Spain's La Manga Club provided a fitting venue for some of the key decision makers in world sport to gather to discuss the latest business opportunities at the fourth Leaders Sport Network conference this month.

The luxury award-winning venue has played a leading role in helping establish the event as a main date in the sports industry calendar, and more than 120 senior executives from across the globe converged on the resort for three days of talks, meetings, debate and networking.

Delegates included representatives from the worlds of professional football, cricket, rugby, Formula One motor racing, basketball, horse-racing, athletics, triathlon, sailing - and even wrestling and ultimate fighting.

Top names attending included Premier League champions Manchester City and European giants Inter Milan and Galatasaray; European football's governing body UEFA, the English Football Association and Premier League; England Rugby 2015, the British and Irish Lions and Premiership Rugby Durham and Kent County Cricket Clubs; Mercedes Petronas and Force India Formula One teams; UK Athletics; the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL). 

And joining them at La Manga Club - Europe's premier sports and leisure destination - were a host of companies and brands known for their strong links to sport including telecommunications giant BSkyB, ITV, Nokia, O2 and Vauxhall.

"This year's event was our most successful yet and La Manga Club demonstrated again why it so highly regarded as a first-class venue for corporate business in a sporting environment," said James Worrall, CEO of Leaders Sport Network.

"As Leaders Sport Network has evolved, so has our partnership with the resort and the quality and number of attendees and sports represented this month is testimony to the growing popularity of the event.

"The conference continues to be a huge success for everyone involved and, in a relatively short space of time, we have established ourselves as a must-attend event for the world's top sporting brands. 

"From the feedback we've received, one of the keys to the success is the venue. The facilities and location are second to none and the informal and relaxed environment we create at La Manga Club is something that is unique in the industry."

Leaders Sport Network 2013 consisted of a number of initiatives including dedicated speed networking sessions, round table discussions, and networking breakfasts, lunches and dinners. There was also a corporate team building challenge and other organised sporting and social activities.

La Manga Club provides the perfect arena for such distinguished guests, as it is widely regarded as Europe's premier resort for sports and meetings. It boasts eight full-scale sports pitches which continue to attract leading professional teams from the worlds of football, cricket and rugby. Further facilities include three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000m2 spa complex.

For more information, go to www.lamangaclub.com 

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Information for journalists

Release issued and distributed by the Azalea Group.For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of almost 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the region of Murcia's candidate to bring the 2015 Solheim Cup to Spain. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.