from initial idea to success: a guide to bidding for ... · from initial idea to success: a guide...

FROM INITIAL IDEA TO SUCCESS:

A GUIDE TO BIDDING FOR SPORTS EVENTS FOR POLITICIANS AND ADMINISTRATORS

Réseau transfontalier pour le développement touristique et économique de l’Arc Alpin au travers d’événements sportifs

SENTEDALPS

Sports Event Network for Tourism and Economic Development of the Alpine Space

Guide written by:Olivier Brighenti (IDHEAP), Christophe Clivaz (HEVs), Nicolas Délétroz (HEVs) and Nancy Favre (IDHEAP), Edited by Jean-Loup Chappelet (IDHEAP).

The case-study interviews were conducted by: Nicolas Chanavat (UCBL), Jean-Philippe Delage (IUP-THTL), Nancy Favre (IDHEAP), Alessandro Giacca (FISI-CAO) and Martin Schnitzer (ISOC 2005).

SENTEDALPS2 3SENTEDALPS

© 2005 Sentedalps Consortium,Interreg IIIB Project number CH/1-2/3.3/3

ISBN: 2-940-177-89-9

From initial idea to success: a guide to bidding for sports events for politicians and administrators.Edited by Jean-Loup ChappeletChavannes-Lausanne, Switzerland: IDHEAP, 2005-07-18

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. p.7

PART 1: INITIATING AND PREPARING A BID ......................................... p.13

CHAPTER 1: SPORTS EVENTS................................................................ p.15 1.1 Characteristics of a sports event ............................................. p.151.2 Phases and stakeholders........................................................ p.17

CHAPTER 2: BIDS ........................................................................... p.19 2.1 Characteristics of a bid .......................................................... p.192.2 Stages of a bid ..................................................................... p.202.3 Types of bid ......................................................................... p.20

CHAPTER 3: THE HOST SITE OFFER ........................................................ p.23 3.1 Characteristics of host sites.................................................... p.23 3.2 Types of host site.................................................................. p.26 3.3 Choosing the right event........................................................ p.27

CHAPTER 4: THE SPORTS EVENT DEMAND.................................................. p.294.1 Types of owner ..................................................................... p.29 4.2 Demands imposed by owners................................................. p.30 4.3 Strategies for meeting these demands..................................... p.31

CHAPTER 5: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT APPLIED TO SPORTS EVENTS ..................... p.35 5.1 The pre-bid dossier ............................................................... p.35 5.2 Strategic analysis ................................................................. p.37 5.3 Economic analysis................................................................. p.38

CHAPTER 6: THE ORGANISATION OF THE BID COMMITTEE ................................ p.41 6.1 Legal form ........................................................................... p.416.2 Committee structure ............................................................. p.426.3 Human resources.................................................................. p.43 6.4 Financial resources ............................................................... p.45

CHAPTER 7: THE BID PREPARATION PROCESS ............................................. p.47 7.1 The bid................................................................................ p.47 7.2 Lobbying ............................................................................. p.487.3 Public communication............................................................ p.49

CONCLUSION ................................................................................. p.51


PART 2: CASE STUDIES

2002 WORLD CANOE-KAYAK SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIPS

– Bourg Saint-Maurice - France.................................................... p.55

2005 WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Saint-Etienne - France .............................................................. p.59

2007 WORLD SENIOR BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Haute Maurienne - France ......................................................... p.63

2007 WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Aiguebelette - France ............................................................... p.67

2006 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES

- Sion – Switzerland ................................................................... p.71

2003 WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

– Lausanne / La Broye - Switzerland............................................. p.75

2005 AND 2006 WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Lausanne - Switzerland............................................................. p.79

2005 WORLD TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Lausanne - Switzerland............................................................. p.83

2003 WORLD STREET HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Sierre - Switzerland.................................................................. p.87

2005 EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL

- Monthey - Switzerland .............................................................. p.91

2006 WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Turin - Italiy ............................................................................ p.95

2007 WINTER UNIVERSIADE

– Turin - Italiy............................................................................ p.99

2006 WORLD SKI MOUNTAINEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Cunéo - Italiy ......................................................................... p.103

2005 WINTER UNIVERSIADE

- Innsbruck / Seefeld - Austria .................................................... p.107 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................. p.109

FOREWORD

SENTEDALPS (Sports Event Network for Tourism and Economic Development of the ALPine Space) is a three-year (2003 – 2006) INTERREG IIIB Community Initiative project co-financed by the European Commission. Funding for the Swiss partners is provided on a federal level by the Secretary of State for the Economy (Seco) and on a cantonal level by the Vaud and Valais cantons.

The project has sixteen partners from Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. It brings together representatives from public and private research institutes, regional and local authorities and private organisations. See list on page 6.

This guide to bidding for sports events is the first of a series of three guides to be produced by the SENTEDALPS project. The second guide will cover the organisation of a sports event and the third will look at the preparation and training of volunteers.


Institut de hautes études en administration publique (IDHEAP), Project leader: technical

Switzerland

Scuola universitaria interfacolta in scienze motorie (SUISM), Project leader: finance

Italy

Agence touristique départementale de Savoie (ATDS) France

Conseil régional Rhône-Alpes (CRRA) France

Federazione italiana sport invernali (comitato regionale Alpi Occidentali) (FISI-CAO)

Italy

Istituto Superiore di Educazione Fisica (ISEF) Italy

Innsbruck/Seefeld Organising Committee 2005 (ISOC 2005)

Austria

Université de Savoie (IUP-THTL) France

Provincia di Torino (PTO) Italy

Stadt Innsbruck (STINN) Austria

Torino Organising Committee XX Olympic Winter Games (TOROC)

Italie

Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL) France

Haute école valaisanne (HEVs) Switzerland

Etat du Valais (SDET) Switzerland

Etat de Vaud (DEC) Switzerland

Turistièna zveza Slovenije (TAS) Slovenia

INTRODUCTION

Since the 1980s, more and more regions have become interested in attracting major sports events as they are seen as effective vectors of economic and tourism development. Many regions now regard the hosting of sports events as a way of ensuring their sustainable development in that the organisation of events brings ecological and social benefits as well as economic benefits. Based on the expertise of the various partners in the SENTEDALPS project, the objective of this guide is to promote these ideas and to further the transfer of skills in sports event organisation within the Alpine Space.

The sports event “market” has developed particularly rapidly over the last twenty years. This development has had repercussions on the offer, as well as on the demand for sports events. It has led to:

• Growing demand for spectator sport and for mass-participation sport: the ever-increasing popularity of certain events has led to limits being placed on the number of participants allowed to register.

• Development of the offer: shown by the constant increase in the number and the diversity of the events on offer. Every year, several thousand sports events, covering 142 disciplines, take place around the world. These events cater for both the sporting elite and sport for all.

Within this market, the organisation of sports events has become a major promotional tool for regions and a window onto their savoir-faire. A number of initiatives have been taken to encourage organisers to incorporate into their event the notions of sustainable development and the tenets of the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 21, which considers the environment to be the third dimension of the Olympic spirit, alongside sport and culture. These initiatives are designed to raise awareness of the harmful side effects an event may have, especially with respect to the environment, while encouraging organisers to reap the greatest possible benefits. There are two main categories of benefit:

• Economic benefits come from direct and indirect event-related expenditure in the region, and from the development of the region’s image, which encourages spectators and television viewers to visit the area before, during and after the event.

• Social benefits are sometimes underestimated. The most common are the acquisition of organisational skills and the development of inter-


According to a list drawn up by the IOC, around 300 major sporting events take place every year. In 1999, the fifteen countries of the European Union hosted 77 world championships and 102 European championships. In 2004, the AGFIS (General Association of International Sports Federations) had 98 members that were likely to organise at least one world championships every two years. The British organisation Sportcal.com maintains what is probably the most complete database of sports events around the world. For the next ten years, it lists almost 25,000 events in 142 sports or disciplines. Every week, almost 1500 modifications or additions are made to this list. These figures highlight a problem for sport in general and for certain sports in particular: the congestion of the sporting calendar and the resulting difficulty in making a particular event stand out. They also suggest that only events that are well managed can hope to survive and develop amongst this “cacophony”.

The reasons for bidding include:

• Personal reasons: a politician becomes involved in the bid for personal electoral reasons. For example: 2007 World Biathlon Championships in the Haute Maurienne (France).

• Sporting reasons: the initiators of the bid want to develop and promote a sport in a region. For example: 2003 World Street-Hockey Championships in Sierre (Switzerland).

• Using sports facilities: a region already has a number of sports facilities it would like to exploit more fully. For example: 2005 Winter Universiades (Austria), which used the facilities built for the 1946 and 1976 Innsbruck Olympics.

• Tourism reasons: a region would like to develop/promote its tourism potential. Most bids give this as a reason. For example: 2002 World Canoe-Kayak Slalom Championships in Bourg Saint-Maurice (France), aimed at developing the region as a summer destination.

• Regional economic development: this is also an important point and frequently cited by candidates. For example: 2005 European Youth Olympic Festival in Monthey (Switzerland), which wanted to increase the dynamism of this region of Switzerland and create jobs.

Fig. 1 - Hierarchy of motivations

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION

USE OF SPORTS FACILITIES

PERSONALPROMOTION

PROMOTIONOF SPORT

PROMOTION OF TOURISM

REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

regional cooperation: acquisition of expertise, reinforcement of local identity and community pride, work experience and youth training. They also result from the event’s “legacy”, which can be both material (sports facilities, general infrastructure, etc) and non-material (participation in sports, renown, etc).

As well as the expected benefits, there are several reasons for bidding to host a sports event. Through interviews with 46 candidate cities, Emery (1998) showed that the primary reasons for bidding were to promote sport and to raise the profile or improve the image of the host city. The diagram opposite (see Figure 1), which is a sort of inverted “Maslow pyramid”, shows a hierarchy of motivations for bidding: from the least laudable, but unfortunately quite common (personal promotion), to the most legitimate (sustainable development of the region).


Chap.3What can be organised in a

given place?

Chap.4What events are

available?

Chap.6How is a bid committee

organised?

Chap.7What are the main functions

of the committee?

Chap.1What is a sports event?

Chap.2What is a bid?

ConclusionOn the road to success

Pre-bid

Chap.5How feasible is the

combination event/place ?

DecisionYes

Feasibility

The bid

Yes

No No

The guide looks at major international sports events that are held at regular intervals and at different venues. These events are attributed via a bidding process that allows the owner to ensure the host venue meets the specification laid down for the event. By definition, regular events that are always held at the same venue do not involve a bidding process.

The following diagram gives an overview of the questions addressed by each chapter of the guide. The examples given in the text refer to the case studies described in Part 2.

• The sustainable development of a region: it is now crucial to be able to cite the economic, social and environmental benefits an event will bring in order to “sell” it to the local population. For example: Sion’s bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics was the first to put forward this argument.

Of course, different motivations and expectations coexist within every bid, and most bids are driven by a wide variety of reasons. Bidding to host a sports event is a competition that brings together individuals and organisations with a diverse range of interests, but whose common goal is to win.Because of the strong competition to host major events, the demands imposed by sports event owners have increased considerably over the last few decades. Despite this, decisions on whether to bid for an event are often taken without any rational analysis of the chances of success or the benefits to be gained, and the organisation of the subsequent bid is not based on any of the models that have proven their effectiveness in other bids.Such an amateurish approach has been highlighted by several different researchers. The objective of this guide is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills, and to share the expertise that has been built up in this field. In order to do this, we have combined the experience gained by the project’s fifteen partners (Albertville, Innsbruck and Turin Winter Olympics, multi-sports games, world championships in a range of sports and mass-participation events) with an analysis of bid documents and interviews with fourteen bid managers. The second part of the guide presents case studies from four partner countries. The aim is to show that in order to successfully bid for the right to host a major sports event prospective venues must adopt a professional approach. Starting from the idea that a prospective venue must first determine the types of event best suited to its socio-economic and spatial particularities, and that it should only bid to host such events, the guide addresses the three fundamental questions that are raised by the three phases of the bidding process:

• Why enter a bid? (Pre-bidding phase)

• Which events are suitable for the area? (Feasibility)• How can the chances of success be maximised? (Bid proper)

This guide presents a global vision of the bidding process and provides local and regional authorities with guidelines for producing well-constructed bids. It is aimed at three types of target audience that may envisage bidding for a sports event.

• Local and regional politicians• Administrators and civil servants working in the fields of sports, tourism,

economic development or regional development• The sports, tourism and economic sectors


Part 1

INITIATING AND PREPARING A BID


1.1 Characteristics of a sports event

Sports event is a generic term that covers everything from local competitions to the Olympic Games. Events are defined according to a number of parameters: • Size: defined according to a range of criteria such as the number of

participants, the budget or the number of spectators and television viewers.

• Spatial characteristics: the event can take place outdoors or indoors, in a public space or a private arena. Competitions can take place simultaneously in several different venues or in one venue but spread out over time. The competition can also move from venue to venue.

• Temporal characteristics: the duration and/or the periodicity of the event and the competition calendar.

Sports events come in all shapes and sizes. Before choosing the most appropriate event for a certain site, it is necessary to understand exactly what a sports event entails, to find out what is required of the organiser and to know what the different categories of event are. These factors must be taken into account during the preparation of a bid.

CHAPTER ONESPORTS EVENTS

« A sports event is a widely broadcast social event whose impact on its different audiences is linked to the result of the action sof the various participants, who are placed in a situation of

achievement, performance or competition». (Ferrand, 1993)


Imagine Organise Run Evaluate

Fig. 2 - The four phases of a sports event

Conception Preparation Exploitation Closure

1.2 Phases and stakeholders

Although different events have different characteristics, their organisationis always divided into four phases, the duration of which varies widely according to the type of event (see Figure 2):

• Conception: the idea of organising an event requiring a bid.• Preparation: from the foundation of the organising committee to the

opening of the event.• Operation (or running) of the event: from the opening ceremony to the

closure of the venues, it covers the entire duration of the event.

This guide focuses on the first phase of this process. However, as different skills are required to successfully carry out each of the four phases, it is important to evaluate the human resources required for each phase during the preparation of the bid. Each phase in the organisation of an international sports event involves the collaboration of a large number of “stakeholders”, who can be classified into two categories (see Figure 3):

• Producers: include the national and international federations and private companies that own the events, sponsors and suppliers and their various agents, and the organisers themselves, which are more and more frequently public or private organisations that specialise in the acquisition and organisation of sports events.

• Consumers: these are the spectators, television viewers and other visitors with a direct or indirect interest in the event.

