Experience and sensation, the creation of an ultimate experience and taking spectators and participants into this experience is the future for sports events. Are you curious how you create that experience, how you create (online) value propositions for distinctive sports events and put it on the market with active online sports marketing? Then follow the Minor Sport Event Marketing of HAN University of Applied Sciences or Hogeschoool van Arnhem and Nijmegen.

Sports events are fun for spectators and participants but are also important for our society. To make a success out of sports events, it is important that online marketing strategies focus on value creation and co-creation. Sport marketing agencies and event management agencies increasingly exploit sports events on a commercial basis. In addition, events are a means to achieve goals such as product branding, regional and city marketing, sport participation, innovation, health, tourism and economic impact. Therefore, the development of strong sports brands and adventurous sporting events are key subject in this minor. This experience attracts more spectators and participants, which stimulates tourism which is good for the economy.

In this minor you will learn how to create an unique experience for sports events. You develop an (online) distinctive value proposition for sports events and discover how to implement this active online sports marketing in the market. You will learn how the marketing of sports events works and how to make the sports event attractive. Not only for spectators and participants, but also for stakeholders such as sponsors and businesses. You develop an interesting business concept and (online) marketing campaign for a sports event. You will gain insight into current trends and developments that influence the perception and sensation of sports events and sport marketing. One of the developments is the connection of sports events, sports brands and branding to leisure, tourism and city and region marketing.

What does the minor Sport Event Marketing offer you?

We visit a number of sports events and analyze the perceptions/sensations and marketing. With your fellow students you develop a distinctive sports event concept, you work on a business model for your stakeholders and analyze how the sports event could attract more visitors, spectators or participants, including those from abroad. You apply marketing tools and will develop skills in the use of marketing campaigns and measuring their effectiveness. Besides regular classes from our experienced faculty members, marketing and event professionals will perform guest lectures and masterclasses. You do research on the economic impact of an existing sport event and give recommendations to the organizer on the positioning and (online) marketing of the sports event.

During the minor we look at all aspects of the experience at sports events and you learn how to use sport event marketing principles for different stakeholders.

Competencies and topics

• How to make a sports event a real and unique experience?
• How do you attract more spectators and participants to sports events with online sports marketing?
• How do you use social media from a marketing perspective?
• How do you measure the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns?
• How to create a successful business model for a sports event?
• What can growth hacking do for your business?
• What are (online) marketing strategies for sports events?
• What are the leisure and tourism aspects of regional and city marketing?
• What is the economic impact of sports events?

The course will be taught in English as this minor is open for exchange students and/or students from foreign educational institutes. This means that your tutors will speak English only, that all​ study materials are offered in English only and that the language spoken during classes and group​ contact moments (eg. Excursions, master classes et cetera) is English. It also means that you are​ required to speak English to your fellow students, even if you and them are Dutch.​ Level B2 English is recommended. To improve your English we offer English language support during the first part of the semester.

Interested and want to apply? Good to know! In popular minors, a draw will take place 3 to 4 weeks after the opening of the registration if there are more registrations at that time than available places. For minors where there is still room, the following applies until the end of the registration period: as soon as a minor is full, it is closed, full = full.

In addition, if the number of registrations after three weeks is well below the norm; this minor may be withdrawn. So if you are interested, sign up immediately.

Register on time!

Note: For HAN students, in the event of exclusion or no continuation of the first choice AFTER the period of decision-making (this takes approximately 3 weeks), they can re-register. This is only possible on the minors that still have places available.

The following also applies: as soon as a minor is full, it is closed, full = full.

You can find a good overview of the HAN minors in the minors app! You can download the app on http://www.minoren-han.nl/

For more information you can e-mail us at minoren.ISBS@han.nl or call +31(0)24-35 30 500 during office hours 09.00 to 16.30 or consult our website: www.MinorenISBS.nl (i.e. for location).

• Register for this minor exchange course if you are interested in sport marketing, sport economics, branding of sports, tourism and leisure industry and are interested in the commercial aspects of sports events or other events.
• The course is especially recommended for students who are studying sports, sports sciences and health, economics, commerce, international business and/or (event)marketing.

Requirements for application

• This minor has no specific entry requirements
• Familiarity with basic knowledge of Excel, marketing and event management is assumed
• There is room for a maximum of 8 external (exchange) students

Examination of this minor is organized through a combination of:

• Written exam
• Individual & joint professional products related to online sport event marketing campaign
• The development of a professional bidbook and Business Model Canvas
• A study about the experiential value and economic impact of an sports event

Although English may not be your native speech, Dutch students are required to hand-in professional​ GROUP products in English. However, we offer Dutch students the possibility to hand-in their INDIVIDUAL products in Dutch or in English.

You will read and learn from a number of books and articles about experience economy, sports event marketing and business models, theory about sports and economics, innovation and event concept development. In addition, English-language (scientific) articles about strategic sports marketing, event marketing, digital marketing and experience are used.

Used & recommended literature

• Osterwalder, A., Pigneur Y., (2014) The Business Model Canvas. Strategyzer AG, Zwitserland.
• Brown, M, Ellis, S. (2017) Hacking Growth, How Today's Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success, Ebury Publishing, United Kingdom. ISBN 9780753545379
• Consumer Behavior, International Edition, 6th Edition, Wayne D. Hoyer
• Event Management in Leisure and Tourism, David C. Watt, 1998, Addison, Wesley, Longman, Harow, Essex England. ISBN : 0582357063
• Higham, J and Hinch, T (2009) Sport and Tourism, Globalization, Mobility and Identity. ISBN 9780750686105 Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier, Oxford, United Kingdom

You should reserve 150 to 300 euros for a possible study trip abroad, event visits and other outside classroom activities, including activities with international students.

You have three or four days of classes in the HAN Sports & Exercise facilities on Papendal Arnhem or Gymnasion Nijmegen, depending on classroom availability and number of students participating. We try to plan classes as compactly as possible in the morning. Within this schedule, time for working in a group context is provided.

Time for contact with professionals from the sport event industry and practical assignments should be added to the classroom time and is considering to be planned outside class hours. Field trips, excursions and study trips can be planned outside these class hours and/or class days.

Class locations

Papendallaan 51
6816 VD Arnhem.

Heyendaalseweg 141
6525 AJ Nijmegen.

Class and work settings

• Lectures
• Tutor and work groups
• Project education on location
• Field trips, excursions
• Study trip