Events and Mega Events, Visitor Attractiveness - Coursework Example

Events Management Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Introduction Events are social or public occasions that form part of the everyday culture and life of individuals and societies. They encompass sporting events such as the Standard Chartered Marathon among others. Events bear paramount significance to the stakeholders comprising of the sponsors and the participants. The society at large also benefits tremendously from the events. On the other hand, major sporting events, also known as mega events are also social occasions that involve a large number of participants and substantial sums of money to set up. The Global Olympics and the World Cup are examples of mega events in the modern world. Both events happen after every four years (Malfas et al. 2004). As a result, the fact that mega events involve many people; usually the entire world and large sums of funds to prepare as compared to other events that may be local thus only requiring little funding and involving few numbers of individuals are the main differentiating attributes between mega events and other events. The essay intends to evaluate whether the research on other types of events has resulted in a lack of knowledge about mega events. Events and Mega Events As mentioned above, size suffices to be the only distinction between regular events and mega events. The most important aspect is that both regular events and mega events undergo similar stages of event management; with the scope and degree of management being the difference in regard to the fact that mega events are larger in size as compared to regular events. Therefore, research on other events does not yield a lack of knowledge on mega events. On the other hand, it provides a downscaled information on mega events since it is rational to opine that regular events are subsets of mega events. It is also evident that different academic scholars attach different classifications to social occasions such as sporting events as to either being mega events, second order events or simply regular events. For instance, Rose and Spiegel (2011) include expos, festivals, political summits and conventions to World Cup and World Olympics sporting events among mega events. On the other hand, other scholars like Horne and Manzenreiter (2006) regard them to be second order events rather than mega events. Despite the fact that there is no unanimous definition of mega events, the standardized event management procedures that applies to mega events, second order events and regular events imply that researching on any category of event does not result in a lack of knowledge about the other events. In fact, researching on other kinds of events that take place in localized areas enables the scholars to understand specific attributes of the region thereby enabling the smooth running of a mega event in the country in the future. The discussion regarding mega events should endeavour to ask how the event is “mega” rather than simply state that the event is “mega”. Therefore, the focus of the event is what makes it to be mega or not. There are different dimensions that can make mega events be indeed mega. In fact, it is important to note that not all “mega events” are mega. As a result, it is possible for some individuals to regard an event as being mega yet it is a regular event (Muller, 2015). As mentioned earlier, mega events are larger than regular events. However, the various aspects associated with the evaluation of mega events also apply to the evaluation of second order and regular events. The truth of the matter therefore, may be that mega events have the propensity of overshadowing regular events whenever they take place. For instance, the World Olympic Games tend to overshadow regular athletics competitions whenever they occur. However, the overshadowing effect only lasts for as long as the mega event is still happening without draining the knowledge of the general public regarding the regular events. In fact, some of the participants of the mega events also take part in regular events thereby resulting in constant references to their performances in the regular events during the mega events. It would be appropriate to opine that the reverse of the statement is true. By so saying, it is possible that the occurrence of mega events tends to erode the knowledge perceived by the general public regarding other events. The erosion effect emanates from the fact that major events are “large” in terms of visitor attractiveness, cost impact, transformative impact and mediated reach. On the other hand, regular events are comparatively “smaller” in the aspects. As a result, the manifestation of the aspects during mega events tends to erode the minds of individuals regarding the other vents in the event that a mega event such as the World Cup or the World Olympics is taking place. Visitor Attractiveness Apparently, mega events are “larger” than other events in matters pertaining visitor attractiveness. The increased influx of tourists into the cities hosting the mega event is so conspicuous that the locals and other individuals in the world cannot help gaining interest in the event. Jafari (1988) provides an explanation for what constitutes a “mega event” as revealed by scholars in the 37th Congress of International experts in tourism held in Calgary in 1987. From the Congress, the scholars borrowed from Ritchie’s concept of hallmark events (Ritchie 1984). According to Ritchie, tourist attractiveness was one of the baseline attributes of mega events. Jafari (1988) also noted that mega events simply referred to a mega onslaught of visitors. Therefore, most of the presentations and majority of the participants consider mega events to convert the host nation or city into a tourist destination as evidenced by the massive influx of foreign individuals into the city to witness the event (Fourie & Santana-Gallego, 2011). In the event of occurrence of such events, the mega event is the talk of both local and global participants as they regard it as an avenue for tourist attraction (Solberg & Preuss, 2007). As a result of the weight attached to mega events as tourism attractions during the early discussions and the current discussions, scholars continue to categorize studies on mega events under leisure and tourism studies (Getz, 2012). The areas of interest to the scholars while studying the mega events were the impact of the event on image improvements, perceptions of the host cities, long-term paths of growth, income and job growth (Teigland, 1999). Marris (1987) revealed that some scholars set an ultimatum of one million participants for an event to qualify as a mega event. Measuring the number of tickets purchased sufficed to be the most viable measure that determined the visitor attractiveness of the mega event. On the other hand, even though regular events also attract visitors that purchase tickets, the number of visitors is not equal to those contained in mega events. Keeping the argument in mind, studies on mega events with reference to visitor attractiveness will concentrate on events whose participants exceed 1 million. To some extent, it is proper to state that concentrating on regular events having a participant population of less than one million will exclude mega events completely. However, not unless the researchers concentrate on the other events only, it is unlikely that studying regular events will erode the existing knowledge regarding mega events. The fact that mega events such as the World Cup and World Olympics occur sequentially after intervals of two years implies that they would still attract interest from researchers thereby compelling them to study them. In the long run, there would still be substantial knowledge about the mega events. Mediated Reach Apart from the visitor