The Distinction That Exists between the Mega-Events and Hallmark Events - Case Study Example

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN MEGA-EVENTS AND HALLMARK EVENTS Name Course Tutor Date Introduction To date tourism has emerged to be the fastest and largest growing sector of the global economy. Most recently there emerged sport tourism that was meant to address the gap that exists in the sun, climate and place and vacations traditional form of tourism through a more complex and experience oriented type of tourism (Getz et al. 2012: 48). This is ensured by different events that draw audience and visitors across the globe. Two of such sport tourism events are mega-events and hallmark events that form the core of this paper. These two events have been strategically used by most governments in achieving different purposes, promotion of the image of destinations being one of them. However, there is a clear distinction between mega-events despite the fact that they may be meant to serve the same agendas. Some of the distinctions arise from the manner of planning, the definitions, and the level of media coverage, the impacts and consequences that result, and the costs that are incurred among others. The two events have various roles to play in the tourism sector both at local, national and global levels. This paper explores the distinction that exists between the mega-events and hallmark events and then further explores the roles that they collectively have in tourism. Defining Characteristics between Hallmark Events and Mega-Events There arise difficulties in distinguishing between mega-events and hallmark events. However, the first distinguishing feature is their respective definitions. Hallmark refers to a symbol of status, quality that confers uniqueness on any given product. Hallmark events are therefore defined ad recurring or one-time events held over a given period of time, that are primarily aimed at enabling appeal, profitability and awareness of tourism destination with either long or short term objectives and plans (Hall, 1989: 264). These events’ success mainly relies on the uniqueness, status achieved, and time continuum so as to create interest and attract attention of a multitude or people (Hall, 1989: 264). Hallmark events have been considered as strategic responses to the problem of seasonality that creates variation in demands (Hall, 1989: 265). The cyclical nature of demand for entertainment, socializing and recreation often calls for the applicability of hallmark events. Mega-events refer to those events that yield exponentially high levels of tourism, media coverage, economic impacts, prestige, and economic impact (Hall, 1989: 265). These events are developed through competitive bidding process and have the ability to alter the economies of the whole world (Solberg & Preuss, 2007: 215). These events include the FIFA World Cup, Common Wealth Games, Paralympic Games, and World Fairs such as the famous World Expo (Yu et al., 2012: 48). Other examples include the Olympics and Rugby World Cup. The mega-events have four major components in their definition: the visitor’s attractiveness, wide media coverage, large expenditures and economic impacts (Müller, M. 2015: 2). Characteristics of Hallmark and Mega-events Mega events have the main uniqueness of occurring in a single venue once and never repeatedly like the case of hallmark events. Most mega events happen only once in different destinations even though the same name (Müller, 2015: 2). The World Expo was first hosted in London in 1851 and since then there has been 41 World Expos in different parts of the world hosted. The event is currently scheduled to be held in a period of five months in the 157 countries that are members of Bureau of International Exhibitions (Yu, Wang, & Seo, 2013: 48). The venues for hosting mega events are usually larger than those of other events combined following the large number of participants and the visitors that are attracted to such destinations. The mega events are arranged and panned through competitive bidding process. The highest bidder is then evaluated in terms of resources, innovation, infrastructure, security and proximity to transport areas before being awarded the go ahead to host such events (Müller, 2015: 4). China won the bid to host the World Expo from BIE in the year 2010 immediately after the Beijing 2008 Olympics (Yu et al., 2012: 48). Mega-events are usually planned through coordination of multiple stakeholders drawn form the nation states, the international organizations, the private sector and the civil society (Yu et al., 2013: 49). Mega-events have different phases of planning. The first phase as aforementioned is the bidding process. The bidding process is regulated by such bodies as FIFA, BIE, and IOC among many others; they are collectively referred to as the right holders and have the mandate of laying down specific regulations that have to be met so as to win the bid (Yu et al., 2012: 48). The bidding process is followed by the evaluation that is done by international event bodies’ inspectors. Here the right holders evaluate the suitability of the potential host to host the event. The host country is then awarded the bid and given recommendations on the requirements to be met. While preparations are fast in paper, it actually takes ten or so years to stage a mega-event. The host is frequently monitored so as to record the progress and further have more plans in place. The next phase is the staging where the event now occurs as planned (Hall, 1989: 267). This often takes a few weeks to months and could involve the use of more than one venue depending on the complexity of the events that are within the mega-event. The world Expo was held in the Shanghai World expo Park that covered 528 hectares and had almost over 23000 events within itself each with different objectives (Yu et al., 2012: 49).After the event is over there is the post event phase where the local government in conjunction with volunteers clear the venue and return the conditions to normal. Mega events also draw a large number of crowds that come from different states. These people are from different cultural settings and thus cultural diversity. Mega-events attract a minimum of one million people and have the largest number of receipts sold compared to the hallmark events. Additionally the events also draw a large number of in situ as well as on site audience (Yu et al., 2012: 48). This has been the case due to the advancements in broadcast technology allowing individuals to enjoy such events from their living rooms. The media plays a key role in image branding of the host country and the transfer of knowledge across nations (Müller, M. 2015: 3). Such events are also known for large expenditures so as to sustain the mammoth of people that attend the events (Müller, M. 2015: 6). The 2010 Shanghai World Expo broke the record of all expenditures in the history of World Fairs by using over $46 billion in the preparation and staging of the event (Yu et al., 2012: 48). Hall mark events are not enormous as mega events and are often confused by most authors (Getz et al., 2012: 47).The outstanding feature of hallmark events is that they are held one-time or recurrently over the same venue within a limited period of time. There is therefore a close link between the venues and the events (Hall, 1989: 264). Not all hallmark events are huge; some small events that are held over the same venue for a specific period of time qualify to be hallmark events (Getz et al., 2012: 48). In the UK the most common hallmark events is the mix coordinated by Melbourne Events Company annually (Getz et al., 2012: 48). Some of the popular events in the mix include Open tennis, Formula One Grand Pix, Carnival, Rules Football Grand Finale and the peculiar Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (Getz et al., 2012: 49). Outside the Melbourne Events, is the Indianapolis 500 car race that showcases the vintage car race culture (Getz et al., 2012: 48). These hallmark events could either occur multiply or one time. An example of the latter is where such events are held to commemorate anniversaries. Hallmark events are iconic in nature and often take short durations. The events serve as cultural icons and national identities that make the hosts unique and confer prestige (Getz et al., 2012: 48). Hallmark events do not immediately attract the attention of international audience (Hall, 1989: 264). However, through time they gain fame in the media and thus attracting large number of people who come in to share the prestige and cultural heritage of the host communities (Hall, 1989: 265). Unlike the mega-events the venues for such events are ever fixed and the preparations usually take shorter periods altogether (Müller, M. 2015: 8). Post event analysis is usually done so as to ensure the success of the forthcoming events. This makes it easy to track the impact of the events on tourism and adjust effectively (Getz et al., 2012: 48). However, for one time events, the post event follow up is not applicable. There might be multiple stakeholders but not like in mega-events (Hall, 1989: 265). The funds that are spent on such events are huge and depend on the preparations being made and the outcomes expected ((Hall, 1989: 265).The funds for the mega-events are facilitated by well wishers, national government and private sector (Getz et al., 2012: 57). Cultural exchange always takes place in such events, reminding the visitors and audience of the historical traditions. Hallmark events have the ability to brand the image of the host country (Hall, 1989: 264). The core aim of the event is usually to draw the attention of most of the visitors. The events are also meant to serve the economic and social interests of the local communities (Hall, 1989: 264). Role of Hallmark Events and Mega-Events in Tourism Mega-events and hallmark events fall under the category of sport tourism events. This would mean that their contribution to tourism goes without questioning. The events attract many people who come for a variety of ways. Most importantly they promote domestic tourism through encouraging the host community’s participation (Solberg & Preuss, 2007: 214). Additionally, hallmark events have the ability to build the image of the destination countries. This maps the country in the international tourism map (Solberg & Preuss, 2007: 214). Most of these events also act as an avenue for tourist research that is mainly aimed at offering quality to meet the demands of the consumers (Hall, 1989: 265). These events always attract investor in the tourism sector either directly or indirectly. Some of the sectors include construction and real estate that are meant to sustain the economy and tourism (Hall, 1989: 265). The seasonality problem that was initially in place due to the traditional sun, vacation and place tourism is solved through the application of these events (Solberg & Preuss, 2007: 214). This is because there is the ability of the governments to influence the durations when such events are held so as to cover up for loses that otherwise could have been incurred during low seasons. Such events also market the host countries at national and international levels (Solberg & Preuss, 2007: 213). This makes countries to be signatories of different policies that assure the success of the tourism sector. The events also contribute to city branding thus encouraging the attraction of tourists. The events make sure that the culture of the hosts and that of the visitors are integrated thus creating the need to visit often. This opens ways for partnerships between countries to engage in tourism. Conclusion There are very many differences from definition to characteristics, which distinguish a mega-event from a hallmark event as shown in the paper. As seen in the paper mega-events are held once in different venues whereas hallmark events held repeatedly in different venues. The most important difference is the size of venue an people attracted. Mega-events incur more costs and attract a large number of individuals contrary to the hallmark events. There are very many roles that are played by mega-events and hallmark events in the field of tourism. The two which are categorized under sporting tourism events have the ability of ensuring sustainability of the industry both locally and internationally. Governments should be able to leverage on these events so as to solve the problem of traditional tourism that is seasonal in nature. Those researching on tourism should also expand their scope so as to cover the recent events that have taken place in history. This will inform the policy makers and governments to make informed decisions. Bibliography Getz, D., Svensson, B., Peterssen, R., & Gunnervall, A. 2012, “Hallmark Events: Definition, Goals and Planning Process”. International Journal of Event Management Research, 7(1/2), 47-67. Hall, C. M. 1989, “Geography of Tourism and Recreation”. Geo Journal, 19(3), 263-268. Müller, M. 2015, “What makes an event a mega-event? Definitions and sizes”. Leisure Studies, 2(1), 1-16. Solberg, H. A., & Preuss, H. 2007, “Major Sport Events and Long-Term Tourism Impacts”. Journal of Sport Management, 21(1), 213-234. Yu, L., Wang, C., & Seo, J. 2013, “Mega event and destination brand: 2010 Shanghai Expo”. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 3(1), 46-65. Read More

