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Episode 5: Partnerships for Impact: Lessons from the Fort Portal Marathon

Sporting events are increasingly recognised as an important driver of tourism development, destination branding, local economic growth, and community engagement. Realising these benefits, however, depends not only on attracting participants and spectators but also on effective collaboration among government, event organisers, academia, local communities, and the private sector.
Although still in its early years, the Fort Portal Marathon is already providing valuable lessons on how collaborative approaches can strengthen sports tourism. Beyond the race itself, the event presents an opportunity to improve planning, better understand visitor behaviour, strengthen destination management, and generate evidence that informs future events and investments.
As more cities look to sports tourism as a catalyst for development, an important question emerges: how can institutions work together to collect, analyse, and use data to maximise the value that events create?
Building on the discussions from Urban Data Dialogues – Episode 4: Beyond the Crowd, this conversation shifts the focus from measuring the value of events to exploring how partnerships and data can help create, understand, and sustain that value.

Episode 4: Beyond the Crowd: Measuring the Value of Events for Tourism, Communities and Development

Across Uganda and around the world, cultural festivals, sporting competitions, heritage celebrations, and community events are increasingly being used to attract visitors, showcase destinations, and stimulate local economies. From marathons and music festivals to cultural and religious gatherings, events have become an important tool for raising the profile of destinations and creating opportunities for businesses and communities.
Yet attracting a crowd is only part of the story. How do we know whether an event has strengthened a destination, created economic opportunities, promoted cultural heritage, or generated lasting benefits for local communities? What evidence is needed to inform decisions about where to invest, which events to support, and how to maximise their impact?
As Uganda implements the Tourism Policy 2025 and pursues ambitious tourism growth targets, understanding the value of events is becoming increasingly important for policymakers, local governments, investors, tourism practitioners, and cultural institutions alike.
This edition of the Urban Data Dialogues brings together leaders from government, business, culture, and politics to explore how events can contribute to tourism growth, destination development, and community wellbeing—and how evidence can help us understand, measure, and strengthen that contribution.

Episode 3 - DataCities Urban Data Dialogue Series

This session explores how cities are using data, geospatial technologies, and citizen feedback to strengthen waste management systems. From mapping illegal dumping hotspots to optimizing collection routes and improving accountability in sanitation service delivery, the discussion will examine practical innovations and scalable approaches emerging across Ugandan cities.
Key Discussion Points
Mapping and monitoring waste hotspots across urban neighborhoods
Using data and geospatial tools to support evidence-based waste collection planning
Integrating citizen reporting and feedback into sanitation systems
Strengthening coordination between cities, service providers, communities, and private actors
Institutional and infrastructure gaps are limiting data-driven waste management
Opportunities for scaling urban sanitation innovations across secondary cities
Sample Questions
Which datasets provide the strongest insights into urban waste management challenges?
How can cities better integrate citizen-generated data into sanitation systems?
What practical lessons from Kampala can smaller cities realistically adopt?
How can data improve accountability between cities, contractors, communities, and service providers?
What are the biggest barriers preventing cities from using waste data effectively?

Urban Data Dialogue Series Episode II

The Urban Data Dialogues Series provides a platform for sharing insights, lessons, and innovations emerging from the DataCities initiative and other city experiences, bringing together practitioners and city leaders to foster peer learning, collaboration, and stronger urban data systems.

This second episode focuses on how cities can leverage data to improve revenue collection and enhance service delivery. Drawing from our experiences in Ugandan cities such as Fort Portal and Jinja city, the discussion highlights how better data systems, spatial mapping, and administrative improvements can increase local revenue without raising tax rates.

The session will also explore how cities can overcome data and institutional challenges to build sustainable, transparent, and efficient revenue systems.

Urban Data Dialogue Series Episode 1

The Urban Data Dialogues Series provides a platform for sharing insights, lessons, and innovations emerging from the DataCities initiative and other city experiences, bringing together practitioners and city leaders to foster peer learning, collaboration, and stronger urban data systems.

This first webinar introduces the DataCities consortium and highlights how the collaboration between Sunbird AI, ToroDev, and UN Global Pulse Uganda is supporting the data journey of the pilot cities as they work to strengthen urban data systems and evidence-informed decision-making.

The discussion will explore how the consortium was formed, the complementary strengths of each partner, and the shared vision for enabling smarter and more responsive cities.