Brand Talk 2023: Why major sporting events are so important
At the Kaiser Wiesn in Vienna, Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) President Roswitha Stadlober and other leading figures from sports and business discussed why top events like the Ski World Championships are a crucial economic factor. The evening was organized in cooperation between the Snowsports Academy and the European Brand Institute.
In the shadow of the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel, numerous interested people gathered in the Kaiser Alm to listen to the Brand Talk 2023 on the topic of "The economic importance of major events for stakeholders in the sports business" – and afterwards to network in the rustic ambience of the Wiesn.
The direction of this high-caliber panel discussion was set by host Martin Dolezal , CEO of the Snowsports Academy, which is responsible for training 2,500 ski and snowboard instructors annually: “Our motto is ‘Snow Connecting People’ – because snow has a unifying effect; friendships are formed here. With this event, we want to kick off winter this year and take a look at two upcoming top events: the 2024 Ski Flying World Championships and the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships.”
“These two upcoming major events represent a concentrated burst of emotions that we also want to convey to the younger generation,” explained Roswitha Stadlober , President of Ski Austria / Austrian Ski Federation. “That’s why it’s so wonderful that these events are taking place in Austria, so that we can truly convey this atmosphere.”
“But such events are also extremely important for us as the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV), because we are the organizers. While we bear the risk at a World Championship, we can hopefully generate a profit to maintain our operations and, in turn, promote young talent,” said Stadlober. “After all, we finance a staff of around 400 employees during the winter and just as many athletes.”
Sustainably enhance regions
For Bartl Gensbichler, head of the organizing committee for the 2025 Ski World Championships, the enhancement of his home region is also a top priority: “The boost for the region always comes after a
Event. Especially in skiing, it's true: there's no more efficient way for a tourist destination to organize a major event – whether a World Cup race or a World Championship. The resources we invest here yield a return many times over: in advertising, marketing, and customers who become aware of us as a result – and not just for the winter season, but also for the summer.” Gensbichler's conclusion:
"I'm organizing a major event to help the region move forward sustainably. I want to be able to live more beautifully where I live afterwards."
Things get underway even earlier at Kulm in Bad Mitterndorf at the Ski Flying World Championships at the end of January 2024. Volksbank is at the forefront of the event, as Marketing Director Barbara Bleier-Serentschy emphasized: “We have been a partner of the national ski jumping team for 16 years and are very proud of it. Our motto for 2024 is ‘We are Kulm,’ because it is our biggest event next year. Therefore, we want to attract as many visitors as possible.”
Analyzing the economic significance is important, but not everything, says Bleier-Serentschy. "We measure every sponsorship we undertake. But it's not just about logo visibility for us; it's about long-term partnerships. That's why we also support young talent, to inspire children to take up this sport and this movement, for example with the Goldi Cup and the Vienna City Eagles, the largest ski jumping club in Austria. For instance, a Viennese ski jumper is already a Junior World Champion."
Other formats, new technologies
The situation in golf in Austria is somewhat different, explained Niki Wiesberger , Director of Marketing & Business Development at the Austrian Golf Association. “We hope to be able to host a top-tier European Tour tournament again in the future. However, with the Challenger tournament – the second-highest category – in Adamstal, Lower Austria, we are pursuing a completely different goal: We primarily want to promote young golfers and offer them the opportunity to play in an international field.”
Nevertheless, Wiesberger reported that his sport is well-positioned in Austria. "Austria is a golfing nation. The nearly 160 golf courses generate direct added value in the mid-three-figure millions. The total added value of the sport, including all other factors, amounts to around one billion euros."
Tom Berger , Head of LAOLA, spoke about the future of major sporting events. “We live in a society where the pace of change is higher than ever before, faster than ever before, and where things are becoming increasingly fragmented. As a result, there are fewer and fewer general guidelines and points of reference – and sport is one of the few areas that connects people across national, religious, continental, and industrial boundaries. And what have people always done in all cultures when things change, when they feel overwhelmed, when they are afraid? They celebrate. Because celebration reduces stress and fosters unity. And major events are perfectly suited for this.”
Berger described what organizers, companies, sponsors, and fans need to prepare for in the future: “We just need to make sure we translate these topics for the young target audience. And that’s what we at LAOLA are here for – also to engage with developments like the metaverse and create digital winter sports landscapes. Congratulations, by the way, to the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) for the ski challenge, because it’s precisely with gaming initiatives like these that you reach young people.”
Image of the brand “Austria”
Gerhard Hrebicek , whose European Brand Institute was also a co-organizer of this panel discussion, spoke about the high importance of Austria as a business location: "Overall, tourism and sport generate added value of 42 billion euros – that's almost 10 percent of the gross domestic product. This creates 330,000 jobs, and there are almost 47,000 restaurants and cafes in the country."
“But the ‘Austria’ brand is also about identity,” added Hrebicek, who heads Europe’s leading institute for brand evaluation and certification. “And the winter sports brand is very important for Austrian identity. This cozy atmosphere at the Kaiser Wiesn also represents that. One of the co-owners of the Wiesn produces such wooden huts and sells them all over the world – thus exporting our image and our tradition.”
In closing, host Martin Dolezal of the Snowsports Academy once again emphasized the multifaceted impact of major sporting events. "Such events are extremely important for Austria because they motivate children and young people to participate in sports themselves. They are therefore a factor in fitness and health. Furthermore, they bring people together and thus contribute to integration, as everyone cheers and celebrates together. And especially for a tourism-dependent country like Austria, major events are very significant – you could almost call them an industry in their own right."
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