Reputational Change

Group of runners taking part in a mass participation event

Media coverage of an event can impact how its host is perceived: locally, regionally, nationally or even around the world. Positive changes in reputation achieved in this way can contribute to other impacts – particularly economic ones – by attracting more visitors and inbound investment or stimulating exports and trade.

However, these impacts can be difficult to measure as they tend to be generated over the longer term and significant research can be required to determine cause and effect. This means reputational change is primarily an impact focus for only the very biggest events.

What to measure

The OECD and ASOIF recommend prioritising the following measures of reputational change that can be influenced by media coverage of an event:

  • Percentage of non-attendees likely to visit the event host destination (ASOIF reference IM-EE2.4)
  • Post-event increases in visitor numbers
  • Value of new visitors as a result of the event (ASOIF reference IM-OUTCOME2)
  • Classification of the host area in international rankings of tourism attractiveness

Event attendees can also have an important impact on a host’s reputation as people from outside the area share their perceptions and experience of the place. Measures of this could include the following:

  • Percentage of non-local attendees reporting an enhanced perception of the host area
  • Percentage of non-local attendees likely to revisit (ASOIF reference IM-EE2.3)
  • Percentage of non-local attendees likely to recommend the host area as a good area to live, visit and do business

Reputational change: How to measure it

Reputational change is another impact that is best measured through survey data. In this case, the sample should focus primarily on people who have seen media coverage of the event rather than attended it in person. This can be achieved through citizens' panels, social media platforms or omnibus surveys run by research organisations such as YouGov, Ipsos MORI and GfK in the UK. Omnibus costs can be shared by multiple organisations buying questions with the same survey, but can still be prohibitive for small and medium-sized events.

Tools such as the Nation Brands Index and City Brand Index are useful for larger events in tracking changes in international reputation over time (e.g. before and after hosting).

Surveying event attendees is easier initially, but longitudinal research is required to understand whether positive perceptions among visitors translate into further tourism in the future. The following questions can at least help collect baseline data from which to measure reputational change:

  • Have your experiences of this event left you with a more positive perception of the HOST AREA (e.g. city, region, country) as an EVENT/VISITOR destination?
  • Based on your experiences of this event, how likely are you to return to the HOST AREA for a short break or for leisure in the NEXT YEAR/2/5 YEARS?
  • Based on your experiences of this event, how likely are you to recommend the HOST AREA as a PLACE TO VISIT to friends and family?