Strategies for engaging global audiences at an international sport event

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At their pinnacle, global sports events represent a cultural phenomenon. The 2022 Qatar World Cup Final, for example, drew in more than 1.5 billion viewers. While international sporting events are costly, they offer unmatched reach and passion and those that are able to engage the huge audiences they generate often enjoy a rich return.

However, this engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a deep understanding of international sport and event management. The required approach also changes from sports event to sports event. As such, the creative stage design strategy used by MCI to boost engagement at the International Basketball Federation’s first-ever live draw was unique to that event, so the approach needs to be tailored to each one.

So, as someone tasked with engaging these audiences, it’s necessary to explore fresh perspectives for maximum impact. That’s what we look at in this article.

Understanding the unique audiences at global sports events

What makes international sport and event management different from other corporate spheres is the singularly unique nature of sports audiences. There are few other sections of society with more passion and dedication than those who follow competitive sports. This means it’s a niche that offers a massive opportunity as those watching are primed for engagement. It’s what’s compelled them to be watching in-person and online.

Other special aspects of sports audiences include:

They’re typically community-oriented and often keen to get involved with forums, and social media discussions with like-minded people.
They’re tribal, identifying deeply with the teams and athletes they follow. They see their association as an integral part of their identity.
Sports audiences span a diverse array of demographics, including all genders, age groups and religions.
Sports fans can be fiercely loyal to brands that are associated with their favourite teams and individuals.
Due to the way that modern sports fans consume events, people who watch them tend to be tech-savvy and comfortable with using digital platforms.

When attempting to engage with people at an international sport event, it’s also important to consider the different cultural sensitivities in your messaging. What works well, with one audience may not work well with another, so it’s fundamental to success.

Strategies for impactful engagement at global sport events

So, how do you take audience engagement to the next level? What can be done to harness the excitement and passion that surrounds these events to transform passive viewers into active fans? Here we look at some useful strategies that appeal to a diverse range of groups and build lasting excitement.

Engaging over multiple social media platforms

At last count, there were dozens of well-used social media platforms that people use to follow their sporting passions and run their daily lives. As you move from demographic to demographic and nation to nation, the most popular platform will change, meaning that an effective engagement strategy for global sports events must pervade them all.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, to name but a few of the most-used platforms, offer vast potential for engaging with fans in real-time. Each operates in slightly different ways, too, e.g. TikTok’s short format is ideal for quick updates and YouTube’s long-form content offers comprehensive event coverage.

Going to the online locations where fans hang out

There are also regional differences in the most popular social media platforms. For instance, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram are popular in India, whereas Russian sports fans favour VKontakte (VK), Japanese fans prefer LINE and in South Korea it’s KakaoTalk. In the UK and USA, it’s X (Formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

Ultimately, it’s about knowing where the audience you’re trying to engage with is hanging out in the lead-up to an international sport event, during it and afterwards. Sports happen in real time and by providing live streaming, instant updates, and more via these platforms, you have a powerful tool with which to keep people interested and participating.

Covering the human side of sport with storytelling

Talk to your average sports fan about what makes them avid consumers of content and you’ll soon find that it’s not just about stats and scorelines. It’s also about the human stories, struggles and ultimate triumphs that they’ve enjoyed while following their favourite sports stars. These deep emotional connections endure with fans, which means that your engagement strategy for global sports events should make use of the power of storytelling.

It can be achieved in a number of ways, such as:

Team/Athlete profiles & journey stories - overcoming adversity often plays a central role in sports storytelling, whether talking about David v Goliath matchups or coming back from a major injury. By offering content that covers personal profiles and the background stories of sportsmen and women, you do much to create an emotional bond that keeps fans invested throughout your event.
Behind-the-scenes access - fans love feeling as if they’re part of the event they’re watching, which is something that can be provided with exclusive ‘behind-the-scenes’ content that offers a glimpse of aspects that serve to make teams and athletes more human and relatable. Again, the result is increased engagement.
User-generated content - fans are also often keen to share their own stories and experiences of the sporting event they’re attending. Via the social media platforms of choice, amplifying the thoughts and viewpoints of fans can intensify everyone’s enjoyment of the event through authentic narratives.

When you get into the collective psyche of passionate sports fans, you realise that this kind of storytelling content is something that they crave, as it prolongs the enjoyment of the occasion. As a result, it’s something that should never be overlooked in international sport and event management.

Utilising technology & innovation

Anyone who’s ever visited a sports stadium for major global sports events will tell you that in person, you get a unique view of what’s happening. That said, even pitch-side seats may not offer as great a view of the action as it unfolds as someone watching it at home on TV.

That’s where innovative technologies can prove very useful in transforming in-stadium and TV fan experiences. For instance, you could offer live-streaming for TV audiences, as well as multi-camera and spider-cam viewing angles. For people in the stadium, you could provide second screens that offer social media integration, commentaries, and even live statistics for an all-encompassing viewing experience.

Other impactful technologies to consider include:

Interactive In-Game Voting - Real-time fan polls and predictions that directly impact event displays or game elements.
AI-Powered Chatbots - Automated assistants providing instant updates, stats, and personalised experiences for fans during the event.
Mobile AR Selfie Filters - Themed filters allow fans to share personalised, branded event experiences on social media.
Real-Time Data Analytics Displays - Dynamic screens showing player stats, heatmaps, and live game analytics for deeper fan immersion.

There are countless different ways in which technology can be used to make an international sport event more accessible and relatable for everyone involved.

Driving engagement with influencer partnerships

Another sphere in which you’ll find millions of loyal, active people is in the world of social media influencers. By partnering with these major personalities throughout global sports events, you tap into their highly engaged and active audiences.

Furthermore, something that influencers are very good at is sparking conversations, and creating shareable content - all of which feeds into increased excitement and participation. Great international sport event management is about bridging the gap between fans and the event and social media personalities help to make the whole experience feel more personal.

Creating active sporting communities

As we’ve covered, the majority of international sports fans are looking for a sense of belonging in all of the content they consume. Being able to celebrate wins and talk about the action with others is all part of the excitement and it’s possible when people get the chance to get involved with fan zones, social media forums and dedicated apps.

As well as allowing fans to interact, and stay updated throughout global sports events, these spaces help to build camaraderie and extend the experience beyond just watching.

After creating the space for these online communities, their existence should be publicised through all relevant social media platforms with hashtags and verbal mentions. As a place to go after the event has ended, communities like these help to make the buzz around it endure for days after the final whistle has blown.

Looking for expertise in international sport event engagement?

When the right elements are introduced into the fan experience, the engagement levels can be raised to a fever pitch. By leveraging technology and the most appropriate social media spaces you’ll generate an online buzz and drive engagement in the international sport event in question. Complement this storytelling and other user-generated content and you’ll create the emotional connections that live on well after the stadium has emptied.

If you need expertise in this area, the MCI team has years of experience in generating engagement in different spheres. We have a deep understanding of what makes people tick and what it takes to put on successful events that generate interaction.

To learn more about our skills in this area, take a look around our website where you’ll find our full array of engagement services. Alternatively, to talk with our team about how we can help you, fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

MCI Content Team

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