BCW Sports releases results from Event Host City SurveyMarch 1, 2022

Today BCW Sports, the sports practice of leading global communications agency BCW, released a report on its Event Host City Survey, which provides insights into the significance placed on gaining international recognition for event host cities across the world. The BCW Event Host Survey revealed that two-thirds of all host cities find it important to generate international media coverage for their city when hosting a sporting event, yet 41 percent of cities begin proactively communicating only one week before the start of an event, underscoring the disparity between expectations and reality of international communications while hosting international sport events.

Other notable key findings include:

International recognition is a priority but not prioritized: A full 70 percent of host cities have developed a set of key messages to be communicated, yet they do not conduct outreach until seven days prior to an event, resulting in mediocre coverage.

There is a need to optimize communication efforts: A major reason for last minute media outreach appears to be the lack of structure and strategy that cities have towards international communications. An astounding 80 percent of cities surveyed say there is a need to optimize their own independent efforts to generate greater international recognition.

Higher reliance put on traditional tools and a focus on domestic outreach: Despite the continuous introduction of new platforms for generating international buzz, most host cities continue to prioritize traditional media such as press releases and website news. In addition, cities increasingly say that it is important to have not just international exposure, but also local and national exposure.

Lars Haue-Pedersen, BCW Global Sports Practice Managing Director, said: “Event host cities understand the long-lasting impact a sports event can have, in terms of creating awareness of what the city has to offer and getting greater international recognition. However, despite this, cities are not yet entirely optimizing this avenue to their advantage. There is potential for all host cities to set clear objectives and have a strategy to maximise the impact of hosting an event in their region, both domestically and internationally.”

Download the BCW Event Host City Survey

About the Study

The Event Host City Survey is BCW Sports’ latest research into how event host cities prioritize and implement gaining international exposure when they host sport events. The survey was conducted over the fourth quarter of 2021 and was sent to over 100 event host cities across the world. To access the full results please contact Stefany Cardenas at [email protected] or Samiha Dabholkar at [email protected]