Event business leveraging: The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

The business leveraging of mega sport events is an emerging phenomenon not currently addressed in the tourism literature. This study explores Business Club Australia, an initiative launched by the Australian federal government to create leverage from Sydney's hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games by providing opportunities for business networking and international trade facilitation. The study examines the formulation and implementation of the program and discusses how the accumulated knowledge is being institutionalized and applied in other event contexts. Conclusions suggest that event business leveraging represents a subtle, yet significant paradigm shift in the international event sector that warrants ongoing empirical analyses.