attractiveness, mediated reach is the other determinant aspect that distinguishes between a mega event and a regular event. It is apparent that the consumers of a mega event do not have to visit the host destination in situ to watch the event (Muller et al. 2015). Alternatively, they can watch the proceedings of the event from the comfort of their homes or workplaces with the help of media broadcasting of the event. According to Sudgen and Tomlinson (2012), the majority of the participants of mega events follow the proceedings of the events in front of the screen. The implication is that mega events have a global effect and participation. As a matter of fact, the entire world appears to watch a mega event such as the World Olympics or the World Cup. However, the case is different for second order and regular events. Second order events also attract large participants both on site and those that follow it on televisions and other mass media. However, the participants are not comparable to those of mega events. In the case of regular events, it is evident that the locals form the majority of the participants. Based on the mediated reach aspect, it is still evident that the decision of researchers to address regular events will not erode the existing knowledge about mega events. The fact that mega events enjoy widespread and global knowledge implies that their knowledge and understanding will dominate with or without additional research from scholars. Moreover, the media coverage of the events provides all the necessary information that the participants all over the world require regarding the mega event. Therefore, scholarly research only serves to complement the already existing knowledge about mega events. However, since regular events do not enjoy a global coverage, conducting scholarly studies on such events serves to provide individuals living outside the country or region to understand the particulars of the event that the media had not covered during the event. Therefore, prior to the onset of widespread media coverage of mega events, only the individuals that attended mega events gained the knowledge about the events. During that era, scholarly research would supplement the existing knowledge thereby enabling other individuals in the world to gain knowledge about the event. In such a case, it would also be appropriate to state that reduced research on mega research and increased research on regular events would impact negatively on the existing knowledge about mega events. However, in the current era of widespread media coverage that has seen the doubling of accredited media personnel from Barcelona 1992 to London 2012, media coverage forms the main tool for disseminating knowledge about mega events to the participants. As a result, it is proper for scholars to research on regular events that do not attract substantial media coverage so as to avail information regarding the regular events to other individuals that did not have an idea regarding the events. Cost Besides mediated reach and visitor attractiveness, cost is the other aspect that differentiates a mega event from a regular event. The first two indicators of the size of a mega event concentrate on the output side of the event. However, cost is an input side that determines whether an event is a mega event or a regular event. Currently, mega events such as the World Cup or World Olympics require an input of billions of US dollars (Allmers & Maennig, 2009; Matheson, 2006). The high budget funds the construction of infrastructure and venues required to host the mega events. According to Jennings (2012), there is a direct proportionality between the expensiveness of an event and its stakeholders. Moreover, the more the stakeholders of an event, the more the existence of diverse needs and subcontractors that is responsible for parallel projects. The successful completion of a mega event’s project depends on the completion of the parallel projects within the required timeframe. The most important aspect is that the hefty sums of money pumped into mega events such as the World Cup attracts global knowledge. The recent World Cup competitions resulted in public uproar regarding the substantial sums of funds allocated for the preparation of the required infrastructure amidst the challenging economic times of Brazil, the host country (Matheson & Baade, 2004). The widespread media coverage of such events guarantees the existence of enough knowledge among global participants with o without the existence of additional research by scholars. Urban Transformation The immediate impact that multi-billion mega events yield on the urbanization of the host cities such as the upgrading of transport and sporting infrastructure leaves a remarkable positive transformation of the host regions (Essex & Chalkey, 2003). Governing bodies such FIFA or IOC that are responsible for governing the preparations for World Cup and Olympics respectively utilize the ‘legacy’ label to encourage the transformative effect of the mega sporting events to the host cities (Grix, 2013). The effect is so conspicuous that all the participants either at the site or watching the proceedings through the media gain knowledge about the urban transformation (Smith, 2014). The case is not similar to regular events since they do not result in the immediate transformation of urban centres that host the events. Instead of upgrades and transformation of the host cities, regular events only utilize the existing infrastructure. As a result, they do not attract a lot of global attention thereby necessitating additional scholarly research to provide information regarding their proceedings. In regard to mega events, the impact is so “huge” that the entire world gets to know about it without the need for supplementary scholarly research. Moreover, the transformations of the host cities are always positive thereby communicating a lot of information about the event. Conclusion In conclusion, I opine that research on other types of events has not resulted in a lack of knowledge about mega events such as the World Cup or World Olympics. I still believe that there is a more understanding of mega events as compared to other events. The increased dominance of the knowledge of mega events over other events emanates from the fact that the major sporting events command the global attention as compared to regular events that only command the attention of local or regional individuals. The increased media coverage of mega events has communicated significant knowledge regarding the significant aspects of the mega projects such as the planning, budget, funding, implementation and evaluation. However, prior to the increased dominance of media coverage on mega events, scholarly research was responsible for the provision of such research. However, in the modern era characterized by an increased number of accredited media personnel to cover the mega events, all the participants situated either at the site or watching via media gain enough knowledge about the events without the help of scholarly research. There are also other differentiating characteristics of mega events and regular events such as cost, the urbanization effect and visitor attractiveness that increase the knowledge of mega events among the participants. References Allmers, S., & Maennig, W. (2009). Economic impacts of the FIFA soccer World Cups in France 1998, Germany 2006, and outlook for South Africa 2010. Eastern Economic Journal, 35(4), 500-519. Essex, S., & Chalkey, B. (2003). Urban transformation from hosting the Olympic Games. Fourie, J., & Santana-Gallego, M. (2011). The impact of mega-sport events on tourist arrivals. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1364-1370. Getz, D. (2012). Event studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events. 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