• Sporting characteristics: an event can include one or several sports. It can also satisfy different needs, for example, competition (elite) or leisure (mass-participation sport).

• Renown: is measured by the outreach of the event, which can be regional, national or international. An event’s fame and image can also be measured by the number of spectators it attracts and by its coverage in the media.

These characteristics can be combined in numerous different ways, making it difficult to produce a clear classification of sports events. Nevertheless, a simple, if not simplistic, typology of events can be drawn up based on media coverage:

• (Very) big events: include the Olympic Games, the Football World Cup and European Championships, some world championships (skiing, athletics, etc), the Tour de France and the America’s Cup. These events involve the world’s sporting elite, receive extensive media attention, are given international television coverage and attract large numbers of spectators. For example: the World Alpine Ski Championships at Crans Montana in 1987.

• Medium-sized events: include some world and European championships, major tournaments, large sports meetings and major mass-participation events. They can involve a large number of participants and bring together the sporting elite and amateurs.

For example: the annual European Masters Golf Tournament at Crans Montana.

• Others: include events that receive less media attention. They may involve the public, but they can also involve the sporting elite for world and European championships in “minority” sports, such as the World Street-Hockey Championships. For example: the 2000 World Handi-Ski Championships at Anzère and Crans Montana.

The examples given for each of these three types of event show that a single city, region or, in this case, a resort such as Crans Montana in Switzerland, can host events of different sizes. It should also be noted that smaller-scale events can produce considerable economic and tourism benefits. This is often the case for events that receive little media coverage, but which take place over several days and involve a large number of participants who contribute to the economy of the area, most notably in terms of the number of bed-nights.For example: in order to re-use the sports facilities built for the 1991 World Student Games, the city of Sheffield has organised a number of sports events, including some European Championships football matches and the 1996 World Masters Swimming Championships. This latter event did not attract many spectators and received poor media coverage, but it accounted for more bed-nights than the widely televised European Championships football matches.


Sta

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Popu

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Regional and

Local councils

Federations thatown events

Televis

ion vie

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Internet u

sers

Spectators

Guides

Part

icip

ants

Méd

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Sponso

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Supplie

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PRODUCERS CONSUMERS

Organisers

Visitors-tourists

Tour

ism co

mpa

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Sportsevents

CHAPTER 2BIDS

The successful organisation of an event starts at the bidding stage. Each bid takes place in a particular context. If a candidate resort, city or region is to maximise its chances of success, this context must be taken into account.

2.1 Characteristics of a bid

A bid is a politico-economic competition in which the objective is to win the right to organise a sports event. All bids are characterised by the fact that they bring together people and organisations with different expectations. A bid is above all political. It represents a collection of interests and skills (sports federations, local authorities, economic partners, the media, etc) that have to be focused on the single objective of winning. The bid must be constructed to fulfil its primary aim while satisfying these different expectations and the stakeholders must be brought together so that each one profits from the event

Successful preparation of a bid is a public relations challenge that involves (Alun, 2002):

• Competing with other bids• Reaching out to a variety of target groups• Maintaining interest over a long period• Making the work as transparent as possible• Understanding things that are sometimes complex and

secret (the decision-making process)• Convincing officials and well-known personalities to rally

to the cause• Combining “internal” popularity with understanding and

acceptance abroad (especially if the decision makers are of different nationalities)

Participants, officials, the media and local authorities are simultaneously producers and consumers, as they enable the event to happen and be publicised, but they are also beneficiaries of the event.

Fig. 3 – The daisywheel of stakeholders


LEARNINGPROCESS

TRANSFER OFTHE BIDS

CHOICE OFA BID

EVALUATIONOF BIDSPRESENTATION

OF BIDS

ORGANISATIONCOMMITEE

INTERESTED CITIES

• Alibi bids: bidding for a major sports event focuses a certain amount of media attention onto the bidder. These bids have no realistic chance of winning, but they provide a way to advertise the dynamism of the city and its surrounding area. For example: Jaca’s bid for the 2002 and 2012 Winter Olympics.

• Warm-up bids: this category includes bids aimed at obtaining the organisation of a minor event with the objective of hosting a major competition at a later date. These bids are generally used to assess popular support and to demonstrate the host site’s organisational skills. They also raise the bidder’s profile with events organisers. For example: the bid by Lausanne-La Broye to host the 2003 World Cross-country Championships: Lausanne’s long-term objective being to house a “major” athletics event.

• Tacit bids: this situation occurs when an event does not attract many bids. The owner still requires bids to be filed, but, in general, one edition of the event is attributed to each of the candidates. For example: In 2001, the International Association of Athletics Federations decided to take the opportunity provided by the bids they had received to allocate the World Cross-Country Championships for the next four years.

• Replacement bids: when an event cannot take place at its allocated venue it may be attributed to another venue without that venue having to go through the whole bidding procedure. The beneficiaries of this type of bid are most frequently established sites that have already won their spurs organising similar events. For example: Skiing World Cup events are sometimes attributed to Veysonnaz (Valais). This is also how Lausanne won the right to host the 2003 European Figure Skating Championships.

2.2 Stages of bids

There are enormous differences in the ways in which bids for different events are processed, but the procedures for major international events follow a more or less standard schema. Figure 4 shows the stages of the process and the general way in which it operates as seen the event owner’s point of view. Depending on the owner’s requirements, this process can be more or less complex. We will look at this point in more detail in Chapter 4. The duration of each stage also varies according to the event. For example: for the bids presented in this guide, the total length of the bidding process ranged from 8 months for the World Street-Hockey Championships to 3 years for the Winter Olympics.

Fig. 4 - Bid-processing procedure for an event

2.3 Types of bid

Bids can be classified into five main categories, although there is a certain degree of overlap between categories:

• Real bids: the most desirable event are naturally those for which competition is the most intense. There may even be competition between several cities within the same country. The requirements laid down in the event owner’s specification are complex. Important factors in favour of a bid include the intrinsic quality of the site, popular support for the bid and inter-regional cooperation.

For example: Sion’s bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics.


CHAPTER 3THE HOST SITE OFFER

The choice of a sports event cannot only be based on an understanding of the types of event that are available and the relevant bidding procedures; the characteristics of the potential site are also determining factors and must be analysed.

3.1 Characteristics of host sites

A great many sites have the potential to host major sports events. However, each site is different and even sites in similar geographical settings (in this case, the Alpine Space) have their own intrinsic physical and non-material characteristics.

Physical characteristics include: • The geography of the site: which covers its climate as well as its

geomorphology. The layout and morphology of the site may be particularly suited to staging certain events. For example, the existence, accessibility and possibilities for using mountainous terrain, plateaux, valleys and lakes will have a direct influence on the types of event that can be held. It is important to note that the geographical characteristics of an area can be seen as advantages for certain types of event and as disadvantages for others. This is particularly the case when the event is held close to areas subject to wildlife and landscape protection measures. For example: the town of Bourg Saint Maurice in Savoie has a natural canoe-kayak course. There were two objectives behind its bid for the World Championships: build up the site’s reputation amongst canoeists and attract the general public to Savoie during the summer


The four main non-material characteristics of a host venue are:

• A more or less explicit policy of attracting sports events. The existence of a local, regional, or even national policy of attracting sports events is important, as a host region is much more likely to reap the full economic and social benefits of hosting an event if the organisation of that event is part of a clearly defined development plan. Regional politicians must be able to justify why they have chosen to develop this economic sector rather than others. The mere existence of a sports events policy can allow a region to bid for certain types of event. The aim of such a policy is to define the role of the regional authorities and to set-up a decision-making tool that provides a solid and stringent basis on which to evaluate projects. The policy must also cover the links between a region’s tourism, administrative and sports sectors.

For example: the city of Lausanne, which houses the head offices of the IOC and many international federations, has had a policy of attracting sports events since 1990.

• Local experience and skills in organising events. Prior experience in organising sports events is also an important factor that should be highlighted, as it allows the acquisition of key skills, especially in the fields of collaboration between neighbouring councils and of relations with higher-level authorities. These skills are often held by a group (which may be large or small) of committed volunteers. For example: since organising the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Savoie has entered bids for a large number of sports events, based on the expertise of the network of volunteers that was formed for the 1992 Olympics.

• Positioning in terms of tourism marketing. Tourist destinations (resorts, cities, regions) that organise sports events generally do so in order to raise their profile and to make themselves stand out from their competitors. As well as this traditional objective, sports events are increasingly used as a way of creating and sustaining a unique image (“branding”). Today, it is quite common to see destinations supplant or complement private companies in sponsoring events they consider to be in phase with their “brand” image. The creation or renewal of an image is a long-term process, as is the bidding procedure for many major sports events. Consequently, sports events have become very important elements in the “branding” of destinations.

• Sports facilities: in terms of the Alpine Space, the most important “facility” is the area’s snow cover, its ski runs and the ski-lifts that give access to them. Other standard sports facilities provided by, or available for use by the local authority include sports stadiums, skating rinks, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses and other sports halls. However, even recently built facilities are rarely capable of hosting sports events, either because they do not have the seating capacity necessary, or because they do not meet the event owner’s specification. Existing facilities will usually need to be modified to meet the specific needs of the event. As well as being expensive, such modifications tend to increase operating costs, sometimes to such a point that the local authority will no longer have the means to run the facility. Therefore, the politicians responsible for managing a host site must carefully consider the long-term operation of public sports facilities that are modified or built for a specific event. For example: re-use of facilities built for the Winter Olympics to host the Winter Universiades in Innsbruck in 2005 and in Turin in 2007.

• General infrastructure: facilities that are not directly used for competitions, but which are essential for the smooth running of the event. The most important infrastructure elements are site access, public transportation (train stations, airports, bus links, etc), hospitals, water treatment works, etc. All major sports events involve the movement of large numbers of people to and from the site and within the site itself. The transportation needs of a particular sports event should be assessed in detail at the beginning of the bid preparation phase in order to ensure that these needs can be met and to examine the feasibility of adapting and/or extending the existing communications infrastructure.

For example: access to the Swiss resorts of Davos and St Moritz is so difficult that, today, it would be very difficult for them to host the Winter Olympics.

• Tourist infrastructure: includes hotels and restaurants (the capacity of which is a determining factor), conference and exhibition centres, arts centres, leisure centres, etc. Because of the logistical facilities they have at their disposal, conference centres are highly appreciated by event organisers and the media. (They are often used by the media for setting up their on-site operations centres.) Furthermore, the ability to offer visitors, journalists, and even the competitors themselves, a range of alternative leisure and cultural activities is a plus that is increasingly appreciated by events organisers. For example: a key element in Crans Montana’s winning bid to host the 1987 World Ski Championships was the realisation of the local council’s project to build a conference and exhibition centre (the Regent).


For example: Albertville, as the “centre of gravity” of a dozen resorts in the Tarentaise Valley (Savoie, France), organised the 1992 Winter Olympics.

• Mountain resorts: their main advantage is their immediate proximity to the sites where the competitions will be held. This is particularly true for winter sports events. With a tourism-based and therefore seasonal economy, mountain resorts have to take into account another constraint, their annual economic cycle. Ideally, sports event should be organised so they launch or prolong the regular tourist season. The expectations of the traditional clientele are often very different to those of visitors attracted by the event. Mixing these two types of client can sometimes cause problems, so the event must be planned very carefully to avoid a possible negative impact on the traditional clientele.

For example: Monthey (population: 15,000, Valais, Switzerland), in conjunction with neighbouring resorts, bid to host the 2005 European Youth Olympic Festival in order to promote a region that combines the attractions of the Chablais mountains and the plains of the Rhone Valley. The event was held during the tourist “lull” in January.

3.3 Choosing the right event

Considering that there should be a synergy between the host site, the sport and the chosen event, Emery (1998) asked the question: “How do managers of prospective sites select the events they would like to host?” His studies showed that potential candidates are confronted with a large number of events and they generally have little or no advance information about the costs involved or the benefits that may be acquired. Decisions are therefore taken without any formal analysis. Often, there is no pro-active selection based on a rational procedure and the arguments for entering a bid are only prepared after the decision has been taken. Unsurprisingly, the most sought after events are those that occur at regular intervals and that receive much media attention. Other events are often ignored as, given the constraints imposed by a sports event in terms of time and space, unconditional support for the bid from the host site and the local population is primordial. Studies of the economic and social impact of such events also show that the longer-term benefits depend to a large extent on the ability of the authorities to use the event to further the development of the region. On the other hand, as we have seen in this chapter, the characteristics of the site have a strong influence on the choice of event. A bid will only succeed if the site is eminently suitable for hosting the event. A good idea of a venue’s potential to host different events can be drawn up by reviewing the characteristics of the site. This review can then form the basis of the decision on whether or not to enter the sports event “market and be used to more accurately target the type of events for which a site can bid, taking into account its strengths and weaknesses”.

For example: the organisation responsible for promoting tourism in the Tyrol would like to sponsor more major summer sports events in order to promote summer tourism in the Tyrol and to spread the message that this “Land” is an ideal summer sports and “long holidays” destination

• The economic potential of a region: This must be looked at from both public sector and private sector points of view. Although it is the public sector’s role to set up the management strategy, and possibly to give financial guarantees for an event, the bulk of the sponsoring should come from private companies in the region. Therefore, the event should be chosen so that it corresponds to the philosophy of local companies, which are increasingly selective about the sponsorship they give. For example: the Grand Raid Cristalp mountain bike race (from Verbier to Grimenz), which is sponsored by Cristalp and several other companies from the Valais.

3.2 Types of host site

The most common host sites in the Alpine Space can be classified according to their physical characteristics. For some events, it is not unusual for several sites with different characteristics to combine forces. There are three main types of site:

• Large and medium-sized urban centres: Generally, the basic infrastructure of these sites is complete. They have a number of different access routes that are capable of absorbing an increase in traffic levels, as well as dense and effective public transport systems. Because of mobility, logistical and accommodation constraints, urban centres have a competitive advantage in terms of organising and hosting very large events. However, depending on the event being organised, these sites will sometimes have to ally themselves with surrounding regions that have the geomorphological characteristics necessary for certain sports, such as mountains for alpine skiing or mountain biking, or lakes for water-sports, etc.

For example: the resort of Sestrières (at an altitude of 2000m) will host the alpine skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics, which are being organised by Turin (altitude 300m).

• Small towns or towns in peripheral areas: they are usually near mountain resorts. Even though they generally have a complete basic infrastructure, they do not necessarily have the ability to cope with large numbers of visitors. Their public transport networks tend to be less dense and their accommodation capacity is often limited. Nevertheless, some small towns can overcome these constraints and, thanks to their favourable location, they can bid for medium-sized or large sports events.


