Media coverage of sporting, cultural and business events enables their hosts to project a positive image and build influence far beyond their attendees and local communities. This visibility, and the place branding opportunity it creates, can help grow tourism and attract new investment by raising awareness of a destination, changing perceptions of it and expanding its share of voice in competitive markets.
Evaluating the scale and outcomes of these impacts is therefore an important means of demonstrating the value of events, particularly for public funders and stakeholders drawn by the platform they provide for building awareness and favourability among potential new visitors, investors and trading partners.
The evaluation process begins with understanding the volume and type of media coverage your event generated (e.g. local/regional/national press, social media etc), and the number of people who engaged with it (i.e. by watching, reading or listening).
Beyond these basic measures of reach, you should then consider the tone of this coverage (i.e. whether it was positive or negative) and the extent to which it conveyed your key messages and helped your sponsors and stakeholders achieve their goals. To do this, you must have set clear objectives at the beginning of the hosting process: e.g. brand exposure for sponsors, promoting participation for governing bodies or showcasing the host destination for tourism and investment agencies. These aims – and the messaging that will support them – should be at the heart of your event’s media strategy.
This section of the eventIMPACTS toolkit will help you start evaluating the impact and effectiveness of that strategy, using indicators recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) where relevant, and with a focus on the following key measures:
- Volume and reach
- Tone and engagement
- Media and brand value
- Reputational change
Some of these may be beyond the scope and capability of smaller properties, but using them as a menu of options will help you develop an approach best suited to the size, nature and ambitions of your event and its stakeholders.