ESSMA Summit 2017: three successful days at Parc Olympique Lyonnais

From 16 to 18 January, the third annual ESSMA Summit took place at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. With 350 delegates participating, this edition proved to be successful. 

The first day, supported by Natural Grass, was focused around the Stadium Development Seminar and gave an overview of planned and ongoing projects in Europe. We welcomed Drazen Kalac, stadium manager of Stadion Kantrida, Jan Van Merwijk, stadium director of Feyenoord, Lorenzo Santoni, head of B Futura, Alexander Munda, marketing manager of FK Austria Wien and Jürgen Muth, managing director of Allianz Arena.

Our key findings and in-depth report will be communicated later on. To close the first day, participants got an extensive stadium tour.

Olympique Lyonnais Chairman Jean-Michel Aulas welcomed everyone on the second day after which we enjoyed a fully packed day. Andreas Schär from UEFA gave a detailed presentation on the EURO 2016 and a look ahead to the 2020 edition. After lunch, representatives of Olympique Lyonnais, Coca-Cola and US Bank Stadium and also a panel discussion on stadium development in France were part of the program.

The last day of the ESSMA Summit was dedicated to in-depth workshops. This was built around our expert areas: stadium management, safety management, pitch management and fan entertainment. A whole range of speakers from different European clubs brought specific cases and stories to the attendees.

A very informative Summit, we hope everyone could take a lot back home. If you have any questions or requests, please get in touch with the ESSMA staff.

As presented on the second day by our president John Beattie, we hope to welcome you all back next year in Dublin, 16-18 January 2018 at the iconic AVIVA Stadium.