The 2016 Sustainability Report for Ironman Boulder Triathlon (IMB) analyzed the triple effects of the event on the community. IMB race has significant environmental, economic and social impact. In 2016, IMB race had an economic impact of $3.9 million in direct spending on local businesses. The IBM has widespread environmental effects including waste generation, procurement, water usage and energy & GHG emission. The sustainability report focused more on the ecological impact of the sporting event and listed few social and economic effects. Hence, the recommendation of using a holistic framework to measure the impact of the IBM race. The report shows that the event organizers are yet to take advantage of all the economic and social benefits of the event. IBM race should be used as an opportunity to market local products and increase tourism in Boulder to maximize social and economic benefits. The recommendation is the appropriate because it uses the IBM event to improve local economy.
Fredline et al. (2005 p. 9) use a synthesis diagram to analyze the triple benefits of a sporting event. A synthesis diagram is a triangle with the three benefits of the event, and its many dimensions to accommodate the effects of the event as shown in the diagram below:
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Figure 1: Synthesis Diagram
The synthesis diagram above shows that environmental, social and economic impact of IBM should be maximized. IBM organizers are yet to maximize on the economic and social aspects. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle can be used to optimize the economic and social benefits of IBM. PDCA cycle enables continuous process improvement, and it will be useful to IBM event organizers as they try to improve their processes and services annually.
After the identification of the problem, the PDCA cycle can be used to brainstorm solutions. Dixon et al. (2012 p. 5) state that major sporting events should be used to market Bolder as a tourist destination. The next IBM race will be in August 2018, and various stakeholders in the tourism sector should be invited to be a part of the event. Therefore, IBM organizers should plan on how to include relevant stakeholders in the tourism sector and other local businesses. The organizers should include businesses that rely on environmentally sustainable practices or those that donate to charitable causes as there is no room for all businesses in the venue. Spectators who attend the IBM race require food and drinks, refreshment and entertainment provided by local businesses whereas visitors are interested in visiting fun places in Boulder and making new memories.
Another solution is increasing the role of the community in the event. IBM race should be used to enhance a sense of community pride by bringing people together to celebrate the occasion (Whittle et al., 2017 p. 62). Locals will come to cheer their favorite competitors while socializing with locals and visitors. The organizers should market the event well so that many locals will attend the event to watch; others will be employed at the event while others will volunteer.
The third step of PDCA cycle focuses on implementation. Having selected local businesses to be a part of the event, IBM race organizers should plan on how to set up the location, environmental sustainability policies to guide the businesses, and how to improve venue security with increasing number of businesses and locals in the venue. After the event, the organizers will evaluate the economic and social benefits as well as the costs and make the necessary changes for 2019 IBM event.
References
Dixon, A.W., Backman, S., Backman, K. and Norman, W., 2012. Expenditure-based segmentation of sport tourists. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 17 (1), pp.5-21.
Fredline, L., Raybould, M., Jago, L. and Deery, M., 2005, July. Triple bottom line event evaluation: A proposed framework for holistic event evaluation. In Allen J. Ed., Proceedings of International Event Research Conference July .
Whittle, M., Lomax, N., Heppenstall, A. and Brerton, S., 2017. Equitable or elitist? The social impact of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ. Area , 49 (1), pp.60-68.
