By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
May 10, 2013
For the first time in its history, the X Games gets underway in Barcelona, Spain. The city is one of six across the world that’s hosting an X Games event this year, part of a plan to spread the extreme sports competition to markets throughout Europe and South America. The Games bring upwards of $50 million in economic impact to the communities that host the four-day event, as well as significant worldwide media exposure.
For an event that’s most notably held in Los Angeles, allowing athletes to spend more time overseas is sure to help their marketability. However, for U.S.-based sponsors that have signed X Games athletes to endorse their products, being abroad makes it more difficult for the athletes to connect with domestic fans. One unique way sponsors can utilize athletes competing internationally is by utilizing Citrix GoToMeeting with HDFaces for video conferencing. As athletes come of the field of play, a laptop could be available to connect them to some of their sponsors’ partners in the U.S. With another X Games being held in Munich next month, now’s the time for companies to start working on their international activation plans.