SPORTSEVENT

Time

Place

Action

CHAPTER 4THE SPORTS EVENT DEMAND

By studying the characteristics of potential sports event venues, we have looked at bids from the point of view of the offer of host sites. We now look at the demand in order to identify the events that are available and the expectations of their owners.

By definition, the “owner” of an event is responsible for awarding its organisation to a third party and/or the possessor of different rights for that event, most notably the broadcasting and marketing rights.

4.1 Types of owner

As the primary objectives of event owners are to develop their sport and/or their event, they have to be convinced that potential organisers are capable of doing this. In addition to their intrinsic reasons for bidding, candidates must take into account the objectives of the event owner. In order to satisfy this requirement, the most important question for a candidate wishing to organise an event is: “What can my site and my organisation provide the owner in terms of adding value to the event?”There are three main categories of event owner: national federations, international federations and private companies:

• National Federations (NF): are responsible for national competitions within their own country. For example, the Swiss Ski Federation awards the national alpine ski championships to a different resort every year. NFs also support bids for international events and/or organise the pre-selection of a national site to place a bid with the corresponding international federation. National Olympic Committees do the same within their own country for the Olympic Games.

An old theatrical rule, the unity of time, place and action, can be usefully applied to the choice of event and the decision on whether to bid:

• Which sites, not too far apart? (unity of place)• When and how long? (unity of time)• Which sport(s) and which participant(s)? (unity of action)

Fig. 5 -The unity of time, place and action as applied to sports events.


under consideration in order to ensure that the basic conditions are met. For example: the FISU’s extremely detailed specification provides a good example of the requirements imposed upon bidding committees. It can be found at: http://www.fisu.net/media/ficjier/339.pdf.

• International Federations (IF): are the owners of the world championships or world cups in their discipline, as well as of other continental or worldwide events. For example, the International Ski Federation is the owner of the Alpine Ski World Championships. Multi-sport games have their own owner federations: the IOC for the Olympic Games, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) for the World Student Games (Universiades), the European Olympic Committees for the European Olympic Youth Festival, etc.

• Private owners: many large sports events, such as the major cycle races (Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta), the America’s Cup (AC Management) and the Paris-Dakar Rally (ASO), as well as numerous smaller events, are owned by private companies. Like the Tour de France, these companies are often looking for places in which to “pitch their tents”, rather than for event organisers. Nevertheless, a bidding process is generally necessary.

4.2 Demands imposed by owners

Over and above the specific requirements of individual owners, there is a more or less standard bidding procedure that must be followed by sites wishing to host major international events. This procedure can be outlined as follows:

1. The International Federation (IF) that owns the event invites National Federations to indicate whether they are interested in hosting it.

2. The IF sends its specification to those NFs that are interested, with a closing date for entering a bid.

3. Official candidates receive guidelines for drawing up their bid.4. The IF examines the bids and, if necessary, visits the candidate sites and

prepares more or less detailed evaluation reports.5. Candidate sites defend their bids in front of a body of the IF (general

assembly or, more usually, the executive committee), which then moves to a vote.

6. Following the vote, the winning site signs a contract with the IF (e.g. the famous “Host City Contract” between the IOC, the Olympic city and its NOC).

Sometimes, this process involves a double bid: at the national level for selection by the national federation and then at the international level. For the Olympic Games and a number of other major events, the process also involves a pre-selection phase (presentation of an initial bid and/or site visit) to become an “official” candidate. In addition to this more or less standard procedure, event owners, whether they are federations or private companies, usually have strict rules on the way in which events are attributed and on the minimum specification. These rules must be examined in detail when a specific event is

There are a number of databases that give information about the requirements imposed by event owners. • Always consult the international federation. The hundred

most important federations are members of the AGFIS (www.agfisonline.com). All of the links to the sites of member federations are updated regularly

• There is a world calendar of sports events (www.sportcal.com) that lists events that have already been attributed and those that remain to be attributed: indispensable for choosing a date that is not already too busy.

• The specialist sporting press and the magazines published by the IF should be consulted.There are Internet sites that carry out “strategic monitoring” for the largest events, e.g. www.planetexport.fr (run by by the French Centre for External Trade) and the private site www.gamesbids.com, for the Olympics.

It is a good idea to visit cities or resorts that have already been designated as host sites (if possible, during the event) in order to gain a better understanding of the requirements of the event owner. For example: the Monthey 2005 bid committee attended several European Olympic Youth Festivals before the vote was taken. They put up advertising posters promoting their bid and the Monthey region, and they also looked at the technical organisation of the Festivals.

4.3 Strategies for meeting these demands

Regions interested in bidding for sports events are strongly advised to adopt an anticipatory strategy and to set up a strategic monitoring procedure so they can enter the race at the best possible moment. As the principles of site rotation and “return for services rendered” are often taken into account by event owners when they make their choices, it is very important for a bid to be “in the right place at the right time”. The strengths of competing bids should also be taken


into account: their origin, the sporting culture that is prevalent in their country and the degree of support at a national level, whether from the authorities, the private sector or the media, can all be very important. For example: France’s bid to host the World Biathlon Championships in the Haute Maurienne failed due to competition from Northern and Eastern European countries, where a long-standing biathlon tradition was supported by strong economic partners. Aiguebelette’s bid to host the 2007 World Rowing Championships failed when confronted with a bid from Germany, where the media takes a much greater interest in rowing than the French media.

In order to satisfy this demand for events, it is possible for a country, a region or a city that wishes to host sports events to introduce a strategy for attracting them. This allows the bidding procedure to be optimised and ensures a certain degree of success. Some countries, regions and cities have set up public policies and have organisations dedicated to attracting sports events (see table 1).

Countries:

- Canada (www.pch.gc.ca/progs/sc/pol/accueil-host/index_f.cfm)

- Ireland (www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie)

- Denmark (http://www.idraetsfonden.dk)

Regions:

- Northern Ireland (www.nievents.co.uk)

- Victoria (www.tourismvictoria.com.au/strategicplan/index.htm)

- Savoie (www.cg73.fr/fr/actions/sport.shtm)

Cities:

- Lausanne (www.ifsport-guide.ch)

- Montreal (www.sportmontreal.ca)

- Rotterdam (www.topsport.rotterdam.nl)

Table 1 – Examples of public policies for attracting sports events

In 2004, an association of host cities was created in Lausanne with the aim of bringing together cities (29 in 2004) that are interested in organising major events (www.ascavonline.com). In order for a policy aimed at attracting sports events to be effective, the success or failure of bids to host events can no longer be left to chance. Potential hosts need to plan their bids and to include them within a public hosting policy in order to maximise their chances of success. For example: as part of a policy for attracting sports events, a working group was set up by the city of Lausanne in order to define a strategy for choosing events. Today, bids can only be made if a number of conditions are met: the city must have experience of the discipline, have contacts with the international federation, be attractive to the sport and receive support from the national federation.

Even with all these information and planning systems, there is no substitute for personal contact with the world of sport and sporting events, especially with the heads of sports federations and with journalists. Attendance at specialist congresses, such as those run by the IF, AGFIS-Sport Accord, or others, is essential in this regard.


CHAPTER 5STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT APPLIED TO SPORTS

EVENTS

The choice of an appropriate sports event has been made. Before taking the final decision to submit a bid, and so that the decision can be taken in a logical and proactive way, a full feasibility study for the event/site combination should be carried out. At this point, it is possible to apply the principles and tools of strategic management to the bid.

What sort of planning techniques are used before the event? Despite the cost of preparing a bid, Emery’s work shows that very few organisers formalise their objectives, plan the bid, or carry out a feasibility study. Bids are submitted on the basis of personal and political convictions. (Emery, 1998)

5.1 The pre-bid stage

In order to determine the material feasibility of organising the chosen event, a draft bid should be prepared. The preparation of a pre-bid file provides an opportunity for the potential bidder to make a preliminary assessment of all the factors that need to be taken into account. A large number of fields need to be studied, but these fields are the same for all multi-day events of a certain size. The IOC has drawn up a list of topics that summarises the themes that need to be addressed by candidates bidding to host the Olympic Games. This list is supplied to all cities that are considering entering a bid (applicant cities). Although some of the topics are specific to the Olympic Games, the general themes can be applied to any pre-bid dossier. The treatment of the individual topics can then be refined when preparing the actual bid. The IOC’s list contains 25 topics, under seven different headings (see Table 2) (IOC, 2003).


VISIONWere do we want to go?

ACTIONHow can we get there?

ANALYSYSWhere are we now?

CHECKAre we going to achieve

our vision?

5.2 Strategic Analysis

The decision on whether to organise an event can be taken in a logical way based on a strategic analysis. The answers to the first two questions of the strategic management cycle (see Figure 6) allow the decision to be taken in a clearer light.

• The analysis: A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis can be carried out for the event/site combination. This type of approach is designed to determine the critical factors for a successful bid by identifying the Threats and Opportunities, as well as the Strengths and Weaknesses of the combination. In order to do this, a study is made of the internal environment (the strengths and weaknesses that are totally within the control of the candidate, for example the dispersion of the different sites) and of the external environment (opportunities and threats over which the candidate has little influence, for example the other bids).

Fig. 6 -The strategic management cycle adapted to a bid

Internal analysis External analysis

Optimistic view STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES

Pessimistic view WEAKNESS THREATS

Tableau 3 - SWOT analysis matrix

I. Introduction: 1. motivation2. concept 3. public opinion

II. Political support: 4. government support/support from the NOC and the city

5. future bid committee6. legal issues

III. Finances: 7. budget for the bid8. budget for the Games 9. prospective income of the OGOC

IV. Sites: Competition sites : 10. existing/planned/extra sports facilities11. maps showing the sitesOther sites: 12. Olympic village(s)/international radio & television centre/main

press centre

V. Accommodation:13. hotels14. accommodation for the media

VI. Transport infrastructure: 15. existing/planned/extra transport infrastructure16. airport17. map showing the transport infrastructure18. transport difficulties that the town must address19. table showing journey times

VII. General conditions, logistics and experience: 20. dates selected for the event21. population22. weather23. environment24. experience25. security

Table 2 – The seven main themes to be covered by a pre-bid file


(generated by the total expenditure - bid, operating, infrastructure and visitor expenditure) by the regional coefficient (multiplier) (see Figure 7) (Stritt & Voillat, 1997).

Primary revenue = Direct effet + Indirect effects

Total revenu = Primary revenue + Induced effects

Companyturnover

Bid, operating, infrastructureand visitor expenditure

in the region

Indirect effectsDirect effect

Multiplier

Induced effects

Salaries

Fig. 7 - The multiplier mechanism

The socio-cultural and environmental impacts of an event, which are important from a sustainable development point of view, are not often taken into account in purely economic impact studies. However, as has been shown by analyses of the impact of sports events in Switzerland, these effects should be defined in terms of the three pillars of sustainable development. Twenty-three indicators have been identified, allowing six ratios to be calculated (www.sportevent-scorecard.ch). The Olympic Games Global Impact (OGGI) method is also based on a system of indicators. The aim of this method is to identify all the economic, socio-cultural and environmental indicators that can be used to evaluate each edition of the Games. These indicators are systematically measured over a period of ten years (from the beginning of the bid to the dissolution of the organising committee) in order to provide a measure of the global impact of the Games. One hundred and sixty indicators have been defined (Griethuysen & Hug, 2001). The OGGI method can also be applied to other events that have a large enough temporal and spatial impact to affect the development of an entire region.

Such an analysis can be used to produce a diagnosis of the things that work well and the things that work less well in the projected bid. This diagnosis will show the framework within which the bid is being prepared and it will bring to light the critical factors for success, based on improving the weaknesses (while maintaining the strengths) and exploiting the opportunities (while trying to block the threats).

• The vision: By answering the question “Where do we want to go?”, the candidate defines a vision and a mission for the project, as well as stating the objectives to be adopted based on the preceding analysis. The notions of vision and mission are very similar and can sometimes be confused. A vision is a long-term objective (that may appear unattainable), whereas a mission is the reason why the organisation exists. The mission also includes the “grand ideas” of the bid; it should motivate the stakeholders and potential sponsors, and provide a yardstick by which to evaluate the success of the organisation. A mission should be drawn up in consultation with all the people and organisations involved in the bid. It should be consistent with the values the bid wishes to project and attractive to all the different stakeholders. The wording of the mission is extremely important: it should summarise the candidate’s reasons for wanting to organise the event in just a few sentences. By its very nature, a mission may be extremely general and idealistic, but it should still address concrete concerns by defining precise objectives that express exactly what the bid is hoping to achieve. For example: Sion’s mission statement for its 2006 Olympic Games bid was “So that the people of the Valais and of all Switzerland can unite in a balanced project to welcome the sporting youth of the world to a country of nature and culture in a spirit of peaceful coexistence and sustainable development”.

5.3 Economic analysis

We have seen that the choice of a sports event can be strongly influenced by its potential impact on the region that organises it. However, when a bid is submitted, the extent of this impact is often unclear. The effects of hosting a major sporting event can be analysed using two “classic” methods from the field of economics: impact studies and cost-benefits analyses.

• Impact studies. Whichever model is used as the basis for an impact study, the two most important parameters (both of which are easy to moderate) tend to be: the total impact sum (total income, expressed in the local currency), and the number of jobs created over a certain number of years. The total income for a region provided by an event (regional impact of expenditure) is obtained by multiplying the primary income


CHAPTER 6THE ORGANISATION OF

THE BID COMMITTEE

The bid committee is the link between the owner of the event, the local authorities responsible for the sites and the other stakeholders. It is essentially an ephemeral public relations organisation. If the committee is to achieve its main objective (obtaining the attribution of the event) it must be carefully organised.

6.1 Legal form As sports events are becoming increasingly complex, it is advisable for them to be given a clear legal status right from the start of the bidding process. This will give the bid committee a juridical personality and avoid individual members of the committee being personally liable for the financial and contractual undertakings included in the bid. It is also essential to take out the necessary insurance, especially personal liability insurance. The choice of which legal status to adopt depends on the size of the event, the requirements of the owner and the legal obligations imposed by the authorities

• Non-profit organisation. This is the legal status most commonly used by federations and the sports movement (in the widest sense of the term), both nationally and internationally. It is suitable for all sizes of event. The statutes are easy to draw up. They must list the bodies involved, the resources and the wish to form an entity. A written document is sufficient and it is not necessary to have a deed drawn up by a solicitor. Variations exist in different countries.

For example: the Sion 2006 bid committee was created as a non-profit organisation under articles 60 and subsequent of the Swiss Civil Code.

