Delegates and officials at the two-day workshop ‘An Introduction to Venue and Stadium Management’, which was held in Amman, Jordan.

By Reporter/Amman, Jordan  

Josoor Institute, a centre of excellence founded by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), has for the first time delivered a regional professional development workshop outside Qatar.
The two-day workshop, entitled ‘An Introduction to Venue and Stadium Management’, took place at Al Hussein Youth City in Amman, Jordan on 10-11 September 2015 and was delivered in partnership with Higher Council for Youth Jordan and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016.
The aim of the workshop was to train professionals from Jordan on venue and stadium operations and their management, with a focus on practical realities in Jordan and particularly on the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016. The workshop was attended by over 90 delegates, including representatives from Al Hussein Youth City, Directorate-General of the Gendarmerie, Jordanian Military Sports Federation, The City of Al Hassan for Youth, The City of King Abdulla for Youth, The Supreme Council for Youth, University of Jordan, Jordan National Team Volunteers, LOC staff and representatives from several volunteer organisations amongst others.
The introductory workshop provided an overview on relevant aspects of modern venue operations and management during major and mega events. The workshop included key topics such as planning for safe and secure venue, practical approach to delivering a safe and secure venue for events, operation lessons learnt from FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup UAE 2013 and advice for Jordan 2016, the future of stadium and venue management in Jordan and the wider Mena region.
The official opening for the “An Introduction to Venue and Stadium Management” workshop was delivered by Dr Sami Mashour al-Majali, President of the Higher Council for Youth Jordan, Samar Nassar, CEO, Local Organising Committee, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 and Afraa al-Noaimi, Director of Operations (acting) at Josoor Institute .
Addressing the gathering at the opening session, Dr Sami Mashour al-Majali, President of the Higher Council for Youth Jordan, said: “We are grateful to our partner Josoor Institute for partnering with us for this workshop and helping create local capabilities. We are honoured to have Josoor Institute and its very experienced group of speakers with us.
“This workshop is an excellent platform to exchange experiences and practices in various areas of managing venues and stadiums during mega events. It was a great opportunity for an elite group of world-class experts to meet and discuss innovative practices and the most recent global trends in sports and mega events industries,” added Dr al-Majali.
Commenting about Josoor Institute’s first-ever workshop outside of Qatar, Mushtaq al-Waeli, Executive Director (acting) of Josoor Institute, said: “Sport has an innate power to bring together people from around the world and create a sense of solidarity among the participating nations.
“Josoor Institute is proud to be involved in preparing the youth of the Mena region for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 and in contributing to the development of the sports and events industries in Jordan.
“With this workshop we have taken forward SC’s vision to create a legacy of human development for our region and to produce a generation of sports and events pioneers that will unleash the potential of this region and will set new standards of excellence. We are grateful to our partners in Jordan for the commendable support they offered.”
The workshop was delivered by world-class speakers, including Luis Silva, Vice President, Stadium Management & Operations, IMG and Ex-COO of Maracana Stadium, Brazil; Malcolm Tarbitt, Executive Director Security and Risk Advisory, ICSS; Andy Young, Ex-Senior Consultant, New Resolution; Tariq Kamal Hamed, Ex-Head of Workforce, Member of the Local Organising Committee, 24th Men’s World Handball Championship, Qatar 2015; and Alisher Nikimbaev, Ex-Competitions and Media Operations Manager, FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 Local Organising Committee.
Josoor Institute inaugurated its programme in Jordan with a Student Outreach activity designed to give Jordanian students an insight into the world of sports and events. Over 50 students from universities across Jordan benefited from the opportunity to interact with renowned experts, to ask them questions and learn about what it takes to achieve a successful career in the sports and events industry.
Several ambassadors from SC’s Generation Amazing, a youth based social development programme that uses the power of football to positively change society, were present at the outreach activity to speak about the initiatives and the positive impact that Generation Amazing has been creating within their communities. Without any doubt, the participation of the ambassadors in this Josoor Institute initiative opens a new door for their advancement in their paths of becoming leaders in their communities.
Launched in December 2013, Josoor Institute is training many who will play an integral role in Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Josoor focuses on providing these individuals with the knowledge and skills to deliver large-scale sporting events, as well as non-sporting events, across the region long after 2022.