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This critical commentary focuses on the research in Event Management on economic sustainability and events. We begin with a broad definition of an economically sustainable event that builds on economic impact to include social equity, livability, and community well-being, and accounts for environmental and social costs. We consider the methods, approaches, and types of events represented in the journal that lack diversity. The findings indicate that quantitative approaches predominate, focused on the direct and indirect contributions of visitor expenditure. Social, natural, and community capital have received less attention. The review calls for greater consideration of the economic sustainability of events beyond the tourism contribution; longitudinal studies on the impacts of events on the economic well-being of communities; understanding how events impact equity; correcting research bias towards Western developed economies by examining different contexts; exploring multiple event types; and investigating the role of planning in realizing economically sustainable events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of safety and security literature has been notably accompanied with the rise of modern terrorism, above all after the attacks to World Trade Center in 2001. This was the first bloody incident where four commercial airplanes have been weaponized against the most powerful nation in the planet. Like the recent COVID-19 pandemic, 9/11 has changed not only geopolitics but travel behavior as never before. In this grim context, the present conceptual article focuses and examines the evolution of safety???security literature head by Event Management , as fertile ground in Event Management and Tourism studies, because of terrorism. We identify three academic schools that in different stages make a seminal contribution to the studied field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Game events, such as game conventions and esports tournaments, have gained tremendous appeal as thriving tourist attractions. Despite this, there has been limited investigation of this emerging phenomenon in the existing literature on event tourism and event management. This study proposes a structural model to explore the relationships between the identity and passion of video game players and their behavioral intention to participate in on-site game events. The model specifies identity centrality and harmonious passion as antecedents, with gaming social capital serving as a mediator. Our findings reveal that whereas the centrality of identity as a gamer did not directly and significantly influence players' event attendance intention, its indirect effect through gaming social capital was significantly positive. Harmonious passion, on the other hand, both directly and indirectly affected players' behavior at the significance level. In the analysis, gaming social capital functioned as a reliable mediator for bridging these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of storytelling is becoming increasingly widespread in the event and tourism industry. However, despite the growing popularity of the storytelling strategy, to date, limited research has examined how festival organizers effectively utilize this strategy. Consequently, this research aims (a) to examine whether storytelling influences visitors??? engagement and behavioral intention, (b) to investigate how such impacts differ according to when visitors hear the story (i.e., temporal distance), and (c) to explore whether gender moderates the impact of the storytelling format. Study 1 indicates that storytelling positively influences visitors??? engagement. The results also reveal that visitors show a significantly higher level of behavioral intention when they heard the festival story more than 3 months before the festival. Study 2 finds that women have higher engagement and intention to visit when storytelling is delivered in video rather than image format, while men exhibit no such difference in engagement and intention to visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cocreation of the tourist experience in sporting events has received little scientific attention. This study aimed to analyze the influence of cocreation of the tourist experience on the memorability of the experience through the attention and involvement of sporting event tourists, and to verify whether this influence changes with the type of experience (i.e., active participant vs. spectator). A total of 356 questionnaires was collected at two international cycling events held in Portugal in 2021. The data were analyzed with structural equation analysis and a Mann???Whitney test. Cocreation influences attention and involvement, which, in turn, help to explain the relationship between cocreation and memorability, highlighting differences between the two types of experience. For the first time, the on-site cocreation model was applied to sport tourism events. In this touristic context, experiences must be developed through a customized approach based on the creation of hedonic and eudaimonic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increased adoption of immersive technologies in tourism events, there is a need to understand how to best implement such technologies and their effects on visitors. Thus, the present study examined the antecedents and effects of using augmented reality (AR) when spectating a mega-sport event. Data obtained from 204 participants that used AR during the attendance of the Beijing Winter Olympics showed that, indeed, there is an effect on event experience–physical, cognitive, and affective engagement and future revisit intention, as well as positive word of mouth. Additionally, the success of the AR implementation depended on the effective visual design of the AR platform that would significantly influence users??? perceived ease of use and usefulness of the AR. Results obtained to add to the existing body of knowledge in the field of event tourism and provide specific managerial implications to enhance event experience using AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the extant literature on the leveraging of event portfolios, by applying the Model of Event Portfolio Tourism Leverage to a case study of the Volvo Ocean Race in Cardiff, UK. Through an examination of the various components of the model, the research demonstrates the value of the strategies and tactics it proposes, including the amplification of visitor numbers, diversification of tourism