in the series, the conference will host a financial perspective. Nermine Nassif Girgis Ishak, Head of Corporate Banking at Al Khaliji Commercial Bank will deliver a talk entitled "Financing growth and capitalising on development opportunities," an examination of opportunities in the Qatar projects market for local and international players.
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IQPC provides business executives around the world with tailored practical conferences, large scale events, topical seminars and training programmes, keeping them up-to-date with industry trends, technological developments and the regulatory landscape. IQPC conferences are market leading "must attend" events for their respective industries. IQPC produces more than 1,700 events annually around the world, and continues to grow. Founded in 1973, IQPC now has offices in major cities across six continents including: Bengaluru, Berlin, Doha, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, New York, Riyadh, Singapore, Sydney, Tampa, and Toronto. IQPC leverages a global research base of best practices to produce an unrivalled portfolio of conferences.
Radhika Sasidharan
Marketing Manager
IQPC Middle East
Tel: +971 4 360 2822
radhika.sasidharan@iqpc.ae
Tina Carter
Account Executive
FleishmanHillard
Tel: +971 4 450 2608
tina.carter@fleishman.com
© Press Release 2014
