Events Data Observatory Feasibility Report
FRY Creative go in-depth on what an events data observatory – one of the cornerstones of our Inquiry actions – could look like.
In 2023, Spirit of 2012 enlisted FRY Creative to help realise the possibility of an observatory to store data on the impact and legacy of events – one of the key cornerstones of our Inquiry actions.
Monitoring, evaluation and research – when delivered well – enables us to answer important questions about events legacy. Where we could do better is moving from evidencing the impact of singular events in isolation, to displaying the connected, long-lasting and contingent value of events as an
ecosystem.
We believe that an Events Data Observatory can play a role in shifting this dial, and in doing so not only improve the storytelling, evidencing and evaluation of events, but also their capacity to achieve their intended outcomes in the first place.
An Events Data Observatory will not solve all issues associated with events. It will not ensure everything goes to plan at events. It will not even always succeed in articulating all facets of their magic.
What it will do however, is ensure the events we deliver keep getting better; that we keep getting more efficient and effective at achieving our aims; that when a positive impact is achieved, it is robustly and rigorously evidenced and articulated. Via centralising pre-existing tools, models and data; via collaborating to collectively improve them; via fostering open communication about failure and learning – an Events Data Observatory can begin to grasp at the true power of events, helping to secure their place at heart of the UK economy, and in the minds of policymakers guiding it.