1 - 4 September 2008, Lausanne

50 sport managers from all over the world representing National Olympic Committees, National Sport Federations and other sport organisations meet in Lausanne from 1-4 September to learn and exchange about marketing and communication in sport.

The seminar kicked-off on Monday morning with Ms. Lorenn Walker who talked about mediation, conflict resolution and negotiation. Techniques presented by Lorenn were practiced in small groups to get familiar with them and to understand the challenges. Mr. Lars Haue-Pedersen continued with exercises and valuable tips in the area of business speaking.

In addition, Mr. Jan Hellmann of the Get the Point Initiative introduced his organisation to the participants on Monday. Get the Point is a non-profit organisation that aims to inspire, motivate and engage the next generation in a worldwide dialogue to reduce youth violence and to understand how knowledge and leadership can become the best weapons against violence.

Discussion and knowledge sharing at the seminar

The participants were officially welcomed in the evening in the Olympic Museum by Mr. Marc  Vuilleumier, municipal councillor for Public Security and Sport at City of Lausanne, and Ms. Joanna Zipser-Graves from Olympic Solidarity the two main supporters of the seminar.

Tuesday started with a leadership training with Prof. John Antonakis  and ended with a visit to Athletissima were tournament director Jacky Delapierre welcomed all participants for a tour of the stadium and tournament before letting them enjoy the spectacular athletics events with many Beijing stars present.

Participants and AISTS master alumni at Athletissima

On Wednesday marketing and sponsorship was on the agenda of the participants. A case study on Thursday about the Athletissima event with Prof. Bjoern Walliser and Jacky Delapierre will round up the marketing lecture. The participants will then follow the inivitation of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to visit their headquarters. Lila de Soysa of ITTF who spent the whole week with the participants also invites them for table tennis tournament to experience the sport themselves.

The seminar will end on 4 September with a dinner and the award ceremony in the Café du Théâtre.

The AISTS Sport Management Seminar for Women is designed for successful women in sport administration that want to further develop their skills and enhance their career.