Going for gold with Orkney 2025 Island Games

A Global Sporting Spectacle

The Orkney 2025 International Island Games marked a defining moment in Orkney’s sporting and cultural history. Bringing together athletes, officials, and visitors from islands across the world, the Games celebrated sport, community, and international friendship.

Our objectives included:

• Elevate Orkney’s Profile: Flip the media narrative from ‘local interest’ to ‘nation sporting priority,’ aiming for an 50% increase in social media reach compared to previous Games.
• Generate Cultural and Social Impact: Promote the legacy for the Orkney community and ensure buy in from locals and stakeholders.
• Maximise Reach: Deliver comprehensive media coverage, making the Games the most ‘seen’ event in Orkney’s history.
• Create an International Showcase: Position the event as a global showcase for the participants, the Games, and the Island of Orkney itself.

Getting Match Fit: Showcasing Orkney 2025

Over 18 months, we had huge hurdles to jump - both ensuring Orkney was firmly on the map for an international audience and that the local audience was fully engaged with and supportive of the Games.

By keeping our eye firmly on the end goal, our PR campaign played a crucial role by keeping the Games on track.

Our strategy aimed to elevate Orkney 2025 from a perceived local interest story to a recognised national sporting event, while securing deep-rooted community buy-in at home.

Our execution was split into two distinct audiences:

Taking Orkney to the World Stage

National media coverage was important in ensuring that there was widespread awareness of the Games. When appointed we carried out an audit to find out if national UK and international media were aware of the Games and if they were planning to cover it. Over 80% of feedback we initially received from key media was that ‘it’s just a local story’. It was then our mission to challenge perceptions and ensure Orkney 2025 was recognised as an international sporting event.

Gaining Support on Home Turf

Positively engaging with the local Orkney community was also vitally important. Without their buy-in the Games would not have been a success. More than 700 volunteers were needed; local businesses were crucial, providing both donations and specialist expertise; and island communities had to be kept match-fit with timely, clear information throughout the lead up to the Games.

International support

With over 2000 officials, athletes and supporters travelling to Orkney from 24 Islands across the world, it was vital that we gained support for the Games internationally.

A Home Advantage

Local support was vital - not only for ensuring a warm welcome for all the visiting athletes and spectators, but for securing buy in from the accommodation providers, restaurants, volunteers, sponsors, travel providers and athletes taking part in the Games.

Taking Orkney to the World Stage: our approach

Our activity ensured Orkney 2025 became recognised as an international sporting event. We:

• Regularly engaged with media, kept them up to date with stories and case studies. We also secured op eds and interviews with Kirsty Talbot, Games Director, in national UK media.
• Worked with Lorraine Kelly, host of the Games, to obtain quotes and agree interviews about her involvement with the event. Interviews were widespread including ITV, BBC, Independent, Capital Radio.
• Worked with the Royal Household to announce HRH Princess Anne who officially launched the Games.
• Set up working groups with the BBC and with ITV, meeting them once a month to update them on Games developments and then once a week just before the Games began
• Arranged a preview visit for the BBC to Orkney and secured a media tent for them trackside. This resulted in three live broadcasts for BBC Breakfast as well as BBC Reporting Scotland.
• Worked closely with a number of international TV outlets such as Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, Falkland Islands TV Gozo TV to secure interviewees for their daily broadcasts during the Games,

Gaining Support on Home Turf: our approach

We employed a variety of tactics to keep Orcadians engaged and up to date. We:

• Worked closely with the local media to keep them onside, so we developed good relationships with BBC Radio Orkney and the Orcadian. This involved regular meetings with them as well as providing them with exclusive opportunities, such as interviews, news and photography.
• Launched a schools competition for the design of the Games mascot and announced the winner
• Took over the Games’ social media channels, ensuring that there was a regular flow of posts and that queries were responded to.
• Announced local businesses who sponsored the Games, ensuring they also appeared on our social media channels
• Launched a volunteer drive and used local case studies to enthuse people and inspire them to volunteer (this was so successful - gaining over 1000 volunteers, smashing the target of 700)
• Arranged events for would-be volunteers to attend and receive further information
• Arranged Community meetings so that locals were kept up to date with Games information, such as planned road closures etc

One Year to Go till Kick Off!

With One Year to Go till Games Week, we marked the occasion with some creative photography, which was then used throughout the campaign.

Orkney the Destination

In addition to the obvious sporting angle of the event, we also focused on delivering the other aims and objectives of the Games including celebrating the best of Orkney as a place, its produce and people, which was promoted to both local and international audiences. To do this we:

• Worked with Creative Orkney to launch a competition for the design of the Games medals and then photographed the winning design
• Promoted the launch of the Orkney 2025 tartan, including working with Games partners, the Scottish Government, to arrange a visit for Minister Richard Lochhead to the factory where the tartan was produced
• Photographed a water sculpture which was specially designed for the Games by local craftsman, Kevin Gauld
• Promoted the cultural activities taking place during Games week, such as performances in St Magnus Cathedral and an art exhibition.

Go Go Go Games!

During Games Week a team of four from Muckle operated a media centre from the Games. 117 UK and International media were managed, with 130 interviews organised across the week. As well as responding to media enquiries, issuing a daily update and managing a team of three photographers, we managed the social media accounts for the Games. Important announcements were posted on Facebook and Instagram. We delivered 247 stories throughout the week and responded to the social media inbox. We worked with Scottish Water to secure free water bottles for all attending media, and VisitScotland to provide them with a map of and information about Orkney. We also worked closely with Loganair to promote the ease of access to Orkney and jointly hosted a welcome drinks event for media on the first day of the Games.

Results

The results achieved prove that Orkney 2025 was certainly not ‘just a local event’. The legacy of Orkney 2025 will be felt for generations to come - through strengthened international connections, inspired young athletes, enhanced sporting facilities, and a reinvigorated community spirit which reflects the best of Orkney.

With the steady stream of stories to captivate media on a local and international scale, our activity ensured that the Games was covered extensively.

Our personal best: outputs

• 1.8k items of coverage
• 1,000+ items of broadcast coverage was secured
• 117 accredited international & UK media at the event
• 545.8k reach on facebook and instagram during Games Week (an increase of 164% from the previous Games in Guernsey, 2023)
• 719 online articles reaching a potential audience of 46.7m

A podium finish: outcomes

• 1,027 Volunteers recruited (target was 700)
• 99.5% of volunteers felt that their experience of volunteering was positive
• £4.3m added to the local economy
• +£1.5m invested in sporting infrastructure, equipment & coaching
• 63,336 attended the Games

The post-match report

Kirsty Talbot, Orkney 2025 Games Director: “What can I say? You guys are amazing! The team at Muckle Media have been incredible and we have really loved working with you. Thank you for the years of dedication, hard work and sheer determination to deliver what has been the most incredible Games.”

Amy Wright, PR Manager, EventScotland: “It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and your team. Your professionalism and commitment to the event has been truly outstanding. The coverage of the Games both in the run up to and during the event is testament to this.”