Sustainable Product-Service Systems for Mega Events: The Case of Saudi Arabia’s Global Hosting Strategy

Abstract

Mega events such as the FIFA World Cup, World Expos, and the Olympic Games place enormous pressure on host countries to deliver large-scale infrastructure, products, and services within tight timeframes. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the umbrella of Vision 2030, has positioned itself as a global hosting hub, securing landmark events including Expo 2030 Riyadh, the AFC Asian Cup 2027, the Asian Winter Games 2029 at Trojena, and the FIFA World Cup 2034. This study examines how Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS)-integrated offerings of products and services designed to maximize value while minimizing environmental and social impacts-can support Saudi Arabia’s ambitious hosting strategy. A Saudi-based mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a structured survey of 198 stakeholders across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Makkah with semi-structured interviews of 12 experts. Quantitative results reveal high stakeholder support for S.PSS adoption (M = 4.18, SD = 0.71) yet moderate organizational readiness (M = 3.22, SD = 0.89). Regression analysis demonstrates that perceived environmental benefit (β = .41), economic viability (β = .27), and policy support (β = .23) significantly predict S.PSS adoption intention, explaining 52.4% of the variance. A new framework-the Saudi Mega Event Sustainable PSS (SME-SPSS) model-is proposed, integrating result-oriented service offerings, circular product flows, and legacy planning aligned with Vision 2030. Practical implications for organizing committees, design firms, and policymakers are discussed.