1. MLLSM01 EVENTS POLICY LECTURE 1 Events policy in a global marketplace

2. Module outline This module reflects upon local, national and international policy contexts. Students will be expected to reflect upon the use of events for urban imaging, economic regeneration, enterprise and inclusion purposes and also as part of local, national and global identity construction. The module will also review ways of evaluating the impact of event policies on the host community, particularly their economic, social, cultural and political outcomes. Finally, the module considers the regulatory framework (s) within which events and festivals operate. These will include consideration of issues of governance, risk, public order and safety. Central to this module is the demonstration of links between the development of events in policy-making and the theoretical exploration of the role of events as policy in a globalising world

3. Global Events Policy: A Context Local, national and international events provide rationale for global marketing International events can contribute to a global public culture (Roche, 2000) Socio-cultural networks changing rapidly with the increased speed of technological communications and pressure to compete on global scale: Danger of homogenised forms of cultural production and consumption But ‘local’ nature of events can work as an antidote to global standardisation

4. Global Events Policy Events as tools of image enhancement, identity construction economic and social regenerators These spectacles allow cities to express their personalities in global place wars (Essex & Chalkley, 1998; Short and Kim, 1999: 100) Major cultural and sporting events attract visitors locations and increase length of stay: Globalisation and homogenization of experiences help transcend the physical landscape more quickly and effectively However, concern that events move from local identification to a global economic vehicle

5. Theory of events as strategy Roche’s (2000) three dimensional typology for analysing mega events: Dramatological Contextual (medium-term Macro-contextual (long-term: Taking the macro-contextual perspective, sustainable cultural development has to be part of long-term govt strategy Perhaps this is more easily realised with ‘mega events’ that are also hallmark events rather than the scarce resource of the one-off four-yearly mega events

6. Theory of events as strategy cont. Despite intense international competition for the right to host large scale (mega) events, debate reigns over their real worth The ‘irrational’ or ‘intangible’ (Roche, 2000) political and symbolic significance continues to be stressed by supporters Shoval (2002) indicates that major cities bid because they have to Produces competition to create larger and better spectacles – but danger of what Rojek (1995) calls ‘universal cultural space’ and Harvey (1989) calls ‘serial monotony’ Greater spectacle remains the key element for differentiation and success of global events-led policy

7. Outcomes of Globalising events The outcome of the globalising tendency is an increase in inter-urban competition for international events and festivals The proliferation of global events demands expert private-public alliances to bid and deliver outcomes International competition also drives national and local political actors to resource events policy instead of other policy priorities

8. National Events Policy: An overview Nationally, events and festivals credited with economic, social and cultural development Public body formed to attract, develop and create a portfolio of sporting and cultural events Emphasises tourist intention of events policy – specialisation strategy Unclear whether integration between spectacular and local community representation Hall (2006) suggests that the normal democratic process circumvented in bidding for events

9. National Events Policy: contd Decision to bid for an event is a political one The product of govt involvement; the structure of agencies involved in bidding, development, management, MPR; extent of community involvement They involve the values of actors in the struggle for power National decision to bid involves cross-sectoral interests  Growth coalitions increasingly drive bids, impacting on the political process

10. Local Events Policy Locally, cities support place marketing strategies using vehicle of events Events and festivals used to strengthen or revise economic development and wealth creation, position cities in the global marketplace, and provide a community focus The events strategy often aligns with the wider ‘cultural strategy’ to promote a specific place identity Hall (2006) argues that place-marketing strategies can leave locales in a vicious cycle of ongoing investment for fewer public benefits

11. Where from here? Consider each of the events domains using the ideas of Bourdieu on ‘capital’: Events and Political Capital Events and Economic Capital Events and Cultural Capital Then onto a focus on specific elements of events policy: Governance and Identity Public Order and Public Safety Evaluating Events

12. References Judd, D.R & Fainstein, S.S. (eds) The Tourist City, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Roche, M (2000) Mega Events, London, Routledge (Chapter 1) Ritzer, G (1999) The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Hubbard, Phil and Hall, Tim (1998): “The Entrepreneurial City and the ‘New Urban Politics’” in Hall, Tim and Hubbard, Phil (eds.): The Entrepreneurial City (New York: John Wiley & Sons) pp. 1-23. Hall, C.M. (2006) Urban entrepreneurship, corporate interests, and sports mega-events: The thin policies of competitiveness within the hard outcomes of neo-liberalism”, The Sociological Review, 54(2): 59- 70. Henry, I.P. (2001) The Politics of Leisure Policy. Basingstoke: Palgrave (Chapter 1)