2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The 2024 USA Swimming Trials redefined fan engagement, setting new benchmarks for how the sport of swimming can captivate mainstream audiences and attention.

The event’s impact reached well beyond the venue. It achieved a staggering 82 billion in editorial reach and $759 million in earned media value. Social reach also surged to 1.1 billion, tripling the engagement of prior Olympic Trials.

Fan satisfaction exceeded 90% across all categories in post-event surveys, demonstrating the effectiveness in creating a world-class experience. Integrating immersive technology, athlete storytelling, and expansive community engagement demonstrated how traditional competitions can evolve into global spectacles. With 90%+ fan satisfaction and $132 million economic impact for Indianapolis, this event underscored how reimagined fan experiences can achieve broader visibility, deeper connections, and legacy

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The 2024 USA Swimming Trials redefined fan engagement, setting new benchmarks for how the sport of swimming can captivate mainstream audiences and attention. The event featured the largest indoor temporary pool in history, containing 1.8 million gallons of water, and introduced the innovative “Blocks Walk,” a 70-foot athlete intro board showcasing full-body video clips to highlight athletes’ personalities. This unique feature modernized the fan experience and brought a dynamic storytelling element to athlete introductions.

The event’s impact reached well beyond the venue. It achieved a staggering 82 billion in editorial reach and $759 million in earned media value. Social reach also surged to 1.1 billion, tripling the engagement of prior Olympic Trials. Digital platforms experienced explosive growth, with a 400% year-over-year increase in downloads of the USA Swimming Network and a 105% spike in website traffic.

Fan satisfaction exceeded 90% across all categories in post-event surveys, demonstrating the effectiveness in creating a world-class experience. Integrating immersive technology, athlete storytelling, and expansive community engagement demonstrated how traditional competitions can evolve into global spectacles. With 90%+ fan satisfaction and $132 million economic impact for Indianapolis, this event underscored how reimagined fan experiences can achieve broader visibility, deeper connections, and legacy.

Objective

The unique objective behind hosting the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming at Lucas Oil Stadium centered on redefining the event, fan experience and elevating the sport of swimming. By hosting a swim meet in an NFL stadium for the first time, USA Swimming aimed to address the overwhelming fan demand that had exceeded the capacities of previous venues. This larger setting allowed for record-breaking attendance and enabled the creation of immersive and interactive experiences that transformed the Trials from a competitive event into a true celebration for fans.

Key goals included utilizing Lucas Oil Stadium’s expansive space to innovate event presentation, including using a 70-foot vertical digital board for dynamic athlete introductions and real-time visuals, creating a more engaging and memorable experience. USA Swimming also prioritized connecting with fans and stakeholders by introducing premium hospitality spaces and city-wide activations, including interactive fan zones and streets renamed after swimming legends.

The 2024 Olympic Trials celebrated Indianapolis’s century-long relationship with swimming, marking the 100th anniversary of the city’s first Olympic Trials in 1924. This blend of history, innovation, and community engagement exemplified USA Swimming’s mission to strengthen the sport’s connection with its fans and set a new standard for future events.

Strategy & Execution

The Trials were designed to captivate modern sports fans by combining family-friendly activities, cutting-edge technology, and exclusive VIP experiences, creating a comprehensive and unforgettable event.

Within the venue, fans were treated to a variety of activations. The USA Swimming House, presented by OneAmerica Financial, served as a pre-competition hub with hospitality, sponsor activations, athlete meet-and-greets, an art gallery, and exclusive views of the warmup/warmdown pool—the largest ever constructed. For a premium experience, the Dive Bar, presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, offered an exclusive speakeasy under the competition pool, with custom cocktails, historical swimming imagery, and sponsor-hosted VIP events.

Technological innovations elevated the fan experience with the Evolution of Sport Presentation, featuring a 70-foot “Blocks Walk” video board for full-length athlete introductions, a center-hung scoreboard 20 times larger than previous versions, and pre-session laser, light, and music shows. These elements celebrated the athletes while energizing the audience. New VIP fan offerings included poolside seating for intimate viewing and the Podium Club, a corporate hospitality suite for partners. Olympic legends Brendan Hansen and Kaitlin Sandeno entertained fans with pre-competition and in-session hosting. This thoughtful mix of innovations, exclusivity, and accessibility set a new standard for fan experiences at major sporting events.

Organizations

• USA Swimming
• Indiana Sports Corp

Links

•   Website

Featured

• USA Swimming National Team and Olympic Team
• Brendan Hansen and Katiline Sandeno - Olympic legends and in-venue hosts
• Pat McAfee - Sports personality and guest attendee
• Various players/guests from the Indianpolis Fever and Colts and Pacers

Credits

Shana Ferguson
COO and Interim CEO
USA Swimming

Jacob Grosser
Managing Director, Marketing & Communications
USA Swimming

Sarah Myer
Chief of Staff & Strategy
Indiana Sports Corp

Michelle Steinfeld
General Counsel
USA Swimming

Eric Skufca
CFO
USA Swimming

Joel Shinofield
Managing Director, Sport Development
USA Swimming

Elaine Calip
Executive Director
USA Swimming Foundation

Lindsay Mintenko
Managing Director, National Team
USA Swimming

Matt Lupton
Senior Director, Creative & Productions
USA Swimming

Nikki Warner
Director, Communications
USA Swimming

Jim Fox
Director, Partnerships
USA Swimming

Macie McNichols
Director, Events
USA Swimming

Mollie Linnes
Manager, Marketing
USA Swimming

Mariah Carnahan
Front End Developer
USA Swimming

Wendy Bartlett
Senior Manager, Athlete Marketing
USA Swimming

Leland Brown
Program Director, DEI
USA Swimming

Devonie Pitre
Manager, Communications
USA Swimming

Kyle Sagendorph
Manager, Digital Content
USA Swimming

Natalie Elzinga
Manager, Studio
USA Swimming

Will Brethauer
Manager, Content
USA Swimming

David Gardner
Coordinator, Graphic Design
USA Swimming

Ellison Elledge
Senior Manager, Partnership Marketing
USA Swimming

Caitlin Whiteside
Manager, Partnership Marketing
USA Swimming

Matt Barbini
Director, High Performance
USA Swimming

Bryce Elser
Director, Open Water
USA Swimming

Trey Freeman
Manager, National Events
USA Swimming

Brendan Hansen
Director, National Junior Team
USA Swimming

Kaitlin Sandeno
Event Host
USA Swimming

Kristin Alfano
Manager, National Events
USA Swimming