City of Utrecht: university and local council assess success

Eric Frank and Jack Kruf | | January 2016

The City of Utrecht is a member of PRIMO Netherlands. In the run-up to this special event, there have been extensive discussions about integrating risk management into the approach. When the project organisation was first set up in September 2014, Eric Frank (PRIMO Netherlands) and Jack Kruf (PRIMO Europe and WagenaarHoes), in close consultation with Ilhan Tekir (financial adviser to the City of Utrecht) and Martijn van Hulsteijn (project director for the Grand Départ), organised a round-table discussion for the City of Utrecht’s project team.

The round table discussion focused on three main areas:

• The actual risks and uncertainties associated with the event itself.
• The risks relating to the project organisation in terms of its composition, working style, internal communication and positioning in relation to the regular line organisation of the Municipality of Utrecht.
• The risk model and methodology to be applied in the areas of risk analysis and mitigation, as well as quality assurance within the project.

The round table in June 2014 was a very open discussion involving all members of the project organisation as it was being established. It led to a shared analysis, a more rigorous focus on and permanent embedding of risk management throughout the project organisation, and a clear allocation of tasks and responsibilities, both at the administrative and management levels.dding van risicomanagement in het geheel van de projectorganisatie én een heldere belegging c.q. toebedeling van taken en verantwoordelijkheden, zowel ambtelijk als bestuurlijk.

The municipality’s evaluation report sets out the final decisions taken in section 10.3:

“A risk and opportunity management model was established using the COSO framework (in collaboration with the municipality’s corporate finance department and the Public Risk Management Organisation Netherlands, PRIMO). The financial and quality risks have thus been identified and monitored. The risks are monitored every 6 to 8 weeks by the various sub-divisions within the project organisation and managed through appropriate control measures.”

COSO

This method is one of the most widely used international standards for risk management. It is a framework designed primarily for establishing and monitoring internal controls. It is regarded as an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) model. The Tabaksblat Code, the Dutch corporate governance code, cites the COSO framework as an example of a standardised framework for evaluating the internal risk management and control system.

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The final report by the City of Utrecht and the evaluation report by Utrecht University (2015) describe the event as follows:

“In its evaluation of the social, organisational and economic impact of the Tour de France in Utrecht, Utrecht University concludes that the Tour was a great success in Utrecht. The Tour generated 25.3 million euros for Utrecht. It was a huge celebration without any incidents, characterised by an extraordinary sense of community. It commends the City of Utrecht and the project organisation for the way in which the event was organised: as a celebration featuring many crossovers between the business community, knowledge institutions, and cultural and sports organisations. The conclusions of Utrecht University tie in seamlessly with the final report drawn up by the City of Utrecht itself.

Last summer, the world’s largest annual sporting event descended upon the city of Utrecht. After Utrecht had been warming up for the Tour for 100 days from 26 March with no fewer than 250 activities, the period from 1 to 5 July 2015 was one big celebration of, for and by the city.

The Tour in Utrecht received high ratings: an 8.4 for the weekend of the Tour start and an 8.2 for the activation programme. The event generated an economic impact of 25.3 million. In addition, at least 35 million in media value was realised (this measured media value focuses primarily on national print and online coverage; in reality, it is even higher). The evaluation shows that all objectives were achieved and that the council’s investment in the event has yielded an excellent return.

High ratings: 8.4 and 8.2

The Tour in Utrecht was made possible by a huge number of different Utrecht-based partners, businesses, organisations and Tourmakers. As a result, it became much more than a sporting event, and Utrecht managed to give the organisation a unique, personal touch.

All objectives achieved

The university notes that it considers it an achievement that the event was realised on a relatively limited budget. The original budget was 15.4 million. The financial result forms part of the municipal final report. The project closed with a deficit of 386,200 euros. This was caused by heatwave measures, reduced income from parking due to a successful public transport/cycling campaign, and slightly lower income from private partners.

The municipality is pleased with the objective and high-quality report. The municipality views the evaluation as confirming the findings in its own final report and is proud of the results. In the municipality’s view, however, the economic impacts have been presented somewhat ‘conservatively’. To effectively safeguard the energy, networks, and knowledge built up during the Tour, an assembly has been established. This is an urban network intended to further strengthen the collaboration achieved, the organisational capacity and the positioning of Utrecht.

The evaluation by Utrecht University (2015) was carried out at the request of the municipality of Utrecht as a joint project between Utrecht University, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, the Mulier Institute, Arnhem Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences, and Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen. The evaluation is also important for the accountability of the grant to the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport.”

Dijk et al. (2016) conclude: “Le Grand Départ was one big celebration of, for and by the city of Utrecht. The many visitors gave the start of the Tour de France in Utrecht in July 2015 a high rating. The activation program, which began 100 days before the start, was a success. Furthermore, the Tour generated a significant economic impact and media value, despite a relatively limited budget. These are some of the conclusions from the study into the social, organisational and economic impact of the world’s largest annual sporting event: Le Tour de France. The research was carried out by Utrecht University in collaboration with researchers from Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, and the Mulier Institute.”

In Frank & Kruf (2016), project leader Martijn van Hulsteijn summarises the organisation of the event as follows: “The whole world has to work together, something they normally rarely, if ever, do. An event is therefore a unifying factor of the highest order. It is a form of collective intelligence, of advanced mathematics, a bit of luck, and, above all, good weather.” Everything fell into place, but credit must go to the municipality of Utrecht.

Bibliography

Dijk, B., Hover, P., Slender, H., & Smits, F. (2016, januari). Le Grand Départ Utrecht 2015; van grote waarde voor Utrecht. SportKnowHowXL. Geraadpleegd op 4 juni 2025, van https://www.sportknowhowxl.nl/nieuws-en-achtergronden/column-xl/item/100546/le-grand-depart-utrecht-2015-3b-van-grote-waarde-voor-utrecht

Frank, E., & Kruf, J. (2016). Risicomanagement bij grote evenementen: Over de weg naar succes. In J.P. Kruf & E.J. Frank. Publiek Risico: Essays, Stichting Civitas Naturalis, 2020, pp. 336–359.

Gemeente Utrecht (2015). Eindrapportage Grand Départ Tour de France Utrecht 2015. Gemeente Utrecht.

Universiteit Utrecht (2015). Evaluatie Le Grand Départ Utrecht 2015. Faculteit Recht, Economie, Bestuur en Organisatie van Departement Bestuur- en Organisatiewetenschap (USBO).

Download Evaluation Le Grand Départ Utrecht 2015.