World half marathon's £1/2M boost
SubscribeRob Burgess 21 November 2002
A new, independent report into the economic impact of last year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol has concluded that the one-day event resulted in a boost of at least £0.58 million to the local economy.
Thousands of spectators lined the course in October 2001 as Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe successfully defended the women's title, smashing her old European record by more than 20 seconds and finishing just four seconds outside the world record.
In the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie – the world record holder and Olympic champion over 10,000m – won the World Half Marathon title at his first attempt.
More than 4,000 runners also took part in the annual BUPA Bristol Half Marathon that was held on the same day.
John Scott, Director of Major Events at UK Sport - which invested more than £85,000 of Lottery funding in the event through its World Class Events Programme - says that the report’s conclusions are further evidence to cities of the benefits of staging major events.
"For a one-day event to make this sort of impact on the local economy is remarkable and a great tribute to the hard work of the event organisers and volunteers who made the championships possible," Scott explained.
"It is also important to note that whilst the report can place a figure on the direct spend associated with the championships, it is much harder to quantify the additional indirect spend. In reality, the final value of the event to the city is likely to be substantially higher.
"UK Sport has long advocated the importance of staging major events on home soil, not only for their economic impact, but also for the associated social benefits they bring that are crucial for the development of sport in this country. The report provides valuable data in both respects, as well as some useful recommendations for Bristol City Council regarding its future major events strategy."
Commissioned by UK Sport and Bristol City Council, the report had three key aims: to evaluate the economic impact of the championships on Bristol; the value of television exposure achieved; and the perceptions of people attending the events.
More than 1,500 detailed questionnaires were collected. A leading media consultancy was also contracted to collate television coverage statistics.
The research reveals an economic impact of £583,942 on the city:
- The principal drivers of this additional expenditure were spectators (38.0% of the total impact) and teams (29.4%);
- The largest single area of expenditure was on accommodation (over £210,000), with the events generating in excess of 3,000 commercial bed-nights.
Spectators and runners were also asked about their perceptions of Bristol:
- The city received strong approval ratings (67% and 71% respectively) as a suitable venue for major sports events.
In addition to the direct benefits associated with economic impact, substantial indirect benefits occurred as a result of Bristol appearing on television:
- The World Half Marathon Championships received over two hours of live or recorded coverage in the UK on the BBC, with a cumulative audience of over two million adults;
- During the live coverage of the women’s race, the highest market share was 22.1% of the total people actually watching television – equating to 2.4% of the UK’s adult population.
"Bristol City Council was pleased and proud to host this prestigious event," added Helen Holland, Deputy Leader and executive councillor with responsibility for Environment, Transport and Leisure.
"It is clear from the research that it attracted thousands of visitors to Bristol, bringing countless opportunities for local businesses and residents to showcase Bristol at its very best.
"The successful staging of the IAAF World Half Marathon and our own annual half marathon - where runners of all abilities, from the elite to the novice, are welcome - help to underpin our bid for Capital of Culture 2008."
