Cities and regions that host sports events are a critical part of the story of the evolving live sports experience. Cities and regions know the power of delivering great live sports experiences for visitors – it can translate into powerful destination marketing benefits. Obtaining the support of cities and regions is critical for rights holders in delivering great events for fans.
But in 2019, event owners and hosts destinations are under more pressure than ever to justify their hosting decisions. Few cities have growing hosting budgets, while media and public skepticism is at an all-time high. This session will discuss some of the pressures weighing on would-be hosts, and the challenges building the case for event hosting with research, measurement and data to highlight how tangible and intangible benefits should be measured and analyzed.