Mass Participation World

Every mass participation event starts with the first step …. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that what started out as an idea to bring the Mass Participation industry in Asia together has turned into a global initiative that will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary next year. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many people especially Teck Yin Lim and Sport Singapore, Pierre Duvelleroy and njuko and Alessio Punzi and World Athletics whose early support helped lay the foundation. They were followed by a multitude of partners, speakers and delegates from over 60 countries to help transform Mass Participation Asia into Mass Participation World. A huge thanks to all of you. What was born in Singapore has created truly global impact. We are now way more than just an annual conference and it is with great excitement, as we prepare for MPW24 in Ho Chi Minh City in partnership with Bang Trinh and Sunrise Events Viet Nam (SEV), that we announce the opportunity for Host City Partnerships for the next 5 years. Albeit that 2027 is already locked in and we will soon make an announcement revealing an amazing partnership alongside a major global event. We are particularly passionate about taking MPW to emerging markets where we have already made huge impact. If you are interested follow the links in the graphic below for details. Expressions of interest close on 15 November after which a short list of Host City Partners will be invited to submit detailed proposals. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me directly chris@massparticpationworld.com Register for MPW24 through the link in the comments #mpw #mpw24 #massparticipation

We are delighted to announce our next group of speakers for MPW24. Join us in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as we explore “Climbing the Next Mountain: For Those Who Dare” I’m especially excited to hear insights from Mark Milde as to how this year’s 50th anniversary BMW Berlin Marathon officially became the biggest marathon in the world with 54,280 finishers. Hugh Singe will be one of the facilitators for the World Athletics and World Academy of Endurance Medicine half day Medical Operations Workshop. The recent Techcombank (TCB) Hanoi Marathon was postponed by a week due to Typhoon Yagi and Phuong Le Viet will join a panel to share how that enormous task was made possible by collaboration between multiple stakeholders. The response to the GSIC powered by Microsoft MPW Innovation Challenge has been spectacular and I’m excited to be joined by Peggy Tng as we profile some of the solutions to the 41 problem statements we received. The Belgrade Marathon has created an amazing “Heroes of Belgrade” social engagement program and Darko Habuš will share details during our sustainability segment presented by Global Sustainable Sport Like in many emerging markets, our industry continues to grow in Pakistan and Shoaib Nizami will share some interesting insights from Sports In Pakistan EARLY BIRD ENDS TOMORROW. Register through the link in the comments below. #mpw #mpw24 #massparticipation

Delighted to have already received registrations from across the globe within the first 48 hours of opening for MPW24 in Vietnam. Sign up before 18 October at early bird rates to join us as we explore “Climbing the Next Mountain: For Those Who Dare” during our 9th edition, in Ho Chi Minh City. We are excited to invite the industry to dare to think differently as we look to harness the current global boom, especially in running - the largest marathon ever with 54,280 finishers in Berlin last weekend as just one example . The analogy of the mountain and the image of Everest has been chosen for a number of reasons: 🏔️ Reaching the summit of Everest does not happen overnight – it takes years of training, experience and critically collaboration 🏔️ Everest stands tall but is at the centre of a huge range of mountains – without their “support” it does not exist 🏔️ Not everyone can or has to exist in the rare air of Everest’s summit – are you clear on the summit you are aiming for? Some of the things we will explore include: ✅ Success Beyond Success – moving beyond the fixation on “operational success”, which should be a given ✅ Opportunities for greater collaboration between ALL stakeholders – as we say in Asia “grow a bigger rice bowl for everyone” ✅ Future generations – participants, leaders, workforce ✅ Sustainability – looking far beyond environmental ✅ Embracing technology – including solutions to some of the 41 “problem statements” we have received in the GSIC powered by Microsoft MPW Innovation Challenge ✅ An immersive Explore Performance simulation of climbing Everest with a multitude of practical and relevant lessons ✅ A World Athletics and World Academy for Endurance Medicine half day Medical Operation Workshop with Stéphane Bermon Director Health & Science Department, World Athletics and Hugh Singe, Managing Director, Event Health Management. We will start announcing other speakers weekly from next week - stay tuned. I hope you will dare to join us in Ho Chi Minh City from 5 to 7 December to explore how you can dare to be different as you set your future horizons and the summit you aim to reach. Register through the link in the comments below or scan the QR code in the graphic to also see program and hotel details. #MPW24 hashtag #MPW hashtag #massparticipationworld hashtag #massparticipation hashtag #worldathletics

