+ Major Event and Festival Impacts Seminar 5: Political Impacts

+ Main Lessons from the Lecture Politics is concerned with the relationship between power and authority Events can be used as a medium for the communication of political discontent, disagreement, dissent and protest Events can also be used to further the goals of democracy, justice, human rights, environmental protection, etc Expos had clear political dimensions and were used by political and cultural elites to promote their national power The Olympic Games is one of the world’s most highly politicised events Cities, regions and nations often use events as part of an urban growth strategy This is because events are highly visible but perceived to be less risky When events are used for political means we can see many power struggles at play

+ Discussion Topics Critically discuss the argument that events and politics should not mix Critically discuss the changes which have occurred within e events which were previously seen to be political in their nature but evolved in recent times – you should make particular reference to Gay Pride events Evaluate the pros and cons for cities, regions and nations when following an events led development strategy