Towards Strategic Event Creation a step change for

Towards ‘Strategic Event Creation’; a step change for marketing events Dr Phil Crowther, Sheffield Business School philip. crowther@shu. ac. uk

Towards ‘Strategic Event Creation’; a step change for marketing events Dr Phil Crowther, Sheffield Business School philip. crowther@shu. ac. uk

10 Years Later ‘it has all changed in a flash’ Practitioner Pracademic 0 Publications (0 interviews) 10 Publications (43 Interviews) Event Management View Event Design View Operational Strategic Job Role Profession Passenger Influencer

Plan 1 Evolution of my Research 2 Strategic Event Creation 3 Question For Event Academics 4 Shared Thoughts

Crowther, P and Donlan, L. (2012) Leveraging sponsorship to achieve consumer relationship objectives through the creation of ‘marketing spaces’: An exploratory study. Journal of Marketing Communications. DOI: 10. 1080/13527266. 2012. 684068 Crowther, P and Donlan, L. (2011) Value-creation space: The role of events in a service-dominant marketing paradigm. Journal of Marketing Management 27: 13 -14, 1444 -1463 Crowther, P. (2011), Marketing event outcomes: from tactical to strategic, International Journal of Event and Festival Management Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 68 -82 Crowther, P. (2010), Marketing space: a conceptual framework for marketing events, The Marketing Review, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 369 -383. Crowther, P. (2010). Strategic application of events. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29(2), 227 -235.

1 Evolution of my Research I was interested in this

my research interest was this

and this

also this

this

even this

and this. .

Marketing Events What Events? ? Wood, E. H. (2009). Evaluating Event Marketing: Experience or Outcome? Journal of Promotion Managemen

I have been interested in. . • • ‘brand hyperreality’ (Whelan and Wohlfeil, 2006) ‘live communications’ (Getz, 2007) ‘live the brand’ (Russell, 2007) ‘artificial paradises’ (Wünsch, 2008) Wohlfeil, M. and S. Whelan (2006). "Consumer Motivations to Participate in Event Marketing Strategies. " Journal of Marketing Management 22(5/6): 643 -669. Getz, D. (2007). Event Studies. Oxford: Elsevier. Russell, S. (2007). Experiential joins the marketing party. Band. T weekly, 8 (23 March). Wünsch, I. (2008). Facets of Contemporary Event Management Bonn: Erscheinungsjahr.

and more… • • ‘special stages’ (Yuan, 2008) ‘engagement platforms’ (Ramaswamy, 2009) ‘communification’ (Bjorner and Berg, 2012) ‘marketing spaces’ (Crowther, 2010) Yuan, Y. (2008). "Relationships Among Experiential Marketing, Experiential Value, and customer satisfaction. " Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research 32(3): 387 -410. Ramaswamy, V. (2009). "Co-creation of value: Toward an expanded paradign of value creation. " Marketing Review St Gallen 6: 11 -17. Bjorner, E. and P. O. Berg (2012). "Strategic Creation of Experiences at Shanghai World Expo; a practice of communification. " International Journal of Event and Festival Management 3(1): 30 -45. Crowther, P. (2010). "Marketing space: a conceptual framework for marketing events. " The Marketing Review 10(4): 369 -383.

and wider… ‘value facilitation process’ (Grönroos and Ravald, 2011), ‘value creation space’ (Crowther and Donlan, 2011)

‘Cottage Industry’ (Crowther, 2010) ‘too often events tend to be treated as one offs precipitating an inclination towards short term and localised outcomes’ (interviewee) Disconnect with strategy Operational dominant mind-set Results in missed opportunities Crudity in practice (but also pedagogy)

‘Marketing Space’ (Crowther 2010, Crowther 2011) ‘a temporal and physical space which presents a prized opportunity for an organisation to coalesce with existing, and future, customers, clients, and stakeholders…. . unlike other marketing approaches’ (definition) Relational and participative qualities Interpreted marketing possibilities of events Shifted focus toward outcomes

‘Value Creation Space’ (Crowther and Donlan 2011, Donlan and Crowther 2012) ‘there are our objectives and there are the attendees objectives and how do you sort of match those two things’ (interviewee) Mutual spaces hosting multiplicity of interests Value is co-created by disparate parties Calculated and latent marketing impact Event creators are at the heart of the action

‘a mind-set and management approach to the creation of events which is preoccupied with the characteristics, goals, and concerns of all involved (and impacted) stakeholders. Through adopting this perspective, and an enlightened and proficient approach to the design of the event (pre, during, post), the required and desired outcomes can be ably facilitated’

‘Strategic Event Creation’ Underlying Principles Operations is a prerequisite to exist not a recipe to succeed Inputs occur within the context of outcomes so event creation begins and ends with an appreciation of stakeholders and outcomes As the landscape shifts so must the mind-set and approach of event creators

3 A Question For Event Academics DO OUR PROGRAMMES SUITABLY REFLECT THE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE OF EVENT CREATION IN 2016 AND BEYOND? OR IS ‘STRATEGIC’ JUST AN ADD ON IN THE STUDENTS FINAL YEAR? (BY WHICH TIME STUDENTS ARE ALREADY LOST IN AN OPERATIONAL HAZE) AND ARE WE TEACHING THE ‘STRATEGIC CREATION OF EVENTS’ OR THE ‘STRATEGIC

4 Shared Thoughts Towards ‘Strategic Event Creation’; a step change for marketing events

References • Getz, D. (2007). Event Studies. Oxford: Elsevior. • Parsons, E. , & Maclaran, P. (2009). Contemporary issues in marketing and consumer behaviour. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. • Sheth, J. , & Parvatiyar, A. (2000). Relationship Marketing in Consumer Markets: Antecedents and Consequences. In J. Sheth & A. e. Parvatiyar (Eds. ), Handbook of Relationship Marketing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. • Vargo, S. L. , & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1 -17. • Weunsch, I. (2008). Facets of Contemporary Event Management Bonn: Erscheinungsjahr. • Whelen, S. , & Wholfeil, M. (2006). Communicating brands through engagement with ‘lived’ experiences. Brand Management, 13(4/5), 313 -329.

Dr Phil Crowther Principal Lecturer, Event Management Sheffield Business School Sheffield Hallam University philip. crowther@shu. ac. uk