Developing Events & Food Experiences & Their Destination Branding Potential

1. Developing Events & Food Experiences & Their Destination Branding Potential 03. 03. 2009 / AT

2. Content • Events and destination branding • What is an event • Purpose & impacts of events • Event tourism & types of events • Destination branding through food • Food, tourism, culinary tourists • Case Canada • Exam assignment on food & tourism

3. What is an event & its purpose • ”A one-time or infrequently occurring event of limited duration that provides the consumer with a leisure and social opportunity beyond everyday experience. Such events, which attract, or have the potential to attract, tourists, are often held to raise the profile, image or awareness of a region” (Brown et al, 2004 p.280). • Purpose… to achieve social, cultural or business oriented goals (Allen et al. 1999)

4. Purpose & impacts of events(Brown et al. – short version) • increased visitation --- increased earnings • increased employment • improvement of destination awareness and image content • enhanced tourism development • extension of tourism season • enhanced community pride

5. Event tourism & types of events • ”the systematic planning, development and marketing of festivals and special events as tourist attractions, catalysts and image builders” (Getz & Wicks in Brown et al 2004) • Fit between event image & destination brand Types of events (Allen et al. 1999) • Mega-events: ”must see”, 1 mio. visitors • Major events: considerable attention • Hallmark events: close connection to place

6. Film & image formation(Piggott et al. 2004) • reliable, attention grapping, relatively cheap • alternative way of communicating one’s message • fit between film image & place image • ”the economic value of an event to the host city or region is often predicted on the media attention that the event obtains” (ibid. p.209)

7. Further readings on events • Allen et al. (2001): ”Festival and special event management”. Milton: Wiley. • Getz D. (2005): ”Event Management & Event Tourism”. New York: Cognizant • Shone et al. (2001): ”Successful event management – a practical handbook”. London: Continuum.

8. Food & Tourism Types of food (Sonnino& Marsden, 2006). • Industrial food • Functional food • Alternative food What food fits tourism best / can be an experience? • Difficult to identify one food culture of a country • traditional regional dishes & recent ethnic imports • Difficult to claim that local food products/dishes hold authentic quality as they are influenced to globalization (Hjalager & Richards 2002)

9. Case Canada Identity New multi-ethnic society expressed in cuisine Traditional/historical identity expressed in cuisine Brand Image + Demand Natural beauty, outdoor activities, size, peaceful Affluent mature market want wine & cuisine Positioning Established food destinations: Italy, France • Cuisine in Canada • medley of local & ethnic flavours • sub-brands linked to regional identies

10. The Culinary Tourist • Tourists spend 1/3 of travel expenses on food • is that an argument for culinary tourism? • Types of culinary tourists • Core culinary tourists • primary reason for destination /holiday choice • E.g. cooking courses, food & wine trail tours • Peripheral culinary tourists • One among several reasons for destination /holiday choice • E.g.: visit local food producers, consume quality food • Lack of empirical data on (Boyne & Hall 2004): • the role of food in consumer’s destination decision-making processes • how tourists consume & evaluate food offers

11. Food – attraction or impediment(Cohen & Avieli 2004) • Local food = attraction – general line of reasoning in theory and practise • Local food = impediment (context: Western tourists in Third World) • Attraction & repulsion of novelty in food – ”culinary environmental bubbles” offered tourists • Transformation of local cuisine but also innovative dishes • Does high level of strangeness of food weaken place branding potential of food?

12. Further readings on food & tourism • Sonnino, R. & Marsden, T. K. (2006). Beyond the divide: rethinking relationships between alternative and conventional food networks in Europe. Journal of economic geography 6, 181-199. • Hall, Sharples, Mitchell, Macionis, Cambourne (2003): Food tourism around the world; Development, management and markets, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. • Hjalager A.M., Richards G. (2002). Tourism and Gastronomy. Routledge.

13. 7-day assignment - evaluation criteria • demonstrate independence (critical reflection towards theory + case) • analytic skills (using theories on case) • creativity (alternative/new angles are welcome) • through incorporation of relevant theory and relevant empirical examples (perspectives to other cases) • well-founded and articulate (argumentation is important)

14. 7-day Assignment: Exam Questions 1.With point of departure in a discussion of the concept of place branding, you are to debate the difficulties and possibilities of branding a rural place for tourism purposes that Boyne and Hall present in their text. 2.  Food is suggested by Boyne and Hall to be a useful element to focus a tourism place branding strategy on. Discuss whether this would be a well-suited strategy for any given rural place towards any type of segment. In the discussion you should consider elements like place identity, customer demands and image and competitors.

15. 3. Analyse what communicative tools the website of “Arran Taste Trail” (www.tastetrail.co.uk) makes use of, and what communicative tools might improve the web-based branding efforts. 4. On the basis of the website information and theory on experience economy, evaluate what types of experiences the “Arran Taste Trail” seems to offer tourists. If deemed necessary, give suggestions to how to alter or expand the food related experiences at the Isle of Arran