Introduction To Events Management 1 Assessment 4EM 001

David Saxton

Introduction to Events Management 1 Assessment 4EM 001

Since the beginning of time events have been around, these may have been to mark the changes of the seasons, such as spring to summer, or the cycle of birth and death. Whilst today they range from these to sporting events. Events are needed socially to mark the local and national details of people’s lives. (Bowdin, 1999).

In the events industry today the type of events can be classified according to their size and scale, and are usually done in the following way:

Mega Events,
Hallmark Events,
Major Events,
Cultural Events,
Business Events.

However, events can also be classified according to their purpose and the motivation behind either holding or attending the event, not to the particular sector to which they belong. An example of this is Shone (2001) which provides a good characterization of events:

Shone, operates on the theory that events are organised and categorised depending on the motivation behind the event and they are therefore one of the four special events above. By using both of these ideas of characterization they can be interlinked to describe the type of event and the motivation behind the event.

Mega Events are those events which are so large that they affect whole economies whether this be in one particular area or international economies. And these types of events tend to gain global media coverage. Mega events are usually developed and organised following competitive bidding. Events such as these can fit into all of the characteristics of Shone’s (2001) theory, and it therefore depends upon the perspective to which you are looking at the event. However in the event of a mega event it would appear that a mega event such as this would focus on organisational and cultural aspects as the motivation for it to be held. As many countries, therefore political aspects, and cultures become involved with the organisation of such an event and the taking place. Even though for those attending this could be interpreted as a personal event. An example of this would be the Olympic Games. Which Started 776 BC in Greece has been come an important part of world and Greek culture and tradition. The Olympic Games is an event which is known world wide. It is a mega event due to the fact that it encounters a wide and vast range of cultures and civilisations. A mega event such as the Olympic Games will bring many benefits politically, economically and socially to the hosting country. Athens, the host of the next Olympic Games in 2004, will gain many long term tangible benefits. These benefits being:

65000 new permanent jobs
120 kilometres of new road
290000 new trees
11 million new shrubs
A new international airport
An expanded metro system
A new, ultra modern traffic management centre
Increase in Tourism
A $1.3 billion boost in public sector revenue
35% improvement of the quality of the environment

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65000 new permanent jobs
120 kilometres of new road
290000 new trees
11 million new shrubs
A new international airport
An expanded metro system
A new, ultra modern traffic management centre
Increase in Tourism
A $1.3 billion boost in public sector revenue
35% improvement of the quality of the environment

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As the above shows there are many benefits that holding a mega event can achieve whether it be the Olympic Games or not as the increase in tourism will result in spending, expansion etc so the multiplier effect will occur in terms if economics. As a result of holding such a large international event the industry within Greece will reap great rewards in terms of transportation infrastructure, telecommunications, and the environment even though the local area may disrupted before and during the event, the political, environmental, and social impact that it leaves behind will persuade people that the overall impact of the event is positive for the area and its population. Due to the complexity of a mega event it is very difficult for other events to come under this heading so those that do tend to be:

The Olympic Games,
Paralympic Games,
Fifa World cup,
IAAF world championships.

Getz (1997, P6) defines mega events ‘by the way of their size or significance’ and goes on to explain that mega events yield high levels of tourism, coverage of the media and economic impacts for the host or destination.

Hallmark events are those events associated and identified within the ethos or spirit of town, city, or region of a country. They are so highly associated with the area that their name becomes connected and highly associated with the event. Examples of these are:

Rio carnival
Tour de France
The Edinburgh Festival
Notting Hill carnival

These hallmark events fit into the ethos of the place or district they are held within and bring revenue into the local economy in terms of tourism. The events can also create the sense of local pride and international recognition. (Bowdin, 1999). The term hallmark is used to describe an event which reoccurs and posses such significance for attractiveness, image, tradition or publicity. This type of event would provide the host area or venue with a distinct competitive advantage and over time the destination of the where the event is being held becomes inseparable from the event itself.

An example of a hallmark event would be the Sydney Mardi Gras. This is an event which is classified as a hallmark event which has been running for 25 years and runs for 1 month a year. The event is a cultural festival of arts and community events with artists and performers from around the globe. This type of hallmark event could be classed as cultural due to the foundation of homosexuality. For those attending the event would be classified and motivated on a personal level. Around 600,000 people attend and therefore according to Getz (1997) this event would not be a mega event but a hallmark event as it is associated with the city of Sydney. This type of event shows the diversity of gay life and is very much a celebration and awareness of homosexuality. This event has worldwide recognition and attracts visitors from all over the world and is therefore a cultural hallmark event but again it depends upon the perspective the event is being looked at. Hallmark play an important role as they bring economic benefits to the area that they are associated with due to the increase in tourists within the area who are with out question spending money within the local economy which for these events will increase employment opportunities and more customers within the hospitality industry as well as the events industry.

Cultural events tend to be interlinked with major events as due to the media coverage they attract significant numbers of visitors. These types of events stem from traditional routes or festivals. Major musicals such as Phantom of the Opera reap considerable tourism revenue for London’s west end and are classified as cultural events. Festivals within the events industry which involves the arts have a clear specific programme delivered with a clear purpose which can be usefully applied. Cultural events according to Bowdin (1999) can be sub classified. These are as follows:

High profile cultural event, tend to have a multitude of aims in order to be able to reach the highest standards, to gain a high level of media coverage, to reach a broad breath of the population and to generate high levels of income.
Festivals which celebrate a particular location are festivals which aim to bring people together to celebrate their local area. These events often feature a large number of local groups.
Art form festivals, offer unique opportunities for those wishing to see the particular event and the art forms associated with it.
Celebration of work by a community of interest, are festivals which highlight a particular group, an example of this being a fundraising musical concert raising money for the NSPCC. These events often contain a large proportion of participatory workshops.
Calendar events, these are cultural or religious festivals, Christmas for example. Indigenous traditions of large scale assembly have generally died away within the UK. However foreign influences have brought carnivals and melas which enhance the cultural mix of festivals within the UK.
Amateur arts festivals, this is a low profile sector but still fairly large involving thousands of people.
Commercial music festivals are the most commonly known and attended cultural events. Commercial music festivals take place in most major cities and even outside, for example Robbie Williams has performed at Knebworth.

New leisure markets (1995) has identified that the UK musical cultural events industry is divided between single theme and multi-theme events. The single theme events tend to be: folk events with 35% of the market, Classical (15%), Jazz (15%), Literature (5%), and film (5%). It has been estimated by Mintel (2000) that the live music event industry was estimated to be worth £361 million in 2000. Of which rock and pop counted for around 76%.

As shown cultural, organisational, personal and leisure events all have an impact on society and can be interlinked. Whatever the event it depending upon how it is perceived and who by will depend upon the positives and the negatives that the local and society will reap. For most events the local economy will become stronger especially if it is on a large scale as it is attracting tourists and increasing spending within that particular area. However though people are attending events such as Mardi Gras, It is difficult to pin point a persons motive behind the event as it may be one of culture, organisational, personal or for leisure, for more than one of these or for all of them. The events industry is therefore one of complexity and great diversity catering for all typologies. Society has also been impacted upon by the growth of the events industry as business’s and educational institutes have moved towards offering training and degrees in areas associated within the events industry and this therefore shows that it has impacted on society and will continue both within the UK and globally.