CETT What's Next?
Sports events and territories: activation, impact and legacy
Sports events have become a strategic tool for transforming and revitalising territories. Beyond competition, they have the capacity to attract visitors, generate economic activity, strengthen destination positioning and bring together businesses, public authorities and local communities around a shared project.
But their true value goes beyond their immediate impact. Today, the challenge is to design events capable of generating benefits that endure over time and contribute to building more competitive, sustainable, resilient and cohesive territories.
How can we unlock their full potential? What strategies can maximise their impact? And how can we measure and plan the legacy they leave behind?
CETT What’s Next? 2026 will explore these questions and examine how sports events can become powerful drivers of economic, tourism and social development.
ABOUT THE EVENT
CETT What's Next? is the annual benchmark event for tourism professionals and entrepreneurs who want to anticipate the changes that will shape the future of the industry.
Organised by CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy, affiliated with the University of Barcelona, and with the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona), this in-person, participatory event will combine a strategic keynote with two round-table discussions covering the entire value cycle of an event: from strategies to attract, develop and consolidate events to assessing their impact and planning their legacy.
We will explore planning, governance, public-private collaboration, innovation, sustainability, impact and legacy, drawing on cases and experiences that connect the discussion with the realities of different territories.
A space to connect knowledge and experience, foster debate and explore new ways of creating value through sports events.
Attendees Profile
This event is designed for professionals and organisations involved in the planning, promotion, organisation and evaluation of sports events, as well as those working on territorial development and destination positioning.
If you fit any of these profiles, this event will provide you with inspiration, contacts, and applicable solutions:
Public authorities and destinations
Public administrations, tourism promotion bodies and organisations responsible for territorial development that are interested in using events as a tool for economic and tourism development and destination positioning.
Event organisers and the sports sector
Event organisers, sports federations, clubs and organisations seeking to develop events with greater impact and stronger connections to their host territories.
Companies and industry professionals
Companies and professionals working in tourism, events, marketing, communications, technology and services who are interested in the opportunities generated by the sports events ecosystem.
Academic community
Lecturers, researchers and students interested in emerging trends in event management, sustainability, impact, governance and territorial development.
Program
The event is presented and conducted by Eduard Vandellós Soldrà, CEO of CREACTIVITAT
| Time | Program | Speakers | Language | Venue |
| 9.00h | Attendee reception | Hotel Lobby | ||
| 9.30 – 10.00 am | Institutional welcome |
Dr. Maria Abellanet and Meya, President of the CETT Ms Anna Álvarez, Coordinator of the Economic Development Area at Barcelona Provincial Council |
Catalan | Medes Room |
| 10.00 – 10.45 am | Keynote: Sports events as a driver of territorial transformation | To be confirmed | ||
| 10.45 – 11.45 am | Round table: Activating territories: sports events as a driver of development | Speakers to be confirmed | ||
| 11.45 am – 12.15 pm | Break | |||
| 11.50h | Round table: Beyond the event: impact and legacy | Speakers to be confirmed | Catalan | Medes Room |
| 12.20h | Closing remarks | To be confirmed |
Speakers
How to get to Hotel Alimara?
Bus lines: V21-27-60-73-76-B16-B19-N4
Subway: Mundet Station (Line 3 - green).
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