1. Global Event Management: a critique
- Author
-
Chris Rojek
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Economic growth ,Corruption ,business.industry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Event (relativity) ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Public relations ,Investment (macroeconomics) ,Test (assessment) ,Event management ,Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management ,medicine ,Professional literature ,Sociology ,Leisure studies ,business ,Social control ,media_common - Abstract
Within the professional Event Management literature considerable claims have been made for Event Management. Investment in the area and student enrolments has risen dramatically. In some circles, Event Management is portrayed as challenging Leisure Studies and even undermining it. However, if one examines the professional literature, one quickly finds that it is overwhelmingly uncritical and self-congratulatory. The relationship between Events, manipulation, corruption and social control has not been rigorously examined. This paper distinguishes the main types of Global Event (Single Issue and Cyclical). It attempts a balanced account of the claims made by Event Management. It examines data from Live Aid, the FIFA World Cup and the Sydney Olympics to test the claims against practice. It also includes two longer examinations of Global Event Management, namely the Sydney Mardi Gras and the Live 8 (2005) concert. The paper concludes that Event Management is based in principles from neo-liberalism and communi...
- Published
- 2012