Data Research for a Long Term Strategy
Quantum Consultancy, based in Scotland, worked on the survey evaluating The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, USA. In the Interview of the Month, Krzysztof Kropielnicki, Head of Insights & Analytics, presents some data and some preliminary findings. One of these findings: the people in Birmingham were very proud to host athletes from all over the world.
The IWGA has commissioned Quantum to conduct an evaluation of The Word Games 2022. What does the process entail?
The aim of the evaluation is to recognise and capture the diverse impacts that a major multisport event such as The World Games generates on the local, national and international scale. This ranges from measuring the economic and tourism impact to the assessment of the sustainability and legacy initiatives.
The evaluation process kicked off a year before The World Games 2022, when consultations were held with the key event stakeholders to establish their objectives and expectations in relation to the Games. The feedback received helped us to define the final scope of the research and data monitoring that was required to produce the analysis.
When will the evaluation report be completed and presented?
We anticipate the full evaluation report to be published before the end of the year.
What findings can you already share with us?
With the total attendance of 140,217 ticketed spectators, The World Games 2022 was the largest ever sporting event in Birmingham, Alabama. While the visitor figures, especially for fans travelling from overseas, were hampered by the pandemic, 35% of all spectators still came from outside the Birmingham-Jefferson County area. Visiting spectators generated more than 22,000 bed-nights in the host economy, with the accredited participants contributing a further 77,000 bed nights.
The event was shown on television in 61 countries across five continents, while the collaboration with the Olympic Channel ensured that fans from all around the world could tune in to follow the competition via live streaming. In the US alone, the event had a cumulative reach of 242 million viewers thanks to extensive coverage on major news networks.
The exposure on digital and social media channels was also strong. The media monitoring data, provided by the German research firm IRIS, indicates that more than 8,700 articles were published on The World Games 2022 online, while social media users engaged around 3.9 million times with TWG-themed content.
All these numbers provide a positive outlook for the future development of the Games.
What did the various participants think about the Games?
We conducted the event satisfaction survey amongst five participant groups: athletes, guests, media, spectators and volunteers. Nine out of ten spectators stated that they had a good or a very good experience at the event, while for the other groups the percentage of satisfied participants ranged from 77% to 86%.
The friendliness and helpfulness of local residents, event staff and volunteers were rated particularly high by the survey respondents. 97% of the athletes were pleased with the standard of TWG venues. They also praised the overall atmosphere and the transportation arrangements made for the event.
How did the local residents perceive the importance of hosting the event?
It is clear that the event succeeded in capturing the imagination of the local residents, who almost unequivocally expressed their pride in hosting the event. Almost 90% of all Birmingham and Jefferson Country residents who attended the Games believe that TWG 2022 had a positive impact on the city, while 4 out of 5 residents stated that the event has helped to raise the international profile of Birmingham.
Are there any numbers on the sports side that are worth looking at?
3,457 athletes in Birmingham was the highest ever number of competitors at The World Games. At the same time, the 2022 event was more gender balanced than the previous editions. There were slightly more male than female athletes (53% to 47% of all competitors, respectively), but women had more medal events than men (104 to 99), while the number of mixed-gender competitions (20) was higher than at, for example, the Olympic Games.
It is also worth noting that 73 out of 99 participating nations won at least one medal. This includes seven nations that won their first-ever medal at TWG 2022.
How can the evaluation of TWG 2022 help the preparations for the upcoming World Games in 2025?
The evaluation doesn’t focus just on the numbers. We want to put them into a context that helps to interpret them and to draw the right conclusions. In addition to the main report, we will be providing the IWGA with our observations and recommendations that can contribute to the overall growth of the event, its brand and commercial appeal. We are delighted that in the IWGA we have a partner that understands the importance of integrating data research in the long-term strategy for the event.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association, organised with the support of the International Olympic Committee. The World Games 2022 was held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from 34 sports and 100 countries took part in the Games. The 12th edition of The World Games will be held in Chengdu, CHN in 2025.