FIBA Equipment & Venue Centre meets with Partners in Lyon

LYON - FIBA's Equipment & Venue Centre held a three-day event (6-8 December) in Lyon, France with its Partners.

The equipment homologation centre of basketball world's governing body - managed by FIBA's Foundation (IBF) - last week held the biennial event, one that is important to FIBA and its Partners as it facilitates the discussion of business opportunities, the exchange of information and acts as a great way to strengthen the network of Partners.

Sixty-five Partners from 40 different companies - equivalent to a 70 percent representation rate of all FIBA Equipment & Venue Centre Partners - travelled to Lyon for the event.

FIBA Communications Director Patrick Koller, Basketball Champions League Chief Executive Officer Patrick Comninos and FIBA Media Marketing Services (FMMS) Marketing Director David Nivelle were on hand to tell all Partners about FIBA's New Competition System and a new era in Basketball and the Basketball Champions League - an innovative 50-50 joint partnership between FIBA and 10 top European leagues - which provide interesting new business opportunities.

Legal advice on the homologation of basketball equipment was also provided by FIBA's Director of Legal Services, Andreas Zagklis, who made the partners aware of FIBA's willingness to help and advise on legal matters.

The Equipment & Venue Centre was also keen to learn and, to that end, a workshop was set up during which the different partners from each category got together to provide a detailed process of how their equipment is tested.

A photo exhibition of two of the IBF's humanitarian projects - one in Madagascar and one in Namibia - was on display and enabled the Partners to acquire a better understanding of the mission of FIBA's foundation and to consider contributing to these important social projects.

On a lighter note, all Partners, volunteers and staff experienced a Basketball Champions League game first-hand as they watched ASVEL-Lyon Villeurbanne beat Openjobmetis Varese at home and noted, with interest, which equipment the home team played on.

FIBA