offerings, extension of the tourism season, fostering of event tourism networks, consolidation of destination assets, and bolstering of destination authenticity. Empirical data collected from three separate surveys, strategy documents, and feedback from stakeholders are analyzed to support this argument. The study also acknowledges some challenges to strategic portfolio management, particularly due to the fragmented nature of events suppliers in destinations and the difficulty in assessing the impact of leveraging actions, in the absence of benchmark data related to event visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even when held during the COVID-19 pandemic, motorsport events can have a wide range of impacts on host communities. Based on the case of 2021 World Rally Championship race that was hosted in Zagreb, Croatia, this study examines whether respondents' level of environmental consciousness and place of residence influence perception of impact and support for the event and sport tourism. Four-hundred sixty-two valid responses were collected, of which 194 respondents were from Zagreb (host city) and 268 were from Rijeka (nonhost city). An exploratory factor analysis reduced the number of event impacts to seven factors. Social and indirect economic impacts outweighed direct economic impacts. Both environmentally conscious respondents and nonhost city residents perceive most impacts as more intense than less environmentally conscious respondents and host city residents. In particular, environmentally conscious nonhost residents tend to overestimate the impact of the event and give it the most support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to reveal insights related to the interdisciplinary nature of event-related research, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to assimilate current knowledge from articles published in the Scopus database between 2000 and 2022. We examined publication trends and citation keywords co-occurrence clustering analysis, as well as acknowledged contributions from select authors, institutions, and countries to map research trends and trajectories. After article vetting (N = 1,582 articles), a cocitation analysis of the prior literature identified four major clusters: (1) determinants of consumer decision making in event tourism, (2) mega-sport event legacies, (3) event and tourism experiences, and (4) event content, size, and scope. Finally, a content analysis was performed to reveal the most significant insights about prior research in the event and tourism space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing sport event tourism sector generates substantial socioeconomic impacts for host destinations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted this industry, resulting in a dramatic decline in international tourist arrivals of 20–30% globally and the cancellation/postponement of sport tourism events. An emerging topic within organizational management theory is that of "resilience," which relates to how organizations proactively adapt to and recover from disturbances in the system. This study therefore aimed to determine existing applications of resilience theory to the sport event tourism industry to assess its usefulness for these organizations as they seek to recover from COVID-19. This article focuses on the first stage of this study, reflecting the findings of a systematic literature review of articles relating to sport event tourism and organizational resilience (N = 164). A qualitative analysis revealed the lack of application of this theory to this sector. A deeper analysis revealed the unique industry challenges and opportunities relating to organizational resilience for sport event tourism in times of global crises. The study extends the conceptualization and application of resilience theory to the sport event tourism field of study. Drawing from this theory, it informs sport event tourism best practice in terms of preparedness for future crises and outlines an agenda for further research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega-sport event legacy research methodologically is dominated by what should be considered single case studies often omitting the importance of the socially situated nature of events and tourism. The extant research has often been conducted during, or soon after, an event purporting to be about legacies. Thus, they are more about impacts than the legacy, or what remains. By interrogating the only known database of volunteer responses from four Olympic and Paralympic Games across four countries, this research note demonstrates the next steps that are required to design legacies research that will have methodological, theoretical, and practical significance for host and nonhost communities alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has impacted the events, tourism, and hospitality industries throughout most parts of the world, prompting the need for empirical work to explore the perspectives and responses of industry stakeholders towards the pandemic. To characterize how managers in this space evaluated the impacts of the pandemic and the associated response system(s) and learning stories, in-depth interviews with N = 24 senior event and tourism managers in Iran were conducted. The findings revealed that COVID-19 was a complex external crisis that significantly fueled other internal crises, impacting the complex event and tourism system. The data revealed that understanding the full effects of the pandemic depends on how sufficiently Iranian stakeholders acquired knowledge of the virus and the scope of its outcomes on the layered event and tourism system. The profound structural and transformational changes to this system necessitate the call for a uniform, coevolving responses from multiple events, tourism, sport, and associated management/industrial sectors. Adaption to the new normal and transformational opportunities were recommended by interviewees as influential strategies extracted from crisis lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For most arts practitioners, going on tour with their shows or to participate in international arts festivals and events is an essential part of developing their careers. An event travel career (ETC) is formed when people are serious enough about their leisure interests to travel to participate in related events. Existing studies on event travel career are focused on the serious sport tourists. This study employs an arts-informed life history approach to gain insights into the constraints and facilitators