Volvo Ocean Race to hold their first conference of current edition

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Delegates from the 10 stopover ports, six sailing teams and the partners and sponsors of the race will be in Alicante this week for the first Volvo Ocean Race Conference for the 2011-12 edition, from 16-19 November.

The highlight of the week will be the unveiling of the new Volvo Ocean Race trophy on 16 November in Race Headquarters. Local dignitaries will join conference delegates to see the newly designed trophy, the result of a highly contested bidding process.

The event is an opportunity for the ports, teams and the Volvo Ocean Race team to share their knowledge and ambitions.

Team representatives from the media, logistics and shore management areas will discuss their strategic planning for the race in group sessions with the race organisers. There also will be separate workshop days for specific discussions with the ports and teams.

Race suppliers, sponsors, and partners will present to the teams and ports explaining how they can work together, and representatives from AB Volvo and Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Group in Brazil and the USA will also attend.

"We are looking forward to gathering all the stakeholders in the next Volvo Ocean Race together earlier than ever before," says Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race. "We are a year out from the start and by discussing and learning from one another we can build and shape the best event yet. And on top of the conference we are excited to show our guests and the world the new Volvo Ocean Race Trophy."

Government and host city organisation representatives from all 10 countries will attend to discuss the production of a world-class event in each of their host ports. This includes the stopover managers, who are responsible for creating the whole extravaganza whilst the Volvo Open 70 fleet is in the port, from the race village entertainment through to the safety boats on the water.

To help in this process there will be a panel discussion between three past stopover managers: Nicolas Figueras from the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA, Alicante), Bruce Parker-Forsyth (World Sport, Cape Town) and Maria Moynihan-Lee (Galway). They will share their different ambitions and expectations and give some invaluable advice on how to manage a stopover.

A daily average of 24,399 spectators visit the race village in each stopover during the race. Such a busy event takes a large amount of organisation and it is vital that all the activities are developed in a safe environment.

The ports, teams and the Volvo Ocean Race team will be collaborating throughout the week to guarantee the delivery of a premier and unforgettable racing event.