IAKS is the leading global non-profit organisation for professionals from the sport, leisure and recreation facilities industry which has, since 1965, provided international networking opportunities for the exchange of planning, design and operational expertise.
With facilities of any kind at the core of its activities, from small grassroot neighbourhood facilites through to large scale global stadiums, over its 55 year history IAKS has been sharing insights and facilitating management, planning and architectural design excellence for facilities to the world.
Activities in the UK picked up speed in 2018, with the kick-off event in conjunction with the „Why Sports“ Conference in London. The IAKS UK Spring Event in April 2019 gathered more than 70 clients, operators and designers. They discussed the development of community sports facilities, using the backdrop of the venues in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The worldwide pandemic also foiled IAKS UK’s plans for 2020, while 2021 has seen two webinars for the professionals in the sports facility industry in the UK.
Building on discussions from previous IAKS UK seminars and webinars, which had looked at the legacy of sporting infrastructure from major events in the UK, as well as the role of Universities in encouraging mass participation in sport, the 2022 IAKS UK Spring Event welcomed more than 40 delegates at the Sport and Fitness Centre on the campus of the University of Birmingham.
IAKS UK is continuing to develop plans for future activities, including a joint seminar and stadium tour of the Tottenham Stadium in Autumn 2022 with the IAKS Stadium and Arena expert circle, and a study tour to Manchester in Summer 2023.