of the ETCs of 19 Singaporean arts practitioners. The theory of serious leisure, social worlds, and the event travel career concept provide a framework to qualitatively examine their ETCs. In an integrative framework constructed from their lives lived, the participants' membership in their social worlds emerged as the key driver throughout the development of their ETCs. The findings also draw attention to the emergence of new social worlds' leaders and stakeholders in attracting serious event travelers to new social worlds destinations, and recommend that destination marketers and event managers work with them for future planning in event tourism marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key feature of events is their temporal life cycle, yet previous studies have not distinguished between different stages of this life cycle and the relative salience of stakeholders to event managers across the event life cycle. This study uses a case study research design informed by Mitchell et al.'s theory of stakeholder identification and salience to examine stakeholder salience across the event life cycle using six case studies of tourism events in East Malaysia. The study identified that resource power alone dictated the most salient stakeholders, who had nonsubstitutable and event-specific resources. The study also found that for the events in this study, stakeholder urgency referred solely to the relative importance of that stakeholder at different times during the event life cycle. This new concept is termed "event life cycle urgency" and a framework for identifying the relative urgency of each stakeholder throughout the event life cycle is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market segmentation by expenditure enables the identification of high-spending visitors to festivals and events, enabling organizers to target this group with appropriate product offerings and promotions, thereby facilitating the achievement of economic goals from smaller participant numbers. Despite the potential usefulness of this tool, few studies have applied this technique in the festival and event literature. This article examines the existing studies with a view to identifying similarities and differences among high spenders and other points of interest. An additional case study of visitors to the 2019 Macau Grand Prix is added to the current research. High, medium, and light spending categories of Grand Prix attendees are identified and profiled. High spenders are found to differ from their counterparts on a number of sociodemographic and trip-related characteristics, including age, income, length of stay in Macau, and most of all a desire to thoroughly enjoy their whole Grand Prix trip, staying in comfortable accommodation, dinning and drinking, and trying their luck in the city's casinos. In addition, they exhibit a higher level of interest or attachment to the Macau Grand Prix and to motor sports more broadly. These outcomes support the findings of other studies using expenditure to segment festival and event goers, and provide valuable information for the event organizers and tourism operators in Macau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, museums (29%), gardens (38%), and historic buildings (27%) are the most visited attractions, yet admissions revenue is often insufficient for operational costs and long-term repair and investment costs. With the UK events sector worth £42.3 billion annually historic buildings are in a unique position to use events to generate income and raise awareness. However, the management of events within the heritage setting is complex, contextually informed, and contested by stakeholders while operators manage the competing issues of conservation, access, and revenue generation. Through 10 detailed semistructured interviews this study explores the way in which knowledge is gathered and embedded to professionalize event management practices within the heritage tourism sector. Building on the work of Garvin and Brine and Feather, a model is evolved to explain how knowledge is gained, embedded, and shared across the heritage sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movie-induced tourism is significant for destination marketing. Although various studies have analyzed movie-induced tourism in the past, none of the earlier studies have investigated the movie-induced tourism for Bollywood movies. The present study fills the gap and examines the movie-induced tourism for Bollywood movies. The data has been collected for a total of 86 Bollywood movies, and the tourist location it promotes in the movie. The study further employs the event study methodology to understand the influence of the release of the movies on the number of tourists visiting the particular location. The results of the event study suggest that the tourism of a specific place is highly influenced by the movies and thus validated the movie-induced tourism for Bollywood movies. The findings of the study could be used to promote lesser-known regions by portraying them in Bollywood movies and then by subsequent promotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural events feature prominently in the economic strategies of many cities. However, culture is open to interpretation and cultural expression can be problematic. This article examines Saint Patrick's Day celebrations in Belfast and how this event has been the victim of a bitter "cultural war." Efforts to reframe the event and make it inclusive have had limited success. Like many other postconflict countries, culture in Northern Ireland is tied to group identity and cultural expression is bound up with the battle for political legitimacy and state sovereignty. This battle for ownership and cultural supremacy has meant that Belfast has been unable to cash in on its authentic links to Saint Patrick. This is unlikely to change because, despite COVID-19 and the prominence given to event tourism in Belfast's new culture strategy, the zero-sum character of the cultural war in Northern Ireland would suggest group identity will continue to trump the economic argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Destination image influences the decision-making process and conditions the after-decision-making behaviors of tourists. Events can be image maker and branding driver for destinations, and a good portfolio with diversified events benefits the destination image and is a viable form of sustainable tourism development. This study investigates the role of event types in influencing the destination image