THE MASS

PARTICIPATION
PULSE 2023
January 2023
WELCOME TO THE FIRST
MASS PARTICIPATION
PULSE REPORT.
For many event organisers, 2022 saw levels of event entries recover more
slowly than expected post-COVID. Very few events are reporting levels of
demand close to, or greater than, those seen pre-COVID. If as an industry we
want to get back to growth, it’s crucial to better understand our audiences for
mass participation events.

This commercially focused, cross-industry report identifies trends and

opportunities for growth in the sector. We will produce this report annually,
so we can track sector trends and provide valuable and actionable insight. It’ll
benefit anyone interested in growing the market for mass participation events
– from race directors, media and agencies to brands, clubs, NGOs and charities.

Key findings from this year’s report:

–  46% of people we spoke to are planning to do more events
in 2023 than in 2022
–  Event participants are wealthier, spend more and are less concerned
about the cost of living crisis than the population as a whole
–  Regardless of income, those who do events plan to prioritise their
discretionary income on taking part in events and sportswear
–  A small but significant proportion of participants are still not
comfortable in crowds
–  Many who have stopped doing events since 2019 have no plans to get
back to previous levels of participation
–  Over 65’s are the most likely to have stopped doing events during
COVID and potentially will not come back
–  Event sustainability is becoming a significant concern for people
–  Event reputation is more important than entry price when it comes
to consideration
–  Not all events participants are alike when it comes to what they
are willing to spend on and how they can be tempted back into doing
more events
RESPONDERS AGE
PROFILE 30%
This report pulls together insight from over
4,000 survey responses from people who have 25%
taken part in mass participation events within
the last 5 years. 20%

We collected responses in October and 15%

November 2022, well into the cost of living
crisis but prior to the Kwasi Kwarteng autumn 10%
mini-budget.

The respondents represented a mix of ages, 5%

genders and ethnicities and were all UK based. 8% 20% 18% 28% 19% 7%
Their participation levels varied – some were 0%
new to events and others were well established 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
participants. Some had fully returned post-
pandemic while others were more cautious,
or had not returned at all.

The median age of our respondents was 46,

making them a slightly older demographic than
the UK average median (40). They also typically
59% MALE 83% WHITE
had a higher household and disposable income
than the broader UK population.

41% FEMALE 17% BAME

MEDIAN
AGE OF 46 £ 50% OF RESPONDENTS
HAVE A HOUSEHOLD
INCOME OF £60K OR MORE

–3–
PARTICIPATION MOST FREQUENT RUNNING EVENT DISTANCE

& PREFERENCES 40%

Running events were the most popular, with 80% of people taking 35%
part in one in the past 5 years.
30%
However only 25% of people restricted themselves to just one type
of activity or event - 40% of runners had also taken part in a cycling 25%
event, and 83% of cyclists had also participated in a running event.
20%

15%
WHICH, IF ANY, OF THESE TYPES OF MASS
10%
PARTICIPATION EVENTS HAVE YOU TAKEN
5%
PART IN OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS? 15% 23% 36% 22% 2% 2%
0%
28% Running
5k 10k HALF MARATHON ULTRA OTHER
MARATHON MARATHON
14% Trial running

12% Personal challenges

10
%
Virtual versions of exsiting events

8
%
Road cycling

7 Triathlon
% MOST FREQUENT CYCLING EVENT DISTANCE
6% Swimming
35%
5% Virtual training / events
30%
4% Mud obstacle
25%
3% Off road cycling
20%

15%

The preferred distance for runners was by far the half marathon. 10%

Whereas cyclists – who are more commonly men – favoured longer, 5%

2%
tougher distances. 20% 32% 26% 13% 7%
0%

We also saw the importance of initiatives like Couch to 5k, Run SINGLE DAY SINGLE DAY SINGLE DAY MULTI DAY TOUR OTHER
EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS EVENTS
Together, Run Wales and Jog Scotland in the events world. 50% of
(EASIER (MEDIUM (HARDER (2 OR 3 DAYS) (4+DAYS)
respondents took part in an initiative to get them active, alongside a OR FLATTER OR TOUGHER OR EPIC OPTION
OPTION / OPTION / / C.160+KM)
mass participation event. C.80KM) C.120KM)

–4–
PARTICIPATION
& PREFERENCES
CONTINUED
On average men took part in more events than women. When it comes to choosing which events to participate in, distance and level of challenge is key.
However participation fell across the board (around 15%) when It’s interesting to see that date and entry price are only marginally more important than location,
comparing event participation levels in 2019 (pre-COVID) with 2022. quality and reputation when choosing an event.

