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JanUarY 09 Focus on

aa ssttrraatteeggiicc aapppprrooaacchhttoo ssppoorrttss eevveennttss• 2009 - danish Year of sport• How to make your events stand out?• interview: UCi president pat McQuaid

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Trends in sporTs evenT ManageMenT

How cangovernments ensure

that the impact of thesporting event is

optimized and thebenefits increased forthe good of both thesport and the host?

BB idding for and hosting sports events hasbecome a big and intensive industry. Sportsevents are interesting because no other

events can generate as much media attention andhave such a high impact on the brand of a place.Sports events can also bring numerous social and fi-nancial benefits. Governments all over the world areinvesting heavily in major sports events and use theevents as a platform to promote their country. Astrong partnership between the host city/countryand the sports organisation is crucial in ensuringthat the impact of the event benefits both the sportand the event host.

How can governments ensure that the impact of thesporting event is optimized and the benefits in-creased for the good of both the sport and the host? We have identified three things that are necessary toensure a successful event for both the host and thesports organisation :• A strategic approach • Government support • Close cooperation between the host cities and the

sports organisations

aa ssttrraatteeggiicc aapppprrooaacchh

Any potential host city must make it clear whythey wish to host sports events and clarify which be-nefits they seek to achieve. It can be purely financialambitions, it can be for place branding reasons or itcan be to promote a social agenda such asintegration of immigrants orfighting obesity. Inthese casesevents

and sports that would attract the attention of thetarget groups would be worth investing in, howeverwithout a clear focus and well thought throughstrategic plan the host city takes the risk that theevent will not achieve the objectives that they werehoping for.

For the sports organisation the lack of a strategicapproach from the host city will probably not affectthe technical organisation of the event but it willdefinitely hinder the further development of theirsport in that region and fail to assist the sport tocompete successfully with other sports events takingplace around the world. All sports compete for thebest TV coverage, the most spectators and thebroadest media attention. Continental and WorldChampionships are a sport’s window to the worldand the opportunity for them to promote them-

selves. Without a strong host citypartner a sports federation risks missing the

opportunity to get the attention that it deserves.

ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt ssuuppppoorrtt

For the event to have an impact on the host city orcountry the government must get actively involvedfinancially and must support the organisation andpromotion of the event. The event itself will notgenerate benefits unless the organising committee

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puts in the effort to promote the event and add thecreativity necessary to differentiate that event fromothers. The event is a platform from which the hostscan say something about themselves. Many govern-ments make the mistake of not investing enough topromote and market the event but only put moneyinto the operational side of the event.

For sports federations it is also important to havegovernment support not only behind the operationalside of the event but also the promotional side. Withthe financial markets creating growing difficulties forthe private commercial sector it becomes of evengreater importance for the sports federation to engagein close working partnerships with the public sector.For a host city or a national government to become atrusted partner for the sports world, however, theymust prove that they are willing to also invest themoney necessary to promote and enhance the impactof the event.

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ssppoorrttss oorrggaanniissaattiioonnss

One of the big mistakes that often occurs during theorganisation of a major sports event is that the com-munication and cooperation between the two mainorganisers– the host city and the sports federation – isweak. Without a coordinated effort many opportuni-ties for both the sport and the host city are lost. Evenif the overall strategic objective is clear and the financialsupport is in place bad management can influencethe success of the event. The most successful event organisers are the onesthat have a clear organisational structure involvingrepresentatives from both the sport and the host city,with a clear division of responsibilities – the sportsorganisation is usually better at the technical matterswhile the host cities are usually more experienced inevent promotion. The trend seems to be moving towards the establish-ment of governmental organisations that oversee andcoordinate the work between the sports federation andthe host city. Having a strong and reliable partner that thinksstrategically, that can secure the financial support andthat can coordinate the work between the parties in-volved, is a guarantee for a sports federation to havea successful event that will stand out.

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ssuucccceessssffuull ssppoorrttss eevveennttss

Dear colleagues in the world of sport,

Danish sport is very proud to

launch ‘Hosting Winners’, our new

sports event publication. Our aim

is to share our views on the inter-

national sports event industry and

engage in an open dialogue regarding best practices

on how to attract and organise sports events.

