Lucien Boyer, President Havas Sports & Entertainment and General Commissioner of the Global Sports Forum, discusses the event due to commence in Barcelona next week. Judging by what he has to say, the second edition is set to be a rich and fascinating occasion.

Global Sports Forum: Let’s start with the obligatory question a few days, if not hours, before the Forum opens – how is the everything gearing up at the moment?
Lucien Boyer: We’re expecting very good numbers. We’ve clearly benefited from the positive buzz spread by last year’s participants. And given the quality of the speakers and the enormous amount of preparatory work that’s gone into the content, I believe I can say that as we make the final preparations, the 2010 Forum is looking very good.

What is the Forum’s major asset – the one thing that makes it original?
What strikes me as really interesting, and truly essential, is that it brings together completely different people thanks to subjects that serve, in a way, as meeting points. I could mention plenty of them but I’ll just give you a few names to illustrate the uniqueness of the Forum. It’s fairly exceptional to be able to bring together the likes of Poul Hansen, head of the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace; Jarrod Howell, the vice-president of Disney; the president of the Sports Council in Singapore, where the first ever Youth Olympic Games will be held this year; Serguey Tsyplenkov, the head of Greenpeace Russia; Issa Hayatou, the president of the African Confederation of Football; and the head of sponsorship for Heineken. Without the Forum, none of these people would ever cross paths, and yet all of them possess significant influence in areas which constitute the future of sport, in all its many facets.

"IT’S THE DIVERSITY OF THE PARTICIPANTS WHICH IS EXCITING"

What, in concrete terms, does that combination of expertise and different cultures bring?
Each of our themes will be represented by people who have information, thoughts and fascinating experiences to share. Because of that, when these people come together it sparks new, original and unprecedented ideas. The wide range of participants is what makes the Forum original, even if we have, it’s true to say, people closely linked to sport’s governing bodies, brands and the media. Once again, though, it’s the diversity of the participants which is exciting.

Something else that sets the Forum apart is the amount of care that goes in to selecting speakers. Why is so much work put in long before the event gets under way?
Working on the content is the least we can do! That’s how you launch in-depth debates and avoid the trap that events of this type sometimes fall into of becoming a juxtaposition of monologues. In this way, the subjects discussed can help participants draw up solutions and perhaps even take action. This year, with the presentation of Trophies in each of our categories, the Forum is moving into the realm of projects.

"MORE TIME FOR NETWORKING"

With these Trophies, the Forum will be moving beyond dialogue to taking action. Are there plans for similar initiatives?
The purpose of the Forum is also to encourage participants to meet each other, allowing them to then decide whether to work on projects together. In fact, this year we have placed greater emphasis on networking.

In what way?
We have chosen to reduce the number of sessions to free up more time for exchanges, both formal and informal, revolving around the major themes of the Forum: Sport and Education; Sport Business; Sport and Geopolitics; Sport, Philanthropy and Cooperation; Major Sport Events; Sport and Health; Sport in the City; and Sport, Culture and Creativity. Meanwhile, delegates managing projects will be able to present them to participants who have a particular interest in that area.

Is the Forum evolving towards becoming a trade fair?
Absolutely not! It’s not a fair where you rent a stand to sell your products. It’s a networking arena and a platform for open debate, where concepts and ideas are discussed in depth. If some of the meetings between people result in projects – be they between businesses, businesses and NGOs or businesses and sporting institutions – then all the better. Here’s a little anecdote: last year, one of the participants, the marketing director for the Honda Formula 1 team, had a flash of inspiration during the Forum in terms of how to manage his career. He set up partnerships with people he met in Barcelona and created a consultancy firm focused on sport and its social role. You see, the Forum can lead to all sorts of initiatives.

If participants are to meet each other, first of all they need to be able to identify each other and have a chance to come into contact.
That’s true. This year, the Forum will be taking place at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, which is adjacent to the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos, where the delegates will be staying. That proximity will make it possible for people to stay together, see each other, bump into each other and talk.

