When Danishroads become the subject of a major international sports event, there arenaturally a lot of questions that arise. In the pre-event phase, there arequestions about feasibility, which in this context can be translated to ’is itworth it?’ to hold this event on Danish soil. We will know more about thisafter a few months, and hopefully competent people will have produced acomprehensive report on the event's impact from a Danish perspective. When theIce Hockey World Championship was held on Danish soil in May 2018, I was partof a team that produced such a report, which was released in the autumn of2018. It takes various resources (manpower, knowledge, relevant methods,finances, time, etc.) to execute this part. This event is also an example ofhow things cannot be isolated from time and context. The type of event mustalways be taken into consideration, and in this case, we are talking about anevent that, unlike the Ice Hockey World Championship or last summer's UEFAEuropean Championship in Football with matches in Copenhagen, includes otherconditions when it comes to the time perspective of the event or what itcontains in terms of fan zones and similar activation offerings (this event isnot spread out over as long a period as is typically the case with teamtournaments in major traditional team sports viewed from a Danish perspective,such as football, handball, or ice hockey). That being said, the Tour de Franceis a mega-event that has found its way to Denmark and can be enjoyed by sportsenthusiasts across geographical, demographic, and psychographic differences.
The Tour de France is a giant global sports brand (which has developed its legacy and brand capital over many years) and a massive sporting and commercial event, and therefore a considerable business. The rights holder behind the event, ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), has a billion-dollar turnover, and the Tour de France is a big part of its activities. The Tour de France is a major sports event that is followed with great enthusiasm by people in more than 100 countries worldwide, where people sitting in front of their television screens also get the opportunity to observe what Denmark has to offer. Teams, riders, sponsors, media, fans, regions, and cities are all part of the large commercial caravan that follows the race around. In this way, it is an excellent opportunity to showcase Denmark, including our historical and cultural heritage. It could prove to be a very effective advertisement. At the same time, an event like the Tour de France typically generates considerable tourism revenue, where the entire Tour de France caravan, as well as spectators in the form of cycling enthusiasts, hopefully post-corona, will flock to Denmark and spend money on accommodations, restaurants, shops, etc.
However, I believe it is important to understand that such a mega-event as the Tour de France on Danish soil is part of a larger strategic apparatus that can benefit from associated synergies related to the event. Why we hold international sports events on Danish soil, in the first place, is an interesting place to start. There must be a reason why Sport Event Denmark exists and has obtained public support. This underscores that there is a strategic goal from a governmental and political perspective to attract international sports events to Denmark. In this regard, the Tour de France is one of many events that contribute to raising Denmark's unique ability to host international sports events, making the respective sports events a lever for each other. Therefore, the Tour de France is related to past and future events on Danish soil, both in cycling and other sports.
In my view, a mega-event like the Tour de France is a question of both the economic and quantitative perspective as well as the more qualitative, intangible, and value-based perspective. This means that the original total budget of approximately DKK 90 million for the event must be compared to the indirect costs incurred by the event municipalities and cities for planning and execution, as well as the costs incurred by the state for security and police – there is further economic data in this live-chat, which I had with DR News. After that, the entire cost part should not only be compared to quantitatively measurable elements such as tourism turnover, media exposure, and jobs but also with more qualitative elements such as the overall impact that the Tour de France will have on Denmark. Therefore, the overall and hybrid branding effect must be calculated, coupled with the value of the experience, i.e., the public celebration and cultural value that the event also guarantees.
The hybrid branding effect is characterized, among other things, by this event's broad media reach, such as through television, but this effect is enhanced through social media platforms where the race's sporting and commercial caravan can be expressed along with how social media acts as an extended branding arm when the focus is on sports branding around the race's central sporting actors, i.e., the riders.
