Partners of the Erasmus+ funded COM2SPORTS project convened in Belgrade for a two-day transnational meeting hosted by the Serbian Association of Mini Football (SAMF). The meeting, held from 26–27 November 2024, marked a pivotal moment in the development of the project’s key intellectual outputs and the preparation of national pilot actions.
The central focus of the gathering was the finalization of the COM2SPORTS Event Manual—a practical guide for organizing inclusive, sustainable, and engaging sports events for employees. The manual aims to build the capacity of sport staff and volunteers across Europe, helping them collaborate effectively with companies in delivering physical activity initiatives in the workplace. Throughout the sessions, project partners from Slovenia, Italy, and Serbia collaboratively reviewed and refined the manual. Emphasis was placed on real-life implementation, logistics, volunteer coordination, inclusivity, and multimedia integration to enhance user engagement. The team also agreed on a strategy to incorporate short educational videos, with expert contributions on green event management, venue selection, recruitment, and promoting active lifestyles.
Day two highlighted the planning of pilot workshops and multi-sport events to be delivered in spring 2025. These national events will serve as a testing ground for the Event Manual and aim to directly engage over 600 employees and 90 sport staff and volunteers. The meeting concluded with clear action points and deadlines: partners committed to submitting their final contributions to the manual by the end of December 2024, and preparing for the next transnational meeting scheduled in Bari, Italy, in May 2025.
This meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of COM2SPORTS partners to promote health-enhancing physical activity in the workplace and to make company sport events a standard element of organizational culture across Europe. The COM2SPORTS project continues to support EU strategies for healthier, more active societies by empowering sport staff and creating inclusive, evidence-based frameworks for company sports events.