Rugby Club Issue 65 | Page 24

FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG “We are really excited by the opportunity presented to us by Wasps when we first initiated conversations to move the event to the Ricoh Arena. We want to create a truly national event and welcome more clubs from both the professional game and community game, grow the number of exhibitors and partners and moving to the Ricoh Arena helps facilitates this growth. “We have always had a good working relationship with Twickenham Experience but in order to achieve our ambitions we had to move the event as we have simply reached capacity after 5-years of selling out all the available exhibition stands while at Twickenham.” Jonathan Wilson, Event Director, Rugby Expo The current and future impact of technology on the business of rugby clubs will come under the spotlight in a discussion featuring Stewart Mison, strategic director - sports business development at Microsoft, Derek Palmer of Tickets.com and Russell Glenister, founder of tracking and analytics company SnapRapid whose work is changing the way sports bodies value and deliver sponsorship in the digital age. Commenting on today’s announcement, Rugby Expo event director Jonathan Wilson said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mark McCafferty back to the Rugby Expo stage on the 20th anniversary of professional rugby union. The superb surroundings of the Ricoh Arena under the ownership of Wasps, provide an appropriate reminder of just how far the spectacle, presentation and business of the sport have changed during that time and we are looking forward to sharing Mark’s insight into the development of the game up to this point and in the years ahead.” “With such a strong speaker line-up and so many critical topics to discuss, Rugby Expo 2016 looks set to be the most informative and insightful to date.” Rugby Expo 2016 will be kicked-off by Bill Beaumont, incoming chairman of World Rugby who was in Rio to see rugby sevens make a triumphant Olympic Games debut and the event’s strongest-ever line-up will also see Barney Francis, head of mould-breaking rugby broadcaster Sky Sports, deliver the first ‘Game Changer’ lecture on the relationship between the sport and media in an economically, socially and technologically evolving world. Now in its 8th year, Rugby Expo has become established as the premier conference and exhibition for club rugby at all levels. While Day One (03 November) focuses on the professional game, the following day concentrates on the community and grass roots clubs through a series of fascinating 24 Issue 65 sessions organised in conjunction with bodies including the RFU. In addition to the must-see conference sessions, Rugby Expo offers an exhibitor platform for many of the sport’s leading suppliers of equipment, product and services. For information on attending Rugby Expo 2016, please contact Jenny Forbes, head of business development, at [email protected] or on +44 (0) 7956 040340.