“It is not enough to calculate the economic impact of a project without calculating its utility for the population concerned. By definition, the calculation of the economic benefits of a project cannot be used as a measure of its profitability. Such an analysis only tells us that the project in question generates a certain volume of economic activity and jobs. It does not tell us whether this project is worthwhile or not”. (Gouguet, 2004).

• Cost-benefits analyses. Such analyses involve expressing all the costs and all the benefits of an event in financial terms in order to estimate the positive and negative effects of the event on the wellbeing of a region or an area. These cost-benefits can be economic or non-economic and direct or indirect. Canada’s policy for hosting events defines these dimensions (www.pch.gc.ca/progs/sc/pol/accueil-host/index_fcfm).

By looking at sports events in terms of variations in wellbeing, a cost-benefits analysis goes to the heart of what should motivate every public initiative (and expenditure) in the field, i.e. the effects on (sustainable) human development, rather than mere economic development (Chappelet, 2004). The policies for hosting sports events developed by Canada and by France are good examples of this approach, as they state that the authorities should only invest in events that will provide economic, social, sporting and cultural benefits, without damaging the environment of the site in question. Therefore, strict conditions and procedures should be imposed for awarding subsidies to bids or to events.It is not easy for a host organisation to carry out a complete impact study or cost-benefits analysis that takes into account all of the factors of sustainable development, as this involves collecting an enormous quantity of data. Aware of the necessity of such studies, and of the difficulties and costs involved in completing them, the Canadian Alliance for Sports Tourism (ACTS) has developed a Model for the Economic Evaluation of Sports Tourism (MEETS) (www.canadiansportstourism.com). Its aim is to provide an easy-to-use (the only data needed concerns the basic demographics of the participants and spectators, together with the information included in the event’s business plan) and easily accessible (the model has been published on the Internet) tool. However, this model could be improved by extending it to cover the social and environmental fields.


For example: “in a pre-bid phase, a working group of five people, steered by the Association for the Monthey/Saint Maurice Region, was set up. There was no hierarchical structure to this group; however, there was a division of tasks by department”. (2005 FOJE case study, p. 91).

Adhocracy, also known as innovative organisation, defines a complex and non-standardised configuration. It is an extremely flexible structure in which power constantly moves from one person to another and in which coordination and control are achieved by the mutual adaptation and interaction of experts. (Mintzberg, 1990).

• Bid committee. This is a more hierarchical organisational structure, although it is still relatively open. It is a simple structure (in the sense used by Mintzberg). The organisation has a clear management level (strategic summit) that provides the guidelines for the bid and coordinates operations. The operational centre is composed of professionals with the specific skills required to meet the needs of the bid. The line between the summit and the centre is poorly developed. For example: “when it was decided to go ahead with the bid, this working group was expanded to form a bid committee of fifteen people. Seven people, who formed the basic core of the group (operational centre), shared the work. They were supported by elected representatives (strategic summit): presidents of district councils, a State Councillor, members of parliament and members of the economic community. Other than a president, who ran the meetings, there was no hierarchical structure to this committee; the same powers were attributed to each member”. (2005 FOJE case study).

6.3 Human resources

The organisation of a sports event must take into account a certain number of key players, who are indispensable to the running of events, which are becoming increasingly complex. If the organisation is to be a success, the local, regional and/or national authorities are essential partners, whether for questions of security (police, traffic, etc), sports facilities or finance (subsidies). The bidding phase must consider the expectations and needs of each one. The following players should be represented on the bid committee:

• Limited company. This is a much heavier legal structure and less suitable for bid committees. Statutes are largely fixed by law. Registration in the commercial register is obligatory, as is the keeping of auditable accounts. The company must have a minimum amount of capital. Bids from countries within the Alpine Space almost never use this form, but it is quite commonly used in Anglo-Saxon countries.

For example: the Salt Lake City 2002 bid committee was set up as a non-profit corporation under Utah law (United States).

• Foundation. This type of structure is rarely used for bid committees. It is usually reserved for long-term organisations.

For example: the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics Organisation Committee (TOROC) is a rare example of the use of foundation status in events organisation. It was created after the bid was accepted. The bid itself was run as a non-profit organisation.

• Public interest group (GIP). This is an artificial person under French law. It is non-profit making and financially autonomous. It is an association of public corporations (local authorities, publicly owned companies) or of public corporations with private organisations (e.g. associations) that has been formed to carry out projects of common interest. The creation of GIPs in the field of sport is authorised by article 50 of law n° 84-610 of 16th July 1984. Decree n° 86-543 of 14th March 1986 defines the general conditions (Barreau, 1998). For example: the city of Paris, the Ile-de-France Region, the French State and the French Olympic and Sports Committee formed a GIP on 25th May 1999 for the French capital’s bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

6.2 Committee organisation

It is also of paramount importance to ensure that the committee itself is clearly and effectively structured, so that it can operate efficiently and openly. The committee must be organised in such a way that it can grow and develop to meet the evolving needs of the project. At each stage of the process (initiative and bid preparation), the committee will need to be expanded to meet the increasing needs of the project:

• Initiative committee. This is a small group of people who meet informally to decide whether to bid for a given event. It has an adhocratic structure (in the sense used by Mintzberg, see below), which implies that there is no clear division between management (strategic summit, to use Mintzberg’s terms) and collaborators (operational centre). The same people often occupy a range of strategic and operational posts.


• Government officials. The presence of one or more elected representatives reinforces the legitimacy of the bid and ensures the support of the authorities. It also gives the bid the credibility and stability needed for discussions with partners. For example: the members of the Sion 2006 bid committee included the president (mayor) of the city, a State Councillor and a Federal Councillor.

• Tourism development bodies. Their presence allows the promotion of the bidding region’s image to be taken into account at an early stage. It also allows the bid to be based on standard promotional materials, strategies and public relations pipelines and to call upon the bodies’ organisational skills. For example: Bourg St-Maurice tourist office and Savoie Tourist Board were members of the 2002 World Canoe-Kayak Championships committee.

• Managers of sustainable development organisations. The concept of sustainable development and its three pillars – economic, social and environmental – allows the expected and inevitable consequences of sports events to be brought together. Through the presence of representatives of this sector, negative impacts on the environment can be anticipated and avoided through well thought out strategic planning, rather than corrected as an afterthought. This leads to savings in time and in human and economic resources, as well as to increases in efficiency, credibility and, most importantly, legitimacy. Agenda 21 of the IOC (http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/fr_report_300pdf) or the modifications made by national sports organisations may be useful (http.//devs.cnosf.com/images/CNOSF/vrai_agenda21.pdf). For example: this concept was applied to sports events for the first time in Sion’s bid for the 2006 Olympics (see “Sion 2006 Switzerland Rainbow Paper: Sustainable Development”, which was published for this bid).

In certain cases, these players are not only members of the committee, they are the inspiration behind the bid. This is frequently the case for tourism development bodies. We have seen that the authorities are also increasingly involved, through the introduction of policies to attract sports events. Having representatives from a variety of backgrounds is useful and necessary, but it is not always easy to manage. The different expectations of the committee members are not necessarily compatible. In addition, power struggles can cause problems. For example: “the motivations of the members of the Sion 2006 initiative and bid committees were above all personal and political, rather than economic and tourism orientated. These people were at the end of their political career or seeking re-election. There were also disagreements caused by the fact that several people wanted to be president of the bid.”

In order to manage the “team”, which generally includes a number of volunteers, and to move the bid in the right direction, the bid committee must possess a range of managerial skills:

• Leadership and teambuilding skills• A marketing outlook and knowledge of promotion and public relations tools

and techniques• Management of material (finance, information, communication, etc) and

non-material (human resources, time management) resources.

The bid committee must be capable of “selling” the project and making it acceptable, both internally and externally. In order to do this, it is important for the members of the committee to be at ease with foreign languages, especially for the lobbying and event promotion phases. The support of “fans” (volunteers) also helps the public relations effort. If the committee does not dispose of the necessary resources, it may have to call upon the assistance of external experts, especially for dealing with specialist technical fields, such as transport or security. The presence of social bodies (trades unions, residents associations, local action committees, etc) is also desirable. This ensures that the concerns of the resident population, in terms of employment, training or housing, are taken into account. For example: the social contract included in Sion’s bid for the 2006 Olympics and the “People’s Compact” in London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics.

6.4 Financial resources

The cost of a bid will differ enormously according to the size and importance of the event and the investment required. The budgets of the bids studied range from €10,000 for the World Cross-Country Championships at Saint Galmier (France) to 25 million CHF for the bid for the 2006 Olympic Games. It is essential to ensure that a good financial plan is drawn-up. The committee must look into the future and take into account all the budget items that will be required to mount a successful bid. The financial management of the bid, like that of the event itself, must be driven by income (which is earned on a gradual basis) and not by expenditure (which must be adapted to income).

• Expenditure. To ensure good financial management and to avoid being unprepared for certain costs, estimates of expenditure should include generous margins of error. It is better to produce estimates that are too high than too low. As time management is a key factor, calls for tenders should be issued as early as possible to ensure that the best prices and best services are acquired. Finally, it is advisable to plan for reserves of around 10% for each budget item.


BID DOCUMENTS

INTERNATIONAL LOBBYING

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

ADMINISTRATION

(Internal clients)

Evaluators

Decision makers

Opinion/Media

3 Clients

CHAPTER 7THE BID PREPARATION PROCESS

We have already said that a bid is a global public relations challenge. Such a public relations process can be broken down into three sub-processes aimed at three target audiences: the evaluators, the decision makers and the media. These sub-processes are general and can be applied to any sort of bid. They are completed by support (administration) and general management procedures that link all of the sub-processes (see Figure 8).

Fig. 8 - The fundamental processes of a bid

7.1 The bid We have suggested that a pre-bid file be drawn up (Chap. 5) as the basis for the final decision to submit a bid. This is an internal document that allows the material feasibility of the event to be assessed. The actual bid file is destined for the technical evaluators, who often form an evaluation commission. This file contains the detailed plans for the organisation of the event (sites, facilities, calendar, accommodation, transport, etc). These plans should be drawn up

EXPENDITURE INCOME

Salaries and socialsecurity costsGeneral administrationOfficesMiscellaneous costsTransportRepresentation chargesAccommodationPublic relations costsAgencyPrinting and publishingMultimédiaBid presentation chargesInsuranceOther

Public bodiesStateRegion, canton Local councilsPrivate partnersSponsorsPartners in-kindSuppliersOther income

TOTAL EXPENDITURE TOTAL INCOME

Tableau 4 - Example of a pro forma budget

MA

NA

GEM

ENT

• Income. Estimates of income should be strictly controlled and include realistic figures for income from sponsorship and partnerships, as well as subsidies from public bodies. Sponsorship is becoming an increasingly important part of a bid and it should not be neglected. For example: the budget for Sion’s bid for the 2006 Olympics was financed by sponsorship to the tune of 18.5 million CHF, out of a total budget of 25 million.

The outline of a bid budget is given in Table 4.


rational and that it may include a large element of subjectivity and emotiveness. The bid committee must always bear in mind that it is not necessarily the best bid that will win, but the most convincing. Lobbying in a highly competitive environment can rally decision makers around the most attractive bid.

For example: For the 2006 Olympics, Sion put together a very highly thought-of bid backed by strong support from the whole country. However, the bid committee neglected the international lobbying aspect of the process and certain members of the decision-making committee were not approached correctly. On the other hand, Sion’s main competitor, Turin, presented a bid that was evaluated less highly, but their lobbying was extremely effective. This was a determining factor in Turin’s victory.

The final presentation to the decision makers must be prepared just as carefully. The content and the form of the presentation are equally important. The representatives of the bid are also paramount, as the messages given by figures from the worlds of sport, the media and politics will prove the depth of their support.

For example: After the failure of the previous year, a large number (30) of representatives from Lausanne went to the final presentation for the attribution of the 2006 World Triathlon Championships. They were all dressed alike and they handed out promotional items. A professionally produced video was also presented. This second presentation was successful.

7.3 Public communication

This process is mostly aimed at ensuring the support of public opinion and thereby of the authorities. First, it is carried out through the local media, and then through the national, or even international media. Its objective is to give the bid a positive and dynamic image, and to highlight the benefits the event will bring to the city/region. As a first step, this public relations exercise must convince politicians to provide both moral and physical support for the bid, and, if a referendum or opinion poll has been organised (either by partisans or opponents of the bid), it must convince voters to support the bid. Secondly, strong public support for the bid can win over decision makers. National support is crucial. It ensures that dissident voices do not spoil the bidding process and it shows the excitement and enthusiasm engendered by the project. When the event takes place, this will result in:

• Full stadiums• Good television audiences• Good ticket and merchandise sales

according to the owner’s requirements and based on the event specification (if there is one), examples of previous event organisation and consultations with experts, site managers, authorities, etc. Every bid file should address certain topics (see pre-bid file). Some of these topics cannot be avoided at this stage of the bidding process:

• The motivation of the candidate• Popular and governmental support• Experience in organising sports and other events• Sports facilities and the environment• Transport and logistics• Accommodation and catering• Marketing and communication• Finance• Security

For example: the site www.gamesbids.com includes a large number of bid files for the Olympic Games. They are generally of very high quality and give a good idea of what most event owners expect.

Bid files must be attractively laid out (paper and multimedia). They will need to be presented to the technical and specialist evaluators at different stages of the bid, and then to the decision makers, shortly before the final vote. It must not be forgotten that a good bid file is a mark of the quality of the bid: it is impossible to win without a solid bid file, but this alone is not sufficient to ensure victory.

7.2 Lobbying

Lobbying is aimed at the people who allocate the event and their entourage. It should convince them that your bid is the best and that it will provide the best opportunity to develop and promote their sport and their event. Lobbying is sometimes looked down on, but it is an essential part of the process. In the field of international events, networking plays an important role and it is an aspect that should not be neglected. The bid committee must include members with a good knowledge of the institutions, decision-making processes and key players, and who are capable of promoting the bid in these “circles”. This is even more important when the decision makers speak different languages, are of different nationalities and have diverging interests. In fact, a political analysis of the jury and its members’ interests should be carried out so the specific rationalities, susceptibilities and customs of each member can be taken into account. In addition, it must be remembered that the decision-making process is not always


CONCLUSION

Until recently, the decision to bid for a sports event was based more on emotive criteria than on a logical and detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of entering into such a process. Such an analysis should be based on the demands of sustainable development and involve assessing the ecological and social benefits, as well as the economic and promotional benefits of hosting a sports event. In addition, bids are frequently run in a highly improvised way, rather than being based on tried and tested management models. With the increased complexity of events, the growing competition to host them and the greater demands imposed by owners, it has become essential to take a professional approach to the bidding procedure. This guide, which is based on the experience acquired by the SENTEDALPS network, the analysis of case studies and the sparse literature on the subject, brings to light the key factors involved in preparing a successful bid to host a sports event. We believe that four of these factors are particularly important in choosing the right event to bid for and in winning the right to organise that event:

1. Make the bid part of an official policy of hosting sports events: deciding to bid for a sports event should not be a matter of chance. A host city or region should ask itself why it wants to enter the sports event “market”, which events are most suitable to its socio-economic and spatial characteristics and what resources is it prepared to invest in order to acquire and organise sports events. By doing this, it can ensure that its bids fall “in the right place, at the right time”.2. Develop credibility in the sports events field: due to increasing

competition and the ever greater demands imposed by organising an event, candidates have to prove their professionalism. In concrete terms, this often involves a host site organising smaller sports events to demonstrate its experience in the field.

