EARLY RESIDENT SUPPORT FOR A MEGA-EVENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE 2032 BRISBANE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

With fewer willing hosts, mega-events face uncertainty. From stakeholder and core/periphery perspectives, dystopic outcomes are occurring because mega-event elites benefit far more than peripheral stakeholders, including host city residents. To overcome the current crisis of confidence in mega-events and enable pro-community ideals of stakeholder theory, we identify levels of host community support for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games in the early pre-event stage, when proactive planning interventions are still possible. Two-thirds of 897 surveyed host city respondents supported the Brisbane Games in our 2022 study, but this support is “soft”. Specifically, cluster analysis reveals an event-loyal inner periphery of ‘enthused legacy optimists’ and ‘enthused immersives’ who can be targeted for early personal engagement and recruitment of other residents, especially the large middle periphery of ‘sceptics’. A passively opposed outer periphery of ‘neutral negatives’ and ‘naysayers’ was also identified that may resist recruitment but is unlikely to disrupt preparation or hosting.