Last month, Riyadh celebrated a significant milestone with the inauguration of the first phase of Sports Boulevard, a key initiative under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The Boulevard is essentially a 135 km linear park stretching across Riyadh, connecting Wadi Hanifah in the west to Wadi Al-Sulai in the east via Prince Mohammed bin Salman Road. It encompasses eight districts, each designed to cater to different recreational activities, including arts, entertainment, athletics, and more.
The first phase, recently opened to the public, marks the completion of 40% of the entire project and includes five key destinations: Wadi Hanifah, The Promenade, the Intersection of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Rd. and Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Al-Awwal Rd, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Internal Loop, and Sands Sports Park.
As the city’s biggest talking point at the moment, the opening of the Sports Boulevard presents numerous PR opportunities for businesses aiming to enhance their visibility and engagement in Riyadh:
Event Sponsorships and Partnerships: Now is the time to be looking towards community events and thinking of ways to collaborate with local authorities to sponsor events such as marathons, cycling races, or yoga sessions along the boulevard. Pop up installations would also do very well along the Boulevard – interactive booths or pop-up shops that come alive on weekend evenings would work well to engage visitors and showcase products or services.
Health and Wellness Initiatives: Organizing free or sponsored fitness classes, workshops, or health check-up camps support the Boulevard’s aim of promoting well-being. At the same time, launching community wellness challenges encourages participants to share their progress on social media, fostering brand engagement.
Cultural and Artistic Engagements: Partnering with local artists to display installations or murals along the promenade, would align with the arts district’s theme, while sponsoring live musical or theatrical performances in designated areas would attract diverse audiences.
Digital Campaigns and Storytelling: Creating virtual tours of the Boulevard would help to highlight its features and integrate your brand’s narrative, and encouraging visitors to share their experiences on social media using specific hashtags, amplifies your brand’s reach (and provides you with plenty of User Generated Content).
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities: Environmental initiatives are a great way fo engaging the community and helping to make a difference. Participate in clean-up drives or tree-planting events within the eco-district to demonstrate environmental commitment, and think about educational programmes. Can you host workshops or seminars focusing on health, sustainability, or sports education for the community?
There are a multitude of different ways to get involved as part of your PR strategy, Sports Boulevard offers a unique platform for businesses to engage with the community, promote healthy lifestyles, and enhance brand visibility. By aligning PR strategies with the boulevard’s offerings, companies can foster meaningful connections and contribute to the city’s vibrant cultural and recreational landscape. However, it is yet to be seen how easy or challenging this may be. If you’d like to talk through some ideas and get a helping hand exploring the possibilities and opportunities presented by Sports Boulevard, please do email sam@footstepcommunications.com
