The Impact of International Sports Events on the City Brand (Case Study: Bojnourd County)

The aim of the present study was to influence international sporting events on the urban brand. The research method was quasi-experimental and applied and included a pre-test and a post-test. The research tool was the standard urban brand questionnaire of Merrils et al. (2009). The method was as follows: first, a city brand questionnaire was distributed among a group of people who did not go to the venue (control group), then by going to the World Club Cup wrestling venue in Bojnourd, first a questionnaire was distributed among the spectators. It was broadcast and they were asked to answer the Urban Brand Questionnaire, and a week after the competition, they answered the same questionnaire again. 90 people were available in three groups, of which 30 people answered the questionnaire as a group. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, one-way ANOVA and paired t-test were used to compare the pretest and posttest groups. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the urban brand scores of the control group and the tourist group, but a significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test in the indigenous group. As a result, it can be said that small events among the group interested in that sporting event will lead to a greater sense of belonging to the city and a sense of inner satisfaction, so it is important that smaller cities use this opportunity and upgrade by hosting various sports competitions. Take the brand of your city and enjoy its benefits.