Triathlon Business International (TBI), the industry organization dedicated to promoting the sport and the business of triathlon, has announced its line-up of keynote speakers for its 3rd annual conference on 10 February in San Diego, California.
The opening keynote address will be delivered by 10-time Olympic medallist and Olympic Hall-of-Famer, Gary Hall Jr Day 2 speakers include 2004 Olympian and 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Andy Potts and Cervélo CEO Phil White; and USA Triathlon (USAT) CEO Rob Urbach will round out the VIP speakers on Day 3.
The TBI conference will be packed full of information and opportunities for everyone involved in the business and sport of triathlon. Some of the topics and activities for this year’s TBI Conference include:
- State of the Sport address ‘Mining Triathlon Gold’ by TBI President Jack Caress
- Speed networking: ‘Digging for Contacts’
- Marketing and Branding: ‘Using Triathlon to Promote Your Brand’
- Event Insurance: ‘Protect Your Gold & Minimize Risk’
- Technology Exploration: ‘Timing, Scoring and Technology’
- Importance of Triathlon to Your Business: ‘Prospecting for New Customers’
- Rules, Regulations and Drug Policies: ‘Doping – Fool’s Gold’
- Web and Social Media Trends for 2013: ‘Online Precious Metals’
- Mergers and Acquisitions: ‘Turning Sweat Equity into Gold’
- Water Safety and Emergency Management: ‘Gold Standards of Safety’
- Hot Topics of Triathlon
- The Active Network Awards Celebration including announcement of top retailers, top manufacturers, best triathlon article, best triathlon photograph and the male and female Ron Smith Award winners
Conference dates, location and costs:
- Date: 10-12 February 2012
- Location: Rancho Bernardo Inn – San Diego, California
- Cost: Triathlon Business International Members –US$695 (until 15 January 2013) US$795 (after 16 January). Non-members – US$895 (until 15 January 2013) US$995 (after 16 January)
A ‘Fiscal Cliff’ discount is available through to 5 January. Registrants can save US$100 by registering before then. Discount code ‘fiscalcliff’.
Conference details and registration are available online.
Keynote speakers
In 1999, Gary Hall Jr was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and his perspective and life veered drastically. Two doctors told him it would be physically impossible to continue as an elite swimmer, but Hall persevered, learning to manage his diabetes. He made a name for himself not only for his swimming, but also his unique, quirky style.
Hall’s 10 Olympic medals included five gold, two silver and three bronze in three Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004. He is an active healthcare consultant with a focus on diabetes care, and has presented testimony before Senate subcommittees in Washington DC to help secure on-going diabetes research funding through the National Institute of Health. Hall competed in his first two sprint triathlons this past summer and looks forward to getting faster… maybe through tips garnered from Andy Potts.
Whether draft-legal or non-drafting, Olympic distance, 70.3 or Ironman – Andy Potts has established himself as one of the most versatile triathletes in the world. Turning pro in 2003, Potts was named USAT Rookie of the Year with only 18 months of triathlon-specific training, he realized his childhood dream of becoming an Olympian by earning a spot to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he finished 22nd.
In 2007, Potts won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the triathlon event in the Pan American Games. The year 2010 marked his first career Ironman triathlon in October 2012; he crossed the Ironman World Championship finish line in seventh place, making him the top American finisher. During the 2012 season, Potts also won the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon for the fifth time and set the record for the most wins ever by a male.
Engineer Phil White and his partner Gérard Vroomen founded Cervélo in 1995, growing it from a budding dream built in a garage, to a company with more engineers than bike models, using the same tools and techniques as the most advanced Formula 1 teams. The dream was launched when Vroomen was approached by a top-ranked pro cyclist to design the fastest possible time trial bike for him. They started a bike design from scratch after evaluating the bikes on the market, and set a design goal for the bike that was difficult and uncompromising.
The pair wanted something that was unbeatable in aerodynamics, yet sacrificed nothing in weight or stiffness. In 2012, Cervélo became part of the Netherlands-based Pon Bicycle Group, but continues to operate independently, retaining its own unique identity, innovation and premium brand positioning.
Today, Cervélo is ‘the largest triathlon bike manufacturer in the world.’ The company partners with the world’s most established and successful triathlon team, teamTBB, and one of the world’s top pro road cycling teams, Team Garmin-Barracuda. Cervélo is recognized as one of the most innovative and fastest growing bike manufacturers in the world.
Since being named CEO of USA Triathlon in 2011, Rob Urbach has quickly made an indelible mark while advancing both the organization and the sport. As the largest multisport organization in the world, USAT serves more than 500,000 members and sanctions more than 4,300 local events each year. In addition to its focus on age-group athletes, race directors, coaches and officials at the grassroots level, USAT is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Triathlon Union (ITU).
Under Urbach’s guidance, USA Triathlon has reached all-time highs in membership, youth participation, sanctioned events, certified coaches and official clubs, as well as many key revenue targets, including corporate sponsorship and fundraising. His leadership was instrumental in the development of the inaugural ITU World Triathlon San Diego race, which debuted in May 2012 to rave reviews from all levels of the multisport community.
The event, which also served as a qualifier for the 2012 US Men’s and Women’s Olympic Team in London, returns as part of the ITU World Triathlon Series in April 2013. Urbach brought a diverse background to USAT including experience providing mergers and acquisition, advisory and corporate financial services to sports industry clients; operations for one of the top global sports management and marketing firms; and production and promotion of televised sporting events.
On top of this, he’s a triathlete and finished the Ironman Kona World Championships in Hawaii, first in 1982 and then again – 30 years later – in 2012.
