Towards a Disaggregated Approach to the Economic Impact of Sporting Events: The Case of the World Equestrian Games

This article develops a methodology to provide a more precise measurement of the economic impact of sporting events, by considering inputs from a large diversity of event stakeholders and not just from spectators. The case study is the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, during which 1,946 respondents were surveyed. Even if the direct tourist spending mainly comes from outside spectators, the event participants (athletes and their accompanying people, employees and volunteers), and event partners (exhibitors, catering services, media workers) also contribute significantly to the economic spinoff, as well as the spending of some local spectators (‘home stayers’). Differences in behavior between the various event’ stakeholders are considered not only through the initial spending, but also during the multiplier process. This study contributes to improve the economic impact evaluation of sporting events, illustrating the importance of considering events stakeholder diversity through a disaggregated approach.