The median number of events fell from:

WHICH OF THESE IS MOST IMPORTANT WHEN CHOOSING

A MASS PARTICIPATION EVENT TO TAKE PART IN?
5 events in 2019
38% Preferred distance

29% Date of event

27% Price of entry

4 events in 2022
25% Conveniently located

25% Scenic course

Women reported a sharper decline in participation levels compared 24% A place I want to visit
to men. But the most significant decline was in all participants aged 24% Event has a good reputation
over 65 – an audience group who may be very difficult to bring back
14% Nice finish award
to event participation.
11
%
Fast course / potential to set a PB
However it’s encouraging that 46% of respondents expect to increase
10
%
Supports an important cause
the number of events they take part this year, with women reporting
the most intent in general. 10
%
I’ve taken part before

9% Quality shirt

8% Good entertainment during / after the event

HOW WILL THE NUMBER OF EVENTS YOU 7% Recommended by someone I trust
PARTICIPATE IN DURING 2023 COMPARE 7
%
Timing system
TO 2022? 4
%
Training program included

3
%
Virtual option
3% 9% 42% 39% 7%

0% 100%

A lot less Less The same More A lot more

–5–
WHAT WOULD MAKE EVENTS BETTER?
Unsurprisingly in a cost of living crisis people would like to see lower prices. But looking beyond
that, it’s interesting to see almost equal priority given to improving sustainability vs improving
facilities for participants.

The importance of sustainability is only going to increase and we predict it’ll take priority if we fast
forward one or two years. Sustainability is particularly important to women, who rank it
a higher priority than men.

This rising trend will raise interesting questions for event organisers and sponsors. Finding the
balance between improving sustainability while maintaining the overall event experience will be
crucial. Communicating how they’re making these improvements will also be key.

WHICH OF THESE WOULD YOU MOST

LIKE TO SEE IMPLEMENTED AT MASS
PARTICIPATION EVENTS IN THE FUTURE?

66% Making events more affordable

36% Improved facilities (showers, changing facilities, toilets etc)

35% Improvements in sustainability

21% Encouraging more diversity

18% A better reward than just a medal and a T-shirt

14% Better entertainment

13% More interactive technology

8% More virtual options

6% None of these

–6–
 WHY HAS PARTICIPATION
Are people out of the habit?

Whilst 76% of people saw no drop in fitness through COIVD - and 28% of them even
NOT RECOVERED TO saying their fitness improved - 14% saw fitness levels seriously decline. Some reported

PRE-COVID LEVELS? the decline causing a lack of confidence in their ability to take part on mass participation
sports events.
A key objective of this research was to understand why levels of participation
FITNESS
had not recovered to pre-COVID levels. We have looked at this from a
variety of angles and frustratingly there isn’t one simple answer, but rather
ALL 28% 15% 33% 10% 14%
multiple factors at play. Some are more easily fixed whereas others may
require longer term thinking.
Improved 2 Neutral 4 Declined

Are people still worried about COVID?

While the vast majority of people have ‘moved on’ from COVID Are people annoyed at event organisers?
a small but significant 10% are still not fully comfortable in crowds. We heard some concerns from organisers that participants may not be taking
part in events because they were annoyed about how cancellations and the
COMFORTABLE POST COVID rescheduling of events was handled over the last two years.

This seems unlikely with only 11% of people having any issues around how things
ALL 61% 13% 16% 6% 4% were handled.

HANDLED COVID WELL?

Totally comfortable 4 Neutral 2 Not comfortable

ALL 38% 20% 31% 7% 4%

Are people sticking with virtual mass events?

Well 2 Will still do it virtually 4 Badly
Virtual events proved popular during lockdown as they helped people stay active.
However just under 50% of respondents are ‘done with it all’ and unlikely to go back.
On the other end of the spectrum, 12% are still very confident they’ll carry on doing Has covid stopped people taking up running & cycling?
some virtual events. This desire to continue with virtual creates potential competition
A surprisingly small percentage of people had been doing their chosen activity for less
for in-person events, but also opens up opportunities to innovate. Successful events
than two years. This could be because people new to an exercise were less inclined to
will evolve to accommodate hybrid models of event participation, and use the benefits
respond to our survey. However it also suggests that a lack of opportunities to take up
virtual events bring to their advantage.
running or cycling during COVID could be affecting participation levels. This is definitely
one to we hope to track over the next few years.
VIRTUAL
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS TYPE(S) OF EXERCISE FOR?

