Event Managers Research Articles

Theoretizing A New Sustainable Business Event: Extension of Mair and Jago Model

The growth of the event sector is underpinned by the demand of organizing a business event. Thus, it leads to an increase in economic and social impact. However, the problems from the growth of this sector potentially results from the use of several event materials, transportation and infrastructure development. Organizing a green event is seen as one of the strategies to reduce the environmental impact. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues involved throughout the process of greening an event by applying Mair and Jago Model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with event managers from six Malaysia business event companies that encourage green practices during their event. Findings suggest that impact, initiative, support and performance motivates event organizers in organizing a green event. It has also been found that knowledge, resources and behaviour are the barriers faced by event organizers throughout the process of organizing a green event. Based on the findings it appears that two important factors have emerged from the data collection and analysis that showed a deviation from the Mair and Jago Model, namely “impact” for the motivation element and “support” for the barrier element. The main limitation of this study was the scope of the study; as it only focuses on business events. However, as the main purpose of this study is to explore the issues of organizing a green event, it has been found that there are other issues need to be explored in other contexts and geographical area. Apart from this, as this is a case study, it can only replicate according to the circumstances of this case study. However, this study can be generalized in terms of the theory that has emerged from it. It is suggested that further research should explore more issues in other contexts and geographical areas.

The sum of all fears: Stakeholder responses to sponsorship alliance risk

This study examines how event managers and corporate sponsors conceptualize and respond to risk when establishing new sponsorship alliances. Findings are based on 36 semi-structured interviews with sponsorship managers in Australia, as well as qualitative text analysis of 298 sponsorship policies worldwide. Three motivational responses towards sponsorship risk emerge. Chiefly, promotion-focused managers appear adventurous and outward-looking, whereas their prevention-focused colleagues seem more risk averse and inward-looking. Alternatively, managers who adopt a problem-solving focus seem to rely more on cognitive and affective behaviors when addressing risk. This research makes several contributions to the emergent dialogue on sponsorship risk. First, it advances a new, grounded definition of sponsorship risk. Second, it proposes a novel typology of stakeholder risk responses. Third, it presents a conceptual framework abstracted from the themes identified in the study to enhance sponsorship decision-making and promote new avenues for research on sponsorship risk.

Unintended outcomes of the London 2012 Olympic Games: local voices of resistance and the challenge for sport participation leverage in England

This study was undertaken with five families before, during and after the London 2012 Olympics to examine and explore everyday reactions to the Games on families in the East Midlands region of England. The aim of the research was to build localised accounts of the multiple interpretations, potential impacts and reactions to the Olympics in everyday family household settings. The views, perceptions and interpretations of the Games were gathered through qualitative research methods, using video diaries and, pre- and post-event, group interviews. Findings from the study illustrated diverse reactions to the legacy messages, resistance to policy interpretations surrounding this mega event and a strong sense of regional and financial exclusion from the event. Lessons can be learnt for both policy-makers and event managers in the design of future events that encompass the localised perspectives of those communities and individuals who consume the event beyond direct physical participation. In particular, themes from the data included the importance of regional community involvement of national showcase events, limitations of existing media and web-based information sources, and the everyday resistance to policy messages assumed as taken for granted. It is also hoped that the study will provide lessons for the Rio 2016 Olympics from a local delivery perspective.

PROFESSIONAL AND NONPROFESSIONAL EVENT MANAGERS: AGENTS’ CHARACTERISTICS OF EVENT-ACTIVITIES FIELD

The main research question focuses on studying of the «new», non-traditional, recent forming professional group of event managers in modernRussia. This article provides the event group boundaries, its numerical and structural composition. On the basis of existing community event stereotypes, perceptions of event managers, supervisors’ event agencies and customers such the all agents included in the event activities, the author designed the image of professional and nonprofessional manager. Scientific, theoretical and practical significance of the work is leading to characterize agent-field-event activities and outline the prospects for the professional groups’ formation of event managers in modernRussia. Conceptuality and validity of the study is based on using theoretical and methodological comparative, functional and activity approaches. The obtained results can be used for further investigations in the event managers’ field and for other professional-groups, as well as useful in the study plan such as «Sociology of professions and professional groups» and «Sociology of culture and spiritual life».