With this publication, we hope to inspire discussion

on the future of sports events and share experiences

and ideas to ensure that we are constantly develo-

ping event management techniques and engaging

more people to become involved in sport, either as

athletes, volunteers or fans.

This first issue of ‘Hosting Winners’ focuses on

using a strategic approach of hosting events that

brings benefits to both the host city and the

sports federation.

Denmark, being an experienced host country, has

learnt that this strategic approach is the most

efficient way to ensure that our events generate

benefits and are successfully promoted. We have

used a very strategic approach in the development

of the Danish Year of Sport concept, that you will

hear more about in this issue.

I hope to welcome you to Denmark soon, whether

as a delegate at the IOC Session and Olympic

Congress in 2009, or at one of the many sports

events taking place in the coming years.

We are eager to hear from you about your expe-

riences in event management. Please contact us

should you have any ideas, comments or questions.

Best regards,

LLaarrss LLuunnddoovv, CEO, Sport Event Denmark

WWeellccoommeeeeddiiTToorriiaaLL

For sportsfederations it is alsoimportantto have governmentsupport not onlybehind theoperational side ofthe event but also thepromotional side.

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WW e have long realised the positive impactsports events have on Danish society. This iswhy we, the Danish Government, have in-

vested heavily in attracting and organising sports events.

Our approach is to cooperate closely with the worldof sport. By forming close partnerships with the in-ternational sports federations we believe that we canorganise sporting events that help to develop thesport, to promote Denmark and our Danish values,and to engage our citizens in active participation oftheir community, through participation in sport oras volunteers.

To support our efforts we have created a financialplatform through which our national sports event or-ganisation, Sport Event Denmark, can operate. SportEvent Denmark coordinates all our bidding and eventorganising activities. It acts as the link between thehost cities and the sports organisations. With its skil-led staff and years of experience working with sportsevents we believe that we have created a reliable andinspirational partner for the world of sport.

The year 2009 marks a special year in Denmark. Wehave invited the world of sport to join us in celebratingthe Olympic movement and numerous other sportsorganisations. The 2009 IOC Session and OlympicCongress will take place in Copenhagen, as well assuch fantastic sports events as the 2009 Taekwondoand 2009 Wrestling World Championships. We have named 2009 “The Year of Sport” and havecreated an integrated promotions message includingall of the events taking place in Denmark. We un-derstand how important the promotion of sportsevents is and this is why we have dedicated humanand financial resources aimed solely at marketingand promoting the events taking place in 2009,Denmark’s ‘Year of Sport’. But this is only the be-ginning as our efforts will also continue well beyondthis exciting year.

My government guarantees its full support to all majorinternational sports events taking place in Denmarkand we are delighted to invite you all to Denmark in2009 to join us in celebrating sport at its best.

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CCaarriinnaa CChhrriisstteennsseennDanish Minister for

Sport and Culture

in 2006, when Copenhagen was named as UCi’s

first ever ‘Bike City’, the concept was new for both

UCi and Copenhagen. What was the reasoning be-

hind the creation of this new concept?

“The UCI Bike City concept was created to offer newpromotional opportunities to all cities potentiallyinterested in associating their own image with thevarious cycling disciplines, particularly through theorganisation of international events. A city can opti-mise its financial investment, its marketing activitiesand advertising campaigns with the aim of conveyingto its population a positive and dynamic message giv-ing it the opportunity to gain an ideal position amongthe main players in the world of sport.”

Now in its second year, has the concept been a success?

“Copenhagen has earned itself the great merit of set-ting the example by enthusiastically getting involvedwith this initiative launched by the UCI, and theresults of this initial experience are very successful.Up to now, the Danish capital has already hosted aTrack World Cup round (a second round will be or-ganised in a few weeks) as well as a round of theBMX Supercross. These will be followed by the twobiggest events planned as part of its crowning as UCIBike City: the Track World Championships in 2010,culminating in the final chapter of this great adventurewith the Road World’s in 2011.”

