No mountains and no ski resorts, but North Texas has plenty of summertime. So, what keeps the region from hosting the Summer Olympics?

Competition. Fierce competition among cities, regions and nations.

Dallas trial lawyer and veteran rugby player Bob Latham knows the difficulty of emerging from the "scrum of nations" with a winning play when it comes to landing the Games of any Olympiad, winter or summer. It's an intense competition among cities worldwide.

On the heels of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the return (with some help from Latham) of rugby to the quadrennial games of summer, the Council's Meridian: Global Young Professionals will hear guest speaker Latham explain the difficulties of Olympic competition "off the field." His topic is the location side of competition: "How To Make the Cut" in the Olympic process.

Guest speaker Latham has had an inside view of the Olympic process for years, serving on the Board of Directors of the USOC and on the USOC National Governing Bodies Council. He also represents North American Rugby on the World Rugby executive committee. He is a partner at Jackson Walker L.L.P. where he practices commercial litigation and is the head of the firm’s Media Law and Intellectual Property Litigation practice areas.

FYI: Dallas had planned to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics but was eliminated in the early going in 2014. In news reports online Dallas is frequently mentioned among American cities that not only could host the games but "should host" the Summer Olympics at some point.

This Meridian event on Tuesday, November 29, opens with 6:30 p.m. conversation and drinks followed by the 7 p.m. presentation at the British Beverage Company (BBC). The pre-program networker includes light food and one drink per person at one of Dallas' best sports pubs.