3. Understand the formal and informal decision-making process: the people who choose the hosts for sports events do not base their decision merely on whether the bid meets the event specification. Geographical and personal criteria are also important. Identifying and satisfying the needs of these decision makers is a fundamental factor in success.

Three public relations vectors for winning over and reinforcing public support have been identified:

• Surveys and opinion polls: They help to focus public opinion by making popular support more “visible”.

• Partnerships with the media (national or local, press, radio, TV and Internet). Such partnerships provide a distinct advantage for communicating with the public.

• An ambassador for the event: A person who can represent the bid and communicate a message through the media. This is a role for a well-known personality.

The most effective tool, although it can be a double-edged sword, is undoubtedly the public referendum. It is only used in a very small number of countries. It was used to great effect in Sion’s bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics, attracting a 67% majority in favour. However, it was fatal to Berne’s bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics; almost 78% of the population refused to endorse the provision of 22.5 million CHF in public funding, sounding the death knell for Berne’s bid. Innsbruck also decided not to bid for the 2006 Winter Olympics after a negative referendum result.


Part 2

CASE STUDIES

4. Offer a “plus” over and above the requirements of the specification: as competition to host sports events is becoming much fiercer, it is no longer enough to simply meet the requirements of the event specification. The bidding city must offer something more. In order to win over the evaluators, the media and the decision makers it is often necessary to add a strong emotional and/or cultural element to the bid.

These factors do not provide an infallible recipe for success, but by taking them into account bids can be positioned more advantageously and given significantly increased chances of success.


WORLD CANOE-KAYAK SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIPS2002

BOURG SAINT-MAURICE, FRANCE

The calendarThe bid was drawn up in response to a call for tenders from the French Canoe-Kayak Federation (FFCK), which wanted to carry out a pre-selection process before presenting an official bid to the international federation. In October 1998, Bourg Saint-Maurice decided to take part in the process, as they had done two years previously. The new bid was based on existing structures, as the town had hosted the World Championships on two occasions (1969 and 1987) and it had a natural competition course.A bid to host a World Cup event was also envisaged, but it was decided to give priority to the World Championships, which were better able to satisfy the expectations of the organisers and potential partners.

Dates: 24th to 25th August 2002Place: Bourg Saint-Maurice, Savoie Role of the person interviewed: MayorResult: Success

Key factors in the success

• Support from the local authorities• Geopolitical context of the bid• Quality of the bid presentation to the jury• Sharing of tasks in preparing the bid• Lobbying• Involvement of the audio-visual media


There was no attempt to monitor competing bids; the entire bid was drawn up without reference to other candidates. Nevertheless, as is often the case in this type of approach, there was strong lobbying of the International Canoe-Kayak Federation and French representatives went to Spain to observe the 1999 World Championships. However, very few promotional actions were undertaken before Bourg Saint-Maurice was officially awarded the World Championships.The bid was presented in partnership with the FFCK in the form of a very traditional (video and computer) presentation. Several elected representatives were also present to support the project and to associate Savoie’s tourist vocation with the hosting of the event.

Lessons to be drawnThe group preparing the bid must be well structured right from the beginning of the process, with special attention being paid to the allocation of tasks. This internal structure should be designed in such a way as to facilitate the future organisation of the event. This can only be guaranteed if an operating method and a framework - a working tool – for the initiators of events is drawn up. Other determining factors in the success of a bid include the commitment of the local authorities to the project and the presence of a network of players who ensure the group runs efficiently. The effective management of a bid can also be influenced by the surrounding geopolitical context. Finally, when there is fierce competition between several bids, candidates can tip the balance in their favour by ensuring their presentation to the jury is of extremely high quality. It is often the final effort in the home straight that ensures victory in the competition to host a major event.

The organisation of the bid The bid was organised by a small working group, which gradually expanded as the project grew; it included twenty people by the time the bid was presented to the jury. Weekly meetings were instituted at an early stage in the process. There were no real divisions in the bidding process from the birth of the idea to the final presentation of the project.It was not felt necessary to create an official structure for the pre-bid phase. The working group was generally represented by the mayor of Bourg Saint-Maurice, supported by the local Canoe Club, Bourg Saint-Maurice Tourist Office, Savoie Canoe-Kayak Committee and the “département” of Savoie, through the Savoie Tourist Board, which specialises in organising major sports events.The organisation chart was quite simple with the local council and the tourist office administering the bid file during both the pre-bid and the final bid phases. Savoie Tourist Board dealt with the production of the event and its financial management; the local canoe club and the national federation were responsible for the sporting aspects of the competition. Throughout the process, up to and including the final defence of the bid, the different partners worked together informally without any official structure. The cost of the bid was covered by the town council. Bourg Saint-Maurice’s only competitor for the French nomination was the town of Pau. Pau was not selected by the FFCK.

Why organise this event?The most important reason for bidding for the event was to promote the area as a summer tourist destination. Savoie often organises promotional campaigns around major events and the World Canoe-Kayak Slalom Championships provided another opportunity to do this.The campaign was aimed at two target markets: the general public, promoting Bourg Saint-Maurice as a summer holiday destination; and canoeists and kayakers, highlighting the attractions of the natural course and its international appeal for canoeing. This was to be achieved through the media coverage of the competition and through the local dynamic the event would create. The final and even more ambitious objective of the bid was to maintain white-water canoeing as an Olympic sport (French medal winners)Each of the project’s initial partners also had their own specific motivations, such as giving a new dimension to Bourg Saint-Maurice’s natural training basin, or promoting a discipline in a natural environment in perfect harmony with other interested parties (fishing and environmental groups).

The context of the bidThe stakeholders were confident that they had put together a very strong bid. Bourg Saint-Maurice’s previous experience in hosting such events was an added advantage, as was the fact that the town already has the road and rail links needed for hosting major events. The organisers were also confident that Eurosport and France Television would provide good television coverage.


WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS2005

SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE

Dates: 28th to 29th March 2005Place: Saint-Galmier, Loire Role of the person interviewed: President of the organisation committeeResult: Success


• Support from the local authorities• Host site that met the international federation’s requirements• Quality and legitimacy of the working group• Lobbying• Involvement of the audio-visual media

The calendar

It took a year for Saint Etienne/Saint Galmier’s bid for the 2005 World Cross-Country Championships to be accepted. Discussions started at the beginning of November 2002 and the validation of the project was made official by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) at the end of September 2003. The bid file was presented to two decision-making bodies: first to a commission of the French Athletics Federation, in February 2003, and then to the IAAF Council, on 4th and 5th April 2003. The budget for the bid, which was covered by the “départementale” committee of Loire Athletisme, amounted to around €10,000.


Other candidates

As the French Athletics Federation had been awarded the right to organise the 2005 World Cross-Country Championships, the competition was purely national. Three competitors were identified during the pre-bid stage: Laval, Le Mans and Vittel. The first two competitors, Laval and Le Mans, withdrew due to the complexity of the work that would have to be done to meet the specifications imposed by the IAAF. Vittel, a town in the east of France, is also a brand of mineral water: as Coca-Cola was one of the main sponsors of the event, Vittel’s bid was doomed to failure.

The organisation of the bid

In its search for the best French candidate to organise this event, the French Athletics Federation turned to several “départementale” committees that were thought to be capable of successfully running the project. The president of the French Athletics Federation presented the project at a meeting of the Loire Athletics Committee, who eagerly seized the opportunity they had been given. During the pre-bid phase, a group of three people (a club president and two vice presidents of the “départementale” committee, one of whom had been a top-class athlete) was formed. The group was motivated by their passion for the sport and the desire to show off the region. This small structure was of the type defined as a missionary organisation by Mintzberg (1990), that is to say it had a strong, common ideology, which meant that each member of the group could act in full confidence for the benefit of the organisation as a whole. When the bid was accepted by the French Athletics Federation, three people from the national federation joined the existing working group. This committee did not have a hierarchical structure and each member was responsible for a different field of expertise.

Why organise this event?

The event was not chosen as part of a strategy on the part of the public authorities or of the Loire Athletics Committee. The proposition put forward by the French Athletics Federation represented a real opportunity that the “départementale” committee seized. As well as a passion for the sport, the main reason for organising the Championships was to promote the Saint-Galmier region and the southern part of the Loire “département”: it was an ideal opportunity to advertise the attractiveness and diversity of the region. The event did not allow for the building of new facilities, but it did lead to social actions, including the mobilisation of more than 600 volunteers for a period of eight days. In addition, the world championships benefited the local economy, with more than 80% of the event’s €1,242,000 budget being re-injected into the local economy. However, there was no attempt to quantify the direct benefits to

be gained from the event by carrying out an impact study. That being said, the organisers did expect to receive indirect benefits through the media coverage provided, most notably by France Television. Finally, the organisation of such an event has allowed the region to acquire organisational and managerial skills in the field of international sports event management.

The bid – the presentation

The key element in the bid file was the choice of the “site”. Effectively, what the working group needed to know was where the event could be held, as the site’s infrastructure had to meet the IAAF’s specifications. The second key factor was the financial involvement of the local authorities: Rhone-Alpes Regional Council, Loire “Départemental” Council, Saint Etienne City Council and Saint-Galmier Town Council. At a later stage, the working group asked for assistance from experts within the French Athletics Federation in order to successfully complete the bid. The elements of the bid that were most appreciated by the IAAF were the fact that the site was in a pleasant, medium-sized town and close to an international airport. The bid was presented, in partnership with the FFA, in computerised form.

Lessons to be drawn

The involvement of the local authorities is a powerful “weapon” in the armoury of a successful bid for an international sports event. It is not necessary to enlist the help of outside experts for the preparation of the bid file, but it is indispensable for the organisation of the event itself. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was not particularly forthcoming with information; for example, the IAAF’s specifications for organising the World Cross-Country Championships had to be translated into French by the Loire Athletics Committee. Political lobbying is an essential element in ensuring a successful conclusion to a bid for this type of event. If the organisers were to go through the process again, they would insist on greater guarantees from the International Federation.


WORLD SENIOR BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS2007

HAUTE MAURIENNE, FRANCE

Planned dates: 4th to 13th March 2007Place: Haute Maurienne, Savoie Role of the person interviewed: President of the Association of District CouncilsResult: Failure

Key factors in the failure

• Insufficient lobbying• Geopolitical context: competition from Eastern European countries with a

long tradition of biathlon• Low profile of the sport in France, therefore a lack of support from strong

partners (companies/local authorities/media)

Reasons behind the bid

In 1994, the President of Savoie “Départemental” Council started looking for a top-class bi-athlete to represent France’s bid to host the 2003 World Biathlon Championships. In the Haute Maurienne Valley, the Council felt that they had an ideal site for the event in an area that is culturally attached to this discipline. The bid seemed to be highly legitimate, especially given the fact that the valley had produced several international biathlon champions. The area’s permanent biathlon facilities (and their projected development) were an extra advantage that the bid initiators could use to strengthen their case. The Association of District Councils backed the project with support from local and regional institutions. The site’s organisational abilities were confirmed when the Haute Maurienne was chosen to host the 1997 French Championships, the 2000 European Championships and the 2004 World Junior Biathlon Championships.



The Association of District Councils was given the responsibility for preparing the bid, in conjunction with an internal delegation of top-class sportspeople, who were responsible for the sporting aspects of the project, and an independent firm of experts, who were responsible for the scheduling of the project up to the final presentation. The Association of District Councils managed the financial and technical aspects (biathlon facilities – maintenance and development), as well as the promotion of the event. Consequently, no other bid structure was created, as the investment required to host the event meant it could only be run by a local authority.


The Maurienne and the Haute Maurienne wanted to use the World Biathlon Championships to promote their valley: a tourist destination that was often overshadowed by the neighbouring Tarentaise Valley. The World Biathlon Championships also appeared to be a more accessible competition than an Alpine Skiing World Cup event, although it would still attract good media coverage.The motivations for hosting this type of event were shared by all the local players. This is why Savoie Tourist Board – a local body with expertise in organising events – quickly became involved. It was also felt that hosting a world championships would help develop the sport of biathlon and provide another argument for building a permanent biathlon course, although this was more a motivation for entering the bid than for hosting the event. In fact, one of the lessons that can be drawn from the biathlon experiment is that sports facilities cannot be built for a major event without considering their long-term use (an observation that had already been made during the organisation of the Albertville Olympics).

The context of the bid and its presentation

The 2007 bid rose from the ashes of the 2003 bid, which had failed because it would have been very difficult to meet the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) specifications for organising the 2003 World Biathlon Championships in the short time available. It was quite natural for the people behind the 2003 bid to aim for the 2007 championships when the first bid failed; the fact that the Maurienne was awarded the 2004 Junior World Biathlon Championships was seen as meagre compensation by some and as encouragement to persevere by others. The competition from other candidates was a fundamental factor in the failure of both these bids, especially for 2007, as Eastern and Northern European countries can rely on a strong tradition of biathlon and powerful economic partners (companies, local authorities and the media). The strengths of the

competitors were justly appreciated and the French bid built up a distinctive identity in order to defend its corner: the development and promotion of biathlon via a solid organising team that included champions, the French Federation and the local and regional authorities. The bid was presented in June 2004 at the annual congress of the IBU, in Nice. The presentation was organised as a gala evening that called upon extensive material, human and financial resources. Elected representatives, top-class sportspeople and representatives of the local authorities worked together to present the bid to the IBU: a spectacular approach to win over the jury and distinguish the bid from the others. The values communicated by this presentation were, in general, French expertise in organising major sports events and, more discretely, the realism (authenticity) and solidity of a bid with strong support from the local authorities. Unfortunately, as for 2003, the Maurienne was not chosen and the organisers are now looking towards hosting the 2008 or 2009 World Championships.

