OUTSTANDING SPORTING EVENT

This category opens Monday 18th March at 10:00am and closes Sunday 28th April at 23:59pm

Scotland is the Perfect Stage for events. From large scale international events to national and local events, Scotland has a rich annual programme of sporting events which make an important contribution to our thriving communities and cities and the health and wellbeing of our people. 

If your events bring attendees in from outside of the immediate area, from across Scotland or internationally, then you should consider your event part of Scotland’s tourism and events offering and eligible to enter.  

Who Should Enter:
Organisers of regional, national or international sporting events that contribute to Scotland’s tourism offer, attracting out of region participants/spectators and showcasing our built facilities and natural environment are eligible to apply. Events must have taken place in Scotland within the time period from 1st May 2023 – 31st March 2024. For annual or recurring events, it is the most recent edition that is eligible.


Entry Questions

Executive Summary
The purpose of the Executive Summary is to give judges a general overview and better understanding of your event or festival. Your entry should focus on the most recent edition of your event taking place between 1st May 2023 – 31st March 2024. Some examples of the type of information judges will be looking for are listed below. This question is not scored but it is important to set out a good overview of your event/festival for general understanding/background knowledge.  

  • Please let us know if your event was local/regional/international in terms of its participation/spectator base and if travel restrictions impacted this.
  • Spectator / Participant / Athlete numbers and profile, recognising where appropriate the restrictions that were in place at the time with regards to participation numbers and /or spectators
  • Number of years the event has been operating for 
  • If the event is recurring or a one-off 
  • Any other information you feel is relevant

 

1. In what ways is your event or festival unique to your area/Scotland? Provide examples of how it provides an authentic, memorable and unique experience for participants and attendees.

You should provide clear evidence of activity within the time period from 1st May 2023 to 31st March 2024. Please cover any areas you think are relevant, although you may wish to include aspects such as:

  • How does your event utilise and develop the key assets that make Scotland the Perfect Stage for events: Our people, cultural identity and heritage, natural environment, built facilities and our signature events.
  • How does your event showcase the area in which it takes place?
  • What's unique about your offer?
  • Describe how you have collaborated with Scottish tourism businesses/partners to strengthen your event and the visitor experience

 

2. Please tell us what success your event achieved in terms of the event experience, participant experience, media reach (broadcast, digital) and sporting excellence.   

This is your chance to highlight to judges what made your event outstanding in terms of the experience that was delivered and how it engaged with spectators, participants and /or attendees and through wider media reach. Please cover any areas you think are relevant, although we suggest you include aspects such as: 

  • The event experience - how did it engage, excite or inspire spectators and/or participants?
  • Provide an outline of feedback /research /stats from event attendees that evidence high visitor satisfaction and engagement 
  • Tell us how many people your event engaged.  Please provide detail in terms of live and/or online audience numbers, participation, media reach, etc.  Where did you attendees come from and who were they?
  • Describe any new/innovative developments that have helped improve the event experience
  • Please tell us about your future ambitions for the development of the event experience

 

3. Please tell us how your event incorporated responsible planning and delivery? 

Responsible event delivery is an essential criterion for excellence and should be core to all event planning.  Delivering responsible events encompasses protecting the environment and our cultural heritage, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity and providing benefits for our host communities. 

The judges are looking for you to demonstrate that responsible event planning and delivery was central to your approach and that you excelled in this respect.  Please cover the areas you think are relevant but at minimum you should outline:

  • How your event has shown ambition and innovation to reduce your environmental impact, e.g. energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, low-carbon transport 
  • Your commitment to protecting the environment impacted by your event
  • How your event promotes and preserves our culture and traditions?
  • What you’ve done to make the event as inclusive and accessible as possible and how you ensure potential attendees know what’s available for different needs.
  • How your event invests in and benefits the host community.

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