Hosting Play the Game 2011: Calling interested partners

Play the Game calls upon potential partners to declare their interest in hosting Play the Game 2011, the 7th world communication conference on sport and society.

Play the Game 2011 is expected to gather 3-400 leading media professionals, academics, sports officials, sports business executives and students from 40-50 countries worldwide. It is envisaged that the conference is arranged over four-five days in the second half of 2011.

The independent institution Play the Game aims to strengthen the basic ethical values of sport and encourage democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in world sport. Over the past 12 years, the conference has achieved a unique status as the only platform in international sport where qualified observers and high-ranking sports officials engage in unrestricted and constructive debates about the main challenges to modern sport.

The task for 2011 is to further develop the form, content and legacy of the conference which in its previous editions has been met with enthusiasm by the participants, leaving a mark on their professional future and on the international sports agenda.

Co-organisers will be represented on the Programme Committee and be closely involved in all aspects of the conference planning.

The conference attracts worldwide media attention and contributes to identify the host city and country with high ethical standards in sport and sports administration. It offers opportunities to raise international issues of relevance for the host country, and it helps local journalists, academics and sports officials to increase their impact and strengthen their network on a global scale.

Former host cities have been Copenhagen, Reykjavik and Coventry.

A host can be a sports organisation, a city, a media company, a university/education centre, a sports club or a combination of all. Also, well-organised groups of interested individuals may be considered.

As a first step in the selection process we kindly ask possible co-organisers to send us a non-binding declaration of interest no later than Wednesday 18 December 2009 at noon.

The declarations of interest will be followed up by a clarifying dialogue and a joint specification of the practical and financial requirements. Later, a formal bidding process will be carried out among the most qualified bids. The final selection is expected to be made in the first half of April.

In the declaration of interest, candidates are kindly asked to give a rough idea about how they intend to raise the necessary funding for the below mentioned expenses. We also ask the candidates to lay out an overview over the local project organisation as well as outline a strategy for marketing of the conference in the host country:

• rental of appropriate conference venue and technical equipment
• transportation costs for 40 invited speakers from across the world
• hotel and meals for invited speakers and Play the Game representatives (board, staff, Programme Committee) on a 3-4 star level
• social and cultural programme
• a national pr and marketing campaign for the conference
• travel subsidies for participants from less privileged countries

Also, ideas about specific conference venues and further organisational partnerships in the city/region/country are welcomed.

Please submit your declaration of interest and to

Play the Game
Att. Conference Manager Maria Suurballe
maria@playthegame.org
office +45 70 27 55 77
mobile +45 20 20 68 38

-     to whom further questions can be addressed (NB! on leave 9-18 October).

Written material, CD’s or likewise can be posted to

Play the Game
c/o Danish School of Media and Journalism
Olof Palmes Allé 11
DK-8200 Aarhus N
Denmark

Play the Game wishes to express its gratitude for the interest shown so far in hosting our 2011 conference, and we look forward to hearing from all candidate hosting partners before Friday the 18 December.

Best regards

Jens Sejer Andersen
Director, Play the Game