Events - Responding to a Changing Environment Part 1

1 Events – the changing environment FIGURE 1.1 The Dowson, Albert and Lomax Event Planning Process – the event environment Events The Changing Environment DEFINING AN EVENT CLASSIFICATIONS INDUSTRY SIZE INDUSTRY STRUCTURE SUPPORT SERVICES RELATED SECTORS In March 2020, the events industry, along with the rest of the world, was just beginning to become aware of the effects of the Covid-19 virus which would become a pandemic that raged across the globe, affecting most countries and resulting in at least six million deaths by March 2022. Along with hospitality and tourism, the events industry closed down for anything that brought people together in a physical space or location. Two years later, we are emerging into what we hope is a post- pandemic era, accompanied by new practices (including regular washing and sanitizing of hands, maintaining social distancing and wearing a face covering) and medical developments in the form of vaccines which have enabled us to meet each other again, even though millions of people are still catching the virus. During the periods of lockdown, in the absence of events, we discovered anew the reasons why events are so crucial to society. Events do more than simply bring people together; they help to build social cohesion and enhance the wellbeing of participants. Throughout history, humans have assembled with ceremony or ritual to achieve and deliver specific results. Today, the events industry is made up of a diverse range of 1 people, and this is reflected in the cultural richness of organizers and audiences. There are many different kinds of events, with different purposes and rich cultural histories that demonstrate how societies celebrate and express relationships, how they mourn losses and acknowledge power, for entertainment, sport and business – and more. Many events are multicultural and inclusive, whether open to the general public or aimed at specific audiences. And even with the same content, or held in the same location, each event is unique. This chapter explores the origins of the events industry and how it works today in a changing environment. The global events industry size was valued at $1,135.4 billion (£853.16 billion) in 2019 and is expected to reach $1,552.9 billion (£1,166.87 billion) by 2028 (Allied Market Research, 2022). Working in the events industry postpandemic continues to offer an exciting and often sociable career, with oppor- tunities to specialize in a huge variety of roles. As authors we all have decades of experience as professionals in different areas of the events industry, and we are proud to be part of this resilient sector, which is open to new opportunities as it begins to bounce back. During the pandemic lockdowns, the skills developed in events have enabled many events professionals to transfer to work in other industries and take on different roles, while others have embraced the opportunities offered by the whole- sale move to online delivery. The events industry is flexible and creative and offers a bright future to those who are willing to invest their time and energies in learning and gaining new experience. By the end of this chapter you will be able to: ● ● ● ● ● ● give a definition of an event; explain the different classifications and categories of events; describe the size of the events industry; outline the structure of the events industry; list the types of events suppliers and support services; demonstrate the relationships between events and other closely related industry sectors. Defining an event As people involved in the events industry, whether as students or professionals, when we talk about ‘an event’, we are not talking about natural phenomena, such as earth- quakes and storms, but about planned gatherings that bring people together. Smaller gatherings might involve family and friends, work colleagues or work contacts 1 from other businesses. Yet events often bring strangers together, people who might only meet once, on that occasion, and never come across the other participants again. This is often the case when attending larger live events, such as concerts or sporting competitions. The purpose of the gathering will inevitably vary. Sometimes people come together to be entertained, and at other times people gather to be educated. But the important point here is that the gathering is planned and there is a purpose to it. The purpose may be simple or complex, and sometimes the events organizers don’t think deeply enough about what the real purpose of an event is, but the first part of our definition is: ‘An event is a planned gathering with a purpose’ Stop for a moment and think about an event that you have attended. Which event did you immediately think of? A special occasion, such as a birthday party or wedding, or a sports match or a music concert? Maybe you thought of it because it was a particularly enjoyable or emotional experience? You may have been able to share the experience along with your family or close friends. The event may have taken place in an exotic location, or on a gloriously sunny day, or perhaps it was memorable because you learnt something valuable. Whatever the event, it was obvi- ously something important to you, but what made it memorable could be due to any number of factors. This brings us to the second part of our definition: ‘An event is memorable or special’ Some events last an hour or two, such as a meeting, a concert, or a football match, while others last a day – for example, a wedding or conference. Other events may last a few days – an outdoor festival or industry trade show. Some events might last a few weeks, such as an art exhibition or festive Christmas market. One of the long- est events is the World Expo, an international cultural gathering, which lasts for up to six months. The most recent World Expo was in Dubai, and took place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. (You can read more about this event in Case study 7.3.) The next World Expo is planned for 2025 in Osaka, Japan. But whatever the length of time, all events have a predetermined life cycle with planned start and end dates. This brings us to the third part of our definition: ‘An event is temporary’ In summary, our definition of an event is ‘a temporary planned gathering with a purpose, that is memorable or special’. The box shows some further definitions and descriptions of an event given by some of the leading events management authors. FIGURE 1.2 Defining an event An event is a planned gathering An event is temporar An event is memorabl ‘An experience that has been designed’ (Getz and Page, 2020) ‘Those non-routine occasions set apart from the normal activity of daily life of a group of people’ (Shone and Parry, 2019) [International events are] ‘large-scale events which attract international audiences and media attention and meet a variety of economic objectives for the destinations in which they are hosted’ (Ferdinand and Kitchin, 2021) ‘Happenings with objectives’ (Raj, Walters and Rashid, 2017) Having seen some other definitions of ‘an event’, Case Study 1.1 reflects on the ques- tion ‘What do we mean by events?’ and is written from a Critical Event Studies perspective. CASE STUDY 1.1 The importance of understanding the event-ness of the event Dr Ian R Lamond, Senior Lecturer and Researcher, UK Centre for Events Management, Leeds Beckett University Often, when we think about events, words like engaging, exciting, immersive, unique, special, spectacular may come to mind – but how often do we think: what is an event anyway? Our first thought may associate events with celebrations – birthdays, weddings, or something similar. Perhaps our thoughts will drift to some open field festival where we partied hard, or a trade fair where we confirmed that amazing contract. Some may find themselves reflecting on a winning goal at a crucial match, someone receiving their medal for a race run well, lifting high an award for the best single, film, performance, publication and so on. While all these may be considered events, what do they tell us about what the word ‘event’ names? After all, event is a noun: it names something – a person, place, thing or concept; so, what does it name? Interestingly, that is the nub of the problem – events are processes. They are a set of mixed activities rather than a thing. We need to rethink events as something closer to an adjective or verb. Events need to be understood as evental, in the sense that the processes and activity of politics is better understood as the political. Processes never occur in a vacuum. They have a relationship with their surroundings, one that is co-creative and mutually co-dependent; they are affected and effected by their situation, as well as affecting and effecting the situation in which they emerge. Consequently, once we have made the move to thinking about events from the perspective of process and activity (i.e. thinking about events from the perspective of them being evental), we have direct access to understanding resource management, contextual sensitivity, and the event’s impact/ consequence as co-creative and co-dependent. Significantly, those factors cease being something remote, of value to managing an event, to become something central to what makes it an event. To manage those things in a way that lacks thought, examination, reflection, is to distort and fundamentally change the event being envisaged. How then should we think about events? This will depend on the route that has brought us to this question. The two main pathways appropriate to this book can be drawn under the broad headings of event management and event studies. For both, a key approach is that of narrative deconstruction, though what is meant by that will differ depending on the outcome you are intending. Arguably the outcome of following the event management path encompasses creating a ‘successful event’ – however you want to define ‘success’. For event studies, the output may include obtaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of an event. Events, as process and activity, are complex; they are layered in multiple and interconnected ways. The interconnected layers constitute the diverse narratives (stories) that are associated with the event. A non-exhaustive list of such narratives of, for example, a trade fair would include those of the traders; technicians; security staff; attendees; marketeers; venue provider; community adjacent to the venue; those producing the stand materials. Of course, the list can go on, and some of you may note that any given item in a list could also be an abridged form of a further list (some people have agents, union reps, their own supply chain networks etc.). The function of event management then becomes the weaving together of diverse narratives to construct one, or a set of, meaningful meta-narratives (higher-level stories) that achieve the desired objectives set for the event. This is one of the key places where event studies fits into the picture. A critical perspective on the study of the event, whether real, imagined, anticipated, planned or something else, would recognize that any meta-narrative is also one of many possible meta-narratives that can be associated with the event. Not all those meta-narratives will agree with the one intended by the events manager. Some will challenge/contest that narrative, others may be contradictory to it, providing a friction or tension between them and the planned narratives. By investigating those contradictions, tensions and frictions, the implicit presuppositions surrounding the event become clearer. It is possible to identify structures of power, exploitation, prejudice and so on that implicitly or explicitly inform the event’s agenda, many of which may have been hidden or obscured in the process of developing and presenting the event itself. As a critically reflective practitioner, being open to a diverse range of voices, with transparent values and armed with tools that can help unpack some of the richer complexity of events, can provide us with a firm foundation for current and future events planning. Find out more Finkel, R, Sharpe, B and Sweeny, M (2019) Accessibility, Inclusion, and Diversity in Critical Event Studies, Routledge, Abingdon Jepson, A S and Walters, T (2021) Events and Well-Being, Routledge, Abingdon Spracklen,. K and Lamond, I R (2016) Critical Event Studies, Routledge, Abingdon Classifications and categories of events One of the most enjoyable aspects of a career in the events industry is the opportu- nity to work on a variety of different events. But there are many different types of jobs and specialisms involved in planning and