The specific rituals, presentations, performances or celebrations

EVT101a
Week 1
Intro to events
Concept development
Event design
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Event definitions
• “The specific rituals, presentations, performances or celebrations
that are consciously planned and created to mark special occasions
or to achieve particular social, cultural or corporate goals and
objectives.”
• Allen, J., O’Toole, W., McDonnell, I. and Harris, R. (2002) Festival and Special Events
Management, p11. John Wiley and Sons, Sydney, Australia
• “A special event is a one time or infrequently occurring event outside
of normal programs or activities of the sponsoring or organizing
body.”…“To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity
for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside of the normal
range of choices or beyond everyday experiences.”
• Getz, D. (2005) Event management and event tourism, Second Edition, p16, cognizant
Communication Corp., New York.
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Event taxonomy
• Events can be categorized on both size and type
• Size of events
– Mega/global
– Hallmark
– Major
– Minor
• Types of events
– Sport
– Community
– MICE etc
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Mega events
• Largest type of event
• International in scope
• Examples:
– Olympic and Commonwealth games
– World cups of various sports – football, cricket, rugby
– NFL Superbowl
– Formula One Grand Prix
– World Catholic Youth Day
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Hallmark events
• Increases tourism activity in a specific region/destination
• International in scope
• Examples:
– Melbourne cup
– Edinburgh comedy/fringe festival
– Carnival Rio
– Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide Arts Festivals
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Major events
• Significant local and national attendance
• Local and national in scope, some international visitors
• Examples:
– The Australian Open
– Summer cricket series
– Melbourne film festival
– Sydney Chinese New Year celebrations
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Minor events
• Town, city or regional events
• Most events are of this size
• Event sizes range from a handful of visitors through to several
thousand.
• Includes:
– Meetings
– Parties
– Celebrations
– Awards ceremonies
– Sports finals
– Academic conferences
– Expositions
– School eisteddfods
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Types of events
• Sporting
• Entertainment, art and cultural
– Wine and food festivals
– Music, film, comedy festivals
• Commercial, marketing and promotional
– Product launches, advertising and PR purposes
• MICE
– Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions
• Family, community and miscellaneous
– Weddings, funerals etc
– School fetes, fundraisers
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Benefits of the event industry
• The event industry has grown significantly since 1970
• Realisation by governments in the benefits of events.
– Economic benefit
• Modern events, post 1984 LA Olympics, create income
• Increasing academic speculation as to whether this is actually the
case
– Social and cultural benefit
• Increases exposure to different cultures and societies
– Infrastructure investment
• Construction of special event venues
– Foreign policy
• Showing off the nation’s prowess and ability
– Nation building
• Bringing the local populace together in celebration and solidarity
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Impact of events
• There are both positive and negative impacts of events
• Positive:
– Economic – Job creation and income (direct and indirect)
– Building civic and national pride
– Infrastructure
– Tourism
• Negative
– Inflation
– Jingoism and insular behaviour
– Alcohol and drug abuse, gambling and antisocial behaviour
– Environmental impact – waste etc
– Event failure
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Event concept considerations
• Be creative
• Consider the following basic factors:
– Purpose or goals of the event
– The event theme
– The venue
– The audience
– Resources available (time, money)
– Timing
– The event team
• And finally (and most importantly)
– The desires and wishes of the client!
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Conceptualising the event
• Three major steps in concept development
1. Determine the experience
2. Develop the concept
3. Design the experience
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Five W’s: determine the experience
Set the parameters for the event!
The concept questions to ask before starting!
The Five W’s:
– What type of event will it be? (content/product)
– Why is the event being held? (purpose/objective)
– Where will it be held?
– Who will be the stakeholders/market?
– When will the event be staged?
(Goldblatt, 1997)
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