Major Event Economics | 4 Rules To Power Up Storytelling

How to build great Major Event Economics Stories

Leveraging Narrative to Showcase Impact and Secure Stakeholder Support

Major Event Economics - The Power of Storytelling

Economic impact alone isn’t enough – major event economics can be communicated so much more effectively to secure public support, media traction, and stakeholder investment. A successful event can fail on how well its benefits are understood and embraced by the community.

This playbook outlines the four rules for turning data into compelling narratives;

- Make economic figures personal by connecting them to local businesses and individuals.
- Translate tax revenue into tangible benefits, ensuring people see its direct impact on schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.
- Craft media-friendly stories that capture attention, shaping headlines instead of just reports.
- Use interactive tools to showcase economic impact dynamically, making it accessible and engaging.

When economic storytelling is done right, events shift from being questioned to being celebrated. They become drivers of pride, investment, and long-term growth, leaving behind a legacy that goes beyond the closing ceremony.

Mark Alexander Founder and CEO Living Lab

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MAJOR EVENT economics - TRUth Well TOLD

Major sports events generate billions in revenue, create thousands of jobs, and elevate cities into global destinations. Yet, the major vent economics and the benefits often remain abstract, failing to connect with the people and businesses they impact. Public support, media attention, and stakeholder buy-in depend not on the numbers alone, but on the story behind them.

This playbook sets out four fundamental rules for major event economics storytelling – turning raw data into compelling narratives that drive support and shape public perception.

Step 1
Stop Talking in Billions—Make It Personal

A figure like €1.2 billion in economic impact is impressive on paper but meaningless to most people. Data alone does not persuade. What matters is how that figure translates into real-world benefits.

Instead of talking about billion of dollars of broad macroeconomic gains in major event economic , the focus should be on tangible, personal impact: the independent restaurant owner doubling turnover during an event weekend, the hotel chain hiring 50 new staff, the taxi driver increasing fares by 30 per cent.

A successful narrative moves beyond numbers and into lived experiences. Media, stakeholders, and the public engage more with names and faces than financial reports.

💡 How to Apply It

- Develop case studies on local businesses and workers directly benefiting from the event
- Integrate real-world stories into press releases, speeches, and social campaigns
- Work with content teams to build documentary-style narratives showcasing impact

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Step 2
Translate Tax Revenue into Public Benefits

Tax revenue is not a selling point. Nobody likes the sound of taxes! People do love and care about what it funds. Whether an event generates €300 million in taxes is secondary to the infrastructure, services, and opportunities it enables. Putting them first counts

A powerful major event economics narrative makes those reinvestments visible. If event-related taxes finance the expansion of a public transport network, that is the story. If they contribute to the construction of a new hospital, that is what gets communicated. The focus shifts from abstract revenue figures to concrete societal benefits.

💡 How to Apply It

- Align economic storytelling with government infrastructure projects
- Work with Living Lab to map out tangible outcomes for tax revenue
- Talk to Living Lab about the visual assets we can create to showcase move major event economics results in reinvestment into public services

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Step 3
Build Media-Friendly Narratives

Journalists need stories, not spreadsheets. Economic impact reports are essential for internal strategy, but they do not make headlines. Instead, economic storytelling must align with the way media operates: through compelling, people-focused angles that drive engagement.

A well-crafted economic story answers a fundamental question: how does this event change a city, a sector, or a community? Framing matters. “The Grand Prix generated €500 million in revenue” is a report statistic. “How the Grand Prix turned a struggling city into a thriving motorsport hub” is a story.

💡 How to Apply It

- Package economic data with strong editorial angles tailored for media
- Build a network of business owners, employees, independent workers, and investors available for interviews
- Create pre-prepared feature pieces that journalists can use directly

Step 3
Make Economic Impact Interactive

A static report sits on a desk. An interactive economic story moves. Visualising economic impact makes it more accessible, engaging, and shareable.

Economic storytelling require the data from your major event economics report works when it is dynamic – when users can explore the impact on local businesses, track where tax revenues are reinvested, and see the direct effect on employment. This shifts economic impact from a passive statistic to an experience people can engage with.

💡 How to Apply It

- Use Living Lab’s interactive digital tools to map out economic benefits
- Develop before-and-after visual content to show the transformation of host cities
- Integrate immersive storytelling techniques into digital communications

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Shaping Perception, Driving Engagement

Economic storytelling is more than just a communications strategy. It is a fundamental tool for securing public support, attracting investment, and shaping the long-term legacy of a major event. The most successful host cities and sports organisations do not just deliver a major event economics GVA – they make that impact impossible to ignore.

To build a narrative that transforms perception, the focus must move beyond numbers and into the lives, businesses, and communities that define an event’s real success.