Why did you choose Copenhagen as your partner?

“The choice of Copenhagen was principally based ontwo extremely important factors: its character ofbeing an open and welcoming city ideal for the or-ganisation of sports events, and the enthusiasm thatthe local authorities showed in our project right fromthe start as well as their efforts made in favour ofsport in general. Such an initiative would have neverbeen possible without the active contribution of ourcontacts in local government and administration. Iwould like to stress that the status that we award isbased on very rigorous criteria, especially in terms oforganisation and the environment and above all givesa city the opportunity to focus its communication onits sporting spirit and love of sport, and consequentlyon the quality of life that it is able to offer to its pop-ulation and visitors.”

When awarding an event to an organiser, how much

does the involvement of the host city, as opposed to

your member federation, play a role?

“Our work philosophy is entirely based on coopera-tion between all parties. As regards the procedure forbeing awarded the UCI Bike City label, the role of theNational Federation, which within our association rep-resents the country of the bidding city, is therefore veryimportant. It would in fact be difficult and virtuallyimpossible, to imagine a town being awarded the titlewithout the help of its National Federation.

It should be remembered, however, that it is the re-sponsibility of the local authorities to take the initialnecessary first steps with the UCI in order to obtainthe UCI Bike City Label, which believe me, representsa unique mark of quality for a city.”

UUCCii BBiikkee CCiittyy CCooppeennhhaaggeenninternational Cycling Union (UCi) president pat McQuaid talks exclusively with Hosting Winners about the

benefits of working closely with host cities.

Copenhagen is the first city to have been awarded

the UCi Bike City label.

The UCi Bike City concept, developed by the UCi, is

designed for internationally renowned cities wanting

to get involved in cycling (from competition to sport

for all), as an environmentally-friendly leisure sport

and a gentle means of transport.

The Bike City label is awarded based on criteria

such as the international standing of the city and

its active commitment to develop cycling (e.g. the

organisation of cycling events, network of cycling

tracks and other quality facilities).

The label enables these selected cities to organise

major events within all cycling disciplines.

Under the Bike City label, Copenhagen was

awarded the rights to the following UCi major

events :

• 2007/2008 UCi Track Cycling World Cup

Classics race

• 2008/2009 UCi BMX supercross World Cup race

• 2010 UCi Track Cycling World Championships

• 2011 UCi road Cycling World Championships

iinnssiiddee UUCCii BBiikkee CCiittyy CCooppeennhhaaggeenn

ppaatt MMccQQuuaaiidd

UCI President

Denmark will host

the 2011 UCI Road Cycling

World Championships.

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6

Hanne Sejer

Deputy Chief Executive, Sport Event Denmark

FFor a sports event to stand out it must be orga-nised in a creative way. Too often organisers ofsports events do nothing but follow technical

manuals. Primary concerns are transportation, ac-creditation, logistics, and accommodation, which areall of course crucial to the success of any event. Butthe responsibility for the organiser is not to organisejust another sports event, but to create a lasting ex-perience for the participants and spectators, aboveand beyond the required technicalities. So, as a hostcity, what can you do to help your sports federationsadd creativity to their events?

EEvveenntt mmaannaaggeemmeenntt eedduuccaattiioonn

One of the key elements of well organised and me-morable events is to focus on the education and skilldevelopment of the people who actually run the on-the-ground operations of the event – the staff and vo-lunteers.

It is necessary to ensure that the people organisingevents are well trained and constantly challenged.Sport Event Denmark has developed an ‘event ma-nagement education’ programme focused on educa-ting the staff of organising committees. Thisprogramme gathers current and potential event or-ganisers for a range of seminars with experts givingsessions on topics such as communication, logistics,ticketing and financing.

The latest event management education seminarshowed results in the events organised by the parti-cipants especially in the areas of entertainment, pro-motion and ticketing strategies.