It’s exciting times for the Mass Participation industry as events around the world attract record numbers. However I have a concern that many are being blinded by the raw numbers without paying attention to how we leverage this huge opportunity to evolve and build a long-term sustainable industry that will not struggle when we hit inevitable headwinds down the road. It is increasingly well documented that much of the “mainstream” sports industry is going through extremely challenging times as a result of flawed business models and poor governance. I think there are many parallels in Mass Participation. So we have provocatively chosen the theme “Climbing the Next Mountain: For Those Who Dare” for MPW24, our 9th edition, in Ho Chi Minh City. We are excited to invite the industry to dare to think differently as we release the first draft of the program which can be downloaded through the link in the comments. The analogy of the mountain and the image of Everest has been chosen for a number of reasons: 🏔️ Reaching the summit of Everest does not happen overnight – it takes years of training, experience and critically collaboration 🏔️ Everest stands tall but is at the centre of a huge range of mountains – without their “support” it does not exist 🏔️ Not everyone can or has to exist in the rare air of Everest’s summit – are you clear on the summit you are aiming for? Some of the things we will explore include: ✅ Success Beyond Success – moving beyond the fixation on “operational success”, which should be a given ✅ Opportunities for greater collaboration between ALL stakeholders – as we say in Asia “grow a bigger rice bowl for everyone” ✅ Future generations – participants, leaders, workforce ✅ Sustainability – looking far beyond environmental ✅ Embracing technology – including solutions to some of the 41 “problem statements” we have received in the GSIC powered by Microsoft MPW Innovation Challenge ✅ An immersive Explore Performance simulation of climbing Everest with a multitude of practical and relevant lessons ✅ A World Athletics and World Academy for Endurance Medicine half day Medical Operation Workshop with Stéphane Bermon Director Health & Science Department, World Athletics and Hugh Singe, Managing Director, Event Health Management. I hope you will dare to join us in Ho Chi Minh City from 5 to 7 December to explore how you can dare to be different as you set your future horizons and the summit you aim to reach. Registration will open on 16 September – in the meantime register your interest through the link in the comments to qualify for special benefits including five free passes Huge thanks to Anthony Bonney, Managing Director, Grow On Purpose for his powerful support in helping curate the program. #MPW24 #MPW #massparticipationworld #massparticipation #worldathletics

Do you have a problem that technology can solve? We are massively excited to once again partner with GSIC powered by Microsoft to launch the GSIC MPW Innovation Challenge, a unique platform designed to foster collaboration and innovation in the mass participation industry. The Challenge aims to help transform the industry by bringing together stakeholders and innovative tech solution providers to address real-world challenges. In an extension of the partnership between GSIC and MPW which started in 2018, the finalists will present their solutions to delegates and investors at the 9th edition of Mass Participation World Conference (MPW24) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 4-6 December. I’m very much looking forward to working with Iris Cordoba Mondejar, Peggy Tng and Ariele Tan to bring the Challenge to life over the next few months. Challenge Details: The GSIC MPW Innovation Challenge invites companies and startups from around the world to address 10 curated problem statements submitted by various stakeholders from the mass participation industry accross five categories: ➡️ Data Analytics ➡️ Event Operations ➡️ Participant Engagement ➡️ Smart Venues ➡️ Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) If you are a stakeholder in the mass participation industry with a problem statement you can share by filling in a simple form using the link in the comments below before 9 Aug or contacting GSIC or MPW. Key dates: ✅ 9 Aug: Problem statement submissions close ✅ 23 Aug: Submissions by Tech Providers open ✅ 21 Oct: Submissions by Tech Providers close ✅ 4 Nov: Finalists Confirmed ✅ 4-6 Dec: MPW24 in Ho Chi Minh City (details in the link below) hashtag #mpw hashtag #gsic hashtag #innovation hashtag #technology hashtag #massparticipation

We have assembled an amazing international panel for the next World Athletics Webinar which will take place tomorrow on the eve of International Women's Day. I hope you can join us for "Celebrating Women in Running". Which will flag off at 7am New York | 12pm London | 8pm Singapore. Hear the inspiring story of Mary Ngugi and the Nala Track Club which she founded to provide a safe training environment for women runners. Natacha Manchado will host a panel with Primrose Mhunduru, Elizabeth Pike, Erica Edwards-O'Neal, Esq. and Cheryl Cooky to explore the importance of research and policy to continue to grow women's running. Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell will join us to share ways of creating more opportunities for women of colour. I'm looking forward to hosting a panel which will explore case studies of women's events in Japan and Sweden. I will be joined by Junjil Sawada, Kanae Kuruno and Lisa Beskow. Catherine Debrunner will have a conversation with Alessio Punzi to share a wheelchair racers perspective before Alessio leads a number of World Athletics updates including details of the upcoming Global Running Conference with Christine Bowen. Don't miss a hugely exciting announcement from Carlotta Breda regarding access to the hugely coveted bibs for the sold out Paris 2024 Olympics mass races. I'm delighted to be closing out the show in conversation with Dawna Stone to hear her inspiring journey that has taken her to CEO of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and explore what the industry can do to help more women rise to the top. Register now through the link in the comments to join us tomorrow, Thursday 7 March #worldathletics #mpw #womeninrunning #internationalwomensday

