Latest news with #localcommerce
Zawya
16-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Sports events and their role in driving local economic growth
The Business Impact of Hosting Major Sporting Events Major sports events bring more than just matches. They create a short-term economic shift in the areas where they take place. Local vendors, transport providers, and hospitality services often see a sharp rise in daily sales. Many economic reports show that revenues can double or triple during match weekends. This is particularly true in places where events are frequent and infrastructure is prepared. According to regional studies, hotels in host cities report near full occupancy during national tournaments. Similar results apply to digital services tied to sports, especially in betting, content, and mobile usage. Activity on platforms such as the increases notably when events are broadcast or streamed live, suggesting a parallel spike in online interaction. The full impact of sporting events reaches beyond stadiums. Their economic value spreads across cities through spending, online activity, and local demand. Local Commerce and Infrastructure Local businesses near stadiums or event venues often prepare months ahead. Food stalls, delivery services, bars, and souvenir shops experience a surge in clients. This peak forces many to hire temporary staff or increase their stock levels. The financial gains come from several sources: Foot traffic increases significantly before and after games. Visitors spend on transportation, meals, and local experiences. Temporary partnerships emerge with delivery platforms and advertisers. Some betting services also integrate local businesses through affiliate deals. This helps street-level commerce connect with the online sports audience. During match-heavy weekends, the rise in betting activity can support not just bookmakers, but nearby services too. For instance, users checking odds through the are also likely to order from local restaurants, boosting demand in multiple sectors. Digital Sports Interaction and New Opportunities Modern sports engagement has moved online. Social platforms, streaming services, and betting apps combine live commentary with market activity. This change has given rise to a secondary digital economy. Sports fans do not just watch – they engage, compare, predict, and often bet. Platforms that allow mobile wagering see more users during large events. The interest in predictions, real-time odds, and interactive content contributes to time spent on these apps. One growing trend is the use of Afropari bet during league tournaments. These moments bring an intense wave of app downloads and transactions. This digital wave also benefits content creators, sports analysts, and event promoters. Businesses that offer 'watch-and-win' campaigns or viewer-based rewards get more exposure. The data collected during events also helps organisers and sponsors improve future marketing campaigns. All of this generates more investment in both the tech and retail environments of the region. Social Engagement and Broader Participation Sports events encourage group activity. This applies not only to match attendance, but also to online communities and fan groups. They follow players, share opinions, and often influence betting behaviour. Within these circles, certain topics generate consistent interest. One example is the growing recognition of women in eSports. While many events still focus on traditional men's football or basketball, the digital gaming community has broadened. Female-led teams and streamers attract sponsorships, media coverage, and betting markets. This shift creates new consumer segments and alters how brands approach sports-related campaigns. In urban areas, cafés, lounges, and sports bars now show both real and virtual competitions. These hybrid spaces serve fans who want more than just the final score. The economic result is clear: more viewers means more spending. Final Remarks on Sports and Local Economies Business owners now understand the value of the sports calendar. They track dates and plan for surges. For betting platforms and retailers, it is not just about the match – it is about the wave of demand surrounding it. Sports tourism, digital betting, and on-site commerce form a chain. When well-managed, each part supports the other. Cities that promote sporting events also promote local business. This connection between leisure and income is now essential for many regional economies. The cycle continues. More matches lead to more demand, which leads to more services. With the right planning, even small businesses can benefit. The key lies in recognising when fans will spend and preparing for their return. © Copyright The Zimbabwean. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Sorry, Belsize Park, it's just those awful bike lanes…
O n Saturday, in an otherwise glowing review of a new restaurant called Von Crumb, I wrote that it was 'squished between a charity shop and some sort of mouldy printing outfit opposite a big Budgens on a wide-pavemented dog of a main drag in Belsize Park, which is the saggy arse of Hampstead', and copped a fair amount of flak from local readers. Some below the line, such as Philip Bergman, diagnosed 'envy from someone who lives in Kentish Town', while another, Victoria Coren Mitchell, who had somehow gained access to my personal email, wrote: 'Lovely review of Belsize Park… we must have you round more often'. Replying (immediately) to Mrs Mitchell and (with a smidge less urgency) to all the others, I was at pains to point out that I love Belsize Park in principle, but was merely talking about what had happened of late to that particular section of high street, due to chainification of the shops and the madness of Commie Camden Council's people-hating (not car-hating; people-hating) traffic scheme — specifically, the hideously ugly double cycle lane that nobody ever uses because the hill is too steep, which means there is no parking at all, so nobody can access the shops and local commerce is being strangled to death. Mrs Mitchell accepted my clarification but added, 'Bit harsh on Harry at the print shop though, he's one of the last independent shops left from the old days — he's lovely! He printed the orders of service for Daddy's memorial at a 15 per cent discount!!!' And that was a bit of a shocker for me because Mrs Mitchell's daddy was also my daddy. I read at that very service. And there I was describing the printer who had printed the programme for it as 'mouldy', without ever having been inside. 'If you ever return to the subject,' wrote Mrs Mitchell, 'do throw in a nice mention for that print shop. But he'll probably be gone. Nobody can survive that parking thing. What about the framers? That's the other one that's still surviving from the old days, but how can it? Because how can you collect a big, framed item on a bicycle?' Research from the City University of Hong Kong suggests that asking someone for help can lead to romance. 'The reason why asking for help can be very useful to initiate romantic interests,' explained the study's co-author Professor Xijing Wang, is that 'when we ask someone for help by having them solve a problem for us, we signal that we trust and want to rely on them.' So, ladies, now do you understand why your husband doesn't want to go over and ask that big hairy farmer for directions to the lake, and would rather just carry on fussing over the map? Paired with the above story in yesterday's Times was one about research from the University of Queensland, which shows that engaging in benign masochism with others can bring people closer together. Examples of activities that can help people to love each other more include 'wild swimming in a chilly river', 'running into a freezing sea' and 'skinny dipping in the cold waters of a lake'. The research does not, however, go into the flipside of all the love these activities generate between participants, which is how their whanging on about it all the time makes everybody else hate them. A redesign for the government website which, after a long consultation with M&C Saatchi, has done little more than move the dot in ' very slightly upwards, is reported by critics to have cost ministers £532,000. So now all they need to do is hire someone to move the comma. Food-shaped candles are 'the latest middle-class homeware trend', with candles in the shape of fried chicken, sausages and even layer cakes costing anything from £17 to £95. Seems a bit extravagant, but I suppose it was inevitable, what with the Ozempic boom meaning that nobody wants food you can actually eat any more.
