We live in turbulent times. Awareness of the threats of war, pandemics, and economic recessions make reconsiderations urgent, also within our leisure field. Which structures are resistant under which conditions? What is important or valuable? The outbreak of the global pandemic and the resulting restrictions on leisure pursuits exposed the impact of our industry on the functioning of society. The lack of the previously seemingly taken-for-granted interpersonal interaction, relaxation, inspiration and entertainment has made impacts whose full implications are yet to be seen. Despite that, the leisure sector remained remarkably quiet for a long time. Beyond practical solutions and the occasional cry for help for the sector’s survival, we took the inspirational leader role only to a limited extent. Perhaps overwhelmed by the visibility of this responsibility. Perhaps we did not sufficiently feel the urgency to claim our role in society. A missed opportunity to take a step forward to expand the full potential of leisure for social, environmental and economic impact. The Future of Leisure largely depends on the role leisure manages to claim in the vital issues facing society. Are we sufficiently capable of demanding the role as a testing ground and as connector between the lifeworld and systems world?

Milan Meyberg was one of the keynote speakers at the Future of Leisure conference. The Uncover editors sat down with him to discuss his experience with and vision for shaping a more sustainable and future-proof world.

As the Scenario Planner at VisitScotland in 2004 (Yeoman & McMahon-Beattie, 2005), I facilitated a team to model and construct a set of scenarios which replicated the present COVID-19 pandemic reality. In the paper by Page et al. (2006) A case study of best practice - Visit Scotland's prepared response to an influenza pandemic, we predicted a global pandemic which meant international aviation coming to a halt for two to three years, lockdowns and social distancing. When combined, these effects would have a severe impact on Scottish tourism. However, very few believed us at the time and many people treated the scenarios with a degree of scepticism, as if they were from a science fiction film. Nearly twenty years later that science fiction scenario came true and COVID-19 was a reality. This is why science fiction and skepticism are important to me.

With its more than 186,000 residents, Breda is the ninth largest city in the Netherlands. A beautiful city with a rich past. People from Breda are generally known as bon vivants, who are proud of their historic city. But Breda does not stand still and has the ambition to move forward. Breda as a historic and liveable city, where life is wonderful and where dynamism has no boundaries. A vibrant meeting place where creatives, entrepreneurs and innovators have the space to pioneer. Their ambition is to build a city for future generations. Leisure, technology and creativity play an important role in this.

Three experts, Menno Stokman, Stefan Hartman and Tony Blackshaw reflect on the future of leisure in big world challenges.

Qatar 2022 – The biggest sports tournament, the FIFA World Cup took place in a unique setting. It was the first World Cup to be held in winter, the first football event with participating teams from all continents, and the most compact tournament in the history of football. The FIFA World Cup is not only a global celebration of football but also an opportunity for host nations to showcase their capabilities and leave a lasting legacy. In this regard, Qatar, the first Middle Eastern World Cup, has redefined the standards of conducting mega sporting events. Qatar marked its ambition by hosting the most expensive World Cup in history and aiming at setting new benchmarks in sustainability, carbon neutrality, and inclusivity.