We still feel that many people in the Mass Participation industry view sustainability through the single lense of the environment and also see it as a cost rather than an important and valuable investment. As the industry continues to negotiate the headwinds that many industries are facing we are convinced that a well considered and articulated sustainability strategy is going to be crucial to survival and ongoing success. We are so excited to have partnered with Mike Laflin, CEO & Founder, Global Sustainable Sport and with his help to have assembled an incredible panel who will join us for Mass Participation World Conference in Vietnam to explore "What Does a Sustainable Mass Participation Industry Look Like?" Mike will be joined in conversation by Isabella Burczak, Cycling for All & Sustainability Manager, Union Cycliste Internationale, Kate Chapman, Head of Sustainability, London Marathon Events and Julia Cui, General Manager, CGX Management. The pre-recorded conversation will be guided by the seven sustainable pillars of sport that Mike has created: 👉 Partnerships 👉 Participation 👉 People 👉 Planet 👉 Power 👉 Profile 👉 Prosperity We would love to hear your thought on the topic in the comments below. MPW23 flags off from 7-9 December in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam under the banner of "Futureproofing from the Grassroots Up" It's not too late to register. DON'T MISS OUT. Speakers, program and registration through the link in the comments below. #mpw23 #mwp #sustainability #vietnam #grassroots #futureproofing

Is the Mass Participation sports events business model flawed or are we focusing on the wrong areas? For at least five years now one of the key conversations on and off the stage at Mass Participation World conferences has been along the lines of "how do we fix/evolve the business model?" Much of it has been around how do we create new revenue streams. A few weeks ago I was in a conversation with Sam Middlehurst, CEO, admiral.digital and Co-Founder, Fresh Events Asia. He made an observation along the lines of "we keep looking for the silver bullet but is it perhaps that we need to better examine the ways we are pulling the existing levers - both from a revenue and cost perspective?" So we have created a session at MPW23 next week to examine exactly that in a new format which Sam will facilitate. On Friday we will be sending a one page "problem statement" to all registered delegates to help prepare them. The one hour session will kick off with a 15min panel to set the scene. Sam will be joined by Caroline Darcy, Founder, Milka Marketing and former Global Head of Sponsorship Standard Chartered Bank and Taylor Host, Founder, Miro AI. The opening will be followed by a 35min round table workshop and then a 10 min wrap up. Caroline brings decades of experience including managing Standard Chartered's sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club and it's portfolio of ten marathons including Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi. Taylor brought years of experience in senior roles at MacDonalds to the MP industry where he built and recently sold Miro AI to Greenfly. Some of the areas we will explore include: 👉 Creating the growth flywheel and making it spin faster 👉 Economic headwinds which are creating increasing pressure 👉 Economic tailwinds and the P&L opportunities they may create 👉 Controlling the controllable - creating customer value 👉 How to make money from the ‘community’ dynamic of participation 👉 How to move from 1-day (‘tent pole’) platform to a ‘year-round’ platform 👉 What are core capabilities required ‘in-house’ vs outsourced to trusted ‘expert’ partners? I would welcome any feedback in the comments below. Hope you can join us in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam next week 7-9 December for this and other interactive sessions as we explore "Futureproofing from the Grassroots Up" REGISTER TODAY through the link in the comments below #mpw23 #mpw #massparticipation #businessmodel #hochiminhcity #vietnam

As the Mass Participation industry wrestles with the challenges of it's business model in many countries I strongly believe that one of the key opportunities is the platform we provide to help governments and federations achieve their objectives. One of the big trends of this decade is the aligning of interests between sport federations (whether global, or national) and government (whether central/federal, state/provincial or mayor municipal). Both are seeking to engage the youth - albeit for different reasons - through a perennial community program rather than a major event. Federations are seeking to cultivate their next generation of demand whilst governments have more social change agenda in public health, inclusion etc. Mass participation, I believe, has largely ignored a defined strategy to engage grassroots and the next generation of participants, let alone the access that children provide to their parents and broader family and friends. We are also mostly fixated on races and events rather than year-round programs. I myself was guilty a decade ago when organising the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon - 60,000 participants at it's peak of which 6,000 took part in the Kids Dash. We treated it as a "bolt-on" which delivered extra sponsorship and entry fee revenue but we completely missed the opportunity to strategically use it as a pathway to future participation. I am hugely excited to hear the insights of Scott Levy, Teck Yin Lim, Bang Trinh in conversation with Unmish PARTHASARATHI as we explore "Playing at the Grassroots Level: The Role of Sports Federations and Governments" on Day 1 of MPW23 Conference in just over two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City. Between them they bring decades of experience including how the NBA built it's huge presence in China through extensive school programs and is now turning it's attentions to Africa, how sport has become an integral part of government policy in Singapore, how the Mass Participation industry is burgeoning in Vietnam and how the International Cricket Council's investment in Asia has seen the Thai T20 women’s team become the 8th best in the world as it also starts to focus on Africa. Join us in Vietnam for three days of conversations as we explore "Futureproofing from the Grassroots Up". Delegate prices increase on Friday so don't miss out. Register and find full details through the link in the comments. #mpw23 #mpw #grassroots #nba #ssg #icc #massparticipation