FIS. More than 220 representatives of the FIS Member National Ski Associations and their World Cup Organizing Committees participated in the 2nd edition of the FIS World Cup Organizers Seminar that was held in Portoroz at the conclusion of the Calendar Conference week. The seminar, entitled 'Optimizing Media Exposure for FIS World Cup Events," began with an afternoon plenary session for representatives of all disciplines that was opened by the FIS President Gian Franco Kasper and his ‘State of the Union' speech.

The main objective of the FIS World Cup Organizers Seminar was to exchange, inform, interact and share knowledge and experiences. The program was established by an editorial board with representatives from each of the FIS disciplines - Srecko Medven and Michael Huber for Alpine Skiing; Stefan Huber, Tomi Trobvc, Tiit Pekk and Sandro Pertile for the Nordics; Patrice Drouin and Hello Haas for Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing.

The keynote speakers Julien Bergeaud of Eurosport and Jez Jowett of Cake and Havas provided different perspectives on the development of the media market, trying to foresee the impact of the digital world and social media on the future of ski sports' media exposure.

The panel discussing the topic of ‘Skiing in the connected world' included FIS President Gian Franco Kasper and both keynote speakers who were joined by FIS Council Member and President of the National Olympic Committee of Slovenia Janez Kocijancic as well as Andrew Judelson, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association.

Saturday's final session featured case studies by Nicole Resch, Secretary General of the International Biathlon Union, Dutch social media expert Gijsbregt Brouwer and Michael Huber, President of the Kitzbühel Ski Club and the Hahnenkamm Races.

On Sunday, discipline specific sessions were held that comprised pertinent topics, ranging from rules updates, season reviews to case studies focused on developing the event side of the World Cup weekends and beyond. Judging from the feedback during and after the Seminar, most key objectives were achieved. The editorial board, as well as all participants are thanked for their engagement in communicating their experiences and knowledge to help develop FIS World Cup events.

Summary report of each presentation

In his opening remarks, the President Gian Franco Kasper stressed the need to encourage new participants to practise snow sport. Media were an essential means of promotion, and television had the greatest impact. However, FIS was dependent on the companies to whom the National Ski Associations had sold their rights. Efforts must be made to improve the presentation of snow sport and to ensure the most effective coordination of the calendar. Co-operation and coordination between the organisers would be beneficial to all involved in the sport.

Julien Bergeaud of Eurosport believed that television would remain the main means of consuming audiovisual product in the coming years. Technological developments meant more competition between the different channels of distribution and only the strong would survive. For his company live content created emotion which was essential to attract an audience. Eurosport was active in developing multimedia platforms and generating specific content for specific devices. In this way the loyalty of the public would be assured. The player was a new innovation which gave the consumer access to a much wider offer of live content and the take up had been good.

Jez Jowett of Cake and Havas defined social media as people connecting with other people to share interests and develop passion through the exchange of digital content. Most people trusted the opinions of their friends more than what appeared in advertising, so by establishing communities awareness of products and activities could be promoted. He gave a guide to the creation of the different tools needed to create social media platforms and noted that the development of such a platform was not expensive. All that was needed was a digital device with camera and a hard working intern who will already have the necessary skills.

During the panel discussion there was a strong opinion that the promotion of skiing should not be an all year affair. It was underlined that a clear understanding of who owned original content was vital, as was the protection of the identity of people exchanging content on the Internet. The creation of attractive content giving a behind-the-scenes look on snow sports, the athletes and the organisation of events, should be a priority for snowsport web sites. The platform neutral approach to the sale of rights protected the company that acquired the media rights, but restricted the number of distribution outlets that could be used. It would prove difficult to amend the calendar as requested by Eurosport.

Marcel Looze provided detailed information regarding television audiences which were shown to be stable in recent years. The IFM media impact tool showed that at Alpine and Cross Country ladies events reach more audience then the men. . At Nordic combined we have seen a decline in media impact caused by less events compared to previous seasons Alpine is very stable and at Cross Country and Ski Jumping an increase in media impact was seen. . The individual discipline websites were established and their growth would be encouraged by seeking new content. The intention was that this would be free to consumers, and the co-operation of all stakeholders was requested.

Nicole Resch explained the development of the IBU television product and the cooperation they had with the EBU. The last IBU Congress had decided to reduce the number of athletes in World Cup competitions thereby meeting the request of television while securing rights income for the IBU. Live streaming was available on a number of websites of National Federations and the IBU could develop a common strategy as they owned and exploited, in cooperation with the EBU, all of the rights. In addition to race material in some countries, live coverage of interviews and press conferences were streamed on the IBU website. In order to meet the demands of certain countries additional language versions (notably Russian) had been developed.

Gijsbregt Brouwer advised that through modern technology individuals were always connected. This offered new and wider opportunities. Contact meant partnership which could give continuous and authentic experience with a high value. He believed that organisers would benefit by creating platforms which used new technology solutions and applications. In view of the risks of misuse of data, he believed that a protocol should be created on how to manage social media.

Michael Huber took the audience on an historical journey to show the growth of side events at Kitzbühel. He believed that different skills were needed in organising events and arranging side activities. Kitzbühel had now decided to arrange different side events for each different group, seeking a balance so that all groups have a positive experience of their visit to the races. He gave five principles to help in organising side events: Show individuality, Provide adventures with the senses, Enable social interaction, Stimulate contact between groups and Remember that sport is THE entertainment. All activities should be kept short and adapted to the winter environment, and efforts must be made to develop and improve.

FIS news
08/06/2011

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