perceptions among tourists. In particular, event types (sporting events vs. food festivals) are hypothesized to moderate the relationships between perceived event value and destination image. Macao is chosen as the study context, where the destination marketing organization (DMO) relies much on planned events to diversify the image of the world's gaming center. The findings from a sample of 490 event tourists show that the perceived values of the two studied events have different magnitude of effects on the destination image, which further has a significant effect on tourists' destination loyalty intention. Results of the study have implications for the strategic planning and management of event portfolio for destinations trying to leverage marketing impacts and tourism gains from different events. The study aims to contribute to event tourism literature, especially in the areas of event leveraging and portfolio management, by providing empirical evidence on regional and local events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the role of networks in generating economic value for event tourism in towns and smaller cities in the UK. Although networks have been shown to create a wide range of value, research in this context is limited and little is understood of if or how economic value is generated. The lens used in this study was the value creating side of the business model canvas with local government organizations as the focal node examining the flow of economic value from partners, activities, and resources. There were survey responses from 112 different town and city organizations across the UK. The study found that only the "activities" element of the network contributed significantly to creating economic value in an event tourism context. The network components of "partners" and "resources" were not on their own significant to the creation of economic value. The outcomes of this article suggest that practitioners in towns and cities should strategize their engagement with local networks through a formal event tourism strategy that clearly defines how they operationalize engagement activities within that network in order to facilitate economic value creation. In addition, the article raises questions around what resources are needed at the focal node (local government organizations) in order to maximize the economic value created by the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores festival personality for its impacts on visitor attitude and intention toward festivals. Two distinct and popular festivals held at a botanic park in Western Australia were selected for the research. A total of 481 local and international visitors participated in the self-administered, pen-and-paper and online surveys. The Excitement personality attribute was unique to the Chili Festival, whereas the Cheerfulness personality attribute was unique to the Tulip Festival. Both festivals embodied the Imagination personality attribute, suggesting the place in which a festival is held may embody its own attributes, which contribute to the holistic personality of the festival. For both festivals, the personality attributes had significant impact on favorable visitor attitude, resulting in their positive intention toward these festivals. The study paves the way for researchers to extend brand personality research to the event tourism domain, particularly in the niche sector of festivals. The enhanced understanding lends input into how festival organizers, brand managers, and marketers can manage the positioning, differentiation, and communication strategies of their festivals in this competitive sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is twofold. First, we draw on organizational behavior, strategic management, and events literature to conceptualize the event workforce. We show that events are a highly heterogeneous organization with a temporary and project-based structure, and are characterized by a high fluctuation of paid employees and volunteers. Second, we contextualize these unique characteristics to understand knowledge sharing behavior of the event workforce. We analyze interview data from volunteers and paid employees at tourism events to make two theoretical contributions: 1) We advance theory in events literature, showing that event organizations are unique in terms of their processes and team composition; 2) We contribute with novel insights of how knowledge is used in heterogeneous event teams, explaining how knowledge serves as a source of power for both volunteers and paid event managers alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Grateful Dead are one of the most studied musical groups of the 20th century. Though the band as an entity ceased to exist in 1995, various spin-off groups from surviving members continue to tour and play the band's music. Furthermore, numerous other events continue to use the Grateful Dead name and legacy to gain attention and attract visitors. Despite the fact the band and its fans—the Deadheads—have been explored by researchers in a variety of academic fields and disciplines, there are relatively few studies that directly investigate the tourism and events aspects of group, particularly given that fan travel and the band's unique concert scene remain integral components of the Grateful Dead experience. Therefore, this article explores the ways in which existing research about the Grateful Dead from other academic fields intersects with topics and issues in tourism and events and suggests that there are numerous avenues for tourism and events researchers to directly explore the ongoing Grateful Dead phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Festivals are emerging as one of the most attractive events in the tourism industry as their cultural and social wealth can contribute to the general promotion of a destination. Increased desire by communities to behave more responsibly has encouraged more sustainability-focused strategies on the part of festival organizers and have stimulated other industry stakeholders towards such actions. Accordingly, understanding what ecological behaviors might contribute to encouraging festival attendance can be important to planning a festival. In this regard, the main purpose of this research was to investigate real life environmentally sustainability tendencies of festivalgoers and their attitude towards attending environmentally sustainable festivals. Survey data were collected from 849 Canadian respondents who had attended a festival at least once in 2017. Our findings illustrate that