Widarto takes Johan’s philosophy to Riyadh

November 28, 2014

Widarto takes Johan's philosophy to Riyadh

Irsan Widarto, professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam tells us the experience he lived as a speaker  in the fourth edition of Sport IFEX in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), where he participated in representing the Johan Cruyff Institute. Widarto takes Johan’s philosophy to Riyadh.

Could you tell us a bit more about this event?

Sure, the conference was held in Riyadh on November 13th leading up to the opening match of the Gulf Cup of Nations. A lot of dignitaries were present at the conference, including HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ed bin Abdulaziz (President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and the President of the Olympic Committee in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and FIFA president Joseph Blatter. The event was organised by Arkan Business Group, one of the leading companies in Event Management, Sports Investment & Marketing, Sport Club Development, Education, Youth Programs, and Tourism in the Gulf Region.

What was your presentation about?

I started by describing Johan’s mission to raise the level of management in sport. Then I presented the vision of the Johan Cruyff Institute on Sport & Education. I outlined the Cruyff Institute’s study programs and methodologies. Finally, I spoke about the work that we recently did for the Instituto Peruano del Deporte, as not only an excellent example of a tailor-made program, but also a program that raises the level of sports management across – in this case – an entire country.

How was your presentation received?

Well, of course you’d have to ask the audience that question, but from the reactions I got afterwards, I think my message was well received. I spoke with several conference attendees who showed interest in the Cruyff Institute’s educational programs.

Can you tell us something about the other presentations?

The organizers brought together a very interesting group of speakers! Jürgen Griesbeck, founder and CEO, of Street Football World, talked about the social, football-themed projects he is running worldwide and the impact that the projects are having on local communities. Rafael Yuste (former VP of FC Barcelona) and Lander Unzueta (former marketing director of FC Barcelona) gave us a behind-the-scenes look at FC Barcelona.

Christophe de Bruyn, Director of Tourism & Leisure at Indra Business Consulting, described how sport and tourism are “natural born allies”. Giuseppe Ragussa, Professor, LUISS University Rome, looked at the importance of sports & education from a macro perspective: his example of the Australian Institute of Sport that was founded after the Australian Olympic team failed to win an Olympic gold medal in Montreal was an eye-opener to many.

Francesc Solanellas, President of indoor sports at FC Barcelona, talked about the significance of sponsorship. Last but not least, Adel Ezzat, Managing Director of Abdul Latif Jameel (the SA distributor of Toyota), and Pietro Scanziani, General Manager of 3e60, spoke about how sports event organizers should embrace their audience, not only during but also before and after the match. They gave examples of how fan engagement is increased during the Saudi Arabian football league matches.

Some final words…

Yes! I want to thank our hosts Hussain Al Abdulwahab and Lander Unzueta for their hospitality and compliment them on putting together this excellent event. It was what I would call a “repeatable once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
Widarto takes Johan's philosophy to Riyadh

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