THE BIG INTERVIEW: Alan Gilpin, COO & MD, World Rugby

In this latest interview, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, talks about the challenges at hand, the plethora of career highlights he’s enjoyed to date, the lessons learned along the way, taking in not only Rugby World Cups, but also London 2012, plus his speaker engagement at ALSD International.

Alan describes for us his stellar career journey, the plethora of career highlights he’s enjoyed to date, taking in not only numerous Rugby World Cups, but also London 2012, plus the challenges moving forward, especially in terms of the devastating effects the pandemic has not only had on the elite game but also what it means in terms of the knock-on effect for the grassroots.

He touches on how planning for World Rugby’s marquee event, the Rugby World Cup, which took place in Japan back in 2019, as well as rugby’s involvement in the Olympics, the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Rugby Sevens, etc., have all been effected, and highlights why it’s so vitally important to get the planning right:

There’s no substitute for a huge amount of planning, bringing on board the right expertise. When you get the planning right, you can get the delivery right!… It’s all about the people, the planning and the execution. As we learnt in Japan last year, it’s also about contingency plans, and having contingencies for those contingencies!

Alan also discusses how he foresees the sector having to grow and evolve moving forward, from the fan experience to generating eyeballs with partner involvement, including OTT and premium content.

Finally, he talks about his speaker engagement on the panel session entitled “The Big Event: How to Maximise Your Value” at our ALSD International event being held at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium March 15-16, 2021, and provides insights as to how to deliver a ROI.

For the full story, make sure to watch the video interview online at: https://youtu.be/n8bnXiRgfCc

#RWC #rugby #majorevents #alsdinternational #SportsBiz #sportsindustry

The upcoming ‘hybrid’ edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector – will focus on increasing revenue via new builds, renovations, service expansions & technology, and reopening with confidence.

The event will feature a high-level conference, exhibition hall, networking events and tours of Anfield, Goodison Park and M&S Bank Arena, all of which will be available to in-person and virtual attendees ensuring optimised opportunities for knowledge-sharing, networking and doing business.

#ALSDInternational – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Sports Hospitality sector

#ALSD – Leading the Premium Seat sector for the last 30 years

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