PPrreessss ooffffiicceerr wwoorrkksshhooppss

These workshops gather the press officers from the na-tional sports federations for knowledge sharing sessions. For example, we have held workshops where thepress officers discuss various promotional and mediarelated issues. In these sessions, media contacts areshared, along with new methods of dealing withmedia and using the latest media technology. In our experience, these meetings have created veryconcrete results, for example we see that our Danishfederations are getting more coverage of their

international and national events in local and inter-national media.

CCrreeaattiivviittyy wwoorrkksshhooppss

If you have several different organisers working onpreparing sports events around your city or countryall during the same period, why not bring them to-gether to exchange ideas and think creatively abouttheir events? This allows the event organisers to ex-change ideas on topics such as how to attract morespectators or how to ensure that the event leaves alasting impression on the city.

Different sports and different event types can be in-vited to instigate synergies between the events andprovide inspiration to one another. Participants canbe representatives from the national sports federa-tions and the host cities ensuring that all aspects ofthe event are kept in mind.

One of the main ideas brought out from our last crea-tivity workshop in Denmark was the discussion of ta-king the events that are held inside a sports facilityoutside and promote them in a different setting ormaybe even organise the ceremonies outside of thefacility, in the city centres. This created some inte-resting possibilities for such sports as track cycling,badminton and table tennis that are traditionally allkept inside a sport facility and have a hard time get-ting the attention of the general public. As all of theevent organisers discussed this idea, it became notso much something new we had to try in Denmark,but something we must do in Denmark to ensure westay creative in our approach.

To make your event stand out the event must be ofhigh quality in all the technical matters and offer so-mething new to the participants and spectators. Crea-tive thinking must be added as a standardcomponent of any event organisation manual to en-sure that the event becomes an unforgettable expe-rience for everyone involved.

Hosting Winner’s asks athletes to share with ourreaders their thoughts on sports events. Lotte Friis,2008 olympic bronze medal 800m in swimming, tellsus about her international experience.

Having participated in numerous international sports

events, which one host city do you remember most

and why?

“The Beijing Olympics were a fantastic event. Every-thing worked really well. The second I arrived I couldfeel the Olympic atmosphere, not only in the athlete’svillage but all over Beijing. The transportation was ontime which meant we never had to worry about beinglate and could therefore concentrate on the competi-tion. The food was also great; there were plenty ofchoice so we always found something we liked. Al-though the accommodation wasn’t perfect it was func-tional and that’s all we need as athletes. Thecompetition facilities were also very good, nothing gotin the way of performing optimally.

The Olympic Games in Beijing will always stand outin my memory not just because I won a medal but alsobecause of the great organisation of the event.”

About Lotte Friis:

The 20 year old Danish swimmer was selected as theDanish “Olympic Hope of the Year” in 2008. LotteFriis went on and proved to be just that winning anOlympic bronze medal in 800 m swimming. She re-peated the success at the European Short Track Swim-ming Championships in December 2008 by winninganother medal and breaking all her previous records.

sport event denmark closely follows the new ini-

tiatives taken in the international world of sport.

in this column we give credit to the cities and

sports organisations that are innovative, creative

and aim to set new standards.

a smart move to solidify a city’s position

The City of Lausanne has recently been very suc-

cessful in solidifying its position as the Olympic

Capital. Through a series of international events

such as the Lausanne Summit and the IF Sports

Forum it has proven its importance in the inter-

national world of sport.

a smart move to attract host countries

The international Basketball association (FiBa)

organised a workshop for their National Federa-

tions and potential host countries interested in

hosting the FIBA World Championships. With a

clear and detailed breakdown of the requirements

necessary to host the World Championships the

workshop made it easy for potential hosts to

make an informed decision about submitting an

official bid.

a smart move to bring sport onto the small screen

As the competition to get air time on TV gets tou-

gher the international paralympic Committee (ipC)

took a new route and created an online TV channel

at paralympicsport.tv which broadcast live from

the Paralympic Games in Beijing. By utilising a new

media stream the IPC was able to promote Para-

lympic sports to a wide range of new viewers.

