Lahti 2017 is the latest event to join the GSI Event Studies Programme

Sportcal conducts holistic GSI Event Study on FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017.

Lahti 2017, the Lahti Region, the Finnish Olympic Committee and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture have signed an agreement for Sportcal to undertake a GSI Event Study on the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017, which is currently taking place in Lahti, Finland.

Lahti is the home of winter sports in Finland; first hosting the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1926, and is currently hosting a record-breaking seventh championships in 2017.

The Impact Study of the Lahti 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships will be carried out by Sportcal, in collaboration with all the key stakeholders involved in the event, including; Lahti 2017, City of Lahti, Lahti Region Ltd, Finnish Olympic Committee, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, FIS, major international / national sponsors, and related media and environmental organisations.

The results of the Impact Study will be integrated into the learnings from Lahti 2017, and used to help organise future events:

"The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have a significant meaning for the city of Lahti and the whole region. Specifically, we aim to study the overall economic and tourism impacts. In addition, we are interested in the overall media coverage, social impacts, and environmental impacts. This study is very comprehensive and we are pleased to do this together with our close partners. As a legacy of this study, we wish to be able to create a national impact measurement system in Finland, which would result in us having a shared methodology and indicators in each major international event in Finland," states CEO of Lahti Region Ltd, Raija Forsman.

The Impact study will be carried out by Sportcal, the world's leading provider of sports market intelligence, and forms part of the GSI Event Studies Programme for 2017 through to 2020.

 Mike Laflin, CEO and Founder of Sportcal and the GSI Project, stated:

"We are delighted to be working with the Lahti Region, the Lahti 2017 LOC, the Finnish Olympic Committee and the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture on this Centenary FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti. This study will help show how sports and tourism are now so closely inter-linked and demonstrate the broad holistic impacts that Lahti 2017 have achieved by activating a strong social, cultural and environmental programme, which ultimately will have a positive impact for Lahti now and for many years ahead."

The Finnish Olympic Committee is committed to developing the GSI Event Study impact methodology for upcoming major events:

"Business intelligence and importance of information in decision-making is essential and increasingly important when bidding for events. The extensive experience and perspective that Sportcal has in the international sporting world provides us with excellent opportunities to develop our sport events and strengthen the exisiting knowledge we have," describes special advisor of Finnish Olympic Committee, Kati Mälkki.  

Lahti 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is hosting observer programs for a number of international visitors, including organisers of future major events, international federations and future event host candidates. Observers included the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games organising committee, who were very interested in the execution of the World Championships as well as the implementation of the guest service provision.

Janne Leskinen, Lahti 2017 Secretary General commented:

"It is great to notice that our event concept receives high interest. There are many major events hosted in the upcoming years, and future organising committees naturally want to utilize the most effective concepts. Regarding Lahti, our service design is drawing attention, where we wish to provide a comperehensive experience starting from the moment they are travelling to Lahti to the point when they have returned to their homes."

All elements of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships will be analysed through the GSI Event Study, including; economic impact, tourism, media coverage, social media reach, sponsorship activation, social engagement, education and cultural programmes, environmental practice, plus analysis of the key stakeholders.

GSI Event Studies Programme 2017-2020:

Sportcal is embarking upon a four-year programme during the 2017-2020 Olympic cycle, which will bring federations, rights owners, host cities, governments and key stakeholders together to work with Sportcal and engage in the GSI Project.

The programme will involve the development of annual studies from a diverse range of sports and events, to help event owners and hosts understand the true impact of their events across a wide range of sectors, and to support them in the further development of their event strategies.

For further information about the GSI Project and how to join the GSI Event Studies Programme, contact gsi@sportcal.com or call +44 (0) 20 8944 8786