Winning the Reputation Game: Insights from Our Early February Webinar

Burson Sports Lausanne hosted an engaging webinar on how major sporting events can shape city reputations, featuring insights from Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor in charge of Sport, Olympic and Paralympic Games and the River Seine, Paris, and Ashley Stracke, Director of International Event Diplomacy, Office of Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles. 
Using examples from the Paris 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles’ major upcoming events—including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the LA Games in 2028—we explored strategies to maximize impact, build legacy, and shape public perception.

For those who couldn’t join live, the full recording is available below.

Three key takeaways from the webinar:

1. Hosting events transforms reputation and fosters civic pride 
   Major sporting events can have a profound impact on a city’s reputation, especially domestically. Local skepticism often turns into pride as communities experience the excitement, engagement, and benefits of hosting a world-class event.
2. You must control the narrative 
   A city needs to define its own story. Decide what you want to be known for and who your key audiences are. Paris positioned itself as an “urban field of play,” while Los Angeles is expanding its narrative beyond entertainment to highlight its economic, cultural, and social strengths.
3. Reputation is a means, not an end 
   It's about knowing your city's overall objectives and then leveraging reputation as a tool to achieve them. This involves defining whom you talk to and for what purpose. And success requires managing the full reputation lifecycle—the pre-event build-up, the peak during the games, and the post-event legacy—with thoughtful planning to ensure gains endure long after the final whistle.

The webinar provided a fascinating look at how cities can strategically use major sporting events to enhance reputation, foster pride, and create a lasting positive legacy.