While the current 2032 conversation is all about the venues, have you ever thought about how and when we start planning for the visitor experience?
To be a great Olympic host, our region must of course offer efficient transportation, safe and comfortable accommodation, world class accessible venues delivered with an overlay of necessary but non-intrusive security measures. But what about our visitors' Sunshine Coast experience?
How will we welcome those that come into our region for the sport and leave wanting to come back for more Sunshine moments?
What do we want them to see, hear, sense, taste and do during their visit and remember long after the paralympic flame has been extinguished?
The Olympic experience that our visitors will be expecting will be different to that of our usual holiday maker. Their number one driver for coming here is to experience an Olympics. From the moment they arrive we must make them feel that they are in an Olympic destination.
An Olympic look and feel is about more than themed banners and signage put up by the Council and the Organising Committee. It is the warm welcome of not just the event volunteers but all local business people and residents they encounter; the cleverly on-brand presentation of our retail outlets, restaurants, bars and local products; and the engaging cultural and entertainment offers delivered in bespoke Sunshine Coast locations.
Learnings from previous host cities tells us that the Olympic Visitor will least likely be:
traditional holiday makers. They will stay away because of the “crowding out” effect created by the sheer number of visitors.
people with higher incomes. Those visitors will come after the event and be more aware and interested in our cultural sites and natural attractions.
the 40-49 age group and, to a lesser extent, the over-65 age group. These were largely a no show for London and Paris.
They will more likely be:
the under-40s and in particular, the 25- to 34-year-olds.
interested in shopping, entertainment, partying and gastronomy, when not attending a sporting event.
looking for central places to gather and celebrate. Not necessarily purpose-built fan zones but bars and venues that embrace the Olympic occasion.
Regardless of how your business services the events industry, start thinking now about how your venue, product or service will be uniquely and authentically Sunshine Coast, but more importantly an Olympic experience or offer, that delights our visitors and leaves them wanting more.
SCEIA is committed to building a vibrant events industry here on the Sunshine Coast. Stay tuned for more helpful hints on how together we best leverage events in our region.
Comments