Facilities, opportunities and challenges on the road to the 2026 Commonwealth Games

Join IAKS UK & Ireland for this inspiring spring event that will explore how Glasgow continues to build on its world-renowned sporting legacy. 

The event will take place on Thursday 14 May 2026 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. This landmark venue, home to the Commonwealth Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, was originally built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will again play a central role by hosting key events in the 2026 edition. Its blend of legacy, innovation and community engagement make it an ideal setting for this gathering.

Emirates Arena_facade_(c)Glasgowlife

(c) Glasgowlife

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Glasgow 2026 overview

Who you will meet

The conference will be of interest to 

  • venue design teams, 
  • facility operators, 
  • event organizers, 
  • and host cities, 

all of whom stand to gain valuable insights into planning, adapting and delivering major sports events.

Social networking on 13 May

There will be an informal networking drinks and canapés in central Glasgow on the evening of 13 May. All attendees are welcome. Please note that you will be required to cover the cost of your food and drink on the night.

Venue: The rooftop bar at SiSi, The Social Hub, 15 Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1TQ 

7-12 pm

Get to know our incredible speakers

Ian Cooney

Ian Cooney (Project Director, Holmes Miller)

Ian Cooney is a Sport + Design Lead Director at Holmes Miller Architects, specialising in the design and delivery of innovative sports and leisure environments. He leads the integration of performance-led design with user-focused thinking, working closely with clients to create sustainable, community-driven venues that support participation, wellbeing, and elite-level competition.
Jonny Curley

Jonny Curley (Director for Scotland, Alliance Leisure)

Jonny combines a background in competitive sport and coaching with over 30 years of commercial experience in the sport and leisure sector. A Director for more than 20 years, he brings expertise in strategy, culture, people development, business growth, and brand. At Alliance Leisure he delivers sustainable projects for authorities.
Shaun Dawson

Shaun Dawson (Chief Executive, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority)

Shaun has created a dynamic and award winning organisation with a host of attractions that both delivers its core remit and also works with partners to ensure that the 4,000 hectare Regional Park adds value to the bigger social and economic agendas in the communities it serves in London, Essex and Hertfordshire. He was a key player during the bid process for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and now leads the Authority’s work on its three thriving legacy venues.
Graham Finnie

Graham Finnie (Lead Manager - Facilities, sportscotland)

Graham advises local authority and Scottish governing bodies of sport as well as club and community groups on the design and construction of sports facilities. He successfully manages National Lottery and Scottish Government funding into sports facilities and has gained experience in national and regional facilities catering for performance sport, whilst also looking at removing barriers to participation across sports and community groups.
Jade Gallagher

Jade Gallagher (COO, Glasgow2026)

Jade Gallagher has been Championships Director of the hugely successful World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Glasgow in 2024. She has held senior event operations roles at Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council.
Kirsty Garrett

Kirsty Garrett; Sport and Wellbeing Strategic Manager, Glasgow Life

Kirsty Garrett held a key role in delivering the sporting legacy of Glasgow 2014 and continues to build on the city’s world-renowned legacy as we move towards Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Kirsty has 25 years’ experience across sports development, active schools, performance and community sport. The work of her team is focussed on sport, health, wellbeing, learning and community connections across the city, all of which is part of an overarching ambition to create a culture of physical activity and participation in the city.
Jess Gilbert

Jess Gilbert (Associate Director, Operations + Delivery, Trivandi)

Jess has delivered for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Expo 2025 Osaka, COP28 UAE and the Pyramids of Giza masterplan. At Glasgow 2026, where Trivandi is Official Event Delivery Partner embedded within the organising company, Jess oversees central services across people, procurement, budget, contracts, training, sustainability and accessibility, delivering exceptional experiences within the short time frame of the reimagined Games.
Peter Harber

Peter Harber (Manager, The Sports Consultancy)

Peter is a Manager at The Sports Consultancy with an MSc in International Economics and a background in economic consulting at Cebr. He is Lead Economist in the TSC Data + Impact team and specializes in bespoke socio-economic impact assessments across sporting events, built assets and community programmes, with client experience spanning the NFL, NHL, Formula E, NASCAR and UK Sport.
George Hunter

George Hunter (Director of Libraries, Sport and Physical Activity, and Communities; Glasgow Life)

George Hunter is Director of Libraries, Sport and Physical Activity, and Communities at Glasgow Life, a role he took up in February 2026. He leads a wide-ranging portfolio of services that support learning, health, wellbeing and community connection across the city, including public libraries, community facilities, and the Glasgow Club, Scotland’s largest local authority health and fitness network.
Alyson McKechin

Alyson McKechin (General Manager, Golf It! Glasgow)

Alyson has been with Golf It! and The R&A for three and a half years, initially joining to deliver the schools programme before moving into the role of Head of Golf, and now into her current position as General Manager. Alyson’s background is in the golf industry, having worked across a range of clubs and facilities, as well as playing professionally on the Ladies European Tour. She is a qualified PGA Professional and still coaches some of Scotland’s young golfers as they progress through the ranks.
Soaad Stott