a positive attitude towards attending a green festival is more strongly predicted by the level of intrinsic voluntary environmental actions that reflect personal commitment than by more mechanistic environmental activities such as waste reduction and recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A business model (BM) describes how value is created and delivered to consumers. This managerial concept has gained growing popularity in the last few decades. However, it seems the analytical possibilities of a BM framework have not been recognized by sport tourism researchers. This article intends to fill a void that would link the BM concept to the area of sport tourism. Its aim is to examine, from the perspective of the sporting event organizer, the BMs of two cycling tourism events. Using the case study method, this article highlights the interplay of key resources and processes in designing and setting customer value. The findings indicate that although the BMs of the two events differ in many aspects, they both have a strong emphasis on networks and managerial processes aimed at ensuring participant safety and preservation of the environment. Besides providing a better understanding of the BM concept within the context of sport tourism, the findings would be of great interest for event-related sport practitioners and particularly for the design of management and marketing strategies for the sporting events they organize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing academics and businesses consider the creation of brand equity to be fundamental for differentiating products and achieving competitive advantage. Marketing communications controlled by the organization are considered a fundamental antecedent of brand equity. However, the impact on brand equity of traditional and online communications created by and communications external to an organization have been studied separately in the literature and to the best of our knowledge no works have jointly analyzed various communication instruments controlled by and external to a company in the area of event tourism. This study therefore aimed to analyze the influence of brand communications controlled and not controlled by the organization on forming brand equity for an event and to estimate the impact of overall brand equity on satisfaction and behavioral intentions of attendees of the event. Focusing on the main live music festival in Spain and with a sample of 622 attendees, evidence was obtained on the effectiveness of using brand communications on the event to generate brand equity that will help to inform decisions of managers of live music festivals regarding investment in instruments for communicating the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual article considers meanings, and the process of attaining sustainability in eventful cities. New concepts and approaches are required to organize thoughts about, and set parameters for, discourse on sustainability in the realm of planned events. Ideas and recommendations contained in this article draw from a major research and development project in Sweden in which diverse stakeholders explicitly considered problems associated with event impact assessment and evaluation, and the roles of events in sustainable development. Conceptual foundations include organizational ecology and portfolio management. It is argued that in the sustainable event city there are dual prerequisites-- to provide a supportive environment for events, and to ensure that events are a positive force across the entire agenda of policies for green and sustainable cities. A framework is presented that considers three levels of concern: individual events and the need to think beyond greening; managed portfolios of events, in which long-term sustainable growth or value is the aim; and whole populations of events that must remain healthy. An action plan is proposed, indicating how events and the events sector can become a positive force for sustainable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of events as policy tools in cities has become widely recognized. However, most studies concerning this topic do not capture the complex interrelationships that underpin the development of an eventful city. This study applies a practice approach, in order to analyze the dynamics of the eventful city practice. It places the urban event practice centrally in the analysis and focuses on the actual "sayings and doings" of the practice. The event practice of the 2015 Incubate festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands, is analyzed by means of ethnographic methods, including participant observation and interviews. Incubate illustrates how both the city and the event are performed within the practice: the event shapes the city and the city shapes the event. However, the integration of the festival into alternative spaces in the city means that it does not increase the visibility of Tilburg, and therefore fails to deliver value to its eventful city policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, cities have used events as tools to address concrete challenges, such as urban regeneration, social cohesion, and economic growth. An eventful city generates programs of events to support long-term policy agendas, and increase "eventfulness." However, little attention has been paid to how variables such as event size, type, political strategies, or organizational structure may influence the level of eventfulness in a city. This exploratory empirical study of Barcelona as an eventful city analyzes the relationship between event genres and policy agendas. It examines two music festivals, Primavera Sound and Sónar, and the event policy context deriving from two different administrations. The data are drawn mainly from semistructured in-depth interviews and document analysis. The article concludes with some reflections about the importance of including event genres and policy agendas in the analysis of eventfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Event portfolio design is increasingly important from both academic and industry perspectives. The purpose of this article is to discuss and conceptualize the strategic process of event portfolio planning and development in different urban contexts in New Zealand. A qualitative multiple case study was conducted in three cities: Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin. Primary data were collected by interviewing city event planners from city councils and relevant council controlled organizations. Secondary data were