This past week, the G20 Summit wrapped up in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a Leadership Declaration calling for more action on climate change, international cooperation and debt relief. During the same time, Taylor Swift flew secretly to the UK, where she filmed a music video in a derelict shopping centre in Croydon, a suburb of London.
Both of those events had one thing in common: they are examples of mega-events, bringing millions of dollars of revenue to their respective venues.
But while the G20 Summit had the lofty goals of poverty relief and world peace, and the Taylor Swift video was just about music and celebrity, there are certain lessons that world leaders can learn from the 35-year-old pop phenomenon.
Economic Lessons from Mega-Events
The world economy in 2025 has been patchy. Growth slowed in advanced economies in all sectors apart from travel and tourism. Therefore events like major summits and international conferences, or music concerts like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, create so much revenue for the host country that they even move the needle on that country’s GDP.
For example, the Eras Tour – spread across two years, five continents and 149 shows, sold around 10 million tickets and generated approximately $2 billion dollars (R34,66 billion). And that’s only the concert tickets.
Add to that the multiplier effect of 10 million people booking transport, staying at hotels, eating in restaurants and buying souvenirs, and the economic impact ended up being an additional $1 300 (R22 529) per person. Where Swift appeared, hotel occupancy went up to 97%, city income increased by an average of $92 million (R1,594 billion), and just one concert – in Stockholm – caused a GDP bump in Sweden.
On the other hand, high-profile political summits like the G20, or global sporting events like the Soccer World Cup or the Olympics, might generate substantial profits for the host country but also carry substantial risks.
There is an immediate tourism/hospitality boost, potential foreign direct investment and legacy infrastructure gains. But there are also costs like security and infrastructure spend. And these country-hosted mega-events carry the risk that the GDP uplift will be uncertain unless policy, investment, and political will are aligned.
The G20 Summit created an immediate economic boost due to infrastructure spending and visitor spend. There were also a number of investment initiatives: South Africa used the summit to showcase bankable projects and tourism opportunities. The political tug-of-war over the US involvement bolstered South Africa’s diplomatic standing.
So what can the G20 learn from Taylor Swift?
The phenomenon of “Swiftonomics” did not happen suddenly or by accident. The “Swifties” fan-base was built consistently over time and with concentrated effort. A firm policy, devised from a defined value-system, was constantly reinforced, while being adjusted and re-evaluated over time and in response to changing trends.
Additionally, the concerts did not occur in isolation. They were partnered with merchandising and a film release – The Eras Tour Official Concert Film – that added value to the experience and generated more income by capitalising on the excitement around the tour.
People who missed the tour watched the film to see what they had missed; people who attended the concerts went to the film to re-live the experience.
Scale and concentration matter: both the Eras concerts and the G20 concentrated consumer demand in short windows, which increased spending in hospitality and services. Local supply chains, SMEs, and temporary employees captured contracts and income.
Both of these events relied for their success on good preparation, clear policy and clever leveraging of additional opportunities.
However, that is where the similarities end.
The most important feature of Taylor Swift’s attraction is that it is inclusive. Swifties never feel left behind. They form a global club, united in fandom, where differences are set aside. World leaders can only dream of such cohesion.
For Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour was a step on a clearly-defined yet flexible career path. For South Africa, the G20 Summit was a once-off opportunity to showcase the country.
This is what South Africa must do in order to make sure the G20 was not just a talk-shop:
- Capture local procurement: make it easier for small businesses to win supply contracts.
- Package bankable projects: develop more investible projects with clear returns, land-use, and risk mitigants — investors respond to ready deals.
- Keep improving: Present clear and measurable tactics to combat the drawbacks to doing business in South Africa: dealing with corruption, lawlessness and lack of accountability.
- Implement: South Africa has become known for good plans with poor implementation. This must change, and must be seen to change.
It might sound trivial, but the figures don’t lie. Taylor Swift is worth $1.6 billion (R27,728 billion), generated entirely by good decision-making, shrewd marketing, consistent branding, understanding her supporters and adapting to change. World leaders can only look on in envy.
