I think The 2014 Ryder Cup was an outstanding event for golfers and Scotland as well. This Ryder Cup event at Gleneagles, attracted over 250,000 spectators and generated £106 million for the Scottish economy. The Scottish government (led by VisitScotland’s Events Directorate) invested in golf events across Scotland (including The 2014 Ryder Cup)£10.9m between 2003 and 2014.
This was also the 1st time in Ryder Cup history, the organizers implemented Radio Frequency Identification (RFID wristband). Their intention was to reach those who otherwise would not watch golf or follow up the Ryder Cup event so close (for similar purposes SnapChat Life Story was implemented early this year at Waste Management Phoenix Open: this wast the 1st ever golf major where SnapChat was used.). Snapchat is just another way to grow the game among younger audience.
This was also probably the most mobile-friendly Ryder Cup event where spectators were encouraged (!!!) to share their experience in social media.
What are the economic benefits and results of The 2014 Ryder Cup?
- The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles boosted the Scottish economy by £106 million and generated £22 million in Perth and Kinross alone.
- 57% of event spectators came from outwith Scotland with 22% travelling from overseas to attend the event.
- Attendees at The Ryder Cup accounted for a total of 133,104 bed nights during the week of the event alone whilst a further 10,793 attendees extended their stay either pre or post event, which accounted for an additional 57,758 bed nights.
- 73% of accommodation providers reported greater than normal takings compared with September 2013 with an average 21 percentage point increase.
- Spectators were inspired to return to Scotland with 68% of attendees from outwith the country indicating they would visit Scotland within a year for a leisure break.
- The media value for the event totaled £42m, including the provision of more than 5,000 hours of television coverage by 50 broadcasters in 200 territories.
- 97% of respondents agreeing that Scotland is indeed the Home of Golf. This is really important to Scotland as 1 in 125 Scottish jobs are dependent on golf.
- Edinburgh Airport seeing a 2.9% and Glasgow Airport a 2.4% rise in September compared to the previous year.
- 698,089 mentions of The 2014 Ryder Cup and associated keywords on social networks between 22 and 29 September 2014.
- Social media reach during the Ryder Cup totaled more than 3 billion people. There were a total of 449,982 tweets mentioning The 2014 Ryder Cup and associated key words from 210,650 unique sources.
- The official 2014 Ryder Cup mobile app was downloaded 185,000 times on iOS (Android version was downloaded cca. 20000 times.).
The 2010 Ryder Cup that was held at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, generated only £80 million. The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club generated 135 million USD revenue. The attitude toward hosting The Ryder Cup is different in Europe. It seems like for Europeans holding such a prestigious event is a national pride (especially there are several countries who would be interested in hosting it).
In the US holding a Ryder Cup is still considered as a commercial jackpot. However for European host sites economic impact is more important.