Mega-Event projects are “short-term high-profile events” which are considered to have a significant urban impact, such as the Olympics and World Fairs, as well as National spectacles including events concerning the monarchy. The term mega-events is simply a social construct used to differentiate different kinds of events. These events are often high funded, they stimulate urban redevelopment and promote economic growth. Mega-events are said to embody the “turn to the symbolic economy”, in favour of consumption over production – the ability to provide an experience over a product. This review will discuss both the positive and negative impacts on social-economic influences concerning these style events and the benefits and hinderances they may cause, both globally and within local communities, looking at case studies regarding potentiality and real life. The event industry is a growing one, and one that continues to supersede all expectations.
Tourism culture plays a huge factor in the majority of events set in modern society, as tourism is one of the highest profitable aspects of an event and is one which is often played to the max. One event which revels in its tourism industry is the 2011 Royal Wedding, which saw an estimated £2 billion generated from the tourist industry compared to the £34 million actually spent on the wedding – with the majority of the cost going on security. “Tourism Management” discusses the idea that tourism is predicted in “paradoxes”, six to be precise. These include Universalism, Compliance, Uniqueness, Participation, Winner’s and Passion. These ideals show the needs and wants of the consumers who will invest in the event with their time and money. From here, planners have to look into strategies to deal with paradoxes, such as exploration, differentiation and reframing. This idea is so universal, often whole countries will invest in a small portion of the event industry to remain competitive globally, exploring the impact this could have on future tourism business and the economy of the country. This can be said towards South Africa, who use sport tourism to promote the country as a major sporting event destination, which succeeded in obtaining the 2010 FIFA World Cup – Africa’s first mega-event. “The Journal of Human Ecology” looks into the positive and negative relationships between tourism and the hosting of mega-events, looking at the boost in economy and job prosperity, compared with the impact of increased tourism on local communities and whether or not they are equipped to deal with it. The results however were largely positive, with foreign visitors revealing they enjoyed their stay and perceived the country as a good tourism destination. Whilst looking at the impact on local communities, it was deemed that the hosting of mega events need to be planned in order to showcase the widespread benefits within the tourism industry on local communities. In contrast, tourism culture does not always conform to the typical expectancy. This can be seen when looking into the Norwegian 1994 Winter Olympics, as discussed in the “Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal”, when the national and local authorities expected a ‘big boom’ in tourist attraction throughout the country which didn’t go to plan. Because of this assumption, it caused 40% of hotels in Lillehammer to go bankrupt. This negates the concept of the six paradoxes, as, despite the effort put into the production of the Winter Olympics with the expectation that it would be a success by following these ideals, the whole concept shows that even by following ‘guidelines’, some events won’t go to plan without proper planning. This prompted a series of analysis’s and theories to identify general patterns – especially with the Olympics. This therefore will help improve forecasting and decisions when dealing with mega events.
With these big events comes a lot of planning and production, often which come at a hard price – not just in terms of money, but also in environmental factors. These large-scale events often come with their own environmental impacts, such as waste generation, energy and resource use, air and noise pollution during construction and site redevelopment and operation both during and after the event has taken place. Because of this, approaches have been identified to help look at the why – “Tourism Management” discusses two alternate ways to assess these impacts, one being the Ecological Footprint which looks at the resources used to stage these events compared to those globally, whereas the second, Environmental Input-Output, assesses the resources by looking at quantitative data to trace the economic effects. Another piece of literature which works with quantitative data to predict an outcome is a “Journal of Environmental Management”, which uses a case study (the London Olympic Park) to identify some of these environmental factors involved with the production of mega-events, and to what extent they really have an effect. This journal discusses the positives and negatives an event of this magnitude can have on its surrounding environment. As part of its sustainability management plans, environmental strategies have become a key part to highlight a range of actions taken in order to “minimise negative environmental impacts” which result from preparation and staging of events, according to the journal. It is suggested that these environmental strategies now surpass simply planting new trees, but rather look to a bigger scale; to complex energy recycling schemes and the use of sustainable venue designs and materials. The case study itself shows three potential post-event site designs were developed in an effort to evaluate and optimise the environmental impacts of the mega-event: Business as Usual (BAU), Commercial World (CW) and High-Rise High Density (HRHD). The results gained from this insight saw that highest greenhouse gas emissions actually arose from the construction of the event, rather than running of it. This was embodied by construction materials, which saw almost 50% within the BAU and HRHD designs. This shows that the production of a variety of case studies can help identify problem which may occur and help the organisation steer away from what may have caused it – optimising the minimalization of greenhouse gas emissions. Another piece of literature which looks at a case study, this time using real-life data of an event in Northern Italy, is the Environmental Impact Assessment Review. The results show that the main contributions were energy consumption in the form of lighting and heating, as well as the use of aluminium materials. The study highlighted the environmental implications this caused, and suggested that preparation and assembly should always be considered when “quantifying the environmental profile of an event”, as they hadn’t realised the pre and post-works of an event on a large scale can produce the effects they had searched so long to reverse – similar ideology to the case study used in the Journal of Environmental Management, showing the increasing need for sustainable materials and resources when it comes to high-profile events to reduce the impact on the environment.
