RECN 344 Event Management Week 10 Lecture 2

RECN 344: Event Management Week 10 Lecture 2: Legacies of mega-events: meanings

Week 10 Lecture 2 : Overview Week 10 Lecture 2 • Recap: Mega event legacies • Mega-events and meanings Case studies Past: • Pyeonchang Olympics 2018 • Rugby World Cup 2011 Future: • Tokyo Olympics 2020 • Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022

Week 10 Lecture 2 : Readings Week 10 Lecture 2 • Learn: Hogan, J. (2003). Staging the nation: Gendered and ethnicized discourses of national identity in Olympic opening ceremonies. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 27, 100 -123. [also week 3] • Learn: Morse, J. (2001). The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: How the Australian Tourist Commission leveraged the games for tourism. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(2), 101 -107. • Learn: Waitt, G. (2004). A critical examination of Sydney’s 2000 Olympic Games. In I. Yeoman et al. (Eds. ). Festival and events management: an international arts and culture perspective (pp. 391 -408). Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford, UK. • Learn: White, L. (2012). Cathy Freeman and Australia’s Indigenous heritage: a new beginning for an old nation at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 19(2), 153 -170.

Introduction • Mega-events can have positive legacies but only under certain conditions • Must be planned from the outset – part of long term development & marketing plan • Must be embedded in regional development • Must engage the community • Must develop partnerships and networks • Must look beyond economic legacies (social, environmental etc. )

Mega events and meanings • Mega-events are important promotional opportunities for cities, regions and nations because of the scale of coverage • E. g. between 2000 -2004 TV rights accounted for 53% of revenue for Olympics • Sydney Olympics welcomed 16, 033 reporters (cf. 10, 000 athletes)

Mega-events and national identity • While ostensibly celebrating all member nations, in practice: • ‘both compulsory and interpretative elements mirror the values and experience of the host nation as an affirmation of national identity and as an extended advertisement for the host nation’ (Hogan, 2003, pp. 101 -102)

Mega-events and national identity • Mega-events (especially Opening Ceremonies) are key sites for the ‘discursive constructions of nation’ (Hogan, 2003) • Who belongs and who doesn’t • What does this place ‘mean’?

The Sydney Olympics • Sydney Olympics been subject of much research • Role of games in re-presenting ‘brand Australia’ to the world 8

Legacies of mega-events (Smith, 2014) • Event-themed – result of ‘imaginative leveraging that seeks to harness the power of events (in particular their symbolism, timing, prominence and popularity)’ (Smith, 2014, p. 19) • Relies on emotional/symbolic power of event • Projects are designed and organised to address key priorities; event can be leveraged for this • Traditionally these projects are ‘add ons’ – receive limited funding and/or attention • Little done to assess outcomes (as many are intangible); harder to justify

RWC 2011: Why host it? • The RWC described as third biggest sporting event in the World (after Olympics and Football World Cup) • Better chance for All Blacks to win • Increased visitation to New Zealand • Positive economic impact • Increased employment • Enhanced tourism development and acting as a catalyst for development of infrastructure • Animation of static attraction • But are these impacts or legacies?

Visitation for the RWC • Before RWC started it was estimated that between 85, 00095, 000 extra visitors would come during the tournament • Actual numbers estimated at 133, 000 • • Most visitors spectators, and from leading rugby nations More males than females Visitation peaked for semi-finals, finals Also important for domestic tourism

Visitation for the RWC http: //www. med. govt. nz/sectors-industries/tourismresearch-data/international-travel/iva-key-data

Benefits of RWC visitors • Reductions in seasonal fluctuations in visitors • Tournament in ‘Shoulder season’ i. e. between low season (winter) and high season (Dec-Mar) • Stay longer • Most people didn’t stay for all 45 days, but some from long -haul destinations did • Travel spread throughout the country, not only main tourist destinations • http: //www. srgexpert. com/Rugby_World_Cup_2011_Evaluati on_report 1. pdf

Conclusion • Mega-events can have positive legacies but only under certain conditions • Must be planned from the outset – part of long term development & marketing plan • Must look beyond economic legacies (social, environmental etc. )