“Expect the unexpected”

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse event management by using three value creation logics, value chain, value network and value shop. In event management, value is generated through intermediation where the dominant creation logic is a value network. However, the complexity of events and danger of unexpected problems is increasing, which, in the worst case, leads to event failure. This fact makes it necessary to change the general attitude towards this topic from risk management to uncertainty management and use the value shop in order to solve problems efficiently.Design/methodology/approach– This paper is based on the methodology of phenomenological hermeneutics which analyzes the object of study by interpreting the facticity and provides basics to generate a conceptual model.Findings– The dominant value creation logic must be changed to prevent the value network from failure in generating value, since only the value shop provides high quality problem solving. Trust not only in planning but also in the own problem-solving competence and available tools is a major part of the value shop. As a practical example of high quality problem solving, the performance of high reliability organisations can be used by event managers.Research limitations/implications– Using these hermeneutical gained logic, additional empirical research projects in event management, leadership and problem-solving competence of top managers, are promptly intended. Additionally, studies concerning competences and structures of the uncertainty management team have to be determined and developed as well as education and coaching has to be generated in order to achieve best results in problem solving.Practical implications– Practical implications of this paper are: considering the value shop as the dominant value creation logic in uncertainty management; establishing a specially trained Complex Problem-Solving Team; and considering trust to be an essential element of the value shop.Social implications– The basic job requirements a successful value net (event-) manager has to provide in such a complex system are: acting as integrator, mediator and problem solver simultaneously. Additionally event managers need to be trained to rethink the value creation logic and use the value shop within the value net to stay flexible and work successfully during their events.Originality/value– Derived from this new perspective the necessity of enhancing the implemented value creation logic according to uncertainties allows event managers to solve unexpected problems faster and more efficiently.

Roar of the Crowd: Noise-Related Safety Concerns in Sport

In sport the safety of staff, participants and spectators is of the utmost importance. Therefore, sport venue and event managers should take every precaution to address safety concerns while planning for and executing events or activities. While venue managers have a legal duty to protect fans and participants, federal regulations exist to ensure a safe workplace for all employees, including those at a sports event. This is a conceptual article intended to assist practitioners to identify potentially unexpected hazards within the work environment, as well as strategies to eliminate or manage them. The authors examine existing federal regulations, current research associated with hearing/noise-related concerns and specific research undertaken in the sport environment. The article concludes with recommended prevention strategies for facility and event managers to assist them in meeting their professional and legal obligations.

To Run or Not to Run? A Community in Crisis

This case addresses the events leading up to the cancellation of the 2012 New York City Marathon in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The case highlights the importance of making fair and timely decisions. The case is assembled based on newspaper accounts of the circumstances that led to New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg declaring the 2012 marathon would be held and then two days later canceling the event. The facts that were available to Mayor Bloomberg are presented in such a way that students can consider and analyze what they would have done and when, and how this may or may not differ from what actually occurred. Most importantly, the case highlights the decision-making process that many sport and event managers will encounter in the field when a weather-related event occurs in the midst of a planned athletic event. Consequently, the case provides students with an opportunity to critically examine the following: 1) how a sport organization should respond to a crisis; 2) the impact of decision-making on various event stakeholders; 3) the ethics involved in decision-making; and 4) how sport and event managers should respond to public criticism. The case is intended for use in classes focused on event management, sport ethics, and public relations.

Framing Event Legacy in a Prospective Host City: Managing Vancouver’s Olympic Bid

In preparation for Olympic bids, city officials and event managers often cite event “legacies” and argue that such benefits may be realized for decades. Meanwhile, public support is extremely important when moving forward with a bid; legacy has therefore become a prominent feature in bid committee rhetoric and in the management of event bidding, and how the notion of legacy is managed in the media by bid proponents will be key to a successful bid. This paper explores how legacy was framed in the newspaper media during the Olympic bid in Vancouver, where city officials, local politicians, and members of the bid committee focused their pro-bid arguments around infrastructure, economic, and social legacies. Results show how these legacies entered the bid discourse at various points in the domestic and international bid competitions, as supporters moved away from discussions of new infrastructure development and economic impacts toward intangible event benefits.