Soaad Stott (Principal/ Head of Event Architecture Populous EMEA Region)

Soaad Stott leads Populous’ Events and Overlay team, specialising in Olympic venue design and complex global events. Her expertise spans venue operations, regulatory compliance and tournament overlays for FIFA, UEFA and the Olympic Games, with hands on delivery at high security events including the Super Bowl, NFL London Games and MLB London Series.
John Thompson

John Thompson (Head of Facilities + Compliance, Scottish Event Campus)

John leads the delivery of facilities, infrastructure, and compliance management across one of Europe’s busiest multi-venue event destinations. Supporting events that attract over two million visitors each year, his role focuses on ensuring the campus is safe, efficient, and ready to deliver an exceptional experience for organisers and audiences. John has over 20 years’ experience in facilities and estates management, including senior management roles with HarperCollins Publishers and Arqiva. His background spans major capital projects, operational delivery, and sustainability programmes, including work on carbon reduction and Net Zero initiatives.

Programme

Agenda
  
TimeWednesday 13 May
7.00

Pre-event social: Drinks and canapés

Venue: The rooftop bar at SiSi, The Social Hub, 15 Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1TQ 

7-12 pm

  
TimeThursday 14 May - Venue: Emirates Arena, Level 5, The Function Suite
9.30

Arrival 

(teas and coffees)

10.00Welcome

Shaun Dawson; Head of IAKS UK & Ireland working group
George Hunter; Director of Libraries, Sport and Physical Activity, and Communities, Glasgow Life
10.15

Glasgow 2026, story behind the games and the event hosting facilities in Glasgow from 2014-2026

Challenges of hosting the 2026 games compared to 2014 and the approach taken by Glasgow 2026 to deliver the games in the most viable way.

Jade Gallagher; Chief Operating Officer at Glasgow 2026 
Jess Gilbert; Associate Director, Operations & Delivery, Trivandi

10.35Glasgow’s approach to providing and operating facilities that can operate as day-to-day community venues and flex up to major events, as needed

How GL/GCC briefed the requirement for Emirates/Tollcross to be community sports centres first, with the ability to stand up for major events (as has been proven over the 14 years).

Kirsty Garrett; Sports and Wellbeing strategic manager, Glasgow Life
Alex Maclean; Head of Consultancy Services at Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Council
10.55

Athlete’s Perspective 

Q&A with Team Scotland Cyclist, Lyall Craig, who trains at The Chris Hoy Velodrome. 

11.15

Introduction to the Emirates Arena/Velodrome facilities and operation

Michael Garrett; General Manager of the Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome

11.30Tea / Coffee break
11.45Venue tour split into 4 x groups of 20-25 persons
13.15Buffet lunch
14.15Hosting CWG events at the SEC and the vision for the whole Campus (The Hydro, Armadillo, SEC Centre)

John Thompson, Head of Facilities and Compliance, SEC Scottish Event Campus
14.45Impact of ‘Martyn's Law / Protect Duty’ on venues and how this is being addressed by facility operators and potential impact on design of new facilities

How this is practically delivered for Glasgow venues via limited budgets.

Soaad Stott; Head of Event Architecture Populous EMEA  Region, Populous
15.15Measuring the Social and Economic impact of facilities and events to the host economy

Peter Harber; Manager, The Sports Consultancy
15.35

Current challenges and responses to the development of sport and leisure facilities in Scotland

4 x speakers with short presentations followed by a Q&A session. 3 x challenges and responses each, 5 min presentation each, followed by the panel discussion.

Jonny Curley (Chair); Director for Scotland, Alliance Leisure.
Ian Cooney; Project Director, Holmes Miller.
Graham Finnie; Lead Manager - Facilities, sportscotland.
Alyson McKechin; Head of Golf It! & PGA Professional, R&A.

16.45Closing remarks and thanks
17.30

Networking drinks

Everyone is welcome to a post event social, after the close of the event.

The Social Hub, Glasgow (15, Candleriggs)

19.30Close and depart

Secure your front-row seat 

 

Attendance fee
 attendance fee
IAKS membersEUR 160 (GBP 140)
others (public sector)EUR 160 (GBP 140)
others (private sector)EUR 235 (GBP 205)
studentEUR 90 (GBP 79)

 

We offer free cancellation until 30 April 2026. After that, we charge a 50% cancellation fee. All prices are including VAT.

Thanks to our event partners

Alliance Leisure Logo
Bellrock logo
Dynamik The Sports Surfacing Specialits Logo
Eomac Logo
HolmesMiller Logo
prospec uk
SportsLabs Logo
tsc-logo-full-dark-b.jpg
Wallace Whittle Logo

55.8464908, -4.2085735

14.05.2026, 09:00 – 17:00 (BST, UTC+01:00)
Emirates Arena
London Road

G40 3HG Glasgow
United Kingdom (UK)
Event language: English
Organizer: IAKS UK & Ireland
Register Now

Contact

IAKS Team, Silke Baltzer

Silke Baltzer

Event and membership management
+49 (0) 221 168023-11
baltzer@iaks.sport