At its most basic, an event is a pretty fixed concept. There are defined dates, a set location, and some sort of idea bringing people together. That might be the latest Taylor Swift concert or it might be a meeting for town planners, but there will be something uniting everyone in attendance.

From a place’s perspective, it puts bums on seats and heads in beds, and that will bring in money. But it that’s all you’re thinking about, you’ll miss out on the huge potential events have to drive longer-term impact for your place.

A well-crafted event strategy can reinforce your strength in strategically important sectors. It energizes your residents. It strengthens your place brand values. And it can even deliver wider community benefits far beyond the economic injection. 

“Integrating events into a larger destination strategy – engaging local businesses, investing in legacy, and fostering partnerships that extend economic and cultural benefits beyond the event itself [all] ensures the long-term value,” explained Joel Walton, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Business Events at Destination Canada.

But what does that look like in practice?

Here are five places that are re-thinking the ways that they approach events to ensure that they’re prioritizing a long-term, sustainable future for their communities.

Copenhagen: Collaborating with event planners to put legacy at the forefront

Copenhagen Legacy Lab selects two or three congresses heading to the city each year to partner with on projects designed to deliver long-lasting benefits. Each congress is assessed based on how their mission, vision, and strategic goals compare to relevant local initiatives in Copenhagen. Once selected, the organizers are invited to a workshop with local stakeholders to understand how legacy activities could target shared interests or common challenges.

“At the WindEurope Annual Event taking place in Copenhagen in April, we are focusing our legacy activities around school children and their engagement in wind energy,” explained Gerda-Marie Rist, Head of Copenhagen Legacy Lab. “This is a top priority for WindEurope and for Denmark, where targeted efforts are made to increase the interest in STEM educations.”

Through this partnership, school children and their families were invited to an Open House Event at ENERGY & WATER - Greater Copenhagen Living Lab. Students were given the chance to get hands on and design, prototype, and test wind turbines, while a specially developed teacher’s toolkit aimed to integrate sustainability into education.

“Evaluation is integrated from the planning phase to optimize value capture, and we monitor the outputs and outcomes for up to two years after the congress,” continued Gerda-Marie.

Ottawa: Event-driven stewardship

“At Ottawa Tourism, we believe in the long-term impact of events, beyond the economy,” highlighted President & CEO Michael Crockatt. “Whether it’s through skills development, environmental responsibility, or stronger community ties, we work to ensure every event shapes a more vibrant, resilient Ottawa for years to come.”

This is achieved through a number of initiatives, each designed to support Ottawa’s long-term vision. A partnership with La Tablée des Chefs redirects surplus food from event venues to those in need, thereby reducing food waste and ensuring each event is an opportunity to give back to the community.

Accessibility is also a core priority. The team advocate for accessible venues, and a partnership with Whimble connected people with disabilities to on-demand support during the recent International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Finally, they amplify local voices through their commitment to Indigenous tourism to foster cultural exchange and ensure that the economic benefits of events are felt in the Indigenous communities in and around Ottawa.

As Michael explained, “by connecting these elements – sustainability, inclusivity, and cultural enrichment – we make sure events leave a meaningful legacy.”

Greater Topeka: Building your reputation through a thriving experiential economy

The era of connectivity is in many ways the most disconnected we’ve ever been from our own places. But against that backdrop, the experiential economy is booming. And places can tap into that energy to reinforce perceptions of their place and to engage their residents.

“Topeka has redefined its community brand by recognizing the power of the experiential economy – where live events and shared social media experiences shape how people perceive a place,” outlined Bob Ross, Chief Marketing Officer at Greater Topeka Partnership.

Topeka invested $10 million in the creation of Evergy Plaza, a downtown gathering space that now hosts well over 200 events annually. By curating high-quality events, residents and visitors alike are incentivized to travel to Topeka’s downtown and soak in the atmosphere. Signature events like the Miracle on Kansas Avenue Christmas Parade, alongside cultural celebrations like India Mela, and Fiesta Topeka, help to define Topeka’s unique character and transforming its public spaces into thriving destinations.

“These efforts ensure that each event is more than just a moment in time – it becomes part of the city’s identity, leaving a lasting impression on attendees, and fuelling Topeka’s reputation as a vibrant and connected community,” Bob continued.

Kingston & Burlington: Getting visitors off the beaten track

Events also provide an opportunity to encourage visitors to explore deeper into your city or place. Typically, many out-of-town visitors to an event will have been drawn in by the event itself, and so may default to the most common, popular attractions to fill their spare time – or not stray from the event venue itself!

Megan Knott, CEO at Tourism Kingston, explained how they are “thoughtful about providing anciliary activities around the main event,” such as promoting a local food tour for conference delegates or arranging a guided trolley tour of a local historic site for visiting sports teams. By integrating these curated experiences into the event itself, you provide an opportunity for visitors to connect authentically with your community in ways they may not have considered. “Ideally, they will go back home and tell friends and family about the unique, welcoming experience they had in Kingston, the conversations they had, the “off-the-beaten-path” places they explored, becoming ambassadors for Kingston.”

Anita Cassidy, Executive Director at Burlington Economic Development & Tourism, shared a similar perspective. Their Concierge Service offers bespoke experiences to immerse event attendees in the unique culture of Burlington, while their souvenir giveaway program of local Burlington-themed items creates memorable touchpoints that extend beyond the event.

“In just four months since launching the Concierge Service, we’ve supported 14 events by curating unique experiences for attendees and providing 85 referrals to Burlington businesses, helping event organisers to integrate them into their local events,” explained Anita.

Ultimately by fostering these connections and promoting the hidden gems in your city, you can elevate the overall event experience while also driving wider and longer-term economic benefits for your city.

Connecting the dots between tourism, economic development, and events 

So what’s the solution? How do you ensure that your events strategy will deliver benefits for your community far beyond the closing ceremony?

Adriana Acosta, Marketing, Communication, & Country Brand Director at essential COSTA RICA, shared three tips that every place should keep top of mind.

“The first step is to define which events will contribute to building your place’s brand,” Adriana advised. Analyse the event’s values, what activities are planned, and who the sponsors are – it takes resources to make this work, so be intentional about the events that you partner with.

Adriana’s next recommendation is to “ensure that the initiative not only enhances your reputation, but also drives a clear call to action.” Do you want to increase visitation? Attract investors? Create business opportunities for your private sector? Encourage uptake of STEM education? Once you identify your north star, you can be more targeted in your actions, and you can also identify areas in which you want to be measuring progress to see if your actions had a real impact.

Finally, don’t underestimate opportunities to connect with your citizens either. “Local events should not be overlooked,” Adriana suggested, “especially those held annually, as they strengthen citizens’ sense of identity and foster connections with local stakeholders.

We look forward to hearing from Joel, Gerda-Marie, Michael, Bob, Megan, Anita, and Adriana at City Nation Place Americas this May 21-22^nd, where we’ll be exploring how places can connect the dots between tourism, events, economic development, and citizen engagement.

More than that, we also look forward to working with Ottawa Tourism and Invest Ottawa to put some of these ideas into practice, including tours to give our delegates a unique look into life in Ottawa, a partnership with La Tablée des Chefs, and a Flash Your Badge programme to encourage delegates to explore more of Ottawa’s local businesses and attractions during their stay. Find out more about the planned activities here.