Social Impact

Meaningful social impacts attributable to an event are unlikely to happen by chance and must be managed if they are to occur.

The starting point in delivering specific social impacts is for an event to have clearly stated objectives, target audiences they want to influence and describe the delivery mechanisms by which the planned impacts will occur, prior to the event taking place.

ASOIF Common Indicators for Social Impact, and their links to the UN SDGs

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UNDERSTANDING EVENT IMPACT DATA:
Benchmarking for Better Insights


Interpreting event impact data to determine whether a study result is favourable can be challenging, especially without access to historical event data or comparisons from similar events. Our consultants have created a benchmark database to help clients contextualise and better understand their impact study results. 

An essential metric in assessing the social impact of events is proportion of female participation (ASOIF Reference Code: SO-DI2.1), as there remains a notable gender gap in many events. 

After analysing over 20 event impact studies, we identified several key aspects that influence female participation. Generally, participation in mass events is lower for women (between 30% and 41%) compared to elite events (between 40% and 50%).

Factors that can influence the level of participation by women and girls:

Mass-Participation Events:

  1. Create welcoming environments with equitable facilities, amenities, and prize distribution.
  2. Encourage women’s registrations, possibly through women-only categories or starting waves.
  3. Promote female role models to foster a supportive atmosphere.
  4. Partner with women-focused organisations or offer family-friendly options.

Elite Events:

  1. Schedule female and male races or performances equally during prime TV slots.
  2. Allocate equal numbers of female and male places on athlete or performer rosters, and ensure female quotas are fully met.
  3. Provide equal pay and prize money.
  4. Boost media coverage to balance visibility and representation of female athletes or performers.

While each event is unique, these common factors can substantially influence the participation of women and girls in an event.

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