Lessons to be drawn

There are a number of broad rules that can be applied in a general way to any bid to host a major sports event. The first of these rules concerns the idea that bid preparation is a “process” that also includes obligatory initial stages, such as the development of permanent and operational facilities, or a local policy for promoting the sport covered by the bid. A second important rule is that candidates must build up experience through organising events at a lower level (European or Junior) before having a credible chance of hosting a top-level event, such as a world championship. Finally, bids for major sports events cannot hope to be successful unless they take into account the surrounding geopolitical context, ensure that sufficient accommodation is available and counteract, as far as possible, the economic and political lobbying carried out by competing countries.


WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS2007

AIGUEBELETTE, FRANCE

Planned datess: 26th August to 2nd september 2007Place: Aiguebelette, SavoieRole of the person interviewed: Director of Territorial Policies Result: Failure


• Lack of experience in major competitions at lower levels (European or Junior) in order to obtain the credibility necessary for organising an elite competition

• Geopolitical context: the main sponsor of the International Federation is German, as was Aiguebelette’s main competitor

• Poor media coverage of rowing in France

The calendar

The bidding process took a total of ten months, at the end of which the international federation chose Munich to organise the 2007 World Rowing Championships. Discussions began at the end of 2002 and the final decision was taken at the end of August 2003. The Aiguebelette 2007 bid was first sent to the International Rowing Federation (FISA) by e-mail in March 2003. It was then presented and defended in front of FISA, on 1st June 2003, at the World Rowing Championships in Milan. The final decision was also made public in Milan, on 23rd August 2003, during FISA’s annual congress. The budget for the Aiguebelette 2007 bid was around €15,000.


Other candidates

The Aiguebelette 2007 project was supported by the French Rowing Federation (FFSA) and Savoie “Départemental” Council. It was the only French bid. All of the international candidates identified during the pre-bid phase were European: Munich (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and a site in Bulgaria. The city of Munich, which was awarded the event, was a very strong candidate, as Germany frequently organises international competitions. Therefore, it was no surprise that the bids from Munich and Aiguebelette were short-listed after the presentation on 1st June 2003. In the end, Munich was chosen to host the event (86 votes for Munich, 69 votes for Aiguebelette). As is often the case, the effect of lobbying is difficult to quantify, although it should be noted that FISA’s main sponsor is German and that the German media are “hungry” for rowing competitions. The French media show relatively little interest in rowing.


At the end of 2002, the members of the French rowing team, together with certain members of the FFSA, expressed their desire to see an international competition at Lake Aiguebelette. Savoie “Départemental” Council, which is an expert in the organisation of major events, took up the challenge. In the pre-bid phase, a working group was set up, consisting of three people from the Savoie Tourist Board (ATDS) plus the National Technical Director of the FFSA and the president of the FFSA. One person from the ATDS, an expert in events organisation and a former top-class sportsperson, was given the task of steering the working group and of allocating tasks amongst the expert members of the group. Clearly, a purely hierarchical system cannot work in such circumstances, and the organisation was adhocratic (as defined by Mintzberg). During the bid phase, the working group was periodically reinforced by representatives of the local authorities.


Since the Albertville Olympic Games, Savoie’s policy of hosting major events has been an important strategic axis for the “département”. Savoie has used the incontestable experience in organising international sports events that it has built up since 1992 as the basis of a pro-active policy towards hosting major events. The objective of this bid was to promote the attractiveness of a region that is crossed by numerous rivers and streams and that has an exceptional natural and cultural heritage. The organisation of such an event contributes to the social development of a region through the mobilisation of large numbers of volunteers (more than 500 in this case). The use of accommodation in Chambery and Aix-les-Bains, which are both less than 25km from Lake Aiguebelette, would have contributed to the development of the local economy.

No impact studies were carried out to determine the direct benefits that could be expected from the event, which had a pro forma budget of more than 6 million euros. However, indirect benefits (e.g. from promotion through media exposure) amounting to several million euros were expected.

The bid – the presentationThe pre-bid and bidding phases were steered by a former top-class athlete, who had become an expert in this domain through his work on Aiguebelette’s bid for the 1997 World Championships (which had been backed by the “département” of Savoie). The bid was presented and promoted at the FISA Congress by the President of Savoie “Départemental” Council, the President and three other members of the FFSA, and the ATDS working group. The presentation was made using Powerpoint software and a descriptive leaflet promoting the bid was given to all the voters. The leaflet was produced by a specialist advertising company.

Lessons to be drawnThe fact that the FFSA had not been involved in the organisation of large international competitions for six years (since the 1997 World Championships at Aiguebelette) was a weakness in the bid. Support from the media and sponsors cannot be controlled by bid committees: Munich’s bid benefited from FISA’s main sponsor being German and the enthusiasm of the German media for rowing (French television channels do not give much exposure to international rowing events). Despite the unsuccessful outcome, the involvement, the mobilisation and the commitment of the local authorities in Aiguebelette’s bid for the 2007 World Championships were positive factors in the conception, credibility and pertinence of the project.


WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES2006

SION, SWITZERLAND

Planned dates: 10th to 26th February 2006Place: Sion, Valais Role of the person interviewed: Technical Director of the bid committee Result: Failure


• Insufficient lobbying in terms of quantity and quality• Failure to take into account the non-sporting interests of the decision

makers• Too confident in the evaluation of the technical quality of the bid• Period of crisis at the IOC

The calendar

The official bidding process for the 2006 Olympic Games lasted three years, from April 1996 to June 1999; however, initial discussions started in 1995. Sion was already a candidate for the 2002 Olympics and, a few days before the decision for 2002 was taken, the City Council decided, in secret, to bid for 2006 if the first bid failed. The decision to present a Swiss bid for the 2006 Games was taken on a national level by the Swiss Olympic Committee (COS) in December 1995. Bids had to be filed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in August 1998. The final decision was taken in Seoul in June 1999 by a selected college of IOC members, who short-listed two finalists from the five competitors. The choice between the two finalists was made by a vote of all the members. The budget for the 2006 bid was 25 million Swiss Francs (the budget for the 2002 bid was 5 million), provided by the local authorities and para-governmental bodies (4.2 million), sponsors (18.5 million) and the balance from the 2002 bid (0.9 million).


Other candidates

Three other Swiss candidates put themselves forward: Davos, Swiss Alps and Interlaken. The COS’s vote in favour of Sion was unanimous. Five other bids were presented in Seoul: Klagenfurt, Zakopane, Helsinki, Poprad and Turin. With the exception of Turin (a last minute candidate), the other candidates had been identified during the pre-bid phase. A system to monitor the competing bids was set up during the bid-preparation phase. Lobbying is a particularly important element in the attribution of this event and it was decisive in the final choice. Intensive lobbying was carried out by all the bid committees in the year preceding the vote: for example, all six candidates were present in Nagano for the 1998 Olympics. The two bids short-listed in Seoul were Turin and Sion. Despite having a good technical file and being regarded as favourites, Sion lost the final vote by 36 votes to 53. There were several reasons for Sion’s defeat, many of them political: battles between blocs and leaders, most notably the desire of an Italian IOC member to avenge Rome’s failure to win the 2004 Games and inappropriate comments by a Swiss member. However, poor Swiss lobbying was also a major factor.


Sion’s bid for the 2006 Olympic Games effectively started in April 1996. This pre-bid or initiative phase lasted until July 1997 (after the referendum). It was run by a hierarchically organised Initiative Committee, with a steering committee consisting of a presidium, an executive board and commission managers. A large amount of time was devoted to creating this structure, which turned out to be rather fragile. The members of the presidium were representatives of the local authorities, but as they were coming to the end of their careers or seeking re-election, their motivations were more personal and political than economic or tourism orientated. Dissension existed right from the beginning, as several committee members coveted the role of bid president. In July 1997 the actual bid procedure began and a bid committee was created in the form of a non-profit organisation. On an operational level, the committee was given a more professional structure. This structure was more hierarchical than in the preceding phase, which led to even greater coordination problems. The members did not all have the same decision-making powers. The idea of a presidium remained in the form of an office that steered the association. The committee also had a management board, an international commission, delegates of the authorities to the management board, a general secretariat, a public relations group and different departments. As the final decision approached, and firm belief in victory spread, personal strategies were hatched in order to obtain a place on the future organisation committee, which the city of Sion wanted to regain control of.


The proposal that Sion organise the 2002 Olympics came from two consultants who had carried out a feasibility study. The idea of organising the 2006 Games arose after the failure of the 2002 bid. The essentially personal and political interests of the committee members were combined with a determination to organise “something in the Valais”. An initial idea to host the national exhibition was supplanted by the bid for the 2002 Olympics. No other event was considered: the biggest seemed to be the most appropriate and the only variable was the date. The choice was validated by the IOC’s evaluation of the 2002 bid and a SWOT analysis that showed under which conditions a new bid should be launched. The expected benefits were to come in the fields of tourism and the economy rather than in improvements to the region’s infrastructure: i.e. developing the tourism-based local economy to accelerate the development of the Valais. An impact study calculated that the Olympics would produce direct and induced income of 1.019 billion CHF and create 15,000 job-years, i.e. 2,100 jobs for seven years.


The technical file, which was based on the IOC’s bid manual, was the bid’s strong point and it was viewed very favourably by the IOC’s evaluation committee. Experts had been brought in to examine specific fields, such as transport, security and the environment. Once the bid had been filed, the emphasis was put on the final presentation. A film interspersed with speeches was made by a specialist production company. This “artistic” presentation clearly stood out from the others. Sion’s delegation at Seoul had 112 members drawn from the worlds of sport, politics, business and the media.

Lessons to be drawn

To obtain the organisation of such an event, a good bid is essential, but not sufficient. The bid must be attractive to the people who vote; an analysis of these people and their interests is essential and the principles of site rotation and “return for services rendered” must be taken into account. In addition, the Winter Olympics is a huge event that is attributed to large cities. Nevertheless, the bid itself had some positive effects. It showed the Valais as a young, serious and professional region, and it led to a wave of support across the country. These effects not only touched upon the image of the Valais, they also affected the economic, sporting, tourism, social and environmental sectors, most notably through the introduction of the notion of sustainable development to the Valais.


WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS2003

LAUSANNE/LA BROYE, SWITZERLAND

Dates: 29th to 30th March 2003Place: Avenches, Vaud Role of the person interviewed: President of the bid committee Result: Success


• Lobbying• Support from the audio-visual media• Consideration of the motivations of the jury• Consideration of the principles of site rotation and “return for services

rendered”• Relations with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)

The calendar

The bidding process to obtain this event lasted slightly less than a year. Initial discussions started in 2000 and the final decision was taken in February 2001. To bid for the World Cross-Country Championships, a site must first obtain the approval of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which is given after an inspection of the site. Following this first phase, a bid must be filed with the IAAF. Lausanne bid for the 2002 World Championships, but the event was automatically attributed to Dublin, which had “lost” the 2001 event due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Consequently, the federation suggested that Lausanne should bid for the 2003 event. The decision was taken by the Council of the IAAF in 2001, during the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon. The budget for the bid was 30,000CHF, paid by the local authorities.


Other candidates

Other than Dublin, which was automatically chosen for the 2002 World Championships, there were two other candidates: Le Mans and Brussels. These competitors were identified by Lausanne when the bids were filed. Lausanne did not set up a competitor monitoring system and the bid was prepared on the basis of Lausanne’s intrinsic strengths, without reference to the other candidates. However, the person interviewed did admit to being concerned about the competition two weeks before the presentation. Being in the milieu and aware of the interests of the council members, he felt that he could influence the vote. The presentation took place as planned; however, as there is often a lack of candidates to host this event, the IAAF decided to award one of the next four World Cross-Country Championships to each of the bidders. The candidates only had to agree on which year they would organise the event.


The bid for the World Championships involved two regions, with the competitions being held at Avenches in the Broye region and the participants being lodged in Lausanne. The idea for the bid came from one person, who then championed the idea during the pre-bidding phase. At first, the Swiss Athletics Federation was against the bid, giving as a reason the financial problems encountered during the 2001 European Cross Country Championships. However, as the person was known to and trusted by the federation, they “reluctantly” agreed to support the bid. A bid committee of five people was set up, with representatives from each of the local authorities concerned: the city of Lausanne, Lausanne Tourisme, the Broye Region and the canton. The committee had no official structure. Decisions were taken by one person, who steered the committee and who gave feedback to the other members. Each of the committee members had different expectations. The city of Lausanne, which was convinced it would lose money, was actually against the bid. On the other hand, the canton viewed the cooperation between the city and its hinterland very favourably. The tourist office used the occasion to fill hotel rooms during the low season.


The idea of organising this event was first sparked by the site, which is ideal for cross-country running. This idea was reinforced by observations of the way the event was organised elsewhere and the presence of local expertise. The only concern was finance. Cross-country was seen as a valid choice of event because it is a minor discipline within the IAAF and it was the only elite world championships that Switzerland could envisage hosting. No other option was considered. The only option would have been to organise an event for juniors. One of the bid’s main objectives was to successfully organise a “minor” world

championships with the aim of hosting a major event at a later date. Organising this event would also allow the president of the bid committee to gain a place on the central committee of the national athletics federation. The choice of this bid was the result of an appeal from the international federation, which had had difficulty attracting candidates due to the fact that the hosts could not expect to realise any significant economic benefits. An impact study was not carried out for this bid and no specific promotional effort was made in the Broye region, which was not really interested in anything beyond its usual annual events (the Carnival and the opera festival). Furthermore, the participants and their entourages were to be housed in Lausanne. Nevertheless, the event was programmed for a quiet time in the tourist season.


The person interviewed believes that the keys to a good bid are simplicity and verifiable facts. Bids for the World Cross Country Championships must be supported by the candidate’s national federation. A letter from the national television company giving a commitment to provide TV pictures should also be included. Bids should be based on the IAAF’s questionnaire for bid cities. Bid presentation takes place in front of the IAAF Council (24 members from 5 continents). Lausanne’s bid was presented by two people using slides of 3-dimensional photographs prepared by a specialist company. A “heart-felt” presentation was given in order to make the bid stand out, combined with a significant lobbying effort. The bid’s strong point was the involvement of the city of Lausanne (site of the IOC’s head office), to which the IAAF wanted to award the event. The bid also benefited from the fact that Switzerland has a reputation for being a well-organised and stable country.