ALL 12% 9% 29% 15% 35%

ALL 40% 25% 23% 9% 3%

Will still do it virtually 2 Neutral 4 Done with it all

10+ years 5-10 years 2-5 years 1-2 years Less than 1 year

–7–
 SOCIAL MEDIA
Over 1/3rd of participants talk about events on social media, with WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SOCIAL MEDIA
women more likely to post and share about their event experience.
This combined with the fact that 45% of responders said they
PLATFORMS / FORUMS / SITES DO YOU USE
were likely, or very likely, to ask others to take part in an event OR CHECK ON A WEEKLY BASIS?
demonstrates the importance of event reputation. The opportunity
for great sharable content to influence participation levels has
Facebook
never been higher. Equally, the danger of people hearing about
experiences falling below participants expectations has never
been greater. Instagram

Snaphat
HOW OFTEN DO YOU POST?
YouTube
MALE 13% 20% 24% 15% 28%

Twitter

Other
FEMALE 23% 17% 22% 13% 25%

None of these

I post lots 2 Neutral 4 I don’t really shout about what I do

Buzzfeed

Overall social media use matches what we would expect. Reddit

But interestingly event participants – particularly men –
report a higher use of LinkedIn than expected. This presents TikTok
a growth opportunity for marketing events.

Pinterest

Tumblr
Female

Male
Linkedin
All

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

–8–
 FINANCES
Overall the event participants reported higher than average incomes,
and expected less pressure on their finances in the year ahead than
we anticipated. This is positive news for event providers, sponsors and
apparel and equipment providers.

50% reported a household

income of £60K or more pa (double
the current UK median figure) and 25%
reported income about £80K pa.

43% were not overly concerned

about spending power and disposable
income falling in 2023.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN

TO YOUR DISCRETIONARY INCOME
IN THE NEXT YEAR?

25% Increase a lot

10% Increase a little

£ 31% Stay the same

32% Decrease a little

2% Decrease a lot

–9–
SPENDING ROUGHLY HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU’LL
SPEND ON CLOTHING/SHOES/EQUIPMENT FOR
Higher income levels are reflected in the level of
spending on event entries and apparel and sportwear. EXERCISE IN 2022 (BY THE END OF THE YEAR)?

2% Nothing

2% Up to £49.00

7
%
£50.00 - £99.99
MEDIAN SPEND ON 12
%
£100.00 - £149.99
SHOES/APPAREL 14
%
£150.00 - £199.99

IN 2022 WAS 17
%
£200.00 - £299.99

£200-299, 20% SPENT 14% £300.00 - £399.99

£500 OR MORE, WITH 10% £400.00 - £499.99

MEN MORE LIKELY TO 8

%
£500.00 - £599.99

BE HIGHER SPENDERS 3
%
£600.00 - £699.99

9
%
£700.00 or more

2
%
I’m not sure

MEDIAN SPEND ROUGHLY HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU’LL SPEND

ON EVENT ENTRY ON EVENT ENTRIES FOR MASS PARTICIPATION
IN 2022 WAS EVENTS IN 2022 (BY THE END OF THE YEAR)?
£100-149, ALMOST
1% Nothing
20% SPENT MORE
13% Up to £49.00
THAN £300
19% £50.00 - £99.99

19
%
£100.00 - £149.99

14
%
£150.00 - £199.99

13
%
£200.00 - £299.99

19
%
£300.00 or more

2
%
I’m not sure

– 10 –
BRANDS APPARREL FOOTWEAR
Top ten brands Top ten brands
Mass participation sports events and
fitness brands go hand in hand.

That’s why we wanted to understand

which brands are most important
to event participants. We asked
respondents to name their three
favourite brands in each category.

– 11 –
SPENDING
When finances do come under pressure, spending on events is
highly prioritised and protected compared to others areas.

Mass participation events and spend on sportswear were

ranked as more important than eating out, home décor and
other forms of entertainment. When people reported what
they were likely to prioritise, only spending on holidays was
prioritised above mass participation events.

WHICH OF THESE ARE YOU MOST AND WHICH OF THESE ARE YOU MOST
LIKELY TO PRIORITISE YOUR LIKELY TO CUT-BACK ON IF YOU’VE
DISCRETIONARY INCOME ON? GOT LESS TO SPEND?

49% Going on holiday(s) 42% Eating out

28% Entertainment subscriptions (TV, music etc.)

