Green Sports Alliance Summit 2016

2016 Green Sports Alliance Summit: The Power of Partnerships

The annual Green Sports Alliance Summit is the world’s largest and most influential gathering for the sports community to unite around sustainability. The event brings together more than 700 industry stakeholders to learn and share better practices and the latest innovations in greening operations, advancing the supply chain and engaging fans. The 2016 Summit program covered the day’s most critical topics in professional and collegiate sports greening through The Power of Partnerships.

11th Hour Racing participated in three sessions of the Summit along with some of our partners including Land Rover BAR, Land Rover, BT, and 55 South.

Power of Partnerships. Front Row L-R: Jill Savery (11th Hour Racing), Susan Toth (11th Hour Racing), Alessandra Ghezzi (11th Hour Racing), Todd McGuire (11th Hour Racing). Back Row L-R: Ian Ellison (Land Rover), Jeremy Pochman (11th Hour Racing), Susie Tomson (Land Rover BAR).

In the opening plenary “Teamwork in Action: Partnerships that are Moving the Needle”, BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh discussed emerging environmentally-focused partnership opportunities for teams and venues, how these partnerships help advance the goals of both parties, and what the future holds for sustainability partnerships in the sports industry.

The breakout session “Harnessing the Power of Partnerships: Building a Sustainable Sports Team” included President of 11th Hour Racing Jeremy Pochman, Land Rover BAR Sustainability Manager Susie Tomson, Land Rover Sustainability Manager Ian Ellison, 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Advisory Jill Savery, and BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh. The session focused on how sports teams can harness partnerships to achieve their sustainability objectives and impact neighboring communities. The team’s sustainability journey so far was discussed focusing on the partnerships they have developed and seek to develop to inspire change across the sport of sailing.

Chatting with the Champs L-R: Abraham Madkour (Sports Business Journal Executive Editor), Ovie Mughelli, Charlie Enright, Brody Leven, Anya Alvarez.

In the closing session “Chatting with the Champs”, Charlie Enright co-skipper and co-founder of 55 South-11th Hour Racing, discussed how current and former athletes have stepped up to bat for the planet, and how their teams, venues and sponsors have helped to amplify their efforts and what can be done moving forward to raise more awareness.

President of 11th Hour Racing Jeremy Pochman summed up our participation at the Green Sports Alliance Summit and our model of Sustainable Sponsorship: “It’s wonderful to see people inspiring people by being in the same room at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. This is a great opportunity to showcase our innovative model of sponsorship, where the added value comes from partnering around sustainability – and the benefits and gains go far beyond having our logo on the boat. We are partnering with Land Rover BAR to achieve success, which translates into winning performance, innovation, and health – healthy individuals, healthy oceans and healthy communities. There is great value for any sponsor to follow this approach, as this sort of commitment will bring together a stronger team in the long run. Showing up on the race course is the easy part, what goes into the making of a powerful partnership is where the good storytelling comes from.”

Click here to read Susie Tomson of Land Rover BAR’s recap of the Green Sports Alliance Summit.

The GSA Summit took place in Houston, TX, June 28-30, 2016. You can see highlights from this year’s event here: Summit Day 1 & Summit Day 2. The 2017 GSA Summit will take place at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.