On 10 November, the Sports Event Management Conference in London brought together key players from the international sports event management industry. Insightful presentations from world class speakers with in-depth event experience ensured unparalleled knowledge-sharing and learning opportunities for all present.

Francis Tellier, CEO of HBS Group, spoke about host broadcasting being a job for specialists and stressed the dire consequences of a wrong decision which go way beyond simply having to deal with poor TV coverage of an event.

Using a case study that struck home for many present, he pinpointed how numerous – apparently insignificant – mistakes of appreciation over a number of months and/or years prior to event implementation are a true recipe for disaster, not only for the event itself but for the Federation or League or event owner that will have to manage for decades the marketing of a product that has lost a great deal of its overall appeal.

“The Host Broadcaster needs to be present right from the very start, often acting as a ”white-label” expert organisation, keeping the best interest of the event in mind at all times,” said Francis Tellier. “Specifications need to be discussed as soon as the host country is selected, ongoing working relationships established with the event owner, with the host country authorities, with the Organising Committee, with all the customers (Media Rights Licensees, Mobile Network Operators, Infotainment operators to name but a few), coordination groups, workshops and World Broadcaster Meetings organized, services and facilities masterminded for a broadcast landscape that is more diverse than ever before.

Top sport events need a turnkey solution designed by an overall architect taking full responsibility. Trying to please “domestic broadcasters” who are over-stretched to provide resources, splitting responsibilities between several providers, hiring old-timers – builders and carpenters of previous events – without the architect is hazardous at the best. All these dangers were clearly understood by FIFA and the IOC decades ago."

Major changes for any upcoming flagship event are no longer simply a question of “adding more” but of providing “diversified broadcast content, better usage of services and facilities, enhanced user-friendly capacity for logging, storage and archiving purposes."

Host broadcasting is about addressing commitments, sharing expert advice, contributing to a Federation or League’s knowledge management process so as to deliver a “Best Ever” in the host country and to leave a lasting (and workable) legacy for years to come.