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Event Support Services

Government support to sports seeking to bid for and stage major events has been categorised into 14 separate areas. Seven of these areas focus on supporting NGBs with bidding for events, and seven areas focus on supporting NGBs to deliver events. A short resume of each programme is provided below, but further details can be found here, including information on how the strategic priority of an event determines the support that UK Sport can consider.

BIDDING

Political Support (DCMS)

The UK Government will assist strategically important bids in order to demonstrate strong political support and to highlight an event’s importance to the UK.  This may include:

• Letters of Support from UK Government
• Ministerial presence at bid presentations
• Hosting evaluation committees

Government Guarantees – Bidding (DCMS)

A limited number of the world’s largest sporting events require guarantees to be made by the government of a bidding nation.  DCMS will be the central contact point for all Government departments and will work with NGBs to secure the guarantees to support the bid. Support will be considered on a case-by-case basis for:

• Taxation exemption
• Customs support
• Visa support
• Underwriting

Feasibility Planning (UK Sport)

Some of the biggest events may require detailed analysis to assess whether an event is viable and how it would be financed and delivered, prior to a bid being made. UK Sport will consider support towards the following areas:

• Feasibility studies
• Venue selection processes
• Business planning

Bid Advice (UK Sport)

Major events are becoming harder to secure and many involve competitive bidding processes against other nations. UK Sport will consider providing financial support towards an event bid, as well as developing the following areas:

• Dedicated Major Events Consultant
• Bid team participation and advice
• Access and contacts to bid consultants
• Access to materials/resources from other bids

Bid Funding (UK Sport)

The development of a professional bid will often require a dedicated bid budget. UK Sport will consider providing Lottery funding towards the bidding costs of strategically important events. These costs typically cover items such as:

• Technical documentation
• Travel
• Bid films

Event Funding (UK Sport)

Following a detailed application process, UK Sport will consider providing Lottery funding towards the staging costs of strategically important major events with a clear and demonstrable financial need. Investment will only be considered prior to bids being submitted and investment is made at UK Sport’s discretion.

International Legacy (UK Sport)

International Federations are increasingly expecting to see their major events have a global impact and support their own development initiatives. Bids from the UK may be supported by an international legacy programme. The following support can be considered 

• Specialist international legacy advice
• Contacts to help develop/leverage partnerships

STAGING

Government Guarantees – Delivery (DCMS)

Any guarantees made by Government to an event at bidding stage will need to be fulfilled and overseen by DCMS. These to potentially include:

• Taxation exemption
• Customs support
• Visa support
• Underwriting

Staging Advice (UK Sport)

An effective and high-quality governance and organisational structure must be in place in order to ensure the successful delivery of a major sporting event.  UK Sport is able to provide access to specialist knowledge, advice and skills to ensure a high standard of event delivery.

• Dedicated Major Events Consultant
• Support to Event LOCs/Boards
• Access to industry consultants/specialists

Equipment (UK Sport)

UK Sport’s equipment store has been developed over a number of years to ensure supported events have access to generic event staging equipment at either competitive costs or free of charge.  Items include:

• Flooring
• Scoreboards
• Flags and anthems
• Podiums

Promotional Support (UK Sport)

UK Sport will explore cross-event promotional opportunities for its supported events, to contribute towards individual event marketing strategies and encourage ticket sales. Support will be considered in the following areas.

• Cross-event marketing initiatives/campaigns
• Market research

Branding (UK Sport)

Alongside its Equipment Store, UK Sport can supply Lottery-funded event branding materials to help dress major events and enhance the look and feel. Access will be considered to high-quality branding including items such as:

• Banners and Scrim
• Lanyards
• Outdoor branding materials

Event Impact Research (UK Sport)

UK Sport has developed expertise in undertaking and commissioning research to monitor the impacts of major events. Support will considered to provide:

• Economic/Media/Sporting Impact research
• Bespoke research projects
• To operate eventIMPACTS.com

Knowledge Transfer (UK Sport)

Major events hosted in the UK provide excellent opportunities to enable NGB Event Managers to learn from each other via knowledge transfer initiatives. UK Sport will provide/facilitate:

• Observer Tours
• Educational Workshops
• Secondment and Mentoring Opportunities
• Online Toolkit Resource