Examining Long-Term Organizational Forms Surrounding Leverage and Legacy Delivery of Canadian Major-Sport Events

• Published in: Event management Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 1211 - 1233
• Main Authors: Wasser, Kylie, Di Lu, Landy, Misener, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Putnam Valley Cognizant Communication Corporation 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Collaboration; Event Leverage; Events planning; Legacy Delivery; Major-Sport Events; Multi-Sector Collaboration; Organizational Form; Sports; Canada
• ISSN: 1525-9951; 1943-4308
• DOI: 10.3727/152599522X16419948390790

This study explored the long-term organizational forms that are responsible for leverage and legacy delivery of major-sport events. Comparative cases from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and the 2015 Toronto Pan Am/Parapan American Games were used to examine what mechanisms previous host cities have used. The findings from this study demonstrated that important organizational mechanisms contributing to strategic leveraging efforts included frequent collaboration from earliest point; distinction from the OC; the use of binding policy to maintain partnerships; clearly defined roles, responsibilities and guidelines of conduct; and consistent, sustainable leadership. The collaborative nature of these organizational forms provided opportunities for organizations to increase their leveraging capacity. A conceptual framework for leveraging sustainable outcomes within the complex and multi-layered nature of collaboration is also developed as a starting point for organizers looking to deliver lasting impacts from an event, as well as for scholars examining event legacy and/or leveraging strategies.