The management of major sporting events as an antecedent to having the city recommended

Sports are consolidating as a complementary resource for economic and social development and promotion. Hosting a sporting event may result in a boost for the hosting city, where attendees may become promoters when it comes to recommending the destination. This study aims to analyse whether the quality of the services offered, the quality of the game, emotions, and satisfaction influence the spectators’ intentions to recommend a city. A multi-group analysis was conducted to determine whether the model relating these variables was the same for the different groups of spectators. The results showed the importance that quality management has in attendee satisfaction, with functional quality being a direct antecedent to recommending the city. In conclusion, hosting major sports events and ensuring quality management in their organisation has positive effects on the promotion of tourism. •The functional quality of a sports event is a precursor to having the city recommended.•Functional quality is an antecedent of positive emotions in spectators.•The quality of a sports event is related to spectator satisfaction.•Positive emotions are a direct antecedent to satisfaction.