GAME ON: HOW GLOBAL SPORTS EVENTS RESHAPE CITIES, INVESTMENT & TOURISM

Saudi Arabia's emergence as a global sporting destination is reshaping far more than its events calendar. As the Kingdom prepares to host a growing portfolio of international tournaments, from Formula 1 and international football to golf, boxing and e-sports, sport is increasingly recognised as a powerful driver of tourism demand, investment attraction and long-term destination positioning.

As David Thomson, Senior Vice President – Development, The First Group Hospitality, puts it: "Mega-events can put a city on the map. When managed well, they reposition a city in the minds of investors and travellers."

Four leading hospitality executives share their perspectives ahead of the Future Hospitality Summit – FHS Saudi Arabia, taking place from 22-24 June at Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh.

Reputation before revenue

The leaders agreed that the reputational dividend far outweighs the short-term financial return. For Muin Serhan, CEO, Amsa Hospitality: "The greatest impact of global events lies in reputation. While revenue is temporary, reputation compounds over time. When executed well, a global event signals capability, safety, and cultural openness, factors closely watched by investors when they enter a market."

Victor Abou Ghanem, CEO, Story Hospitality, frames the opportunity in similarly expansive terms: "For destinations, a mega-event is the most expensive advertising campaign you will ever run, and the only one the entire world covers for free. If you treat the event as a short-term P&L exercise, you probably won't justify the cost. If you see it as a 10–20-year brand-building moment, the logic changes completely."

Wael Al Sharif, Area General Manager, The Torch Hospitality, underlines the scale of the opportunity for Saudi Arabia specifically: "Brand-building dramatically outweighs immediate revenue. For Saudi Arabia preparing for Riyadh Expo 2030 and FIFA 2034, these platforms accelerate Vision 2030's tourism diversification objectives by decades, creating irreversible perception shifts."

Planning for the long game

The leaders agreed that engagement must begin well before the cameras turn on. As Wael Al Sharif puts it: "Engagement must begin at the master planning phase. Early collaboration with urban developers and event organisers ensures hospitality infrastructure aligns with legacy goals, avoiding siloed development and maximising post-event utility."

Victor Abou Ghanem is direct about the consequences of arriving late: "By the time logos are unveiled and tickets go on sale, many of the big decisions - venue locations, infrastructure routes, and zoning - are already locked in. For hotel and real-estate players, the ideal is to be at the table when masterplans are drawn, and transport lines are being discussed."

Building smart, staying relevant

On supply and long-term value, the leaders were united: build for the normal year, not the peak. David Thomson frames it simply: "Capacity decisions need to be based on long-term commercial viability, not short-term demand peaks. Good design, flexible use of space, and selecting the right locations are essential for built assets to remain relevant well after the event concludes." Muin Serhan reinforces the point: "Operators should prioritise conversion-ready assets, mixed-use developments, and properties adaptable to evolving demand patterns after the event." Victor Abou Ghanem shares his rule of thumb: "Owners should treat the event as a bonus, not the baseline."

The commercial prize, the leaders agreed, lies beyond the RevPAR spike. "Short-term rate premiums are welcome, but they are not the main prize," says Muin Serhan. "If the experience converts first-time visitors into repeat guests, the commercial impact continues long after the event." Wael Al Sharif points to Saudi Arabia's own mega-projects as evidence of where the broader value lands: "In KSA, projects like Qiddiya and Diriyah demonstrate [the mixed-use value] perfectly."

Legacy over hype

The answer, the leaders agreed, comes down to one word: legacy. For Victor Abou Ghanem, "cities that win in the long run design the event as one chapter in a larger urban story. They invest in transport that locals actually use, venues that can be downsized or repurposed, and tourism strategies that run for decades." David Thomson applies a commercial lens: "Cities that think beyond the event itself align supply with realistic post-event demand and phase development responsibly. When expansion merely aims to satisfy short-term hype, oversupply and margin pressure usually follow." Muin Serhan adds that the human dimension matters as much as the physical: "Consistency is what ultimately turns first-time visitors into loyal guests."

Turning two weeks into two decades

The executives were asked to distil the opportunity into a single sentence.

Muin Serhan: "Align infrastructure, hospitality supply, and place-making with a long-term economic strategy so that the global attention generated over two weeks becomes the foundation for two decades of tourism growth."

Victor Abou Ghanem: "You turn a two-week event into a 20-year opportunity by treating it not as a party, but as a starting point for re-imagining how people live, move, stay and invest in your city long after the final whistle."

David Thomson: "Turning a two-week event into a 20-year opportunity requires developing hotels, retail, entertainment, and other assets that will continue attracting visitors long after the final game."

Wael Al Sharif: "By treating mega-events as transformation accelerators rather than standalone spectacles — embedding infrastructure into permanent mixed-use ecosystems, leveraging global attention for perception repositioning, and designing for adaptable post-event utility — destinations convert temporary gatherings into enduring competitive advantages that compound across decades."

FHS Saudi Arabia will feature a dedicated session on the topic titled: ‘Game On: How Global Sports Events Reshape Cities, Investment and Tourism,’ which will be moderated by Alex Malouf, Founder & Managing Director, Narrative Shapers with panelists Samer Alkharashi, Director, UN Tourism Regional Office for the Middle East, and Ahmed AlAredhi, Chief Experience Officer, Jeddah Central Development Company. For details of the full programme visit https://www.futurehospitality.com/sa/agenda

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Anne Bleeker

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