Young People Forecast Future of Major Events Ahead of Host Cities Summit

Young people around the world have revealed what they want for, and from, the future of major events in a study launched today ahead of the Host Cities 2015 summit in Dubai, to ignite and inform discussion and debate throughout the event.

The ‘Next Generation Events’ report identifies the top ten trends for the future of events, drawing on YouGov research into the behaviours and attitudes of more than 2,000 young men and women, across 10 countries.

The research points towards future growth in mass participation events, extreme sports, and the convergence of sport and entertainment – with culture and music festivals revolving around traditional sporting occasions.

Whilst, the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup have made the biggest impression in the past four years, young people are in fact more interested in arts and culture events (six in 10) than sporting occasions (four in 10). Nor are they content to stick with tried and tested formats, two thirds call for more extreme sports in the lineup and a third (34%) support the mooted inclusion of skateboarding in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Game-changing technology will radically alter how young people engage with events – and vice versa. Keeping pace with innovation will therefore be vital to an event’s success. Yet nothing, young people assert, beats the ‘live’ experience of ‘being there’ in person, if you can afford it. Cost is the primary barrier to attending events, with six in 10 saying major events are out of reach for most young people.

The majority of young people believe that events create positive social and economic legacies as well as driving tourism, and the majority would back a ‘home bid’, but not at any cost. Events are expected to deliver not just entertainment but also new job opportunities, infrastructure improvements and social legacies. Young people in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are most certain of their readiness to do so successfully, and those in Japan the least confident.

Major events are here to stay, with seven in 10 young people believing that the number of events they engage with will increase in the future. The majority also want to see more emerging markets given the chance to host in fair a bidding process and say they are more likely to travel to a city if they see it hosting a major event.

Zafar Shah, Research Manager, comments: "Major events live long in the memory and provide moments we never forget. They entertain, educate and inspire us – and they bring us together. What this study shows is that in the future, what sets events apart will be their ability to embrace emerging trends in preference, utilise new technology and envisage different, more engaging formats that win over a more switched-on and demanding audience."

The findings were published ahead of Host Cities 2015 in Dubai. The summit runs from Wednesday 18 to Thursday 19 November and sees industry experts gather at Fairmont the Palm under the theme ‘Embracing Future Events’ to identify trends in strategies for bids, engagement, sponsorship and funding that can be applied to different event types, budgets, cultures and geographies.

High-profile speakers include senior representatives from Facebook, Tokyo 2020, Barclays, the Los Angeles Sports Council, PGA European Tour and the International Olympic Committee (IOC); prominent local figures from the Dubai Sports Council and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce; and sports personalities.

The full report can be found at: http://host-cities.com/Resources.html

For information about Host Cities 2015 visit www.host-cities.com and follow @HostCitiesDubai

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