Creator Events 101 - The Sidemen Charity Match.

This week we’re diving into the topic of in-person events in the creator economy!

London played host to something truly special on September 9th. KSI, MrBeast, and Kai Cenat, among other major creators, teamed up for the fifth Sidemen Charity Match. It showcased the Sidemen's talent for organizing large-scale charity events, all while fostering a sense of community.

The match took place at London Stadium, where a packed crowd of 62,000 fans witnessed history in the making. More than £2.4 million was raised for partner charities, which included Campaign Against Living Miserably and Teenage Cancer Trust.

While the live viewership from 2022 to 2023 didn't skyrocket, it's important to note that last year's match was the most-watched live-streamed sporting event on YouTube ever. So, this year's match can still be deemed a success.

Here's a quick rundown of the highlights:

⚽ £2.4 million raised for charity (compared to £1 million last year)
⚽ 60K attendance (twice as many as last year)
⚽ 2.7M peak concurrent viewers on YouTube
⚽ 20M total YouTube views

Tickets sold out in a mere 90 minutes! It's mind-boggling to think that this game drew an audience as large as a Premier League match.

Now, you might be wondering, "How did they pull off such a spectacular success?" Well, here's my thoughts:

• Strategic Integrations with Top Talent: In the months leading up to the event, both teams loaded up with top-tier online video talent. The lineup featured the likes of MrBeast, Kai Cenat, iShowSpeed, xQc, JiDion, and all seven members of the Sidemen: KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S.

• Hype Building: Months before the match, Sidemen members like KSI were already building anticipation, dubbing it the biggest charity event in the group's history. They raised the stakes by moving to London Stadium, the Premier League's third-largest venue, after previously hosting at a 27,000-seat location.

• Authenticity: The Sidemen have managed to stay true to the vibe that initially catapulted the Charity Match into the limelight: "Some mates having a laugh and raising money for good causes," as Bengtsson wrote. This tradition started back in 2016 when the seven founding Sidemen members invited 15 other creators to join them in their first charity football match.
  
  In a world that's constantly evolving, it's refreshing to see that the essence of community, fun, and giving back still drives events like the Sidemen Charity Match. We’re looking forward to next year’s event already!

Other creator events that caught our eye….

French Youtuber hosts Formula 4 race to 60,000 fans
French creator Squeezie successfully gathered 24 streamers to race in F4 vehicles to a crowd of 60,000 fans. Over 1 million people tuned into the event online also.

Creator Clash 2
Thanks to the likes of Jake Paul, KSI and many more creators, influencer boxing is on the up. Creator Clash 2 took place in Tampa earlier this year with Alex Wassabi vs idubbz as the main event. The event sold 50,000 PPV buys but unfortunately ran at a loss of $250,000 results in no money raised for charity.

If you’ve got this far, thanks for your time :)

If you would like to chat further, I'm putting aside time for one consulting call per week for creators / marketeers that are subscribed to this newsletter.

We'll speak for 30 minutes on a problem that you want to discuss and I'll follow up with valuable resources and an action plan to address the opportunity / issue.

I specialise in the area of brand partnerships, creator monetisation & creator marketing strategy.

Have a brilliant day, Conor