obtained by the analysis of the relevant documents, including city event policies and strategies, annual reports, statements, and activity plans. Thematic analysis revealed the existence of distinctive portfolio approaches in the studied cases, which can be compared and differentiated by applying the following parameters: Formality, Intentionality, Directionality, and Rhythmicity. Together, these parameters represent a "built-in equalizer" that can be used to balance the opposing values of diverse approaches and adjust them within current city objectives. The article provides a rich and broad context, which enables an understanding of the strategic nature of event portfolios and their implementation within a wider city development agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research refined the construct of attendee motivation for business event tourism by integrating perspectives from different disciplines, by examining the behavioral consequence of the refined motivation construct, and by investigating the motivation of event travelers solely. An empirical test of the motivation construct was conducted with 395 travelers attending exhibitions in China. Results showed that motivation consists of three levels: cognitive benefits sought, psychological fulfillment, and touristic desire. Cognitive and touristic motives had an effect on attendees' satisfaction and future intentions toward events. This research also provided a better understanding of the motivation of Chinese business event travelers and market segmentations. Results showed that Chinese attendees can be classified into two clusters (i.e., passionate vs. rational) based on their attendance motivations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed regarding the refined motivation model, its influences on subsequent behavior of attendees, and characteristics of Chinese attendees for business event tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Events have become increasingly important as image builders and tourism catalysts for host destinations. Focus has been placed on obtaining high levels of image fit between an event and its host destination, in order to garner long-term image benefits, and increase revisit intentions. The aim of this article is to empirically explore for the first time values of low-fit image pairings between events and a destination on tourist revisit intentions. The findings of two events reveal that a perceived low-fit image pairing between event and destination increased revisit intentions for event tourists who had visited the destination before. Oppositely, a perceived high-fit pairing between event and destination increased revisit intentions for event tourists who had never visited the destination before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a limited brand presence and other issues, many Chinese second and third tier cities find it hard to compete with larger cities to attract, host, and promote mega-events. The purpose of this study is to understand the gap between the large and medium-sized cities and find how the smaller cities may develop their own product potential in the MICE market. The article reports results from a qualitative research study based on interviews with 40 business attendees from three medium-sized cities of Zhejiang Province, China. The results indicated a series of related dimensions, but a new pattern of "hosting capability" can be discerned whereby business attendees are aware of the product offered by the smaller-sized cities but perceive that their competitive advantage is weak, primarily due to a poor brand presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents of the Sunshine Coast region in Queensland, Australia, were surveyed on the subject of planned events in their region with the main aim of determining how and why they value events. It was revealed that residents gained considerable use value from events that they attended as audience or otherwise participated in, expressed strong support for a range of events (with a preference for community festivals), and overall did not believe that problems or costs were serious. Residents also indicated strong nonuse values (being existence, option, and bequest values) for events in general. Our findings are positioned within the body of literature concerning impact assessment (specifically, resident perceptions and attitudes towards events), valuation (i.e., the worth of events), and policy and strategy concerning community events and event tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at identifying the dimensions of exhibition service quality and examines the interrelationships among exhibition service quality, perceived value, emotions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions for exhibition attendees. Data were collected using a convenience sample of 596 attendees who were leaving the 4th Macau International Education Expo (MIEE) in the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel. The findings indicate that there are 4 primary dimensions and 13 subdimensions of exhibition service quality perceived by exhibition attendees. The results of this study will assist exhibition management in developing and implementing market-orientated service strategies to increase exhibition service quality, enhance satisfaction, and create favorable future behavioral intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine events, as a very specific kind of events, attract a large number of visitors, among which competitors represent the majority, and on whom the attraction of the event itself mostly depends. Canine events can contribute both to the development and to higher income from tourism and catering in the destination itself, but organizers should, first of all, understand the competitor's motivation for the participation in certain/specific events of such type. The purpose of this study was to find out the level of interest of the competition participants in the tourist activities, which are the basic factors of motivation when choosing the event at which they will take part. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) method distinguished four factors of motivation of participants at the canine events. The results of this research show that tourist dimension of canine events is not of great importance to its participants, but it is not, however, negligible or excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the role of the experience economy in the tourism industry. However, particularly in regard to expos, it still remains a neglected topic of interest in event tourism research. The purpose of this article is to enhance understanding of event tourists' experiences by observing the phenomenon of the expo. By employing Pine and Gilmore's four dimensions of experience scheme, the authors explore how the feelings of time distortion and telepresence, positive effect, and memory serve as discernible consequences for expo attendees. The main findings include the observation that Entertainment experience has the strongest impact, followed by Education experience and, finally, higher levels of experience, with the latter showing a significantly higher level of memory according to different groups of demographics. The authors have added empirical content to the experiential marketing research agenda along with recommendations for future areas of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to extend existing gender research by segmenting visitors to a major music event, namely U2's 360° Tour in Johannesburg, using gender as a segmentation base. A survey was conducted at the concert where a total of 600 questionnaires were administered, and 585 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Independent t tests, two-way frequency tables, and chi-square tests were used to profile the attendees and to investigate any significant differences between male and female visitors, based on demographics, behavioral variables, and motivational factors. The results show clear differences between male and female visitors, which are significant enough to regard them as two separate market segments. These differences should be taken into consideration when marketing and managing major music events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Created as a celebration of art, music, and surf culture, the Bleach Festival was designed as a fringe- style event to be positioned in the week between two major surf events (Quiksilver/Roxy Pro and Burleigh Pro) held annually in Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia. Using visitor data collected at the event, in conjunction with an in-depth interview of the event's manager, the study evaluates the success of the festival against its own objectives of tourism extension, destination brand development, and local artist engagement. Additionally, the study explores the utility of augmentation strategies in achieving these objectives. Resultant issues in measuring the value of arts and cultural development in conjunction with tourism are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous cultural festivals are increasingly being recognized for their contribution to the growth and vitality of communities around the globe. Such festivals invigorate the communication and celebration of indigenous culture, tradition, and rituals. Additionally, indigenous cultural festivals are often used as a draw card to attract tourists to a host destination and contribute to the development of the region. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), festivals have long been essential to community life and are fundamental in sharing and sustaining Indigenous culture. More recently, local communities and the PNG Government alike are recognizing that these festivals have the capacity to facilitate development of the country's embryonic tourism and event industry. The purpose of this qualitative research was to identify and examine cultural festivals in PNG, to develop a footprint of indigenous cultural festivals in PNG, and explore the extent to which tourism influences the cultural commodification of indigenous cultural festivals in PNG. Weaver and Lawton's cultural commodification model provided theoretical scaffolding for the development of the PNG Indigenous Festival Cultural Commodification Framework, which revealed that overall, cultural festivals in PNG are a relatively unspoiled resource. To date, tourism has had little influence on the festivals, which celebrate, among other things, PNG culture and traditions. However as tourism in PNG gains momentum, arguably a key issue will be the extent to which tourism development adopts the principles of sustainability and, concomitantly, avoids turning a triumph into a tragedy as a result of over commodification of PNG indigenous cultural festivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since several authors argue that tourism motivations are a decisive part of tourism behavior, the purpose of this study is to identify sport event visitor segments based on motivations at the Sulkava Rowing Race event. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were applied to identify the profile of each segment. Differences between segments with respect to sociodemographic, event attendance and expenditure variables were examined. Five segments were identified: Event enthusiasts, Hangarounds, Novelty seekers, Nature lovers, and Rowing enthusiasts. Statistically significant differences between the segments were found. A review of the literature on event tourism and the findings of this study indicate that people attending different types of events (cultural events, sport events, religious events, etc.) do indeed share similar motivations to some extent and similar segments may appear across events. Nevertheless, the Hangarounds segment identified in this study has not so far been reported as such in the segmentation literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Event tourism is a subject that has not passed through any intensive research in the case of Cyprus. The current research attempted to investigate the extent to which events contribute to the development of tourism in Cyprus. In more depth, the research study compared both primary and secondary research on the subject of events, their importance, and their contribution to the development of tourism in Cyprus. In conclusion it highlighted the minimum contribution of events in the development of tourism in Cyprus as events are being used as supplements in the case of Cyprus, and as a tool that will assist to the strengthening and enrichment of the existing tourism product. However, potentials and opportunities exist for further developments regarding this sector. In response to these, tourism organizations, authorities, and tourism bearers should become active players and create such strategic plans, to develop events in means that will be fitted to the existing image of the island and thus improving, not changing, its tourism product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this article is to define the construct of novelty in the corporate