Major Event and Festival Impacts

Major Event and Festival Impacts Lecture 1: Locating Major Events and Festivals: from hallmark to major events Jenny Flinn

Welcome! • Purpose of the module • Using the blog • Module Structure • Section one • Section two • Section three

Defining Major Events • Local community events • Local or regional in their reach, embedded within a specific geographical location (e.g. Moffat Gala Day) • Special events (Getz, 1989) • World regional or national in reach, do not occur on a regular basis (e.g. Royal Wedding) • Hallmark events (Hall, 1989) • National or regional in reach, are generally ‘tied’ to a particular place (e.g. Glastonbury) • Major events (Bowdin et al, 2006) • World regional or national in reach, tend to occur on a regular basis (e.g. F1 Grand Prix) • Mega events (Roche, 2000) • Global in reach, occur on a regular basis but tend to be peripatetic (e.g. Olympic Games)

Defining Major Events: commonalities • Large scale • Short term • High profile • Often have longer term impacts/consequences • Are viewed as special occasions/spectacles

Analysing Major Events: a conceptual framework • Events are generally assessed in terms of their economic impact rather than as part of a broader process (Hiller, 1998) • However, we are starting to witness the developing of a broader understanding of event impacts as governments and organising bodies are held accountable for the hosting of major events • We will look at these actual impacts and their assessment later in the module but first we need to develop a framework for understanding and analysing major events. • Roche’s (2000) conceptual framework

Roche’s Conceptual Framework • Roche (2000) suggests that we must look at mega events from a multi dimensional perspective and offers a 3 fold typology for analysis • This framework can be adapted to examine major events more broadly • We will first look at these dimensions of major events before going on to consider Roche’s spatial and temporal analysis which we will be find to be extremely useful in analysis event impacts more specifically

Roche’s Conceptual Framework • Modern / non modern • Progress, rationality, secular values, capitalism • Growth and spread of modernity • Development of national consciousness • National / non national • Support of ‘host’ national power elites, invented traditions, development of public culture • Power struggles, pacification, opportunity for resistance? • Local / non local • ‘Hosted’ somewhere yet transmitted elsewhere, about place but often ‘placeless’ • Issues of place and identity • Mediatisation

Roche’s Event Related Time Periods • Roche (2000) also argues for a spatial and temporal analyses of mega events, he breaks this into three main zones • The Event Core • Present including the immediate past and future – the lived experience of what we experience and view • The Context • Medium term pre and post event processes – the production of the event and associated impacts/legacies • The Event Horizon • Long term causes and motivations for hosting the event and lasting effects

Event Core • Also known as the dramatologicalpersepctive of events • Focuses on the event as a ‘live’ and ‘lived’ experience which embodies drama and performance • Here, events may be used for political action, displaying government policy and consumerism • Events as ideological tools - spectacle as distraction, means of developing civic pride, etc

Contextual Event Zone • Focuses on medium term analysis pre and post event (2-3 years either side) • Concerned with the political, economic, social and cultural uses and functions of major events • Development of institutions and organisations that gain from major events and the power struggles/alliances between them • This is known as Roche’s intermediate contextual perspective

The Event Horizon • Long term pre and post event analysis • Looks at the ability of events to make significant contributions to social and cultural change • Long term structural change in an environment (e.g. China) • Impact on global culture • Long term impacts are often asserted in bid documents but as yet evidence is inconclusive

Major Event and Festival Impacts