The International Rugby Board (IRB) has today announced that Debbie Jevans CBE (Chief Executive, England Rugby 2015) and Leo Varadkar TD (Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport) will speak at the inaugural IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition in Dublin on November 18.
Speaking on the day one panel session entitled ‘Winning Bids and Delivering Outstanding Rugby Events’, Jevans brings with her a wealth of experience bidding for and delivering major events following on from her role as Director of Sport for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid and Organising Committee.
Jevans is now leading ER 2015, the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015, and has been tasked with delivering the six-week celebration of Rugby, which will include 48 matches played over 44 days, featuring 920 players and team officials.
Alongside Jevans, the IRB has also announced that Minister Leo Varadkar will feature on the high-level panel. Varadkar, the youngest member of the Irish Government and Foundation Board member of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), will outline why governments back major sports events and how to maximise the potential socio-economic benefits that hosting the world’s most prestigious events can deliver.
Jevans and Varadkar will also be joined on the panel by Kit McConnell, IRB Head of Rugby World Cup, who will draw upon more than 15 years of experience delivering major international sporting events including several summer and winter Olympics and record-breaking Rugby World Cups in France in 2007 and New Zealand in 2011.
The final member of the panel is Mike Lee OBE, Chairman of VERO Communications, who has worked on several successful campaigns including Rio de Janeiro’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and PyeongChang’s 2018 Winter Games bid, as well as the Rugby Sevens campaign for inclusion onto the Olympic programme. Most recently, he worked at the centre of Brian Cookson’s successful campaign to become President of the International Cycling Union (UCI).
On the panel, Lee will explore why cities and countries bid to host major international sporting events as well as what makes a winning major event strategy.
Brett Gosper, IRB Chief Executive, said, “I am delighted that Debbie, Leo, Kit and Mike will speak at the inaugural IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition on what I am sure will be an engaging and entertaining discussion on the future of major Rugby events.”
“With what is shaping up to be an insightful and thought-provoking agenda that will explore a range of topics currently facing Rugby and world sport, I look forward to welcoming representatives from around the world to what I am sure will be a must-attend event for the global Rugby family and wider international sporting community.”
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