Center Parcs’ Post

Cofference about health and active transportation/cycling and why both sectors should work together! would you like to learn learn more? don't miss Velo-city conference

Yesterday was not just another day at the office. Aneo Build had the opportunity to invite some of our valued customers and partners to the FIS Cross Country Ski World Cup sprint event in Drammen ⛷️🏆 Great event, with a nice venue! It made me think about some of the things I wanted to implement when organizing supersprints. I think xc skiing can benefit from doing stuff a little different in the future, to capture a wider audience and the younger generation (with its shorter attention span). 🏙️ More events closer to where people live. Minneapolis, Davos, Oslo and Drammen are examples on great venues. Why not build something more around it – like the “Grand Slams” or “The Majors”. The race calendar needs to be more sustainable, so make each stop count. Add a few evening races during weekdays in the most popular venues and do some open sessions with the local kids to promote the sport. I don’t think cross country skiers need to compete every weekend, so my suggestion is to remove some of the not so interesting races from the World Cup. And by any means keep the 50k in Holmenkollen with all its history and glory.   📺 Enhance viewer experience on TV and media platforms. There is no reason to not take advantage of data. The big sports are now tracking the athletes. The NBA got all the athletes records covered, in the Premier League you get to see heat map, number of sprints, top speed and so on. You can use sports tech like GPS and HR, and implement on-screen infotainment to give the audience a better experience and the commentators something to talk about. And btw, research shows that the average attention span of Gen Z individual is less than that of millennials – so maybe I should come back and organize some more supersprints after all. #crosscountryskiing #FIS #xcskiing

Hartelijk welkom in Zwitserland It is a great pleasure for me to make a short input for the delegation of the Dutch Cycling Embassy at the reception of Ambassador Karin Mössenlechner, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Switzerland. Switzerland is ready for the cycling turnaround - or #Velowende as we call it.  I know from my own experience that the Netherlands can provide a lot of inspiration for this. - But we also need to realise that we are still talking about very different things when it comes to cycling:  In the Netherlands, cycling is a distinctly social activity that doesn't require a fluorescent waistcoat or helmet and that everyone from young to old and of all abilities can do.  In Switzerland, cycling is (still) a highly individualised activity for which you need to be fit, capable and attentive. Here, cyclists are responsible for their own safety - often in the middle of motorised traffic. In the Netherlands, the infrastructure is responsible for cyclists' safety. The result is a free choice of transport that offers a truly equal choice. People in the Netherlands don't just cycle in everyday life because they have to, but because it's the nicest way to move from A to B. Switzerland would therefore do well to learn from the successes and mistakes of the Netherlands, so that change can happen more quickly here:  - Infrastructure for all age groups and abilities - For a railway nation like Switzerland: Bikes are perfect for the first/last mile in combination with public transport for longer journeys - Car normality should be countered by bicycle normality. Isn't it just as normal to cycle as it is to be stuck in a traffic jam? I am very much looking forward to the exchange. Saskia Harthoorn Anita van Rozen Elke Schimmel Emma Stubbe

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22 May was a memorable day for associations. Brussels hosted the very first European Association Summit & Awards, organised by ESAE - European Society of Association Executives. VISITFLANDERS Convention Bureau has been the proud partner of this organisation "of association professionals for association professionals" since 2018. Those association professionals were present in large numbers to elevate the profession and share knowledge. Among the 180 attendees: our Association Experts Tuya Beyers, Gemmeke De Jongh (she/her) and Milo Vergucht. Evelyne Bardyn had the most fun job on this beautiful evening: making people happy 🤗 Our Head of Convention Bureau handed out the Impact Award, rewarding the project that focuses on the overarching vision and values of an association than on its day-to-day operations. 🏆 The deserved winner was Cycling Industries Europe, with a campaign which successfully influenced the EU Commission to adopt an overarching strategy on cycling. By the way: cycling — isn't that one of the domains in which Flanders is a world leader? That's right: you can't find a better location for your conference than the region where the average family owns 3 bicycles 🚲🚲🚲 #associations #conferences #cycling #EAS24