Lessons to be drawn

The main problem encountered by the bid was finance. In Switzerland, it is difficult to find private finance for this type of event and well-defined conditions exist under which the authorities must underwrite any losses. In this case, thanks to the organisers’ good relations with the IAAF, the international federation covered any deficit. The person interviewed does not want to repeat this bidding experience, but if it had to be done again, he insists on the necessity of finding prior finance.


WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS2005 AND 2006

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND

Dates: 3th to 11th September 2005Place: Lausanne, Vaud Role of the person interviewed: Member of the steering group Result: Failure for 2005 and success for 2006


• Capitalising on previous experience• Quality of the bid presentation• Consideration of the motivations of the jury

The calendar

The Police Sports Club organised Lausanne’s first mass-participation triathlon in 1994. It was an immediate success (700 participants) and became an annual event, timed to coincide with various championships: the Swiss Championships (1997), World Championships (1998) and rounds of the World Cup (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002). The city of Lausanne used this experience as a base for their bids for the World Triathlon Championships, which failed for the 2005 event and succeeded for 2006. Each of these bids lasted a year. Candidate cities wishing to host these championships are presented with the specifications for how they are to be organised. Lausanne did not have to file a bid for 2005, but they did have to do so, one month before the presentation, for 2006. The final decision was taken by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) during its annual congress and after presentations by the candidates. These congresses took place in Cancun in 2002 (for 2005) and in Nice in 2003 (for 2006). The budget for the 2005 bid is unknown. The budget for the 2006 bid was 30,000CHF, paid by the city of Lausanne.



The decision to organise the 2005 World Championships came from the Police Sports Club, after consultation with the city of Lausanne. The club’s managers contacted the ITU to find out what organising the event would involve. An informal working group, consisting of one person from the city’s sports department and members of the organisation committees for previous triathlons, was formed. Although all the group members were motivated by their love of triathlon, they did not all have the same decision-making powers: decisions were taken by the police chief and the director of the organisation committee after consultations with the other members. The same group, this time in the form of a bid committee, worked on the 2006 bid. In neither bid was a distinction made between the pre-bid phase and the bidding phase.


The city of Lausanne decided to bid for the 2005 World Triathlon Championships as part of its policy of attracting major sports events. The city’s sports department has a budget of 1 million CHF for, amongst other things, preparing bids for events. A working group is currently studying strategies that can be used to select events for bids. In this case, the choice was validated by the good relations between the sports department and the ITU, as well as by the popular success of the 1998 World Championships. An impact study was not carried out for the event. The economic and publicity benefits the event will produce were not calculated, but the fact that triathlon does not receive television rights from Eurosport reduces the benefits Lausanne can expect. From previous experience, the city knows that the benefits from these world championships will be more in terms of prestige than in hard currency (The only truly lucrative events that Lausanne has hosted have been figure skating championships, the profits from which have been used to form a foundation to help other sports events). Nevertheless, through the number of participants and associated visitors, the World Triathlon Championships is expected to provide a boost to the local economy.

Other candidates – the presentation

The bid for 2005 was “naively” based on the strong ties between the people of Lausanne and the International Triathlon Union. At Lausanne’s request, the ITU provided information about a number of competitors who they did not consider serious, but they did not mention the Japanese bid. They also asked Lausanne to keep a low profile at the presentations in Cancun, saying that the final decision would be taken later. Five representatives from Lausanne went to Cancun with a five-minute Powerpoint presentation. The Japanese, to whom the 2005 World Championships were attributed, were well prepared. They gave a

long presentation and distributed brochures and gifts, giving the impression that “the dice had been loaded”. By the eve of the presentation, the ITU had already suggested to Lausanne that they should bid for 2006.Based on their experience in 2005, Lausanne was better prepared for 2006. After the “affront” of 2005, the ITU had “practically assured” them of victory for 2006. Despite this, the city of Lausanne prepared its bid carefully and tried to find out how the decision would be taken in Nice. They drew up a bid file, printed brochures and, for the presentation, had a video made by a specialist production company. The 30 members of Lausanne’s delegation were dressed similarly and they distributed gifts. Their efforts were concentrated on the presentation and their own bid; they did not monitor the other candidates’ bids.

Lessons to be drawn

The person interviewed does not know if the city will bid again. This will depend on whether the budget for 2006 is covered. However, the 2005 bid provided a valuable lesson against relying on “naïve” bids.


WORLD TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS2005

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND

Planned dates: 29th April to 6th May 2005Place: Lausanne, Vaud Role of the person interviewed: Member of the bid committee Result: Failure


• Too much confidence in the national table-tennis federation• Poor appreciation of the qualities of the other candidates• Insufficient lobbying• Failure to consider the motivations of the jury• Lack of experience in this sport

The calendar

The bidding process for this event lasted approximately two years. In order to become an official candidate, a potential host city must file an application with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Lausanne successfully negotiated this preliminary selection procedure in April 2001. The final decision was taken after presentation of the bids to delegates of the international federation at the European Championships in Zagreb in April 2002. The budget for the bid was 50,000CHF (not including salaries), paid for by the city, the canton and the national federation.

Other candidates

The national federation, which was responsible for monitoring competing bids, identified three other bids before the names of the candidates were officially announced: Stockholm, a city in Germany and Shanghai. Lausanne thought they had only one serious competitor as Shanghai’s bid was considered to be a


sham and Stockholm eventually withdrew from the competition; however this was not the case. The final decision was between Lausanne and Shanghai, and Shanghai won by an overwhelming majority. The strength of the lobbying, which was non-existent or poorly done by the Swiss federation, was a very important factor in this result. Shanghai’s financial power, and its long table-tennis tradition also counted strongly when compared with Lausanne’s lack of experience in the sport. On the other hand, Shanghai’s “catastrophic” presentation did not adversely affect the city’s bid.


A working group of representatives from the city, the Swiss Table Tennis Federation and Lausanne Tourisme was set up for the pre-bid phase. All of these people had similar motivations: promote Lausanne and develop the sport. The group did not have any form of hierarchical structure and all the members had the same decision-making powers. The initiative for the bid came from the city and the national federation, with Lausanne Tourisme joining the effort once the idea had been formed. When Lausanne was accepted as a bid city, the working group was transformed into a bid committee with the statute of a non-profit organisation. The committee members all came from the three previously mentioned organisations. Their motivations had not changed and no hierarchical structure was introduced. Nevertheless, meetings and discussions were steered by the city of Lausanne, which had the role of project leader.Lausanne City Council, Lausanne Tourisme and the national sports federations regularly collaborate in preparing bids for sports events. Each body has a specific role to play and it is now impossible to organise a bid concerning the city without the involvement of at least one of these bodies.


The conditions under which bids are organised are now imposed by a working group of Lausanne City Council’s Sports Department as part of a policy to attract major events to the city. Bids will only be considered for events in which the city has a certain amount of experience, contacts with the international federation and an attraction for the sport. As a second stage, the bid must be backed by the national federation, as much for the human support such backing provides as for the financial support. These conditions were met for the World Table Tennis Championships. The city has very good relations with the international federation (based in Renens), which asked Lausanne to bid, and the head of the Sports Department is a keen table tennis player. Based on its experience in organising other world championships and despite its inexperience in the discipline, Lausanne decided to bid for the event after receiving encouragement from the international federation. The decision to enter a bid had to be taken quickly to meet the very tight deadline for filing applications and no other

option was considered. An impact study was not carried out. After the failure of the bid, and given Lausanne’s lack of experience in table tennis, the decision was made to aim for a smaller event that does not require a bid to be made, such as a round of the Pro-Tour, before considering a future bid for the world championships. This choice was made for financial reasons; it costs around 600,000CHF to organise such an event.


The bid was drawn up according to the ITTF’s questionnaire, but without assistance from outside experts. For the presentation, Lausanne used a teamwork approach, with speeches from members of the sporting and political communities supported by a Powerpoint presentation. Lausanne’s delegation at Zagreb had nine members from the worlds of sport, politics and the media. In addition to the bid file, a brochure was printed and an Internet site created by a specialist graphic artist. Delegates were invited to an aperitif on the eve of the presentation, during which a film about Lausanne was presented and gifts were distributed.

Lessons to be drawn

This was the first bid in the post-Samaranch era. Samaranch had “given” Lausanne several events, whether the city really wanted them or not. The failure of the bid led to the introduction of a more professional approach to choosing bids, including the formation of a working group within the city’s Sports Department and the allocation of a budget of one million CHF. The city was made to realise that events would not just fall into its lap and that it would have to compete on an equal footing with other candidates. It also learnt not to have blind faith in its partners, in this case the national table tennis federation, which was responsible for monitoring the competition and lobbying.


WORLD STREET HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS2003

SIERRE, SWITZERLAND

Dates: 7th to 14th June 2003Place: Sierre, Valais Role of the person interviewed: Bid manager Result: Success


• Consideration of the event owner’s policy of rotating host venues• Strong sports content• Expertise in organising events• Possibility to promote a sport that is little known in Switzerland

The calendar

The entire bidding process for this event lasted a little more than a year. The bid itself took eight months to prepare and was filed with the International Street & Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) in January 2000. The final decision was taken by the ISBHF Committee during the World Junior Championships in Kralupy (Czech Republic) in June 2000. The budget for the bid was 7,000CHF, paid by the partners (local club, national federation, local council).

Other candidates – the presentation

Sierre was the only Swiss candidate. Two other candidates were identified before the bids were filed: the Czech Republic and Germany. Although the competing bids were monitored, Sierre’s bid was prepared without reference to the competition. The fact that Switzerland had never organised a World Street Hockey Championships was a positive factor for Sierre, as the bid received backing from the international federation in order to develop the sport


in Switzerland. The person interviewed quickly gained the impression that Sierre’s bid would be successful. Nevertheless, the selection procedure was followed. Despite the withdrawal of the other candidates, and as a matter of principle, presentations were made in front of the local council and in front of the committee of the international federation. The principle of rotating between countries was an advantage for Sierre, who nevertheless prepared an excellent bid that included a number of side events. Six people went to the Czech Republic to present Sierre’s bid, including a player and a volunteer. The chosen strategy was to show the Valais in an attractive light, while underlining the professionalism of the organisers. A tasting of local dishes was also organised.


The idea of organising the event germinated within the Lions de Sierre club. For several years, the club had organised a tournament involving 80 teams and some of its members were looking for a bigger challenge. The national federation, which also wanted to organise the World Championships, immediately backed Sierre’s bid. Two people were involved in the pre-bid phase: a member of the club and the president of the national federation. During this phase, the support of the local council was solicited and the town’s ability to host the event was studied. The various tasks were shared between the president of the federation, who was responsible for national aspects of the bid, and the club member, who was responsible for local aspects. There was no hierarchy between these two people, who were both motivated by the idea of organising the world championships. After the feasibility of holding the event in Sierre had been confirmed and the decision to enter a bid had been taken, this informal group was expanded to include representatives from the business sector.


The main objective of the bid, which was launched by people from the world of sport, was to promote the young and poorly publicised sport of street hockey in Switzerland. By setting up such an event, the organisers hoped to gain serious recognition for their sport from the media and the public, and to increase the reputation of their club. A major objective was to use the enthusiasm the event would create to form an association for the canton. It should be noted that “Lions de Sierre” has subsequently become Switzerland’s biggest street hockey club. Hosting the event would also allow the club to obtain a new training ground and to renovate the skating rink. In addition to these sporting objectives, it was hoped that the week-long World Championships would provide publicity for the region and inject money into the local economy. To draw larger crowds, a programme of side-events was drawn up and integrated into the bid.

Lessons to be drawn

The person interviewed insists that relationships with an event’s partners should go further than the simple “sport = money” equation. A profile suited to the event should be drawn up as well as an exchange of skills. The participants would be happy to go through the process of organising other world championships, but not in the near future. They believe that at least ten years should be allowed to pass before launching another bid.


EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL2005

MONTHEY, SWITZERLAND

Date: 22th to 29th January 2005Place: Monthey Role of the person interviewed: General Secretary of the bid committeeResult: Success


• Consideration of the principles of rotation and “return for service rendered”

• Lobbying• Involvement of the local authorities• Involvement of national sporting bodies, in particular the Swiss National

Olympic Committee (Swiss Olympic)

The calendar

The bidding process for this event lasted two years. Discussions started at the beginning of 2000 and the final decision was taken in December 2001. To obtain the organisation of this event, a bid first has to be made at a national level and then at an international level. The Monthey Region first filed its bid with Swiss Olympic, and then Swiss Olympic filed the bid with the European Olympic Committees. The final vote was taken in Monaco, during the General Assembly of European Olympic Committees. The budget for the bid was 90,000CHF, paid by the Association of the Monthey-Saint Maurice Region (ARMS).

Other candidates

The Monthey Region was the only Swiss candidate for this event. Internationally, there was one other candidate: Jaca in Spain. This candidate was identified during the pre-bid phase and a monitoring system was set up: some information was provided by Swiss Olympic and further information was sought from other


sources. Jaca was seen as a very serious competitor, as the city had twice bid to host the Olympic Games. The effect of lobbying is very difficult to quantify, but it does not seem to be as important as for the Olympics. Nevertheless, bid managers went to several other European Youth Olympic Festivals before the vote, where they set up advertising hoardings presenting the region. Monthey was a very clear winner, with 41 votes against 6. This was due to Swiss Olympic’s strong desire to host the event and to the policy of rotating between countries: Spain had hosted the 2001 Summer European Youth Olympic Festival.


Swiss Olympic, which was looking for a Swiss candidate to organise the event, sent its request to the cantons, which passed it on to the different socio-economic regions. The Monthey Region, which was already considering organising a major event, quickly seized the opportunity. For the pre-bid phase, a working group of five people, steered by the ARMS, was set up. This group did not have a hierarchical structure and tasks were allocated by department. All five members were motivated by the desire to “promote” the region. When the bid was accepted by Swiss Olympic, the working group was expanded to form a bid committee of fifteen people. The central core was made up of seven people, who carried out the work. The rest of the committee was made up of elected representatives (presidents of local councils, State Councillor, members of parliament, representatives of the economic community). Other than a president, who ran the meetings, the committee did not have a hierarchical structure and all of the members had the same powers.


