[Source: WePlan] As the world prepares to mark 100 days to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, a new study highlights the recurring factors that determine the outcome of major-event candidatures.
Based on lessons from Expo 2030 Riyadh and Milano Cortina 2026, the analysis points to five decisive elements in winning bids: governance clarity, narrative coherence, stakeholder unity, operational viability, and alignment with long-term development plans.
The findings are set out in the first edition of the WePlan Knowledge Paper series, a collection of publications that will explore different phases in the lifecycle of mega-events.
A key feature of this first paper is the USP Positioning Framework, a methodology designed to help bidders identify and validate their true differentiators. The framework addresses a common weakness in candidatures: the tendency to present local strengths as unique without testing them against the priorities of rights-holders or the positioning of competitors.
“Candidatures are no longer judged only on ambition or technical capacity. They are evaluated on credibility, sustainability, and alignment with wider strategies,” said Roberto Daneo, co-founder of WePlan. “With this Knowledge Paper we want to contribute to a more disciplined, transparent, and legacy-oriented approach to winning bids.”
Giorgio Re, co-founder of WePlan, added: “Expo 2030 Riyadh and Milano Cortina 2026 provide valuable examples of how vision and delivery capacity can come together. Our Knowledge Paper series is designed to make these lessons available to future bidders and stakeholders.”
About the Knowledge Paper series
The WePlan Knowledge Paper series will cover the full lifecycle of mega-events in four publications:
- Winning Mega-Event Candidatures (October 2025)
- Transition and Early Stage Planning (January 2026)
- Operational Readiness (April 2026)
- Event-time and Dissolution (July 2026)
Each edition will draw on WePlan’s experience across multiple international projects and propose structured tools to support cities, regions, and organisers in managing the complexity of world-scale events.
The first Knowledge Paper is available for free download on https://www.we-plan.eu/knowledge-papers.
