EVENT STRATEGY, BIDDING & LEGACY PLANNING

We help cities, destinations, and event owners make confident decisions about pursuing events.

Combining feasibility, strategic alignment, competitive positioning, and political insight, we shape credible bids, evidence-led business cases, and legacy-focused strategies that manage risk, secure approval, and deliver long-term economic, environmental, and social value.

  • We assess whether an event is viable by testing strategic fit, costs, risks, capacity, and alternatives, enabling clients to compare options objectively before committing political, financial, and organisational resources.

  • We assess how prospective events support long-term economic, social, environmental, and sector strategies, ensuring bids reinforce existing priorities rather than distract from wider place-based development objectives.

  • We evaluate how events fit within an existing portfolio, identifying synergies, timing issues, and trade-offs to avoid duplication, overstretch, or missed opportunities elsewhere in the event ecosystem.

  • We analyse competing hosts and rival bids to understand market dynamics, strengths, and weaknesses, enabling clients to position bids credibly and strategically within national and international contexts.

  • We shape bid strategies that align ambition with realism, defining distinctive propositions, delivery models, and narratives that respond directly to evaluation criteria and competitive pressures.

  • We map political dynamics, institutional structures, and decision pathways to help clients understand how, when, and by whom event decisions are made—and where risks or opportunities may emerge.

  • We identify key stakeholders, interests, and influence levels, designing engagement and governance structures that support legitimacy, coordination, and shared ownership throughout bidding and delivery phases.

  • We assess whether governance arrangements, organisational capacity, and delivery partners are fit for purpose, identifying gaps, risks, and options for strengthening capability before commitments are made.

  • We systematically identify and assess risks across core domains, clarifying exposure, mitigation options, and tolerances to support informed decisions before financial or reputational commitments escalate.

  • We develop clear theories of change that connect hosting an event to desired outcomes, ensuring bids articulate credible pathways from activity to impact.

  • We define and evidence multi-dimensional value propositions, helping clients articulate why an event matters beyond economics and how it delivers balanced benefits for people and places.

  • We ensure bids align with national, regional, and local policy agendas, strengthening strategic coherence and increasing the likelihood of political, financial, and institutional support.

  • We develop robust business cases grounded in evidence, clearly setting out costs, benefits, risks, and alternatives to support funding decisions, approvals, and public accountability.

  • We embed legacy thinking from the outset, focusing on lasting capability, institutional learning, and system-level change rather than short-term post-event outputs.