TORONTO, February 26, 2004 -- Athletes helping children around the world will be the focus of the keynote address at the 6th Annual Sport Business Conference being held this weekend at York University. The 2004 conference theme is "The Globalization of Sport."Sarah Clappison, spokesperson for Right to Play, an athletes’ group committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and their communities through sport development, will describe her recent trip with former Olympic rower Marnie McBean to help the children of Sierra Leone.
This year’s conference, which is organized by student members of the York University Sports Administration Association, will explore how, despite cultural differences, sport is used as a tool to connect people. The conference will also address how sport is used in business settings on both national and international levels.
Other scheduled speakers include Stacey Allaster, vice-president and tournament director of Tennis Canada, and Brian Cooper, president and COO of Insight Sports Ltd
Allaster, a prominent figure on the international tennis scene, was recently listed as one of the 25 Most Influential people in Canadian Sport by the Globe and Mail. Allaster has generated more than $6.5 million in naming rights and fundraising for the new $45 million Rexall Centre and Compass Group Canada Centre of Excellence currently under construction at York University.
Cooper, former vice-president of business development for the Toronto Raptors and the Air Canada Centre, now oversees operations for Insight Sports Ltd. With a concentration on sport media business and sport television production, Insight Sports has grown into a North American entrepreneurial success story.
Rounding out the speakers list at the conference’s workshops are representatives of key sectors of the Sport Industry:
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Sport Marketing: Peter Consentino, Founder, DEC Sport Marketing.
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Event Management: Jodi Clare, Senior Manager, Events, International Management Group; Ria Punilal, Manager, Events, International Management Group.
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Professional Sports: Mike Murphy, VP of Hockey Operations, National Hockey League.
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Sport Media: Jody Vance, Host, Sportsnet News.
Invited guests from the sports industry and more than 120 delegates from university and college campuses across Ontario, are expected to attend. For a detailed program of the conference and speaker bios please check the website at www.yorku.ca/yussa and link to SBC.For More Information Contact:
York University Sport Administration Association
Candace Alfarero
Phone: 416-736-2100 ext. 77227
Fax: 416-736-5669
E-mail: sbc@yorku.ca
About SBC - An entirely student-run conference hosted by the York University Sport Administration Association, the aim of all SBC Conferences is to provide a forum for aspiring sport industry leaders to build strong networks within Canada’s sport business community. Currently in its 6th year, SBC takes place at York University, Canada’s third largest university and home to one the most diverse student bodies in the country.
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Media - for further information, please contact:
David Fuller
Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22091
dfuller@yorku.ca
YU/033/04
