World Cup Celebrations in Oman
- ClientOMRAN
- Services RenderedConcept Development, Marketing Strategy, Event Management, Stakeholder Management, Content Production, Sponsorship
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2023 was a defining moment in sport for the Middle East. Its excitement spread to neighbouring countries, who would go on to develop their own programmes in conjunction with FIFA, creating a warm welcome for visiting fans choosing to stay in these 'satellite' cities.
After a highly competitive bid process, Muscat, Oman, selected 54 to construct a crucial component of its World Cup Programme, the Oman Football Fan Festival. The programme was overseen by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in collaboration with the Supreme Steering Committee, comprised of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Royal Oman Police, OMRAN Group, Oman Air, and Oman Airports.
With little over three months before kick-off of the first match, 54 began to bring to life its concept for Football Fan Festival. Taking place at the Oman Conference & Exhibition Centre, requirements included broadcasting each of the 64 matches of the World Cup live, developing ticketing and comprehensive integrated marketing communications strategies to ensure a high volume of ticket sales, and working with a wide range of domestic stakeholders, each with their own role to play in making Oman's celebration of the World Cup one that would make headlines across the region.
+91,000 Football Fan Festival spectators
54 prioritised a family-friendly fan experience, packing the Football Fan Festival with games, activities and activations for football lovers of all ages. A highly varied experience was prioritised in order to encourage repeat visitation, with F&B regularly changing throughout the festival to maintain a fresh offering for returning fans. A major event atmosphere was created with the installation of a main stage and football amphitheatre with several additional supporting screens broadcasting all matches played.
All components of event production were delivered by 54 and locally recruited partners and stakeholders, who helped to ensure a safe and secure experience for all visitors. Health and Safety planning with the expectation of high volumes of visitors was of utmost importance.
By transforming the OCEC Gardens area into a world class fan festival, with dozens of temporary structures, that were purposely built, while working within strict space requirements, it was a true testament to the operational team and local suppliers.
The Football Fan Festival encompassed a broad spectrum of marketing tactics in order to target, engage and attract both domestic football fans and international visitors using Oman as their base for the World Cup. The programme saw the creation of the Football Fan Festival brand, a bespoke website with additional ticketing site and the development of Oman's first domestic ticketing payment gateway.
Content generation and distribution in partnership with four of Oman's most visible sporting celebrities, extensive out of home advertising, an E-games competition featuring Oman's most competitive gamers and a highly impactful schools football competition (bringing 96 schools from across Muscat together) ensured widespread awareness nationwide.
“This unique festival brought together a family and sporting event in one. We are happy with the great turnout we got daily and for the thoroughly enjoyable atmosphere that it had created.”
7,100 highest single match day attendance
+600,000 visits to the Football Fan Festival website
The legacy of the Football Fan Festival came into view in the days following the World Cup Final, as it was confirmed as the largest sporting event activation to take place in the Sultanate. Recognition across the region helped to establish Oman's reputation as a host of major events and promote the country's tourism offer to visitors from across the world.
Thanks to the efforts of marketing teams, domestic ambassadors and support from other local stakeholders, the event reached a total attendance of over 91,000 visitors and operated at almost 90% capacity over the course of 23 days.
Such was the success of the promotional push and the first experience of the festival among early visitors that attendance figures exceeded expectations early in the event run, resulting in marketing spend being paused. The savings were reinvested into the event experience allowing for Omani superstar, Salah Adjali, to perform at an extravagant closing ceremony.
