Global Festivals and Events

LECTURE 1

INTRODUCTIO
N AND
DEFINITIONS
“The events industry is an
exciting, innovative, diverse and
highly challenging environment
in which to work”
(Dowson & Bassett, 2016)
What is an event?
- a unique blend of its time, setting,
management and people
-events range from local to mega in scale
Course Objectives
To provide an introduction to event and festival planning and
management.

To develop knowledge and skills required to help students

plan and manage an event.

To develop a deeper insight into the economic, cultural and

social benefits of events.

To understand the structure, career possibilities and

professional challenges that are impacting on the professional
event industry.
 Course Content
Lectures will cover the following content:
Lecture 1: Introduction and definitions of festivals and events
Lecture 2: The event industry: Structure, types of events and careers
Lecture 3: Global festivals: cultural and social dimensions
Lecture 4: Event planning
Lecture 5: Destination and venue selection
Lecture 6: Site safety and logistics
Lecture 7: Promotion and publicity for events
Lecture 8: Environmental management and event sustainability
Lecture 9: Budgeting and finances for even management
Lecture 10: Ethics, industry standards and professionalism
Lecture 11: Legal aspects of events
Lecture 12: A practical guide to managing an event
Lecture 13: Post event evaluation
Lecture 14: Lecture summary and revision
 Assessment
1. Mid-term examination (20%): Multiple choice and true-false
questions.
2. Final examination (30%): Short answer questions.
3. Event Proposal (30%). You (or with a partner) are required to write a
proposal for a special event that you will organize as a new offering in
Samarkand on a date decided by you as the Event Planner.
4. Individual presentation (20%): You (and your partner) will make a
professional presentation (using powerpoint slides) in class of your event
proposal as the Board of Management who will decide whether it is
worth funding, or not.
TEXTBOOKS
 Events are the benchmarks in our lives…
1. Events generally refer to any happening or
occurrence when something significant
happens in our lives:
2. Historical examples – Holidays -Navruz,
Ramadan, Christmas, New Year, Easter
3. Private events -birthdays, christenings,
graduations, coming of age celebrations,
(e.g., Bah mitzvah), marriages, deaths
4. Public events: World Wars, Olympic
Games; World Cup soccer
 WHAT IS EVENT STUDIES?

• Event Studies is the academic field

devoted to creating knowledge and theory
about the planning of events.
• An event planner/organizer ensures
everything related to an event is taken
care of - from the beginning of the idea,
to programming and the logistics on the
day.
Definition of event studies
The study of planned events with particular reference to the nature of the
event experience and meanings attached to events and event experiences
(Getz & Page, 2016).
Events interact with other applied fields such as tourism, leisure and sport
studies.
Importance of events:
1. Attracts tourists whose spending generates economic benefits.
2. Creates a positive image of the destination and helps brand it.
3. Contributes to place marketing by making cities more livable and
attractive to investors.
4. Encourages animated cities, resorts, parks, making them more
attractive to use
5. Act as catalysts for urban renewal, infrastructure development, and
volunteerism
 Definition of a Festival
• Latin has two terms for festive
events:
• festum meaning “for public
joy, merriment, revelry" and
• feria meaning: "abstinence
from work in honour of the
gods”
• In contemporary English
festival means a sacred time of
celebration, marked by special
observances
Describe this event?
 The Three Levels of Event Education

Event Studies is built

EVENT
upon a foundation of STUDIES
professional practice
Theories and knowledge
(or industry) applied to the understanding
of planned events

Event Studies is an
academic subject that
EVENT MANAGEMENT
supports event • Management knowledge and theory
applied to events, their organization,
management & design event businesses, and event tourism

EVENT DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

• Creating the desired experience
• Knowledge pertinent to the theme
• Hands-on production skills

Getz, D. (2007). Event Studies: Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events, p. 4
 Event Studies and Event Management
Inter-relationships
EVENT STUDIES
• Interdisciplinary approach to the study of
events
MANAGEMENT
• The meanings & importance of planned FUNDAMENTALS
events • Core theories and concepts from
• Why people attend events; constraints & • management & business
behaviour, including travel to events
• The event experience
• Outcomes of events (Triple Bottom Line) • Event Tourism perspectives
• Policy influences (destination management & marketing)
• Knowledge creation
• Spatial & temporal patterns
• Professionalism

EVENT MANAGEMENT and

SPECIALIZATIONS
• All the management functions are applied
to planned events
• Specialization on the basis of:
-Type of event
-Market segment
-Venue needs & limitations
-Other criteria
How can events be classified?

This Classification is based

CULTURAL on the FORM of events –
SPORT
that is, differences in the
CELEBRATIONS program and expectations COMPETITION
POLITICAL and of what is offered
STATE
ARTS and RECREATIONAL
ENTERTAINMENT
BUSINESS PRIVATE
and TRADE EVENTS
EDUCATIONAL
& SCIENTIFIC

15
Event Planning
Event Management emerged in the 1980s as a new professional field at
many colleges and universities in the western world.

It has now become more popular in Europe and Asia; and is now well
established in the UK US and Australia.

It is likely to follow the same life-cycle as tourism, hospitality, recreation

and sport management – which are now considered as being more
mature fields of study.
 MICE
Is an acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. The
MICE market refers to a specialized niche of group tourism dedicated to
planning, booking, and facilitating conferences, seminars, and other events
which are a big money maker in the travel industry.
 Event Tourism
Supply-Side Definition: the planning, development and
marketing of events as tourist attractions, image
makers, place marketers, catalysts.

Demand-Side Definition: many travellers are motivated

by an event and are willing to travel long distances to
attend
 Event Tourism
There are important bases that underline event
tourism:
◦ Attractiveness (events attract and satisfy tourists)

◦ Impacts (events can generate positive (or negative)

economic benefits as well as assist with place
marketing)

◦ Events are ‘products’ that can be created, bid for,

marketed and modified for consumption
Foundation Disciplines & Other Closely Related
Disciplines of Event Studies

MANAGEMENT TOURISM

HOSPITALITY

ECONOMICS
SPORT
EVENT
STUDIES
ARTS/CULTURE

ANTHROPOLOGY
and SOCIOLOGY
LEISURE
ENVIRONMENTAL
and SOCIAL
PSYCHOLOGY
The event experience and its
meanings
What are planned event experiences?
What do events mean to people and how important is
the social/cultural/economic context?
Can they be designed and controlled?
How do we go about researching and evaluating
planned event experiences?
You also need to consider the
spatial and temporal patterns...
Event Geography:
◦ What serves to shape the geographic and temporal
distribution of festivals and events?

Event History:
◦ How do events evolve in different situations?
◦ Do events have predictable lifecycles?
 Outcomes of events…
How do we measure and evaluate the outcomes of events
and event experiences based on:

The individual
Society as a whole
The economy, culture and the environment?

At all levels? (local, regional, national, international)

WHAT FACTORS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED
WHEN PLANNING AN EVENT?
What type of event/size/
Consider the needs of participants
Physical environment/venue requirements
Budget
Marketing/advertising?
Equipment, materials and supplies/stage/toilets
Program and schedule
How many staff/volunteers
Parking
Contingency planning – alternative plan B
Risk management/crowd control/security/
Waste pollution
Food and beverage/water
Questions for Small Group
Discussion
Why do people attend events?

What constraints or barriers does the public have to overcome to

attend an event?

Are cultural and social factors important to influence people’s

desirability for attending events?

How does past experiences or ‘word of mouth’ affect the demand

for attending events?