In conclusion, despite the many factors that go into all different categorisations of events, mega-events take a lot of heat that smaller events may not. Because of this, there are large criticisms event planners must take on board before starting a project, including how to limit their carbon footprint, promote awareness of the event and help adjust local communities. Tourism culture often plays an incredible part in the production of events, which establishes the success and credibility of its running. Tourism is also a main motivator for the construction, as without the economic impact, events would not serve their financial purpose. But tourism also causes a lot of concerns regarding sustainability, especially in developing countries (as can be seen with the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa), and its impact on the local surroundings. This sustainability also needs to be seen in the reduction of greenhouse gases – looking at the case studies and relevant theories provides a sense of sustainability growing throughout the industry based on the conception of the consumers it provides for. Most specifically, tourists. The literature used to assess these means shows finite comparison between the negative and positive impact events and their expectations have on not only the event itself, but as an industry, environmentally, ethically and economically – however this review also highlights the need for more sustainability awareness for projects on a smaller scale, and the need for planning for these ideals. As the industry continues to grow and delve further into the future, more planners need to conform to the strict regulations of environmentally friendly tactics and sustainability.
Self-Reflection.
Throughout this module I have gained an insight into the event industry I had always craved before University. Having been interested in this sector for a long time, the comparison between my work experience previously in only minor roles within an event is completely outweighed by the knowledge of an event from start to finish. Looking at pre-planning, construction, event setting and final completion really gives you a true insight into the world of orchestrating an event.
In our tutorials, we spent time researching and engaging with material based on different aspects of an event, including event design, behaviour, social impacts and events and meanings. My personal favourite is event design, as I’ve always been interested in the glamour of events, and the ability to create something that people will remember. I also think that this can be one of the most important aspects, especially in some events, as the theme of an event relies heavily on its setting. When discussing different types of events in class, I realised that my passions for events lies in wedding planning, award shows and fashions show production – something I am really considering going into after University. Because of this, I’ve always been interested in big, flashy events which people are automatically drawn to because of the nature of it. This was one of my influences why I chose to write about big scale mega-events, because I wanted to research and identify the production and difficulties faced by event planners in that field. One aspect I didn’t think would be as big as it turned out to be was the sustainability of events. Something I had never really considered before, as think about pre-production processes doesn’t draw greenhouse gases to mind. So, this was one aspect I really enjoyed reading and writing about as it gave me a whole new insight into what really goes on behind the scenes at events.
Whilst planning this literature review, I started by choosing a range of topics to cover within it, including the socio-economic impact of royal events, the effect of event setting on people with disabilities and the impact of drug use at festivals. After planning and researching for each question I noticed that there was a serious lack of research into my first too options. Despite the overwhelming amount for my last option, I decided to go with mega-events as it related more to what I want to pursue in the future whereas I don’t have as much an interest into festivals. Although the literature I found on mega-events wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to research at first, I found it incredibly interesting reading through and seeing a whole new side to events – one I hadn’t, and probably never would’ve, considered before.
This piece of coursework has definitely challenged me and has been the hardest module out of the course yet, as writing a literature review was not something I had ever done before. I definitely struggled a lot with the review itself, as I have always been used to writing a comparative or analytic essay, but I think for my first attempt I have reached what I was hoping for: without the help of my lecturers I wouldn’t have even known where to start. If I was to have to write another literature review, I think I would be more confident and equipped to deal with it and would definitely produce a better outcome, however for my first ever attempt I am happy with it. I think in terms of ‘what else I could have done’, I would definitely look into including more sources and facts to back up and contrast the points I tried to make, as well as making it more concise and to the point to include more information in.
Overall I am pleased with the outcome of my work, but also look forward to challenging myself more in the future by striving to become better and better and analysing and comparing between two pieces of work, rather than my own analysis of the subject.