Success criteria for the FNB Wines-2-Whales mountain bike events

Abstract

Sport participants invest a considerable amount of effort and time to actively participate in sporting events. Hosting a successful sport event, will not only provide a memorable, worth-while experience for participants, but will also attract, retain and grow participation. This paper identifies the critical success factors (CSFs) of hosting sport events, specific to mountain bike sport events, through an analysis of the perceptions of committed participants at the 2014 First National Bank Wines-2-Whales Mountain Bike Events (FNB W2W MTB Events). An online survey was conducted during participant registration, and a total of 244 questionnaires were administered. This was used to analyse the perceptions and explore the way in which participants evaluate the event. A factor analysis identified four factors: Competitive Advantage Elements, Basic services, Route-visual components and Monetary attractiveness. Of these factors, Basic services were considered the most important CSF that contribute to a successful event for the participants. The results further confirm that the participants' perception regarding the CSFs differ according to their geographical residence and team category. Sport event organisers need to identify the CSFs specific to the event, especially from the participants' side, to ensure the hosting of successful mountain bike sport events