Events and Economic Development: Bridging Theory and Practice

Events and Economic Development explores the economic impact and developmental implications of designing, planning, and delivering major events – from cultural events like the Notting Hill Carnival and Day of the Dead, to sporting events like the Olympics to the Super Bowl.

This book comprises 24 chapters, each addressing various diverse and interconnected topics related to the economic and development implications of hosting events. Each chapter follows a consistent structure, beginning with the aim and learning objective(s), followed by theoretical focuses and the significance of these perspectives. Similarly, practical focuses and their significance are also outlined. The main body of each chapter consists of an 800 to 2000-word argument. Following the argument, chapters include managerial, policy, and/or research implications, explicitly mapping how they relate to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Each chapter concludes with a series of quizzes to test knowledge and debate questions to engage learners in discussing and interrogating the argument.

Some of the topics covered include:

Nation Branding through Events
Urban Transformation via Events
Commercialization of Culture and Events
Crisis and Resilience in Event Management
Sustainability in Event Hosting
Cultural Identity and Heritage Preservation
Globalization of Sports and Festivals
Media and Narrative Evolution
Ethics and Sponsorship in Events
Community Impacts and Gentrification

This innovative, topical, engaging, and comprehensive book is an essential reading and teaching resource for all students and lecturers in events that are easy to integrate into educational programmes.