I wonder if #Superleague passed through the minds of the UCI when adopting these measures on the first of march, and especially the following measure: “From now on, riders – men and woman – in the top 20 of the latest UCI Elite Cyclo-cros Ranking will no longer be able to take part in national events.” (cfr. https://lnkd.in/ef9TPVXq)   Looking at Superleague I can imagine the CJEU finding with regard to the UCI and this measure, that: “Article 101(1) TFEU must be interpreted as meaning that the adoption and implementation … of rules by associations which are responsible for CYCLO-CROSS at world and European levels and which pursue in parallel various economic activities related to the organisation of competitions, REFUSING PARTICIPATION IN COMPETITIONS ORGANISED BY THIRD-PARTY UNDERTAKINGS, on European Union territory, and controlling the participation of professional CYCLO-CROSS TEAMS and RIDERS in such competitions … where there is NO FRAMEWORK for those various powers providing for substantive criteria and detailed procedural rules suitable for ensuring that they are transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and PROPORTIONATE, constitutes a decision by an association of undertakings having as its object the prevention of competition.” (cfr. CJEU’s findings under paragraph 258 in superleague concerning article 101(1) https://lnkd.in/eUJ7fNzg)   The UCI having a framework in place that ticks all the other boxes mentioned by the CJEU is not something I’d bet my money on. Furthermore I am quite opposed to the idea that the UCI makes use of its powers in a proportionate way.   Organisers of national events already face difficulties when ‘the big three’ are not at the start line. Refusing participation to the whole top 20 of the UCI elite cyclo-cross ranking - both men and woman – could very well, as somebody pointed out in the Sporza comment section, ‘cost the organisers of national events their heads’.   The UCI should be careful not to kill off a sport in its roots by ambitioning a flower whose blossoming is uncertain. #superleague #CJEU #UCI #Cyclocross

It's great for some OREC sports to be in the Olympics and resulting growing interest. In particular, I think Sport "Speed" Climbing is a super spectator friendly competition. One on one with speed and heights. It has the chance to really increase exposure to more folks and, with it, based on man-made recreation infrastructure (climbing walls) - open climbing to more urban (i.e. higher population density and potential user volume locations). Which, in turn, will get more people climbing in general to support sport, industry, and related causes. Some of my favorite speed climbing events I've attended and watched were at the Tuck Fest at the US National Whitewater Center outside of Charlotte, NC. Their finals are during the live music at night with lighted (glowing) holds over water with no belay. You fall to a big splash (https://lnkd.in/gvntuhsP)! It's quite the spectacle and very worthwhile. https://lnkd.in/e7BqwGxn It's also great to see the paddling, biking, and other OREC type events that maybe aren't "mainstream" team sports, but do have high volume of usage. These activities can always use more public introduction and support to not only create the future competitors, but also create cyclical support for the infrastructure and related OREC industry, and its many causes through progression infrastructure that builds vested consumers and users.

My short thoughts on pro cycling's business model....

2024: The year women are allowed to compete in the Red Bull Rampage... Following my post a few days ago recognising surfer Vahine Fierro’s historic win at the 2024 Tahiti Pro, an event women were not allowed to compete in until 2021. Red Bull have just announced that this year, 2024, will be the first time women will compete in the Rampage, one of the most challenging and prestigious events in free ride mountain biking. For years, Red Bull Rampage has been a men-only event. Now, with the introduction of a women’s category, female athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their incredible skills and bravery on the same massive and technical courses that have defined Rampage for over two decades. This announcement comes with mixed feelings. Clearly, it's incredible to hear that women now have the platform to compete in one of the world most technical mountain biking events. However, it comes with frustration that it's 2024 when this is happening. For an event that has been run by one of the world biggest brands for 20 years. #WomenInSports #RedBullRampage #BreakingBarriers #ExtremeSports

We are in the middle of cycling's 'Holy Week' in Belgium - the week between the Sunday of the Tour of Flanders and the Sunday of Paris-Roubaix. The best teams and riders in the world race these one-day classics and hundreds of thousands of spectators line the routes in Flanders and northern France. Due to the nature of the event, the organisers are not able to charge spectators an entry fee. Their revenue comes from broadcast rights. Do the organisers share that revenue with the athletes? No, is the short answer. How do riders get paid? Their teams get sponsorship deals worth 20, 30, 40 or 50 million Euros annually. Are these sponsorships value for money? Great question - who knows? There have been many efforts to change the business model, but so far, none have worked. Perhaps the sport needs a European version of 1980s Australian Kerry Packer as a disrupter? Anyway, we will be amongst the crowds in 2025 and riding our own roads during Holy Week at our Spring Classics tour. https://lnkd.in/gj_ubvy2