International Canoe Federation

Organisers seek to broaden the sport's and event's reach

With growing costs and a multitude of responsibilities, the cost of travelling for the average person is an indulgence that they can do without, and it is therefore becoming increasingly necessary for organizers to take their events to the “doorstep” of their fans. They do this by providing two possibilities to take part in the event. The first possibility is for those present at the venue to experience it live and the other possibility is for the fans not physically present (“virtual” representation) to experience the event through social media platforms and technology, this is called a hybrid event.

Szeged 2012 Organising Committee’s ability to engage and interact with their virtual audience during the Championships, eclipsed previous organizers attempt to engage with their canoeing fan base.

Social media platforms used to engage virtual fans

Consider how far and fast the Hungarian Canoe Federation and its organizing Committee have come in terms of its use of social media; it is only last year (2010) that they created their Facebook page. When they organized their last Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged 2006, social media could not even be considered “buzz words”. Szeged 201’s Press Chief Balaz Nemeth said, “In 2006 we did not know Facebook, we did not know Twitter, but it is 2011, we had to do it, we had no choice because this is how we can reach the fans of our sport”. It is this open, participatory nature of the Canoe Sprint World Championships that has enabled millions of people around the World to watch and experience the event without being physically present – a hybrid event.

Livestreaming of results, Facebook, Twitter, online communities used

Without a definitive social media strategy in place, the organizers realized the importance of sharing content and engaging its “virtual” audience. Through the Organising Committee’s Website, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, other online communities and live streaming hundreds of thousands more people have been able to follow the Championships, enabling the Organiser’s to meet the demand by today’s fans to receiver instant information, while also creating mediums in which they can share in the experience altogether.

To offer the opportunity for the Championships’ virtual audience to be fully part of the event, a series of relationships and partnerships were formed, some new others already in existence.

OVI downloadable application provided fans with results

OVI the brand for Nokia’s Internet services approached the Hungarian Canoe Federation and Organising Committee offering its services and as a result of this cooperation between the Federation and Nokia, competitors and fans from around the world could download the application and be kept updated with live results and the latest news. During the World Championship the application is continuously updated, so fans and followers of the championship could keep track of every race. This service was available in English and Hungarian. This partnership was a win win for both the Organising Committee and OVI because the Organiser’s objective was to provide a platform for its fans from which they could obtain information about the result in real time, whereas Nokia's aim with Ovi was to tap into a new market that would no doubt continue to use its services

Vast communication system and structure put in place

In addition to the partnership with OVI, the Organising Committee has a longstanding relationship with T-Mobile. The mobile company is an official sponsor of the Hungarian Federation and as part of their sponsorship commitment to the event and Federation, they built the entire communication system, providing the infrastructure of which all the events internet and mobile services were activated. The facilities they provided enabled an unprecedented number of people to follow the event via live web-streaming. ICF President Jose Perurena said at the Closing Press Conference, “This is the first time that 15,000 fans have come out to watch a canoeing event in one showing, it is the first time that this many broadcasters from around the world are here to televise our event live, and more and more the world is able to access canoeing.”

Spidercam(TM) used for improved coverage 

Technology is at the foundation of a hybrid event and with the unprecedented use of the spidercam at a canoeing event, the fans both at the venue and at home could experience the Championships in a more inclusive way. The Spidercam enables film and television cameras, of which there were 25 in total, to move both vertically and horizontally over a predetermined area, thus providing full three dimensional movement while covering large areas,

There have been challenges though, the level of interest in the Championships was underestimated and the with the number of people trying to access the Organising Committee’s website and other online platforms, the site almost crashed forcing the IT specialists to move the network to another server with a greater bandwidth.

For complete results and more, visit the official website for Szeged2011.com.