1. Major Event and Festival Impacts
Lecture 8: Media Impacts

2. Media and Events: the relationship
Events have long grabbed media attention
Expos had far reach but news was slow to travel
Furthermore, events have played a key role in the development and use of the media
Berlin Olympics 1936 was the first ever global broadcast
As DeBord argues, spectacle has become a way of life
Media is central to our interpretation of events and spectacle
We mediate and shape our lives through media cultures
Beijing Olympics 2008 was the most viewed television event ever broadcast (Edgar, 2009)

3. Media Impacts: the rationale for hosting events?
Cities must market themselves as dynamic environments in which to live, work and play
Rojek & Urry (1997) suggest that in this process those cities with either low visibility or a poor image will not even be considered
One of the main arguments behind bidding for major events is that the host city, region or nation will benefit from the media coverage generated before, during and after the event

4. Building a Destination Brand
The media is recognised as a vehicle for destination promotion whereas events are also a form of image formation and projection
Widely held belief that events can assist destinations in building a positive image
Permits differentiation and place branding
However, this is not just about showing the place – organisational and functional aspects of the event are central to generating positive media coverage

5. Managing the Media Message
It is suggested that at a tactical level events can do the following:
Attract specific target markets
Be the focus on celebrity visits and familiarisation tours for media and sponsors
Facilitate product placements and joint marketing with event sponsors
Permit direct sales to visitors
Be the focus of press releases and stories
Permit the insertion of messages and video postcards into event broadcasts

6. Managing the Media Message
Event
Destination
Sponsors
Media
Sport Organisations
Traven Trade

7. Media and Events: Issues
The saying all publicity is good publicity it not always true when it comes to events
Poor organisation and event management can have devastating effects on destination branding
Events offer an ideal PR hijack for protesters and terrorists
As such, many large scale events are shaped by the terror/risk threat and media that goes with it – spectacles of pain rather than pleasure?
Little is actually known about the impact of media coverage…

8. Measuring Media Impact
It is suggested that media impacts should be measured in terms of the following areas:
Fit with message
Volume and type
Tone