On December 8 and 9, 2020, the First Annual Eurasian Sport Industry Conference with the theme of “A New Frontier The Business and Management of Sport in Eurasia” observed its grand opening in Beijing. Co-organized by the world-renowned emlyon business school and Beijing Sport University, a top sport institution in China, and in strategic cooperation with Mailman and Vning Sports, the Conference invited experts and industrial elites from Formula E FIA World Championship, the University of Liverpool, WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, Waseda University, Seoul National University, Qatar University, University of Malaya, Peking University, Shanghai University of Sport, Wuhan Sports University, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, South China University of Technology, among many other European and Asian countries., Participants looked into the market scenario and commercial prospects of Eurasian sport industry from the dimensions of sports, business and management.

Professor William Hua WANG, Associate Dean of emlyon business school, Dean of emlyon business school Asia, noted that the Conference would serve sports practitioners, experts and scholars as a platform for sport exchange, value co-creation and experience sharing, expecting it to provide an opportunity for guests to contribute inspiring ideas. Professor Jian ZHANG, Vice President of Beijing Sport University, hoped to learn the advanced experience from sport service and manufacturing sectors in Europe through the intensive communication among Conference participants and make due contribution to the development of Eurasia sport industry.

▲ Professor William Hua WANG, Associate Dean of emlyon business school, Dean of emlyon business school Asia（right）and Professor Jian ZHANG, Vice President of Beijing Sport University (left) gave the opening remarks

The event was chaired by Simon Chadwick, Professor of Eurasian Sport Industry and director of the Centre for Eurasian Sport Industry of emlyon business school, and LI Shengxin, Vice Dean and Associate Professor of School of Management, Beijing Sport University.

International Venue: Exploring the New Value of Eurasian Sport Property and Screening New Sports Wealth Hotspots

Centering the new wealth hotspots of “sports industry”, more than ten scholars and experts from world-renowned institutions of higher learnings globally delivered thematic speeches through live streaming. Europe and Asia, with a population of over 5 billion, are home to major economies whose economic and cultural development play a crucial role in the progress of the planet. Events like EPL, the Tour de France, the FIFA World Cup, World Baseball Classic tournament, BWF World Championships all bring huge revenue to host countries. The past years have witnessed the robust growth data generated by European and Asian countries, which are not only the most important investors in sports and the host countries of major sports events, but also where the most valuable sport assets lie.

It is just the right time to stage the Conference by emlyon business school, which has been riding the tide of industrial development with its exceptional school-running capabilities and sharp business acumen. “emlyon business school is proud to organize the Eurasian sport industry conference, which is the first in the world,” said Simon Chadwick in his speech, “Eurasia is an increasingly important, and hugely dynamic, part of global sport industry. It is home to some of the most important countries in the world; several of these countries are among the fastest growing; and the landmass is home to some of the biggest events and organisations in the global sport industry. As such, our conference marks an important step in building understanding of its size, nature, and the challenges facing it. We hope that the Eurasian Sport Industry Conference will in the future become an important annual event, that contributes to growing understanding, bilateral cooperation, and the continued growth of the Eurasian sport industry.”

▲ Simon Chadwick, Professor of Eurasian Sport Industry and director of the Centre for Eurasian Sport Industry of emlyon business school, gave a keynote speech

Domestic Venue: Discovering Business Opportunities and Innovative Potentials of China’s sport industry

Experts and scholars from China’s  top-notch sports institutions of higher learning gathered in the domestic venues and exchanged their insights, by referring to the most cutting-edge research findings and focusing on the costs and benefits of large-scale sports events, technology-driven innovation and development of the sports industry, the development trends of the stadium service industry in the post-epidemic era, as well as the researches on sports consumers, with heated and comprehensive discussions conducted on the immeasurable business opportunities and innovative development trends hidden in the rapidly developing sports industry in Eurasia.

LI Shengxin, Associate Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Management of Beijing Sport University, said that the Eurasian Sport Industry Conference has pooled the wisdom of experts while forging a bridge for the exchanges between the sports industries in Europe and Asia. After the Conference, the School of Management of Beijing Sport University will join hands with the Centre for Eurasian Sport Industry of emlyon business school to carry out more regular academic interactions and build a community with a shared future for mankind by using sports as a medium.

▲ LI Shengxin, Associate Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Management of Beijing Sport University，gave a keynote speech

In the future, emlyon business school will construct a platform for dialogues between experts, scholars and elites who are concerned about the development of the global sports industry, and make due contribution to the comprehensive cooperation and sustainable growth of the sports industry in Eurasia.

As a top business school in Europe, emlyon business school has produced rich research results, with abundant training experience in the sports-related sectors and a long-standing reputation in the trade. The Centre for Eurasian Sport Industry, which has been built upon emlyon business school, is a world-leading research institution dedicated to sports industry. Built upon international perspectives and industrial insights, it is committed to conducting in-depth researches and promoting industrial development with first-class achievements.

By integrating the rich resources of emlyon business school and the Centre for Eurasian Sport Industry, emlyon has created the program for MSc in Sports Industry Management, which targets and trains the excellent managers, with full consideration given to the characteristics of sport industry. The program is jointly taught by distinguished professors and experts from different countries worldwide, which will help students, from diversified and international perspectives, to shape industrial thinking and overall management capacity so as not to miss the major opportunities that occur in the development of sport industry.

*The recording video of the conference will be released on emlyon business school official Bilibili and Tecent Video platform.

The Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry

The Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry is a leading institution in the field of sport, and is engaged in the delivery of cutting-edge research, impact and education. Based in Shanghai, the centre operates across emlyon business school’s campuses in Paris, Lyon, Saint Etienne, Bhubaneswar and Casablanca. We have a particular expertise in European and Asian sport, as well as in the fields of experiences, talent, performance, digitalisation and globalisation.