Hosting major sporting events presents a raft of opportunities to boost tourism in a destination, bridge the gap between generations, and create a lasting legacy, shared event specialists.
Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa, noted that music and cultural events as well as secondary and tertiary gatherings are roped in whenever a week-long basketball tournament is held in a destination.
“NBA is the main pull, but one way to appeal to all is how you (integrate) the fashion shows, culture and food experiences around the main event. That’s how you really make it relevant,” she commented.
Michael Golding, marketing and communications executive director at Ethara, said the same extensive offerings are present during the Grand Prix season in Abu Dhabi. Across the race week are various events, including media and finance weeks.
Golding said: “We look at secondary and tertiary events and the spend they bring into the economy. These are important platforms that build off the additional investment around the Grand Prix.
“There are a lot of people coming to town, so we want to also allow them to network, do business, and have conversations they might not otherwise be able to have during the rest of the year.”
Collaboration was also flagged as key to pulling off a major sporting event, with strong relationships between the venues, destination marketing organisations, and other stakeholders essential.
“When we play in a country, we look at the entire ecosystem and different stakeholders. We don’t want to just play games, we want to leave an impact. We want to make sure we’re stimulating jobs. We’re hoping to create excitement,” Akamanzi said.
Michel Mari, business department manager, corporate and MICE, at Choose Paris Region, said building a lasting legacy is crucial when organising large-scale sports events. The majority of purpose-built stadiums and venues for the recent Olympics and Paralympics in Paris have been sold to the private sector and are being put to use as additional attractions in the French capital.
Overall, festivals and events, including those of a sporting nature, are observed to have a positive impact on destination reputation, found a study by MMGY TCI Research.