Different Venues, Different Markets, Different Experiences: Evidence from Live Music Performances in South Africa

The purpose of this research was to determine whether visitors who attend the same live music performance at four different destinations/locations vary and whether their needs were the same for a memorable visitor experience. Two-way frequency tables and Chi-square tests, as well as ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons were used to investigate any significant differences between the four locations of the shows. The results indicate significant statistical differences between the various locations based on visitor profile, economic impact and what factors visitors regarded as important for a memorable visitor experience. Determining these differences not only equips major music event managers with the improved knowledge to develop and manage future concerts at various destinations (cities) and locations (venues), but this research also helps management to ensure the creation of a memorable visitor experience. Keywords: Neil Diamond concert, Critical Success Factors, Location, Destination, Event Management, Memorable Visitor Experience

Framing, Information Alignment, and Resilience in Distributed Human Coordination of Critical Infrastructure Event Response

This paper discusses several elements of communication, coordination, and event response dynamics from a combination of cognitive ergonomics and systems engineering analysis perspectives. Event response coordinators and managers of critical infrastructure networks are faced with cognitive challenges due to bounded sociotechnical rationality and cognitive framing. For the purposes of this discussion, “disaster” is a derived description, emerging from a combination of event dynamics (including magnitude and scope of natural processes); human impact (including number and severity of people and communities affected); and event response activity (including prediction and preparation, and both proactive and reactive allocation of resources). The potential impact of the event itself may limit information flow to coordinate and improve response, as well as the age, confidence, and completeness of information available. Cognitive framing addresses responders’ decisions and actions to maintain a stance of process control to maintain robust, nominal operations, or cybernetic adaption to maximize resilience and recovery from degradation. This paper addresses the need for effective information alignment, not only in terms of structural components of event planning, but real-time dynamics of event response when infrastructure networks themselves may be compromised. As the geographic scope of an event increases, event response activity must evolve from a centralized to a more distributed human response coordination process.

Attitudes of participants of tourist animation: Case study: Thematic events as a practical training (Novi Sad, Serbia)

Most tourists go to tourist resorts not only to rest, but also to learn something new, study the culture, tradition, folklore, national dishes and dances. In that sense, animation and animators represent a link between tourists and hosts. Animation can be defined as an integral part of the tourist offer, which entails enriching the offer with different contents, which provides an incentive for tourists to experience a more eventful travel. The aim of these studies was to develop a new measuring instrument that could be used in Serbia to measure festival motivators that play the key role for travels to destinations that are primarily festival in nature. The results have shown event managers that they need to initiate complex and comprehensive studies of the needs, motives, and expectations of those participating in such events.

Managing Alcohol and Drugs in Event and Venue Settings: The Australian Case

One of the major challenges of operating events and venues is that of managing attendee/patron alcohol and drug use. In the Australian context, a rising number of alcohol and drug-related incidents in and around these settings have resulted in a renewed focus on how these negative outcomes can be more effectively controlled. In order to aid those charged with the task of addressing this matter—event and venue managers, police, security firms, alcohol and drug regulatory bodies, and governments at all levels—this article seeks to identify those variables with the potential to impact this management issue. Further, it aims to provide the previously identified stakeholders with a deeper appreciation of the raft of practices that are currently in use, and potentially available to them, as they build responses to this challenge at the individual state, precinct, venue, or event level. The research approach used involved an extensive literature review and a series of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders across three states—New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia.

