Two social impact metrics for major events to consider
Carrying on the conversation about measuring an event’s social impact (see my previous article), here are two measures that we think are a good starting point for events and their government investors to consider.
Measure 1 – Spontaneous mentions of events that spark “local pride”
What we’re measuring.
The events in your community that spark a sense of local pride.
Why it’s important.
An event’s ability to spark a sense of local pride indicates, amongst other things, the extent to which it encapsulates collective identity. The events that do so are in a unique position to at once be a unifier of the community, whilst also being an authentic vehicle to showcase and market your place to the outside world.
Further, this measure of pride is a great indicator as to the extent to which an event:
Will be attended by locals,
Will be spoken about and used as a reason to invite friends from outside the community to visit (VFR),
Can attract support in the form of volunteers, either for the event day itself, or to serve on an event committee.
As such, it’s an incredibly important indicator when it comes to assessing an event’s medium to long term operational and financial sustainability.
How to measure it.
It’s important that the sample you gather this data from is broadly representative of the community. To that end, we find the best way to do this is to conduct an annual survey either via a panel, and/or community-wide social media channels (eg: Council social media) that includes this question:
In the fields below, please list up to two major events in <<your place>> that give you a sense of pride about living here in <<your place>>
a. <<Open field>>
b. <<Open field>>
To get an idea behind the “why”, it’s generally a good idea to follow this question up with one that simply asks why those events spark that sense of pride.
If a stand-alone survey is a stretch for you and your community’s resources, see if you can piggyback the question into an existing community-wide survey. Councils generally run at least 2-3 of these a year.
How to analyse and present it.
Firstly, make sure your sample is broadly representative of your community by gender and age. If it’s not, rebalance it by randomly deleting responses from the demographic segment(s) that are over-represented.
Once you’re confident in your sample profile, go through and clean up the responses to the question.
Here’s what you’ve got on your hands for events that attract the below ranges of results:
15-20% - An event that brings a big slice of the community together.
20-30% - An event that is emblematic of the community, and/or is just something they’re proud to call their own.
30%+ - An iconic event that epitomises your place and its culture at its best
How to use it.
For events that are less than five years old and attract a result above 15%, you’re likely on to something special. Generally speaking, a result like this will represent a massive opportunity for Council and other stakeholders interested in the community’s wellbeing to invest in something with serious potential.
For events that attract a result of up to and in excess of 30%, delve in to the open-ended responses to get a really good idea as to what it is that sparks the sense of local pride. Articulate your findings as a key strength and integrate that strength into the event’s Business Plan by explicitly building on and leveraging that strength.
Measure 2 – Social impact indictors that align with community-wide strategies
What we’re measuring.
The extent to which an event delivers social impact outputs such as “connection”, “showcasing of local culture”, and “civic pride”.
Why it’s important.
There are two key things these metrics can do for you and your event:
Events in their infancy (their first five years), as awareness starts to build it can be hard to show momentum and audience growth. By asking these questions of those that are aware of the event, we can get an idea of how deeply it connects with its core, or “early adopter” audience. In the early years of Vivid Sydney when attendance and visitation were low, these metrics were used to help show that we were on to something special.
Provide absolute figures that deliver directly to metrics that are in most Councils’ Community Development Plans/Strategies.
How to measure it.
Using the language in your place’s Community Development plans, ask up to three, 5-point scaled questions about the extent to which your respondents agree with statements such as:
<<event name>> makes me proud to live where I do
<<event name>> helps me fee more connected to my community
<<event name>> sums up our place at its best
Importantly, these questions should only be asked of people that are aware of an event in the first place.
In terms of the sample, these questions can equally be posed of event attendees (eg: via a ticketing database), and/or the wider community via the methods mentioned in earlier.
How to analyse and present it.
If the point of this data is about identifying events in their infancy that are showing promise, then you’ll want to isolate those that responded 5=Strongly agree.
If you’re going to use this data to showcase your event ability to drive community-based outcomes, then add up the percentage responses for 4=Agree and 5=Strongly agree, then multiply that percentage by the number of local attendees to your event. That gives you an absolute number. By way of example, 75% of your community have agreed or strongly agreed that your event “Makes me feel more connected to my community”. 4,000 locals attended your event in total. That means 3,000 people in your community feel more connected than they otherwise would, all thanks to your event.
How to use it.
For events in their infancy, if your event registers over 70% “Strongly agree” with one or more of your three statements, (amongst those that are aware of it) you’ve got a dedicated core of “early adopters” and as such, could be sitting on a very special event. A great argument for investment by local business and others.
If you are using these measures to gauge community-based outcomes, take your final number (3,000 in our example above) to Council to illustrate why your event is a compelling proposition to deliver on their community development objectives. The more the statements you test are reflective of the wording in Council’s community plans, the better. It’s a rare Council that would have a grasp on how many initiatives they invest in deliver results as definitive the one you’ll present to them. As such, this sort of number makes a compelling reason for investment, beyond that of the classic visitation argument.
For those that made it this far, well done, I hope that helps and don't hestitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Happy measuring!