Research Establishes How Official Sports Fan Zones Attract New Visitors and Boost Footfall to OOH Venues

According to research carried out during the Olympic Games by Ocean Outdoor and Opinium, one in three visitors interviewed say they made a specific plan to visit one of the official Team GB fan zones presented by Ocean this summer.

More than 700 fan zone visitors took part in the study which sets out to measure the visitor experience, the value for landlords, sponsors and brand partners and the importance of the association with Team GB.

The key findings reveal that:

- Nearly half of those interviewed (47%) said they were not regular visitors to the area.

- A whopping 96% said they had a positive visitor experience.

- 54% said they intended to return to the location again.

In terms of dwell time, guests spent an average two hours enjoying the community atmosphere and facilities as they watched the Olympics live on large screens, spending an average of £35 during their fan zone visit.

The field study interviewed visitors to three of the flagship official Team GB fan zones which were curated and managed by Ocean and hosted by Battersea Power Station in London, Spinningfields in Manchester and St James Quarter Edinburgh for the period of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Commenting on the findings, Ocean Outdoor head of insight Steve Bernard said: “This independent study establishes how sports fan zones not only bring new people into leisure and retail destinations but will draw them back in the future.

“The majority of those interviewed were blown away by the community spirit and positive friendly atmosphere, with the majority agreeing that the fact they were attending an Official fan zone was important in bringing likeminded people together in environments that met their expectations.

“In what has been a cracking summer of sport, the magnetism of well curated outdoor audience experiences demonstrates the value to landlords and brand partners in turning Spaces into Places for audiences who are looking for something different and will then recommend that experience to their friends.”    

Ocean head of content and sponsorship Kevin Henry said: “Ocean connects audiences in ways others can’t, entertaining audiences in premium outdoor environments, coupled with wider screen content, broadcast highlights and updates from all the sporting action. For sponsors, this study demonstrates how we are creating closer customer relationships through live sports events. Our Paris 2024 programme gave brands direct, immediate and tactical ways to engage with consumers and galvanise fans.”

Other key findings include: 

- 32% of those interviewed said they had planned their visit to the fan zones.

- Of those, 35% said they had heard about the fan zones via family and friends, with 23% finding out about them through online mentions or through social or other media (21%).

- Only 22% said they visited the area often, however, 54% said they would return to the venue in the future.

- In terms of value, 88% agreed that creating Official fan spaces to watch large sporting events was either important or very important.

- 60% of those who think fan zones are important, say it’s because of the shared experience with likeminded people and 55% said they enjoyed the atmosphere.

- One in five visitors said they had posted about their visit on social media.

- 60% said it was either important or very important to be watching the Olympics in an Official fan zone, with 76% agreeing that the association with Team GB was appealing and in line with their expectations.

- 92% said they would recommend visiting an official sports fan zone to their friends.

In total, Ocean managed 22 sports fan zones this summer working with Team GB, ParalympicsGB and Wimbledon, activating brand partnerships and integrated sponsorships with adidas, Aldi, GetPro, TikTok, NatWest, the National Lottery, Randox, Corona Cero, Range Rover and American Express.