35% TAKING PART IN MASS PARTICIPATION EVENTS
27% Décor / furniture for your home

30 Fitness kit (clothing & shoes)

%
25% Clothes/shoes

24% Going to events (sports/concerts/gigs/festivals) 21% Going to events (sports/concerts/gigs/festivals)

20 Eating out
%
20 Technology
%

15
%
Presents/gifts for others 20% Going on holiday(s)

14% Gym membership 18% Gym membership

13% Décor / furniture for your home 17% Video games

13% Clothes/shoes 11% Presents/gifts for others

10% Donations to charity 10

%
Donations to charity

8
%
Entertainment subscriptions (TV, music etc.) 9
%
Fitness kit (clothing & shoes)

8 Technology
%
8% TAKING PART IN MASS PARTICIPATION EVENTS
3% Video games

– 12 –
CHARITIES
DID YOU FUNDRAISE FOR A Interestingly whilst charities often find it harder to recruit men to take part in some

CHARITY IN THE LAST EVENT fundraising events, we saw no significant difference between men and women’s
likelihood to be fundraisers. This suggests mass participation events provide a good
YOU TOOK PART IN?
platform for charities to recruit men who might be harder to recruit elsewhere, and
encourage loyalty through repeat event participation for their chosen charities.

77% of those who told us they fundraised for a charity at an event this year said it was
a charity they had fundraised for previously.

YES
44% WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON YOU DECIDED TO
FUNDRAISE FOR THIS CHARITY AS PART OF THE
LAST EVENT YOU TOOK PART IN?

30%

NO 25%
3%
53% 20%

15%

Mass participation events continue to be powerful tool for

10%
charities. 44% of people said they’d previously fundraised by
taking part in an event, and 35% of fundraisers were recruited 5%
as a consequence of their participation in the event as opposed 13% 23% 13% 27% 23% 1%
to directly by the charity and its cause. 0%

TO GET A TO DO SOME TO RAISE TO RAISE TO RAISE OTHER

PLACE IN THE GOOD AWARENESS MONEY FOR A MONEY FOR
EVENT WHILST I WAS ABOUT A CAUSE I CARE A SPECIFIC

45%
TAKING PART CAUSE I CARE ABOUT CHARITY
of those that fundraised at their last event were ABOUT

likely or very likely to fundraise for that charity again.

– 13 –
 FINAL THOUGHTS
At the start of 2023, we see both positives and negatives in the
insight we’ve uncovered for the year ahead.

As we settle into a post pandemic world, it’s reassuring to know that

the love of mass participation events remains strong. Participants are
planning to increase the number of events they take part in, are in a
strong position to ride out the cost of living crisis, and will prioritise
their spending on events and sporting attire if they start to feel the
squeeze in financials.

But there is the risk of a ‘lost generation’ of event participants who –

due to age, reduced fitness, or changing behaviours – may not return
to their previous levels of participation or potentially could be lost to
events permanently.

The challenge for the industry will be to encourage these participants

to return, while also adapting and developing what we offer to meet
increasing demands around issues like sustainability appeal and to
attract new audiences and event participants.

For those that achieve this, the future looks bright.

WHAT NEXT?
We plan to repeat this report again in late 2023 to track changes in
attitudes, behaviours and intentions to continue supporting everyone
with an interest in growing mass participation events.

Going deeper? To build on the insights uncovered in this research,

we’ll be segmenting current and potential mass participation
audiences by their motivations to sign up and take part in events.

For each segment we’ll explore what participants look for and value
in an event and highlight potential barriers to signing up. We’ll also
identify which audiences have the greatest potential to give and how
best to encourage them to do more.

If you want to be part of the Mass Participation Pulse in 2023, be the

first to hear about our audience segmentation work or are just keen
to delve further into the data, we’d love to hear from you.
hello@wearemassive.co.uk

– 14 –
ABOUT US
massive specialise in helping brands, charities and some of the
world’s biggest events to attract, engage and inspire through mass
participation, working in partnership to create, develop and deliver
experiences that make a difference.

METHODOLOGY

Our survey was in field for 4 weeks during October and November 2022 and we received
4,046 responses. We recruited participants directly and through our partner’s mailing
lists. For the purpose of this survey, we considered an ‘event participant’ to be anyone who
had taken part in “an organised event that is open to all and involves physical activity like
running, walking, cycling etc” at any point in the last 5 years.

– 15 –
Contact

hello@wearemassive.co.uk

020 7360 3401 (South)

01904 425 690 (North)

wearemassive.co.uk

weare_massive

/company/massive-ltd