Copenhagen's convention bureau has broadened its stance on legacy creation by expanding its legacy framework to include events.
Traditionally, Wonderful Copenhagen's Copenhagen Legacy Lab framework was used to generate positive impact and societal value that benefits more people than just those attending a congress - a formal meeting of delegates to discuss and take action on a topic.
Now, the framework can also be applied to events outside of the tradtional congress realm, including sporting events.
“With our new event legacy framework, we are able to
maximise the positive effects of international events in Copenhagen. Creating
positive impact from events and congresses is not coincidental nor random, but
rather a result of a systematic process,” says Kit Lykketoft, director of convention at Wonderful Copenhagen.
To date, Copenhagen Legacy Lab has worked
with international events such as the Badminton World Championships in 2023 and
Copenhagen Gaming Week in 2024. While the Badminton World Championships proved
a great opportunity for the Danish water sector to strengthen its position in
Asia, Copenhagen Gaming Week provided a unique platform for developers and
companies to showcase and large-scale test new games on industry professionals
and visitors at the event.
“The industry feedback and extensive experience that we have
built from working strategically with congress legacy for five years have given
us a unique position to work with legacy in an event context. We know from
events such as the Badminton World Championships and Copenhagen Gaming Week
that the value created knows no limit if you approach it the right way and with
the right stakeholders from the start,” explains Kim Mejnert Frydensbjerg, head
of events at Wonderful Copenhagen.
The new event legacy framework will be rolled out in full
for the first time in connection with the 2024 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard
Championship, which will take place in Copenhagen in September 2024. Copenhagen
Legacy Lab has been working with the local organising committee (Surf & SUP
Danmark) from the initial planning phase, and the process has involved a wide
range of stakeholders, including all of Denmark’s 19 tourism boards. The key
focus has been to develop a national stand-up paddle guide to brand Denmark as
an outdoor destination during the upcoming tournament and to attract more stand
up paddle enthusiasts.
“It’s been a very positive experience working with the
Copenhagen Legacy Lab team. They helped set the direction for our legacy
activities and showed us that an event like ours has the potential to generate
positive impact in sectors and ecosystems outside our own. Having a set
framework has enabled us to stay on track throughout the planning stage and
ensure that the legacy efforts don’t drown in logistics,” says Michael
Lindberg, CEO at Surf & SUP Danmark.
In addition to the 2024 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard
Championship, the new legacy framework will rolled out in connection with other
events in the future.
Read more about the event framework.