Mega-events have different phases of planning. The first phase as aforementioned is the bidding process. The bidding process is regulated by such bodies as FIFA, BIE, and IOC among many others; they are collectively referred to as the right holders and have the mandate of laying down specific regulations that have to be met so as to win the bid (Yu et al., 2012: 48). The bidding process is followed by the evaluation that is done by international event bodies’ inspectors. Here the right holders evaluate the suitability of the potential host to host the event.

The host country is then awarded the bid and given recommendations on the requirements to be met. While preparations are fast in paper, it actually takes ten or so years to stage a mega-event. The host is frequently monitored so as to record the progress and further have more plans in place. The next phase is the staging where the event now occurs as planned (Hall, 1989: 267). This often takes a few weeks to months and could involve the use of more than one venue depending on the complexity of the events that are within the mega-event.

The world Expo was held in the Shanghai World expo Park that covered 528 hectares and had almost over 23000 events within itself each with different objectives (Yu et al., 2012: 49).After the event is over there is the post event phase where the local government in conjunction with volunteers clear the venue and return the conditions to normal. Mega events also draw a large number of crowds that come from different states. These people are from different cultural settings and thus cultural diversity.

Mega-events attract a minimum of one million people and have the largest number of receipts sold compared to the hallmark events. Additionally the events also draw a large number of in situ as well as on site audience (Yu et al., 2012: 48). This has been the case due to the advancements in broadcast technology allowing individuals to enjoy such events from their living rooms. The media plays a key role in image branding of the host country and the transfer of knowledge across nations (Müller, M. 2015: 3). Such events are also known for large expenditures so as to sustain the mammoth of people that attend the events (Müller, M. 2015: 6). The 2010 Shanghai World Expo broke the record of all expenditures in the history of World Fairs by using over $46 billion in the preparation and staging of the event (Yu et al.

, 2012: 48). Hall mark events are not enormous as mega events and are often confused by most authors (Getz et al., 2012: 47).The outstanding feature of hallmark events is that they are held one-time or recurrently over the same venue within a limited period of time. There is therefore a close link between the venues and the events (Hall, 1989: 264). Not all hallmark events are huge; some small events that are held over the same venue for a specific period of time qualify to be hallmark events (Getz et al.

, 2012: 48). In the UK the most common hallmark events is the mix coordinated by Melbourne Events Company annually (Getz et al., 2012: 48). Some of the popular events in the mix include Open tennis, Formula One Grand Pix, Carnival, Rules Football Grand Finale and the peculiar Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (Getz et al., 2012: 49). Outside the Melbourne Events, is the Indianapolis 500 car race that showcases the vintage car race culture (Getz et al., 2012: 48). These hallmark events could either occur multiply or one time.

An example of the latter is where such events are held to commemorate anniversaries. Hallmark events are iconic in nature and often take short durations. The events serve as cultural icons and national identities that make the hosts unique and confer prestige (Getz et al., 2012: 48). Hallmark events do not immediately attract the attention of international audience (Hall, 1989: 264). However, through time they gain fame in the media and thus attracting large number of people who come in to share the prestige and cultural heritage of the host communities (Hall, 1989: 265).

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