The Concepts of Festivals and Events - Essay Example

? Governments at all levels are increasingly becoming involved in festivals and events By: State Date Festivals and events have been an integral part of every region’s culture since ancient times. Jeniskee clarified that “festivals and events are formal periods or programs of pleasurable activities, or events having a festive character” (Cited by Jamal & Robinson, 2009, p.485). The impact of cultural events intensified greatly during the twentieth century, and various small-scale happenings were transformed into hallmark and mega-events. Now even established governments like United Kingdom, at all levels tend to promote local activities vigorously. This paper analyses the reasoning and salient pros and cons associated with the involvement of governments in encouraging events. Government is a set of institutions which Edward Sildow and Beth Henschen (2008, p.4) defined as “the individuals and institutions that make society’s rules and that also possess the power and authority to enforce those rules." Thus, it can be established that government possesses the ultimate power to influence public, and to impose such rules that are in the best interest of society. Today, governments are increasingly becoming interested in promoting events because these act as a catalyst that has an enormous “social, economic and cultural impact” (Smith, 2003). This explains that governments are now trying to garner international attraction through hosting local and mega events and basically eyeing on the aspect of economic and monetary profits. For instance, the UK government realised the impact of facilitating events on the country’s economy and has supported the private sector on the reconstruction of new and bigger venues since 70s. The outcome has been in the form of some international standard sites such as the National Exhibition Centre (Birmingham) and Wembley Centre (Bowdin et al, 2012). This was also the main reason behind Prime Minister Tony Blair's strong support to the organisation responsible for holding Olympics 2012, “London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games," (LOCOG), during the bidding ceremony in 2005. Through ramping up the investments from private sector, governments seek long-term benefits for the whole country and in a variety of spheres. However, it must be acknowledged that it is not the government only that enjoys the benefits involved, but the private sector has another set of interests that is sought through events. The diversity in festivals such as Hallmark and mega-events is an outcome of the government’s involvement. Today, events are of various categories with varying prospects. These include business events like meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions, in short MICE. Regional events are cultural or sports related and are organised every year. Every calendar event is a nation’s local festival such as Football or Rugby League matches, or religious/traditional celebrations such as Holi or Diwali in India. Hallmark events represent the customary festivals of a nation and mark an important historical event or anniversary. For instance, the event celebrated in South Africa of “10 Years of Democracy” in 2004 (Damster & Tassiopoulos, 2006). Mega-events such as Olympics, FIFA world cup or ICC Cricket World Cup; Tennis tournaments like Wimbledon and Common Wealth games, are not annual events and are held in a different part of the world by a particular organisation. Every government has its own specific motive behind pursuing and promoting events, and it can be entitled as an intelligent strategy. For example, the motive of China's government has been different in comparison to UK because their main focus was on improving economic conditions through promoting travelling and locally prepared Chinese products. Chinese government did not just focus on mega events, but created newer holidays and altered the scale of traditional ones for achieving their goal. The transformation of three one-day local festivals into Golden Weeks in 1991, Mid-Autumn Festival, Tomb-sweeping Day, and Dragon-Boat Festival are important examples. Governments of under developed countries like Kenya try to rise from the ashes and fortify their economy through promoting events. Dubai government's incentive is to popularize their culture and regulate tourism by creating all sorts of events. The mammoth stature of Dubai Shopping festival is an important example in this regard. Bahrain’s government needs to popularize the country on the international arena and boost economy as well. Hence the country’s own Grand Prix racing was introduced in 2004, which generated revenues and attracted attention due to the global significance of Grand Prix. Cultural prominence is yet another incentive behind the increasing involvement of governments of countries like Spain, where the Rio de Janeiro carnival attracts thousands of visitors abroad due to its vibrancy, ethnic feel and traditional ambience. Indian government has a different motive altogether, which is to join the league of super powers like United States, and hence, has been trying various approaches in this regard. Claiming hosting rights of Commonwealth games 2010 and introducing of Indian version of F1-Racing are some prominent examples of its involvement in events of international stature. Today, the operating environment and scale of events have transformed greatly. The government has strategically formed small-scale bodies like local or city governments, specific boards, and organisations for to promote the event at a grand scale. For example, in UK, the local government tends to attract attention from the private and public sector through showing interest and involvement in regional events. Sheffield’s city government implied a strategic marketing strategy to popularize the place as an ideal location for tourism, through using the Internet and involving various local bodies during the renovation process. Local events were promoted, and comprehensive websites were developed as a part of the strategy. The massive redevelopment that the city underwent in the 21st century has produced fruitful results in the form of the world-famous Wheel of Sheffield and other salient attractive monuments. Strategic marketing has now replaced operational approach, and the positive outcome could be evaluated from the phenomenal improvements in the profile of various Boroughs in England. Promotion of locally administered events like “Manchester Commonwealth Games” in 2002, “Sheffield’s World Students Games” in 1991 and “Newcastle Gateshead Bid for European Capital of Culture” in 2008 are prominent examples. Another strategic move is through