Brand creation in international recurring sports events

Although recurring sports events are held more frequently and by a larger number of cities than one-off events, little research has examined the branding process within recurring events. This paper addresses this gap by examining the brand creation process for international recurring sports events. Based on Parent and Seguin's (2008) model for one-off sports events, a comparative case study of the Alberta World Cup (Canada) and World Cup Drammen (Norway) cross-country ski events was conducted. Findings included similarities (leaders' skills/value-based actions, induced event experiences, and institutional experiences) and differences (branding/marketing efforts, recognition of the sport, and nature of the event (success, media coverage, geographic location, and history/impact)). An expanded model of event brand creation is proposed, which can be applied to both one-off and recurring sports events in small and large North American and European cities. (C) 2011 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.