High-profile patrons for the 22nd IAKS Congress

IOC President Jacques Rogge, IPC President Sir Philip Craven, Sportaccord President Hein Verbruggen and Germany’s Minister of the Interior Dr. Hans-Peter Friedrich will be serving as patrons for the 22nd IAKS Congress. Dr. Stephan J. Holthoff-Pförtner, President of the IAKS, is gratified by the top-flight support for the world's leading platform for sports and leisure facilities: “The renewed cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, Sportaccord and the German Federal Government augurs well for the exchange of information among experts and decision-makers from all over the world at the 22nd IAKS Congress.”

The call for papers completed by the end of February also promises interesting congress talks and discussions. The IAKS organising team received over 110 suggestions from all over the world. A large number of the submitted subjects are concerned with aspects of sustainability in the design, construction and operation of sports and leisure infrastructure – be they large stadiums, training facilities, swimming pools or local-authority gyms and sports grounds. Taking the example of the sports facilities for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, London and Sochi, the focus will be on modular construction methods, energy- and resource-conserving technologies and successful operating strategies. Other key topics will be the international harmonisation of construction methods and quality requirements, e.g. in barrier-free construction and for synthetic turf pitches.

The 22nd IAKS Congress is taking place in Cologne from 26th to 28th October 2011 together with the internationally leading trade fair FSB (Amenity Areas, Sports and Pool Facilities).

22nd IAKS-Congress 2011

For the 22nd time, all talk in the world of sports will be about the latest technologies, trends and prospects for sports and leisure infrastructure. The 22nd IAKS Congress, to be held in Cologne from 26 to 28 October 2011, will welcome in conjunction with the International Trade Fair for Amenity Areas, Sports and Pool Facilities (FSB) more than 15,000 trade visitors from all over the world.

The focus will be on innovations and trends for the sustainable and enduring construction of sports facilities and the appealing and needs-based provision of leisure activities.

Lifecycle considerations are becoming ever more important in the area of sports facility construction also. Besides pure planning tasks, energy-saving construction, technology and the environment, facility management as well as cost and financial planning are also coming increasingly to the fore. Barrier-free and universal design, major sporting events and stadium infrastructure, internationality and communication pose further challenges for the trade visitors.

Lectures and workshops focusing on the future sports infrastructure for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held under the motto “Brazil - Partner Country”. However, "oldies but favourites” such as the Artificial Turf Forum and Developing Nations Forum will still be on the agenda.

There will be practical representation of this wide variety of topics at the IAKS Congress. Architects, engineers, owners, planners, municipal decision-makers, technical and operational management, sporting associations and clubs as well as representatives of the European trade press will meet to exchange information, make contacts and form networks with international, national and local experts and stakeholders.

In addition to this, over 500 exhibitors will showcase the latest trends and innovations from the broad spectrum of the leisure, playground, sports and swimming pool sectors at FSB 2011.

It's history:
In 1969, the IAKS held an international Congress on the Planning, Modernization and Management of Sports and Leisure Facilities in cooperation with Koelnmesse. This Congress was held concurrently with the sports facility fair in Cologne, known at the time as the International Exhibition for Sports Facility Construction and Pool Facilities.
Today the trade fair is called the International Trade Fair for Amenity Areas, Sports and Pool Facilities (FSB) and the IAKS Congress has developed into a permanent fixture.
Over the last 40 years, a total of 739 experts from 41 countries have given talks and supplied technical information at the total of 21 congresses.