Back the Bid at breakfast
World Cup campaign is on the menu at Sunderland's breakfast briefing
Businesses from across the North East are set to tuck into England's bid to host the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup, at a breakfast meeting to be held at the Stadium of Light by the star players in Sunderland's Host City bid team.
In December last year, Sunderland was confirmed as one of the 12 Candidate Host Cities that the Football Association will be including in its final bid to FIFA in May. The event, on Monday 22 March, will outline the next steps in the bid process.
The Lighting up Lives business breakfast at the Stadium of Light will feature keynote speakers such as Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn, Sunderland City Council Leader, Cllr Paul Watson, and England 2018/2022 sponsorship manager Luke Peacock, who is one of the team responsible for the bid's commercial programme.
Paul Taylor, head of major procurement specialists Compete North East will also attend, and will explain how the region's companies can prepare for and make the most of the business opportunities presented by the FIFA World Cup and other international sporting tournaments. Finally, Margaret Fay, chairman of One North East, will also speak at the event.
The event will provide businesses with an insight into how they can get involved in and benefit from the ongoing bid and from the FIFA World Cup itself, should England earn the right to host the tournament in either 2018 or 2022.
The breakfast session will highlight what the Sunderland bid offers the whole region in terms of community and business development along with the key dates in England's schedule before FIFA's final decision is announced in December. The event will also provide a forum for attendees to participate in a question and answer session involving all of the morning's speakers.
Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn, said: "The Lighting up Lives breakfast event on Monday 22nd March will be a great opportunity for the region's businesses to engage with the England 2018/2022 campaign and find out how they can get involved and capitalise on the opportunities it presents.
"Should England win the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, Sunderland's role as a Host City could bring huge benefits to the North East. Comprehensive, sustained legacy programmes will offer a great boost to grass roots football in the region. In addition, the impact that the event could have on the economy is very significant, through increased visitor numbers and numerous contract opportunities for businesses."
Cllr Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "Winning Candidate Host City status is just the start for Sunderland. As a city, we now need to do as much as we possibly can to support the national campaign.
"It is important that people and businesses throughout North East England understand the real potential and significance of this ongoing campaign and that's why we are inviting businesses from across the region to come along, have breakfast with us and find out what we can all do to support the FA's final bid to FIFA."
Places at the Lighting up Lives breakfast event are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
To register an interest send an email to 2018@pressahead.info or call 0191 516 6235.