City Events confirm dates for rescheduled conference

City Events have confirmed the dates for the RIGES conference ©City Events

The International Meeting of Great Sporting Events (RIGES) is now due to place on March 14 and 15 next year, co-organisers City Events have announced after the original event was postponed because of the terrorist attacks in Paris last month.

Due to feature speakers on various upcoming major sporting competitions including UEFA Euro 2016, the meeting was scheduled to take place at Hôtel Potocki on November 17 but it will now be staged at the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

City Events had confirmed it would be held in the spring of 2016 following the postponement of the conference, usually attended by between 250 and 300 participants from International Federations, foreign delegations, companies, press and institutions.

It is seen as a key networking opportunity for those organising sports events and City Events claim they have been able to address successful strategies for hosts of international competitions for the past five years.

A programme for the conference will be released in due course.

The rescheduled meeting will carry the same theme, “When Sports Inspire Society”, and will feature roundtable discussions and questions concerning social responsibility in sporting events.

The RIGES conference was originally scheduled for November 17 but was postponed in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris ©Getty Images

“Today, sporting events have a bigger role than ever before in the development and improvement of our cities,” a statement confirming the dates from City Events said.

“The values and influence of sports are embodied through broadcasting major events, promoting athletes, sponsoring healthier practices and including economical, ideological and geo-political issues.”

City Events, along with co-organisers Business France and GL events, chose to suspend the original event as a mark of respect after 130 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13.

The opening remarks at November's planned meeting were due to be delivered by French Sports Minister Patrick Kanner.

He was one of the strong advocates of not cancelling next year’s European Football Championships in the country following a friendly match between France and Germany at the Stade de France was targeted by terrorists during the assaults on the French capital.