Effective Tools and Techniques for Event Logistics

The event industry has grown into a very large industry today and the importance of event logistics tools and event management techniques have increased tremendously. Past literature suggests that event has been defined variously by different scholars but there is a general consensus that an event is composed of several functions that are related to each other (Bowdin et al, 2001). Event is an occasion where people gather together to operate and participate in an experience that creates a unique moment in time (Berridge, 2007). However, events can widely vary from each other and may be categorized as business meeting, conference, convention, corporate event, sports event, cultural event, exhibition, charity event or any special event such as wedding, festival or party (Bowdin et al, 2001).The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the tools and techniques utilized by event managers and to understand how such factors influence the event. Although there has been a lot of research about events over the past few years but the changing market conditions, coupled with growing influence of social media, sustainability and economic climate has impacted the events industry. The role of an event manager or a professional event coordinator is significant today for the success of any event or convention. In the coming years, the changing landscape of events will bring in several factors that would require modification depending on the type and purpose of the event.

Effect of Event Service Quality and Satisfaction on Happiness Among Runners of a Recurring Sport Event

The consumption of sport events through direct participation can influence participants’ perception of happiness with that experiential purchase given the time and resources invested in that experience. The purpose of the study was to examine how sport event service quality aspects operationalized through the physical environment, interaction, and outcome factors influence overall satisfaction with the event and experiential happiness. Data were collected from 300 runners who participated in 5k and 10k races. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed the positive effect of outcome and physical environment factors on satisfaction with the event and the positive influence of event satisfaction and outcome quality on experiential happiness. The overall expectations on the quality of the event experience can be a focus for event managers aiming to achieve social marketing goals related to positive psychology from the event participation.

Can fundraising be fun? An event management study of unique experiences, performance and quality

Purpose – The objective of this study was to examine the effects of performance and uniqueness as predictors of fundraising event quality. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilized intercept surveys collected from attendees at a non-profit fundraising event organized by the tourism and hospitality industry in a major tourism destination. Factor analysis was used to explore underlying event performance dimensions. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess predictability of event performance and unique experience design as predictors of event quality. Findings – Three salient dimensions were identified: Hedonic Event Performance, Event Design Performance and Informative Event Performance. Of the three dimensions, Hedonic Event Performance was found to significantly predict Event Quality. However, Unique Event Experience provided stronger predictability of Event Quality. Research limitations/implications – The results provide information which can be utilized by event organizers or managers to enhance the overall quality of fundraising events. The distinct attributes of event success identified in this study can be capitalized upon for improving future attendance. The use of event attendees from one particular event, which focused on a very specific cause, can be considered a limitation of the study. Originality/value – This study focused on identifying different dimensions of a fundraising event which impact quality. The study provides insight into uniqueness of event experiences and their effect on event quality.

From sun and sea tourism to cultural tourism – the case of Split-Dalmatia county

This paper presents empirical research conducted for the purpose of designing a conceptual development model needed to gradually transform Croatia’s Middle Dalmatia region from a sun & sea to a world-class cultural-tourism destination. The first step in the process involved conducting an inventory, classification and evaluation of regional cultural attractions in terms of their market potential, appeal, and stage of market readiness. Following this initial groundwork, and in order to define acceptable development principles and outline preferred courses of action, the second step of the process focused on a region-wide stakeholder consultation process which included organization of regional workshops, focus groups and semi-structured in-depth interviews with regional and/or local tourism and culture professionals, event managers, tourist boards’ directors and community leaders. Following the input provided by the relevant cultural tourism stakeholders throughout the Middle Dalmatia region, distinctive development principles have been specified. Based on these development principles, a structured cultural tourism development concept has been proposed to ensure both, international competitiveness and long-term sustainability.

Mega-event volunteers, similar or different? Vancouver 2010 vs London 2012

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to compare motivations of volunteers at two mega multi-sport events.Design/methodology/approach– The research used a quantitative research design to survey volunteers at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (n=2,066) and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (n=11,451) via an online questionnaire based upon the Special Event Volunteer Motivation Scale.Findings– The results indicate that the volunteers, most of whom had previously volunteered, were motivated by similar variables, including the uniqueness of the event, the desire to make it a success and to give back to their community. The results of the principal components analysis indicated that most items of the scale loaded onto similar components across the two research contexts.Research limitations/implications– There were methodological limitations in terms of the timing of the questionnaire administration and Likert scales used, however, these issues were controlled by gatekeepers. These limitations could have research implication for comparative studies of volunteers at mega events.Practical implications– Understanding volunteer motivations will enable event managers and volunteer managers to plan for legacy.Social implications– Volunteer motivations include wanting to give back to their community and therefore, increases the potential for volunteer legacy.Originality/value– This is the first research that: enables comparison of winter and summer Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers; has substantial sample sizes in relation to the variables; applies higher item loadings to strengthen the analysis; and involves the use of the same instrument across events.

