Jakob Kjeldgaard Fuglsang, Senior Manager at Wonderful Copenhagen, joined IAEH members on 29 September 2026 to share how the Copenhagen Legacy Lab turns sports, cultural and professional into platforms for lasting social and economic impact. Speaking just over a week after Copenhagen hosted the World Athletics Road Running Championships, Jakob took members through the Lab’s origins, its working model and a series of recent cases, and closed with candid lessons from several years of legacy work. Areas covered included the following:

– Why a city invests in legacy. The Lab grew out of an industrial PhD at Wonderful Copenhagen which demonstrated that much of the real value of events lies in knowledge exchange, networks and talent development. The Lab, with only a team of three has delivered more than 45 legacy activities across various congresses and events. Members heard why the city and other stakeholders look to provide support.
– A seven-step model from alignment to impact. Legacy work is structured through planning, delivery and evaluation. Specific KPIs are set at the outset, and outputs, outcomes and impact are tracked for up to two years after each event.
– Alignment before activity. Using the Road Running Championships as the example, Jakob showed how the city’s priorities, the local organising committee’s ambitions and the rights holder’s objectives were brought into line before any activity began. He explained why that three-way fit is the foundation of a successful legacy project.
– Running with dementia. A case study from the World Athletics Road Running Championships involved a  coach-led team of people living with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment training being developed and participating in the event. Leading hospital, patient and senior organisations were involved from the start, with clear targets for what should still exist two years on.
– Bringing local business into the event. Two low-cost concepts, carb-loading menus with local restaurants and a Medal Monday encouraging visitors to stay an extra day, gave the host city’s smaller businesses a direct stake in the event.
– Flipping the audience. A gaming festival set out to attract novel stakeholders, with a cybercrime prevention seminar for more than 300 seniors backed by the Minister of Justice, the police and the financial sector.
– Beyond the obvious. Partnership development with thus key. Other examples included matchmaking game developers with investors and a cyber careers space for school students. At the Copenhagen Sprint, an adaptive bike area allowed one supplier to trace a striking return from half a day in the park.
– Sport as a door to trade. Badminton’s popularity in Asia became the basis for bringing 25 decision-makers from six Asian countries to meet the Danish water sector during the 2023 World Championships.
– Lessons for hosts. Identify unique synergies early, invite unconventional stakeholders into the room, and challenge assumptions about what an event can be. Build on existing frameworks and shared experience rather than starting from scratch.

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