Satakunta Winter Classic was a success by all measures
The Satakunta Winter Classic, organized by Rauman Lukko and Porin Ässät in January at the Pori artificial ice rink, was a significant success. The event reflected the long-term goals of the clubs, generated a profit, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from various target groups.
Lukko, Ässät, the City of Pori, and the Finnish Ice Hockey League (Liiga) jointly conducted a visitor survey for the event, carried out by Sponsor Insight Finland. The survey results indicate the success of the event and its regional economic impact.
The event made a profit and achieved an unusually high NPS score
The event had a total turnover of €1.55 million and a profit of €320 000. The result excludes two matches that would have been played at Enersense Arena and Kivikylä Arena without the event. The profit from the Winter Classic will be evenly shared between Ässät and Lukko.
One of the success indicators in Sponsor Insight’s visitor survey was the event’s Net Promoter Score (NPS). The Satakunta Winter Classic received an NPS of 84 (scale -100 to +100).
– The Winter Classic had one of the highest recommendation ratings in the category of sporting events that Sponsor Insight has measured over the past 10 years, says Teemu Ratilainen, Research Manager at Sponsor Insight.
According to the survey, 98% of event visitors were likely to recommend the event to their friends or acquaintances and 95% were satisfied with the atmosphere at the event. In addition, 95% of visitors would recommend Pori as an event city. Pori’s strengths as an event city were perceived as short distances, diverse venues and a tradition of organising events.
Clear regional economic impact of an event
According to the visitor survey, one event visitor in Pori spent on average around €207 per event, including the event ticket. The average for visitors from outside Pori was around € 232. The total amount spent by visitors outside the event area in Pori was around € 900 000, of which around € 625 000 was spent by visitors from outside Pori.
97% of out-of-town visitors came to Pori primarily because of the Satakunta Winter Classic.
Significant national visibility for clubs, the league and joint partners
The event received a very high level of national visibility. For example, Friday’s match was broadcast live on MTV channel to 1.2 million Finns (all those who watched at least 1 minute continuously), with an average audience of 280 000. In addition to the significant TV audience, the event attracted a lot of media coverage on various channels.
– The league has not seen an outdoor match for many years, but when it did, it was fantastic. A show of strength between two great organisations and a city – this inspires other clubs and us at the League to take up similar challenges and offer the hockey fans memorable experiences, says Mikko Pulkkinen, CEO of the League.
Based on Sponsor Insight’s survey, 84% of respondents identified the City of Pori and 78% the City of Rauma as a partner.