managing events. Below we consider some of the main ways of categorizing or classifying groupings of events. Classification by event type Events are most often classified according to their type. So, for example, although a family birthday and wedding might be very different, they can be grouped together as private events. Similarly, a business meeting or trade show can be grouped under the category of business events. Getz’ typology of events is the most commonly used method of categorizing events by type. This classification typology has changed over the years, partly to reflect the influence of the continuing study of events. Table 1.1 shows the six differ- ent types of events as categorized by Getz (2020) and includes examples of each type. If you are planning a career in the events industry, then it’s worthwhile gaining experience of different types of events. This could be through volunteering to help at different events, putting on your own events in the local community or even attend- ing different types of events. By getting involved in a variety of events, you will learn new things, try out different types of work and different event roles and make new contacts. The importance of practical skills and experience should not be underesti- mated in the events industry, along with the connections and networks you make when working (or studying) alongside others. TABLE 1.1 Getz’ typology of events (2020) Cultural celebrations Business and trade Arts and entertainment – Festivals, heritage commemorations – Meetings, conventions – Scheduled concerts, shows, theatre – Fairs, exhibitions – Carnivals, Mardi Gras – Markets – Art exhibits – Religious rites – Corporate events – Installations and temporary art – Pilgrimage – Awards ceremonies – Parades – Educational and scientific congresses Political and state Private events Sport and recreation – Summits – Rites of passage – League play, championships – Royal spectacles – Parties – One-off meets, tours – VIP visits – Reunions – Fun events – Military (tattoos) – Weddings – Sport festivals – Political congresses Classification by event size and impact Some types of events attract huge crowds as well as massive television audiences and social media followings, while for other events the headcounts are much smaller. Some events can make a big difference to people’s lives and will live long in the memory, whereas other events have relatively little impact. A mega event, such as the Olympic Games or the FIFA Football World Cup, will attract viewing figures of billions from around the globe. For example, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 reached over three billion people. The organizing committees for these events work for years to ensure the success of an event of this size and complexity. Another way to classify events is through their size and impact. Below we describe and give examples of the four categories of events – local, major, hallmark and mega – identified by Bowdin et al (2012). In light of the changes that have occurred since the Covid-19 pandemic, we have added another classification in this category: virtual events. LOCAL EVENTS Examples of local and community-based events include a village fete that brings together members of the local community, or a networking lunch aimed at busi- nesses located in the local community. These events are unlikely to draw a huge attendance or generate a great deal of media interest outside the locality. The amount of time and resources needed to plan an event of this type should also be reasonably limited. Such an event would likely be planned and run by the members of the local community or local businesses. MAJOR EVENTS Unlike a local event, major events are likely to attract visitors from outside the local area and region, often in large numbers. Examples of major events for a region include an arts and cultural festival or a national or international business conven- tion. The main purpose for the area hosting such events is to generate increased visitor spend in local shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels and other local businesses. Major events are also likely to attract interest from the media, which in turn aims to bring more visitors to the region. HALLMARK EVENTS Hallmark events are those events that become so identified with a particular town, city or region that they become synonymous with that place. An obvious example of a hallmark event is the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. If you were to tell a friend that you were going to Wimbledon they’d probably assume you had tickets to watch the tennis tournament, rather than think you’d be travelling to south-west London. The Glastonbury Festival is another example of a hallmark event although the festival itself is not held in Glastonbury but in nearby Pilton. MEGA-EVENTS As the name suggests, mega-events are the largest in terms of their size and impact. Perhaps the best example of a mega-event is the Olympic Games which every four years attracts participants and spectators from all over the world to the host city, as well as commanding TV audiences of billions. For the host city, mega-events have the potential to generate substantial economic gains but the high costs of hosting them can mean huge debts if not managed carefully by the organizing committee and the local events team. VIRTUAL EVENTS The pandemic that began in 2020 and which has affected the whole world has had a massive impact on the events industry. As a result of not being allowed to meet together in a physical space for at least 18 months, all opportunities for people to connect through events were transferred online. Even as the pandemic waned, there has continued to be a desire and need to still meet online. It is likely that this trend will continue in the future. Although numbers attending might be smaller than for the biggest events held in a physical space, the combination of broadcast and internet coverage provides future audiences with more options to participate in events they are unable to travel to, and budgets for virtual events are expected to continue to rise year on year. The technological developments in online platforms that have been prompted by the pandemic now allow up to 32,000 online participants on a single virtual event, and access is greater for those streamed on social media.