Eric Gottschalk is the CEO of SPIA Asia. I got to have a conversation with him about what SPIA (Sports Industry Awards and Conference) Asia is all about—what their future plans are and what are the challenges facing the organization.
They recently held a conference and awards program paying tribute to those who have contributed immensely to the sports industry here in Asia. The conference was held December 2 and 3, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Bonifacio Global City, in Taguig. The conference was made up of a series of panel discussions highlighted by the presence of football icon Ronaldo and, track and field legend Edwin Moses.
I was able to attend only Day 2 of the conference. The subjects ranged from “Business of Sports: Asian Sponsorship and Events Association” where Gottschalk was one of the presentersm to “Business of Sports: SPIA Asia ‘Icon 2 Icon’,” where the two of the legends in sports, Ronaldo and Edwin Moses were the participants.
Ronaldo, whose real name is Ronaldo Nazario de Lima, is now the owner of Spanish football club Real Villadolid while Moses is the chairman of Education at the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and Founding Global chairman of the Laureus “Sport for Good” Foundation.
Gottschalk told me a story about Ronaldo, upon retirement, going back to school, getting his education and getting his college degree. The humility of this man is remarkable, to have the humility to go back to school and earn his college degree, learning a few more practical, theoretical and life lessons along the way. It shows that you are never too famous or too legendary to learn.
Gottschalk says that they’re looking at the Philippines once again for next year’s edition of SPIA Asia. Vietnam is another option as they would like to link the conference and awards program with the Southeast Asian Games. The SPIA Asia is looking at honoring and paying tribute to athletes both active and retired, who have done humanitarian work without any fanfare or media attention. The organization is also looking to recognize more differently abled athletes.
The recently concluded SPIA Asia event had 60 speakers and 600 delegates from all over Asia. According to their web site, “The SPIA Asia Awards have become the most credible awards platform in Asia, focused on recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the Asian Sports Industry.”
SPIA Asia 2019 features a total of 25 award categories: 3x Public voting categories, 4x Philippines categories, and 15x Asian categories. For the first time SPIA Asia will celebrate the “Best Asian Sportsman of the Year,” “Best Asian Sportswoman of the Year” and the “Best Asian Sports Team of the Year” to bring even more glamor and excitement to the event.
Past winners range from the Australian Grand Prix, National Basketball Association, La Liga, HSBC, Women’s Tennis Association, World Badminton, Visit Victoria, Arabian Gulf League in UAE, Standard Chartered KL Marathon, with brands, such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, and sports agencies Lagardère Sports and IMG also celebrating wins.”