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“ The ‘ Instagram moment ’ is vital in creating a legacy ,”
– Neil Carney , project director , Birmingham 2022
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identity , and is keen to make its objectives positive and strong . “ Our intent is , by the Autumn , to have a vibrant brand and a clear ambition . We ’ re setting our objectives , which won ’ t be ‘ wishy washy ’. We want to tell the world the right thing .”
He adds : “ Training initiatives are being put in place aimed at ensuring participants gain some real skills to take home afterwards . We are also honing-in on the experience for consumers , and what that will means ten years on . The ‘ Instagram moment ’ is vital in creating a legacy , and we ’ re looking at how people will know what took place in Birmingham , years later .” One busy organiser already gazing in the rear view mirror at their major event is Linda Apelt , agent-general for Queensland in the United Kingdom , who says the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games , which took place in April , delivered on a lot of levels .
“ It was the first time the Games was held in regional Australian city , and we took the opportunity to show where we are , who we are and the passion we have . The aim is to unite the Commonwealth via sports and the core values of humanity , equality and destiny . The Games was also the first to have a reconciliation action plan for indigenous Australians .
Apelt can now report that the event created a AUS $ 2bn boost to Queensland ’ s gross state product including A $ 1.7bn boost to Gold
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Coast . “ 16,000 full time jobs were created , and 15,000 games shapers got involved ,” she adds .
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 , meanwhile , will be hosted in England , and is hoping to up the ante for the tournament . Jon Dutton , its chief executive , says : “ Everything bigger , better , more ambitious . Our values are to be bold and brave , world class , authentic and inclusive . We ’ ve recently secured significant funding from government , which we have to be very careful in spending . Patron Prince Harry is already making a magnificent contribution to the cause by his involvement .”
“ It will be negligible in its economic impact compared to the Rugby World Cup , but what ’ s really important is the civic pride it creates . Our international development programme includes 16 workshops across the world .”
Steve Elworthy , managing director of 2019 Cricket World Cup , which will take place in England & Wales at stadia in cities including Manchester , London and Cardiff , also talked up the importance of event legacy . “ Our ambitious targets include a schools programme , gaining new fans and an ambition to reach one million kids under 16 via the tournament .”
PITCHING IN
Of course , getting involved
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in the afore mentioned events is the holy grail for many event suppliers and organisers . However , taking stock of the major event organiser ’ s challenges is crucial .
Kidd says ‘ integration ’ is a key idea for Invictus Games . “ It ’ s a struggle getting the right people to develop the right plans on the right timeline . The schedule is the thing that kills you as an event planner . The challenge is also getting the right people at the right level of the event ’ s maturity . People are bought on to do what is asked , not what they want to do . It ’ s an on-going tension you have to manage .”
“ Event people all come with experience from different events , but their templates are not necessarily appropriate . What works for the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics might not work for Invictus . The challenge is making your model appropriate for the budget and scale .”
A major event supplier , Rapiscan Systems adds that interaction can be key . Dan Venter , sales director , says : “ Sometimes you get customers who think they don ’ t need to get the supplier involved with the operational side . This leads to significant problems . The organisers that want to know your experience , and the potential pitfalls , will mitigate risks and additional costs .”
Caroline Sheppard , business development manager at GLevents , UK adds : “ Be open and
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