Managing the sustainability of events and festivals Towards an
international classification system ZEN Project Andres
Coca-Stefaniak Ian Bathgate
Slide 2
Zero-impact Cultural Heritage Event Network (ZEN)
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Transnationality (IT, UK, LT, LV, GR, RO, BG, SL, NL, ESP) and
practice-based research ZEN projects approach
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European innovation in the development, management and
evaluation of sustainable cultural events in historic town centres
Can an event have zero impact on the environment? ZEN projects
aims
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49.8% would pay higher ticket price to make festival greener
43% had changed behaviour as a result of festivals green
initiative(s) Waste, traffic and noise seen as key negative impacts
Responsibility for impact festival organiser (but also festival
goers 79%) 2012 pan-Euopean survey festival goers (Moore, 2013)
Sample size: 2,281 Buckinghamshire New University
Slide 6
City image (Richards and Wilson, 2004) Justify public spending
(Faulkner et al, 2003) Host communities getting best possible
benefits (Chalip, 2004; OBrien 2006) Lasting legacy for communities
(Ritchie, 2000) Why evaluate impacts of events?
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DCMS (2012; p. 22) Example of legacy-focused evaluation
framework Economic Sport and physical activity Culture and
community 2012 Olympic and Paralympic impacts Environmental Climate
change Noise and light Ecosystems Waste Water Land Air
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From monitoring to legacy and beyond? Outcom e sub area
ObjectiveSourceOutput indicators Outcome indicators Noise and light
Deliver a sustainable Games and develop sustainable communities
Mayor of Londons Five Legacy Commitment s Noise levels Light levels
Impact on residents, visitors and businesses measured through
surveys Monitoring Legacy DCMS (2012; p. 35)
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Slide 10
Events research and practice in the UK Economic impact Urban
tourism Community interaction Partnership management 1980s Place
experience marketing Early 1990s Mid 1990s 2000 2010 and beyond
Environmental impact Holistic understanding of events Urban renewal
Legacy Rural festivals Hallmark events Resident attitudes Culture
Destination image Mega events Social (local) impact
Segmentation-led promotion Coca-Stefaniak (2012) - on-going
research
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1.Economic impact (26 articles) 2.Corporate sponsorship and
marketing (14 articles) 3.Marketing and segmentation (11 articles)
4.Other management issues (9 articles) 5.Visitor and participant
motives (7 articles) 6.Education, training, accreditation, research
(7 articles) 7.Politics, policy and planning (4 articles) 8.Urban
renewal (2 articles) 9.Law (1 article) 10.Arts and culture (1
article) Review of event management academic papers in Festival
Management and Event Tourism (adapted from Getz, 2002)
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Early ZEN project research findings
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Event environmental stewardship as promotion element (IT)
Transition from spontaneity to visitor- focused event planning (BG)
Events closely linked to local and regional branding campaigns
(LV)
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Accreditation of good sustainability practices (Green Key, NL)
Identity heritage-led event transition from Communism to market-led
economy (LT, LV) Cost efficiencies and external funding through
environmental innovation (UK, IT)
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Towards an international typology of sustainable cultural
events Mega event Public funding Private funding Micro event
Coca-Stefaniak (2013), on-going research Low core carbon footprint
High core carbon footprint
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So what?
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Events as test beds for innovation in sustainable solutions
(e.g. EU-wide accreditation system?) Events as more than standard
bearers (vis-a-vis strategic place branding) CSR research v. event
environmental impact research Marketing authenticity or
commoditification of visitor experience? Experiential marketing
strategies? Government policy impact (e.g. Welsh Assembly
Sustainable Development Bill) Moving research forward in evaluation
of sustainable events
- Coca-Stefaniak J.A., Rinaldi R., Parker C. and Quin S.
(2009), Evolution of town centre and place management models: a
European perspective, Cities, 26 (2), pp. 74-80. - Coca-Stefaniak
J.A. (2012), Evolution of international town centre management
models, Doctoral thesis, Middlesex University. - Chalip L (2004),
Beyond impact: A general model for host community event leverage.
In: Ritchie B and Adair D (eds.), Sport Tourism:
Interrelationships, Impacts and Issues, Clevedon: Channel View
Publications, pp. 226-252. - DCMS (2012), London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games Impacts and Legacy Evaluation Framework Final
Report, Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/DCMS_2012_Games_Meta_evaluati
on_Report_1.pdf (accessed 24 August 2012)
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/DCMS_2012_Games_Meta_evaluati
on_Report_1.pdf - Faulkner B, Chalip L, Brown G, Jago L, March R
and Woodside A (2003), Monitoring the tourism impacts of the Sydney
2000 Olympics, Event Management, 6 (4), pp. 231-246.
References
Slide 20
- Getz D (2002), Event studies and event management: On
becoming and academic discipline, Journal of Hospitality and
Tourism Management, 9 (1), pp. 12- 23. - Innes J E and Boother D E
(2000), Indicators for sustainable communities: A strategy building
on complexity theory and distributed intelligence, Planning Theory
& Practice, 1 (2), pp. 173-186. - Mega V and Pedersen J (1998),
Urban sustainability indicators, European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working Conditions,
http://eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/1998/07/en/1/ef9807en.pdf
(accessed 22 August 2012)
http://eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/1998/07/en/1/ef9807en.pdf -
Moore T (2013), Audience attitudes on the environmental impact of
events CM&SS/AGF,
http://www.agreenerfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Bucks-
AGF_AUDIENCE_RESEARCH_2012.pdf (accessed 10 May,
2013).http://www.agreenerfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Bucks-
AGF_AUDIENCE_RESEARCH_2012.pdf - OBrien D (2006), Event business
leveraging: The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Annals of Tourism
Research, 33 (1), pp. 240-261. References
Slide 21
- Ritchie J R B (2000), Turning 16 days into 16 years through
Olympic Legacies, Event Management, 6, pp. 155-165. - Richards G
and Wilson J (2004), The impact of cultural events on city image:
Rotterdam, Cultural Capital of Europe 2001, Urban Studies, Vol. 41,
No. 10, pp. 1931-1951. - Wood E. (2009), An impact evaluation
framework: local government community festivals, Event Management,
Vol. 12, No. 3/4, pp. 171-185. References
