Co-Creating the Brand: Volunteer Voices at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games

Purpose: For emerging mega-events, building a strong brand and positive reputation is critical for 4 long-term success. Building on stakeholder theory and contemporary branding perspectives, this 5 study analyses the lived experiences of 1,791 volunteers at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in 6 Buenos Aires to examine how volunteer management practices function as brand touchpoints 7 through which organisational reputation is co-created. Methodology: Adopting a reflexive 8 thematic analysis of 2,074 advice units extracted from open-ended survey responses, we identified 9 seven interrelated brand touchpoints across the volunteer journey. Findings: Indicators reveal high 10 satisfaction (96.2%) and strong re-volunteering intention (98.6%), qualitative findings show that 11 this positive evaluation coexists with constructive recommendations focused on (1) recruitment 12 and training, (2) overall event planning and organisation, (3) organisation and distribution of 13 activities, (4) implementation and execution, (5) working conditions, (6) recognition and 14 incentives, and (7) perceived event impact. These touchpoints represent critical moments in which 15 organisational practices shaped volunteers’ experiential evaluations and contributed to the co16 creation of event brand meaning and reputational capital. Originality: This study reconceptualises 17 volunteer feedback as a strategic resource for brand co-creation. By framing volunteer 18 management as structured brand touchpoints, it provides a theoretically grounded and practical 19 framework for strengthening reputation and social legacy in emerging mega-events, particularly 20 in Latin America