This Summer, the United Kingdom is holding a range of athletic events and competitions. The London Stadium will be host to the Diamond League, the IPC Athletics Championship and the IAAF Championships, altogether there will be 22 days of International competition.
Athletics is well received in Great Britain, this is partly due to the governing bodies funding system and the UK government wanting to hold major occasions in the country. A huge element contributing to building awareness is having the World Para Athletics staged in London with the IAAF Championships. This is a first for London and the world, to have the two competitions in the city let alone the same country in the current year.
Participation around the world is high, with stiff competition in a range of elements. Over 200 nations compete in athletics, in more than 47 disciplines, the United States of America is the only country in the world which is competitive across most disciplines.
To build on fan interactions and help attract more visitors to stadiums, organisers need to use engagement tools. There are a variety of options governing bodies and sponsors can use. Here are three ways the UK could build relationships and entice more visitors to athletic occasions.
Community Events
Firstly, put on community events and fun days. With access to the community track at the London Stadium, this is the perfect area to offer public contests and activations which are attractive to fans. Providing the crowd with fun games and races, which include the chance to win prizes or receive free promotional sponsor merchandise will build a competitive engaging environment outside the stadium. Another way to get the audience to participate in such an event is by using current or retired athletes as hosts. Giving spectators the chance to interact will produce high engagement levels, whether this is through Q&A sittings, participation in competitions, or photo and autograph sessions. These can all increase athlete-fan interactions, possibly creating a more amicable relationship between the fan, sportsperson or country.
Social Media
Social media is having a huge impact on sports viewership all around the world, many platforms are competing to live-stream proceedings. Having the event live streamed, both outside and inside the stadium will help reach a wider audience due to the ease of access. Another way to build correspondence and awareness to athletic events in London could be Geo-Filters. Augmented reality is a huge area of development, one which is being used widely on Snapchat and Instagram. Having Geo-filters allows supporters to produce their own content to be viewed by the public. As a result, this provides a first-hand viewing perspective, one which online viewers could feel like they are experiencing themselves.
Targeted Ticket Packages
When looking to target demographics who are most likely to go and watch athletics you must determine the audience. One of the main sectors is children and teenagers who are interested or compete in sports. One way which could bring in more visitors to see these rivalries live is to provide discount tickets if you prove you are currently part of a club. By creating ticket packages, events could see a potential rise in fan engagement. Other attractive features could include free items from concessions or percentages off promotional material.
Athletics is a growing sport all around the world with more and more individuals competing. As the elements develop so will demand to watch events live, through stadium activations and technology innovations this is becoming easier to provide consumers with.