Festival attendees’ motivations: the case of International Troia Festival

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate underlying motivational dimensions of visitors attending the International Troia Festival (ITF), Çanakkale, Turkey. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys with 26 items on six motivational dimensions were empirically tested. Data were collected by a self-administered survey. The study sample comprised attendees of particular festival events which were suitable for survey practice in the ITF lasting for five days. The participants of the survey were the attendees of two theater shows, two conferences, and two folk dance shows. A total of 473 usable forms were obtained from the visitors and processed in the analysis. Findings – Significant differences and relations in motivational dimensions were found on the basis of visitors’ socio-demographic origins. Female visitors are more likely to attend festival events with high motivation of family togetherness and cultural exploration. Also male visitors are more likely to attend the events with more motivation of event attraction and escape and excitement than family togetherness. Motivation of cultural exploration is also high for all socio-demographic groups of festival visitors. Thereby, cultural exploration and family togetherness are also highly important for attendees. The basic theme of the ITF was identified as a cultural festival which essentially motivates visitors to attend particularly for cultural exploration. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this paper solely reflect the motivational dimensions identified during a Turkish festival with a cultural lifestyle. Practical implications – The field research of the study demonstrates the application of methodology by event managers to gain better understanding into visitor motivation, satisfaction, behavioral intention, event organization, and event theme. Originality/value – The important theoretical contribution of the study is in the area of establishing a meaningful and empirical relation between motivation of festivals and cultural structure of community as part of the perceived socio-cultural impacts of festivals. This implies and empirically substantiates the common belief that festivals and events can be instrumental in enriching cultural life.

The Impact of a Mega Event on Visitors’ Attitude Toward Hosting Destination: Using Trust Transfer Theory

ABSTRACTDespite the popularity of festivals and events, event managers and the hosting countries are not certain whether a successful event leads to favorable attitudes toward the hosting country. This study based on trust transfer theory considers the impact of attitude toward a mega event on attitude toward the hosting country. The study also examines two dimensions of perceived value related to the Shanghai Expo and their influences on attitude toward the event. The study finds that both emotional and functional dimensions of value offered by the Expo are important for evaluation of the event, although functional value is considered more important than emotional value. Supporting trust transfer theory, the study shows that attitude toward a mega event influences attitude toward the hosting country. The study also finds that both attitude toward a mega event and attitude toward the hosting country have a positive impact on visitors’ intentions to revisit China.

The moderating role of brand reputation and moral obligation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the influences of theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs (i.e. attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC)) on individuals’ volunteer intention for future sporting events, and second, to investigate the moderating effects of brand reputation and moral obligation in the relationships between TPB constructs and volunteer intention. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 107 volunteers at the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships of the model. Findings – Subjective norm and PBC were significantly associated with volunteer intention. Brand reputation was found to be a moderator in the relationships between attitude and volunteer intention and between subjective norm and volunteer intention, and moral obligation moderated the relationship between PBC and volunteer intention. Practical implications – Sporting events/volunteer managers must understand individuals’ decision-making process with respect to volunteering at sporting events and important insights into new strategies to increase volunteer recruitment, retention, and reliability. Social implications – Because sporting event managers face considerable obstacles in recruiting and retaining a volunteer workforce, an enhanced understanding of volunteering may highlight new ways to remove obstacles to being a volunteer to the benefit of individuals and society. Originality/value – This paper emphasizes the importance of brand reputation and moral obligation as moderators of the effects of the TPB constructs on volunteer intention in the context of sporting events.