Large-scale culture, sports and business events can create jobs, support local businesses, raise the profile of places and improve the health and wellbeing of citizens. Having recently co-hosted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the U.S. is now gearing up to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, as well as co-hosting the Men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026. These events will bring thousands of spectators and have the opportunity to generate economic returns for the host cities and surrounding areas. At the same time, the U.S. regularly hosts many large-scale cultural events, such as the Sundance Film Festival, Burning Man, Coachella, and SXSW. But what can host cities do to capture the long-term benefits of these events? And how can cities and regions not hosting such high-profile festivals and tournaments, still use culture, sports and business events as a lever of economic and social development? This policy brief focuses on how state, county and local governments across the U.S. can leverage culture, sports and business events for local development. It focuses on five main topics: skills and employment; business development, trade, and investment; social inclusion and participation; tourism and placemaking; and measuring impact at the local level.