The event was chosen following a request for bids from Swiss Olympic that was passed on by the canton. The decision was validated by its status as an “Olympic” event, by the possibility of linking it with the project for a national ice sports centre in Champéry and by the possibility of holding it outside the peak season. The final choice of disciplines is made by the organisers, who can choose between 6 and 10 disciplines from a list of 10. Monthey made a tactical choice, selecting eight sports - one more than their competitor. Biathlon was chosen because many of the voters were from Eastern European countries. The other disciplines were chosen from amongst the most popular sports in the region. For example, ski-jumping was not chosen, but curling was, as it is very popular in Champéry. Short-track was also chosen, as it was known that the Swiss Skating Union wanted to develop this sport. The main reason given for organising the event was promotional. The objective was to advertise the attractiveness of a region that includes the mountains of the Chablais and the plains of the Rhone Valley. Although the European Youth Olympic Festival helped Champéry

obtain the national ice sports centre, the event did not provide for the building of new infrastructure and facilities. In fact, one of the conditions imposed by the European Olympic Committees is that the staging of the event should not involve high infrastructure costs. From a social point of view, organising the event was a way of injecting a new dynamic into the local community. The mobilisation of 1,000 people, mostly volunteers, was quite a challenge. The dates for the event (last week in January) were chosen to support the local economy during a quiet period of the tourist season. An impact study was not carried out, but the expected direct economic benefits were estimated at almost 3 million CHF. Indirect and media-related benefits were also expected in terms of advertising for the region worth several million Francs. Hosting such an event also develops skills in the organisation and management of large events. There was no existing base; everything had to be built up from zero. The Festival created a local dynamic, notably through the staging of subsidiary events before the Festival: preparatory events were held in every discipline. This allowed Les Crosets to obtain the 2004 Swiss Alpine Skiing Championships.


During the pre-bid phase, the working group contacted the former General Secretary of the bid committee to ask him for his help in preparing the file that would be presented to Swiss Olympic. The bid was based around the European Youth Olympic Festival Charter, which defines the elements that must be included. The information provided by the members of the site evaluation committee led to a certain number of modifications being made to the bid. Swiss Olympic also assessed the bid. A DVD was produced for the presentation to the General Assembly of European Olympic Committees. A specialist audio-visual and publicity firm was engaged to add the finishing touch to the video.

Lessons to be drawn

The failure to transfer expertise and skills from previous organisers was noted as being regrettable. It is felt that the European Olympic Committees should define a framework so the same work does not have to be repeated each time. Another problem was the difficulty in mobilising the local authorities. If the organisers were to go through the procedure again, they would ensure that the local authorities immediately understand the promotional opportunities presented by such an event and they would demand greater guarantees for the budget.


WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS2006

TURIN, ITALY

Dates: 20th May to 4th June 2006Place: Turin Role of the person interviewed: President of the regional committee of the Italian Chess FederationResult: Success


• Support of the local authorities• Lobbying• Quality of the bid presentation• Involvement of private partners, in this case the well-known multi-national company FIAT

The calendar

The bidding process for this event lasted almost two years. The first propositions and meetings with the organisations involved started in December 2000 and the final decision was taken in November 2002, during the World Chess Championships in Bled (Slovenia).

Other candidates

The Turin Chess Society was the only candidate from Italy, but several international candidates were in the running until a vote by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) reduced the list to three countries: Italy (Turin), India (several bid cities) and Estonia. All of these bids were thought to provide serious competition, especially the bids from India - the Indian government is currently investing heavily in chess, a sport that has become hugely popular (chess players have been voted sports personality of the year on several occasions).


During the months leading up to the vote, it was important to provide adequate documentation to all the national federations. It was certainly just as important to closely monitor the bid presentation during the final days before the event was attributed in order to ensure that the size, the professionalism and the conformity of Turin’s bid stood out. An important factor in Turin’s success was the support provided by well-known private companies, notably FIAT, and by the local authorities (the city, the province and the region). The synergy and the added value provided by the organisation of the Winter Olympics, which will also take place in 2006, was another important element that allowed Turin to present a very high quality bid to the representatives of the federations.


The idea for the bid came from the President of the Council of the Turin Chess Society. The project immediately found support amongst public bodies, well-known Turin figures that love playing chess, and, very importantly, the President of FIAT. The bid was organised by a bid committee, in consultation with the city of Turin, the province of Turin, the Piedmont Region, the Piedmont Regional Chess Committee and the Turin Chess Society. The president of the bid committee was also the president of this Society.


Firstly, because the organisers believe the event will help develop chess in Italy as a top-level discipline. In recent years, the popularity of chess in neighbouring countries, such as France, has risen significantly, both as an educational tool in schools and as an organised sports movement with world-class, professional players. The 1974 World Chess Championships in Nice played a major role in this development. Italy wanted to progress in the same way. Another important reason was to raise Turin’s profile as a tourist destination, as during the presentation of the bid project the members of the committee realised that the capital of the Piedmont was unknown to many members of the jury. The number of countries represented at the World Chess Championships was expected to be much higher than for the Winter Olympics (150 national teams are expected), so these World Chess Championships would provide a valuable shop window for the city of Turin. Until now, Italy had never succeeded in attracting such a championships, which was seen as an ambitious, but natural objective. The availability of the structures set up for the organisation of the 2006 Winter Olympics provided an unexpected opportunity.


A file was prepared, together with a video presentation (DVD), and handed over to the FIDE in Geneva in June 2002. The bid was discussed and approved

in November 2002 at the General Assembly of the FIDE in Bled (Slovenia), held during the World Chess Championships. The overall cost of the bid was €39,000, paid for by the bid committee. There was also a contribution from the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics Organisation Committee (TOROC), in that the World Chess Championships bid committee presented the city of Turin using the same materials as TOROC.


WINTER UNIVERSIADE2007

TURIN, ITALY

Dates: 10th to 20th January 2007Place: Turin and surrounding areaRole of the person interviewed: Vice-president of the organisation committee Result: Success


• Involvement of local personalities in international sport• Capitalising on existing sports facilities• Organisation of the 2006 Olympics in Turin• Lobbying• Involvement of the local authorities• Involvement of national sports organisations

The calendar

As required by the regulations of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the bid was presented in three phases. Firstly, the bid was presented to the FISU by the Italian Centre for University Sports (CUSI) in June 2002. The second stage involved evaluations and inspection visits by FISU’s technical commission. The third and final stage was the presentation by the Organising Committee and the attribution of the Universiade. The presentation took place in Trieste on 14th January 2003. The first contacts and propositions relating to the project occurred in the spring of 2001, thus the bidding process lasted almost two years.


Other candidates

Canada and the city of Nagano (Japan) were also candidates. These two competitors have a first rate tradition of university sport and can boast a significant amount of expertise in the organisation of sports events. However, during the third phase, in Trieste, the two competing nations withdrew in the face of the excellent bid from Italy.It should be noted that Turin’s success was facilitated by the involvement of the former president of the CUSI in international sport and by the fact that his wife had made it clear that she wanted to continue his work by accepting the presidency of the bid committee. It should also be noted that the bid committee had presented a four-year programme of major sports events (“2004 – 2007 Project”) that had much wider scope than the University Games. The continuity between the 2007 University Games and the 2006 Winter Olympics, the weight of Turin’s history and tradition in world university sport and the strong international desire to pay homage to the CUSI’s former president all contributed to the event being awarded to Turin.


The idea of bidding for the 2007 Winter Universiade arose from a board meeting of Turin University Sports Club (CUS) as a way of paying homage to the much-lamented president of the CUSI. The club has always kept traditions alive and it wanted to mark the 50th anniversary (give or take two years) of the first World Student Games, which had been held in Turin in 1959. A bid committee, steered by the president of Turin CUS, was formed in conjunction with the University of Turin.


The first reason was to continue the sporting, cultural and international vocation of both Turin University Sports Club and the Piedmont Region. The infrastructure would be provided by the 2006 Olympics and the Universiade would allow a large number of these facilities to be re-used. The event is an integral part of the history of Turin CUS, of the CUSI and of the world university sports movement. The 2007 edition would be organised with the idea of continuing and developing the international outlook of Turin Polytechnic, Turin University and the whole Turin area. The Winter Universiade is a worldwide event that will be reported by the world’s press and the main international television networks. As the largest winter sports event after the Winter Olympics, the Universiade will provide tourism and social benefits for the entire region, as well as a boost to the local economy. The event will also promote the development of intercultural exchanges. The effects on the region can only be positive: university athletes

are not only interested in performance; they are also interested in the tourism, social and cultural aspects of the events they attend.


The bid was organised in three stages. Stage one involved presenting the project to Turin University and Polytechnic. During the second phase, the project was presented to the relevant public institutions. The actual preparation of the bid constituted the third phase of the process. It was presented to the FISU in the form of a DVD film. The bid cost approximately €112,000, paid for by the committee.


Dates: 26th March to 1st April 2006Place: Cuneo – Monviso - Mondolé Role of the person interviewed: President of the bid and organisation committee Result: Success


• Involvement of the local authorities• Involvement of national sports organisations• Expertise and tradition in organising the event• Objective of increasing participation in ski mountaineering• Lobbying

WORLD SKI MOUNTAINEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS2006

CUNÉO, ITALY

The calendar

The bidding process for the 2006 World Ski Mountaineering Championships took approximately 16 months. The first proposals were drawn up in January 2002 and the championships were attributed on 12th May 2003.

Other candidates

Andorra and the United States presented bids that were slightly inferior to the Italian bid. When faced with the quality of the Italian bid, the other two candidates withdrew. Lobbying was carried out with the decision-making bodies, but the main reasons for the success of Cuneo’s bid were the organiser’s great expertise and tradition in this sport, together with the objective of increasing participation in ski mountaineering. Initially, there were two Italian candidates, Cuneo and Bormio, but after a long diplomatic effort, the Italian Winter Sports Federation awarded the Italian bid to the province of Cuneo.



The idea of presenting a bid was first formulated in January 2002 by the presidents of two Italian ski clubs with expertise (50 years experience) in organising ski mountaineering competitions. The bid file was presented to the regional committee of the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) and to local bodies, which backed the project. A bid committee, consisting of the two ski club presidents and representatives of the local authorities, was then formed. The bid committee produced a brochure and a CD, the costs of which were covered by the local authorities.


The main motivation was enthusiasm for ski mountaineering and the possibility of organising a world-class event that, due to its concomitance with the Winter Olympics, would have an enormous impact on raising the public profile of the sport and of the Piedmont Region. The event is expected to significantly increase awareness of ski mountaineering and, consequently, increase the number of participants: increasing the numbers of participants and federated nations could be decisive factors in the sport becoming an Olympic discipline in 2010. Such a major event should also provide good publicity for the Province of Cuneo and the other regions involved. Tourism and economic benefits are also expected.


The bid file and the presentation CD were produced in collaboration with all the members of the bid committee. The total cost of the bid was approximately €17,000.


WINTER UNIVERSIADE2005

INNSBRUCK/SEEFELD, AUSTRIA

Dates: 12th to 22nd janvier 2005Place: Innsbruck / Seefeld, Tyrol Role of the person interviewed: General Secretary of the Organisation Committee Result: Success


• Lobbying• Involvement of the local authorities• Involvement of national sports organisations

The calendar

The bidding process for the 2005 Winter Universiade lasted four months, from March to June 2000. The bid was a response to a call for tenders from the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The bid was filed at FISU’s head office in Brussels and the final decision was taken on 28th September in Zakopane in Poland. The budget for the Innsbruck 2005 bid was €35,000, largely financed by the local authorities.

Other candidates

Innsbruck’s only competitor for the Winter Universiade was Tarvisio in Italy. Tarvisio won the organisation of the 2003 Universiade because it was ready to pay immediately the necessary fee to the FISU. As Innsbruck did not want to pay this fee in advance, they chose to highlight other aspects of their bid, such as the organisation of scientific seminars, training camps for developing countries and television rights.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

AJOH 2006, (1998) Livre arc-en-ciel de la candidature de Sion 2006, Sion: AJOH, 85 p.

ALUN, J., (2002) « Presenting your case», in Bidding Business 2002, London: Sportbusiness International, 40 p.

BARGET, E., (2001) Le spectacle sportif ponctuel: essai d’évaluation, tome 1 et 2, Thèse de doctorat, Limoges: Faculté de droit et des sciences économiques Université de Limoges, 729 p.

BARREAU, G. et al., (1998) Lexique du cadre institutionnel et réglementaire des Activités Physiques et Sportives, Paris: INSEP, Coll. Droit, Economie et Management, p.419-422.

BOVY, P., POTIER, F., LIAUDAT, C., (2004) Grandes manifestations: Planification, gestion des mobilités et impacts, La Tour d’Aigues: Editions de l’Aube, 208 p.

CHAPPELET, J.-L., (1996) « Dimensions publiques et privées de l’organisation des Jeux olympiques », Revue économique et sociale, vol. 54 no.3 pp.163-175.

CHAPPELET, J.-L., (1999) Le rêve inachevé ou les candidatures de Sion à l’organisation des Jeux olympiques d’hiver, Chavannes-Lausanne: IDHEAP, 82 p.

CHAPPELET, J.-L., (2002) «The Bidding Process and 7 Point Bid Evaluation », in Bidding Management: The IF Perspectives and Best Practices, Lausanne: ASOIF, p. 2-10.

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CHAPPELET, J.-L. & BAYLE, E., (2004) Strategic and performance management of olympic sport organisations, Champaign: Human Kinetics, 134 p.

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Innsbruck/Seefeld’s bid was launched by the mayor of Innsbruck (now governor of Tyrol) and the president of the Austrian University Sports Organisation. The pre-bid or initiative phase was followed by the setting up of a bid committee, composed of the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Culture, the Tyrol Region, the municipalities of Innsbruck and Seefeld and the regional tourist board. The committee was organised as follows: the mayor of Innsbruck was president, the mayor of Seefeld was vice-president and the municipal councillor (Innsbruck) responsible for economic affairs was spokesperson and responsible for the sports and tourism aspects. The president and general secretary of the Austrian University Sports Organisation were also on the committee.


The main objective of the bid was to develop the image of the Innsbruck area through the national and international media. The bid was also aimed at developing expertise in the organisation of major events and at promoting university sport in a region with 25,000 students. The bid’s vision stated that the Innsbruck Universiade would promote sport and the values of peace and mutual understanding amongst young people. The mission stated that the Innsbruck Universiade would create an organisational framework for the event, offer athletes and spectators the best possible event, and make it a positive experience for the region. The expected benefits of organising the Universiade were the reinforcement of the transfer of event organisation skills, the improvement of the region’s tourist image as an Olympic city, the creation of a network with the sports authorities and the re-use of the sports facilities that had been built for the 1964 and 1976 Olympics.


The bid met the specifications of the FISU. The disciplines were chosen by the executive committee of the International University Sports Federation.

Lessons to be drawn

To obtain the organisation of such an event, a good bid is essential, but not sufficient. The main rival, Tarvisio was a serious competitor. Innsbruck’s intense lobbying played an important role in the attribution of the event.

SENTEDALPS110

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