meeting tourism perspective and to develop a preliminary instrument to measure novelty preference for corporate meeting destination choice. This article discusses in great detail literature relevant to novelty-seeking behavior in the context of marketing and tourism. Based on the literature and protocol analysis technique, the construct of novelty preference was found to comprise of three overlapping dimensions, namely destination familiarity, destination uniqueness, and destination excitement. Thus, novelty preference in this article is defined as the extent to which a corporate meeting planner prefers a destination setting that creates an unusual, unique, and exciting meeting travel experience. It was measured by calculating the mean responses to 19 items along a 6-point scale, where 6 depicted a very strong novelty preference for meeting destination while 1 depicted a very weak novelty preference. The initial scale was demonstrated to have content validity by panel of experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Events form a key element of any destination's tourism product. There is a growing recognition of this sector's value and economic role, resulting in it becoming an industry in its own fight, investigating attendee motivations therefore becomes an increasing priority for event organizers and tourism organizations generally. Event organizers can improve the various components of their events through the understanding of attendee's motivations. The last decade has witnessed an increase in literature focusing on visitor motivations when attending events. However, there have been very few studies into visitor motivations when attending cultural events, particularly within the context of Scotland. Traditional Scottish music events are a fundamental part of Scotland's culture. This, coupled with the identification of cultural tourism as having "very good prospects" as a niche market for Scotland (www.scotexchange.net), further highlights the need for such a study. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine visitor motivations when attending traditional Scottish music events. Initially, a focus group was held to probe and discuss attendance motivations and to investigate views on the linkages between such events and the Scottish tourism industry. A questionnaire, comprising 15 motivational items represented on a 7-point Likert scale, was than distributed to members of two traditional Scottish music associations. The resulting data (based on a total sample of 110 respondents) were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out to identify groups of respondents with similar motivations when attending traditional Scottish music events. Key findings include a ranked list of visitor motivations and four discrete groups resulting from the cluster analysis. These groups were identified and labeled according to their dominant characteristics: "Modernists:" "Family and Inspiration Seekers:" "Social Pleasure Seekers:" and "Thrill Seekers:" The article expands on these key results, focusing on a discussion of the dominant characteristics within each of the four cluster groups. The article also discusses respondents' views on the linkages between traditional Scottish music events and their role within the Scottish tourism product and cultural tourism. The majority of respondents do believe there is an association between traditional Scottish music events and Scottish tourism; however, debate emerges regarding the quality and range of events available to visitors to Scotland. This exploratory study provides cultural music event organizers with a greater trader standing of visitor motivations and characteristics within the context of Scotland by breaking the visitors down into distinct motivational groups. This research adds to the body of literature in the area of visitor motivations when attending events, specifically cultural and music events. This work also contributes to the body of research that has utilized cluster analysis as a segmentation tool. Further research will be recommended in relation to the cluster groups and the portfolio of events currently available as part of the Scottish tourism product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new concept has emerged in special event research--the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). The TBL, borrowed from accounting and finance, amalgamates the social, economic, and environmental aspects of activities into one framework. Within the context of special events, the TBL has been particularly linked to their evaluation. In this conceptual article it is argued that while this approach to event evaluation is useful, it is imperative that the underlying principles of the TBL be applied to the planning stage of special event management. This article proposes a framework for this purpose that draws upon Stakeholder Theory. By using this framework, the underlying principles of the TBL can be implemented to special event planning so that the outcomes of special events can be enhanced for their stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Festivals and events have assumed a prominent place in the social and economic fabric of Edinburgh, to a point where it now enjoys a reputation as a leading festival and event destination. In Edinburgh, as in other festival destinations, most of the research and evaluation effort has been concerned with "proving" the economic benefits of individual events. The limitations of focusing on narrow economic outcomes are now widely recognized in terms of the comparability, reliability, and utility of the estimates produced. While the attention of stakeholders has been on economic benefits, the very important cultural, community, and social benefits have been overlooked. Important issues such as engagement with the arts, community, cultural, social, and stakeholder benefits end disbenefits produced have yet to be researched in any systematic way. This article offers a comprehensive research agenda for key festivals in Edinburgh and acts an introduction to this special issue. The research agenda is based on published articles (inclusive of those in this volume), existing strategies and documentation, and the editors' knowledge of and engagement with the Edinburgh festival community. The agenda will be of interest to the numerous festivals and events stakeholders in Edinburgh as well as other destinations that are seeking to understand the social and cultural, as well the economic, dimensions of festivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]