"THE FORUM HAS A SOCIAL SLANT"

This year, you are even taking care of the participants’ physical well-being, which is another way of encouraging encounters.
Indeed, we hope that people won’t just talk about sport but practice it too. An agreement with the Barcelona Polo Club, which is right next to the hotel complex, will allow all the delegates to use the fitness equipment there, do cardiovascular work, lift weights, play tennis etc.

And also to get to know each other.
You could look at it like that. One other thing to note along similar lines is that we’ll also be holding demonstrations: of rugby, for example, which became an Olympic sport a few weeks ago.

Coming back to the subjects addressed at the Forum, is there a definite business slant?
Business is represented prominently, but that’s far from being the exclusive focus. I even get the feeling that we have a slight social slant if you look, for example, at the projects in competition for the Trophies.

What is the typical profile of a 2010 delegate?
Many of them come from sports marketing, which makes sense. We’ve also seen large numbers of people linked to public bodies and local authorities, who’ll be looking for ideas, directions and also contacts. A significant number of researchers and academics will be present too. They’ll be coming for the previously unpublished content. For everyone, sport is a strictly professional concern: very few people, or perhaps even none, will be there out of curiosity.

“WE COULD RAISE RESOURCES AND DIRECT THEM TOWARDS ENDS THAT CONFORM WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE FORUM”

On the issue of the Forum’s capacity for action, what other forms could that take?
We can let people meet each other, which is a good start. We could also decide to help the process along and use the influence that the platform of the Forum represents to raise funds or resources, in terms of both expertise and skills, and direct them towards ends that conform with the spirit of the Global Sports Forum.

With that in mind, would you go so far as to set up a foundation?
Why not? It’s possible that the Forum could also fulfil a role directing brands towards projects. In that case, a permanent management body would be necessary and, you’re right, the proper legal framework could be a foundation.

The trophy winners will be unveiled during the Forum and...
Yes, and I can’t tell you who they are now.

Okay, but could you at least tell us if the projects have anything in common?
You can find out more about them on our website. There is a something of a ‘southern’ trend, with Africa benefiting in particular. Football is well-represented. Without doubt that’s due to the influence of the World Cup in South Africa, which is mobilising the entire planet.

On Monday 8 March you will be welcoming the participants. What will be the gist of your opening address?
I won’t be making a long speech but more of a visual and dynamic presentation. In terms of content, it will touch on all the events that have taken place between the closure of the first Forum and now. The subject at hand has moved on since 2009 and the debate is all the richer for it. In addition, all these events give absolute credence to our themes.

"SPORT DOESN’T EXIST IN A BUBBLE: IT IS ANCHORED IN REALITY"

Could you give us some concrete examples?
Just looking at the most recent, we saw for the first time in history last autumn an Armenian head of state visit Turkey. The trip came about because of a football World Cup qualifying match. Another event which passed by unnoticed despite being significant was that, in October, the International Olympic Committee officially received permanent observer status at the General Assembly of the United Nations. That served as recognition of the considerable political influence wielded by the sporting movement. Sport now boasts diplomatic and political leverage.

What else will you be focusing on?
Naturally the awarding of the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio, a city which had to beat competition from Obama’s America, Japan and Spain. With the World Cup being held in South Africa and the Youth Olympic Games to be hosted by Singapore, the choice of Rio completed a redrawn map of the world, focused on the south and east.

On the marketing front, what have you been struck by?
An extraordinary symbol. Gillette has three sports stars under contract. Federer continues to triumph after recapturing his title at Roland-Garros, Tiger Woods cracked under intense media pressure following a private matter and Thierry Henry is in a perilous position due to his handball in the game between France and Ireland. That event enabled us to see exactly how extraordinary the digital revolution has been.

There have also been tragedies associated with sport.
That’s true. The incidents surrounding the Egypt-Algeria match, the machine-gun attack on the Togo team bus in Angola and the terrorist attack in Pakistan during a volleyball match showed that sport can sometimes be taken hostage.

Is that perhaps the price to pay for its incredible power?
Perhaps. What it definitely shows is that sport doesn’t exist in a bubble but is anchored in reality. It’s affected by the best of what that reality has to offer, but not by that alone.

Interview conducted by Bruno Clement