a smart move to increase brand value

The international archery Federation (FiTa) has

taken the lead in developing their brand to ensure

its competitiveness. The new move on the way is

to unify all of its activities, events and members

under the new ‘World Archery’ brand which will be

centrally integrated and promoted.

a smart move to improve the spectator’s experience

The danish organisers of the 2008 Badminton eu-

ropean Championships decided to challenge the

traditional setting of the badminton courts during

a tournament and set it up in a “Wimbledon style”

with seating all around the court. This created an

intimate and exciting new atmosphere for players

and spectators.

ssmmaarrtt mmoovveess

aatthhlleettee’’ss CCoorrnneerr

Lotte Friis, 2008 Olympic

bronze medal 800m,

swimming.

eevveennttss CCaalleennddaarr 22000099JJaannuuaarryy

17-18 Fencing World CupCopenhagen

21-25 Table Tennis ITTF Pro TourFrederikshavn

FFeebbrruuaarryy

13-15 Track Cycling World CupCopenhagen

MMaarrcchh

25-26 UEFA CongressCopenhagen

MMaayy

8-9 BMX Supercross World CupCopenhagen

JJuunnee

14-21 Boxing EU World ChampionshipsOdense

JJuullyy

4-12 Sailing World Championship (Dinghy)Copenhagen

24.07- World Outgames08.08 Copenhagen

aauugguusstt

17 Swimming Free DiveWorld ChampionshipsAarhus

20-29 Sailing World Championships (470 Class)Copenhagen

sseepptteemmbbeerr

21-27 Wrestling World ChampionshipsHerning

23-30 Archery World Cup FinalCopenhagen

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01-10 112211sstt IIOOCC SSeessssiioonn && XXIIIIII OOllyymmppiicc CCoonnggrreessssCCooppeennhhaaggeenn

08-11 Pentathlon UIPM CongressCopenhagen

10-18 Taekwondo World ChampionshipsCopenhagen

nnoovveemmbbeerr

21-25 Equestrian FEI General AssemblyAarhus

22-25 Equestrian World Cup DressageAarhus

28 Sports Dancing World ChampionshipsAarhus

in 2009 denmark will play host to more than 50 international sport events in 30 different sports.

For the complete list of events and more information

see our website sporteventdenmark.com

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Published four times a yearDistribution: 2000Edited by: Sport Event Denmarkphotos: Das Buro and othersGraphic Design: Next Communication

Send questions, comments and article proposals toEditor, Sport Event Denmark, Idraettens Hus,Broendby Stadion 20, 2605 Broendby, Denmark or email Eline Andersen: ea@sporteventdenmark.comsporteventdenmark.com

Poultry Fricassee with barley, vegetables and herbsIInnssttrruuccttiioonnss::Place the chicken in a pot with water, a bit of salt, stalks of leek, onion, garlicand thyme. When the water starts boiling remove any impurities on the surfaceof the broth. Cook the chicken at low heat for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat andlet the chicken rest for another 15-20 minutes in the bouillon.While the chicken is cooking, place the barley in another pot with water that justcovers the barley. Cook the barley in lightly salted water for approximately 35-40 minutes under a lid. If the barley dries up from the cooking, add some extrawater. Prepare the vegetables and wash them in cold water. Cut them in piecesof approximately 2x2 cm. Take out the chicken and separate its meat from theskin and bones. Sieve the bouillon and pour it back into the pot together withthe vegetables, barley and chicken. Cook for 10 minutes till it turns into a densefricassee. Flavour with chopped herbs, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Enjoywith whole wheat bread. Recipe provided by Claus Meyer www.clausmeyer.dk

6-8 persons

• 1 chicken (1,5-1,8 kg)• 200 g soaked barley• 2 leeks• 2 onions• 2 cloves of garlic• 5 twigs of thyme• 4 carrots• 4 sticks of celery • 2 roots of parsley• 10 black peppercorns• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar• 1 bouquet of mixed herbs

(parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives)• salt and pepper• sugar

FFeeeeddiinngg WWiinnnneerrss

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Trends in sporTs evenT ManageMenT