MUNICH (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) – "Constructive" and "insightful" were among the comments that could be heard following the second edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers National Federations' FIBA Marketing and Communications Workshop.

The marketing and media departments of Europe's basketball federations were invited to come together in Munich on March 20 and 21 for the two-day workshop, that gave attendees the opportunity to listen to guest speakers from across the world of sport, as well as take in presentations from fellow federations.

The workshop followed on from a similar gathering that took place in Munich, prior to the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers, back in spring 2017.

Participation and networking was high on the agenda, with group work a key component of the workshop. For Mika Makela of the Finnish Basketball Federation, it was the opportunity to bounce ideas off his counterparts from the other Federations, that provided the best value.

"The great thing about these workshops, is they bring together people that you do not normally get to meet with. Sharing experiences with the other federations is always constructive and a great way for us to learn from each other and be even better prepared for the next window of the Qualifiers."

The National Federation attendees

FIBA Sport and Competitions Director Predrag Bogosavljev was encouraged by the interaction among the attendees. "There has been no shortage of fruitful conversations taking place over the past two days," commented Bogosavljev. "What has also been very promising, is seeing some federations here who are not currently playing in the Qualifiers, such as Albania, but can obviously also benefit from the discussions and group work as they also look to increase the image of basketball in their respective countries."

Attending the workshop for the first time was Austrian Basketball Federation press officer, Ivana Pranjic. "I am new to the business and my federation is small, so we have one person covering a number of roles.

"We are very much still developing so it is good for me to come here and get these ideas, now I can return home and try and implement some of the stuff learned here, as we go forward."

FIBA