regulating funding for non-departmental bodies. For instance, UK government funds Visit Britain for promoting tourism and events both within and outside Britain. Hence, it can be stated that governments try to ensure a magnanimous and profitable event through collaborating with the city government, non-governmental bodies, and a plethora of event management organisations, media giants, and stakeholders. It is important to discover the positive factors associated with promoting of festivals. Economic boost is the main aspect behind such deeds since promotion of events is directly proportional to strengthened economy. The example of China’s sudden economic and industrial boom is significant since, the successful hosting of the Beijing 2008 Olympic games did garner accolades for China, and the government made billions (Mc Phail, 2010). Through event tourism governments attract visitors in those regions and seasons where tourism was lowest in the past. For instance, the Australian Thredbo Jazz Festival has been generating huge revenues in the winter ski season which was not a very favourable time for tourism (Janeczko et al, 2002). The length and scale of any event determine the amount of revenue generated because the longer a visitor stays in the region; the more flow and distribution of money are guaranteed which in turn increases full-time employment ratios (Malfas et al, 2004). To illustrate, the Olympics mega event held in England in 2012 generated around 10.8 million visitors as a result of which strong economic activity occurred throughout UK, and tourism contributed ?2 billion to the GDP (Lloyd, 2012). Governments are generally more inclined towards encouraging business tourism through trade shows and exhibitions because it generates employments, promote products, and strengthen the industrial/corporate sector. It is estimated that about 30% of international arrivals in a country is for business purposes (Matiland & Ritchie, 2009). Events customize cultural heritage of a nation, which helps in transforming the image of a country known as Country Branding or Image Branding (Klonova, 2012). The example of Ukraine is important since it has a negative global reputation due to its corrupt government and corporate sector and unsettled democratic order. Its government has been following a strategic process of country branding, and the co-hosting of European Football Championship, I-e Euro 2012 is a prominent step toward this goal. Governments create a variety of events from every aspect of life for industrial promotion (Molloy, 2002). For example, Britain's “Food Lovers Fair," and "Whitstable Oyster Festival" are held to raise awareness about British Cuisine. Another example is of the St. Patricks Day, which was popularized so well by its government, that despite being an Irish National day, it is now celebrated all over the world. Governments also attempt to heal an aching nation through creating different event or recreational activities for public. Such steps were taken by the US government after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, and the Tsunamis disaster in Southeast Asia in 2004. Recently, US government organized a Sandy Relief Concert on November 12, 2012 for the victims of Sandy, which means that charity is another reason behind organising of events. From a political perspective, events have the power to legitimize political priorities from short-term perspective, and in the long-term process, it can influence political ideologies and alter socio-cultural circumstances. Local or small-scale events are used as a platform to communicate political or societal messages, and to motivate or influence public. An example would be of the Newham Council’s strategy of organising “Reasons to be Cheerful” event, which was planned to lure people towards staying and working in Newham's city (Bowdin et al, 2012). Another important advantage of hosting festivals is the post-event usage of the newly constructed facilities and infra structural improvements. There are several negative impacts that can be attributed to the increasing attachment of governments with events and festivals. Firstly, the failure of any event can have adverse effects on the region’s economy and nation’s pride. Similarly, misallocation of funds can potentially lead to developing lack of trust in public against the government, and the local councils involved in the debacle (Robinson et al, 2010). The Sydney 2000 Olympic Games is a noteworthy example in this context. The games were publicized hugely as “People’s Games” to attract a large number of volunteers and visitors. However, controversy plagued the government’s planning because the organising committee made a secret deal with an influential businessman’s club and all the best seats were already booked for them. This produced uproar and developed hostility against the government. Quinn’s research concludes that “such negativities include the accumulation of large debts for host communities and the displacement of local residents to make way for infra structural improvements” (2009, p.13). The point of displacement is rather a crucial one and cannot be overlooked since it is directly affiliated to the planning/organising of events. Governments when pursue the hosting rights of mega-events has to present the venues as an attractive destination. This calls for the renovating the already existing infrastructure, or constructing new venues. These steps, although create employments, but also adversely affect the residents in those areas, and can subsequently generate animosity against the tourists, or ill-feelings for the event. However, this kind of situations often happens when less-developed countries are given the task of hosting an international or mega-event. For instance, South African public had similar issues with their government when their country was awarded the hosting rights of FIFA World Cup 2010. Controversies hollered from the very beginning since the government was accused of dedicating huge funding for upgrading the destination, which affected the indigenous communities, and the existing public or social issues were seriously overlooked. Hosting of events can also lead to negative socio-cultural issues such as anti-social behaviour, violence, disapproval, and loss of cultural identity (Bowdin et al, 2012). There is a possibility that the visitors may not approve of the destination, and the desired results are not acquired from the governmental perspective. Hooliganism and crowd mismanagement is a significant problem, mostly associated with sport events. In the wake of terrorism, and threatening political circumstances, hosting an event requires major security and safety measures. The Glastonbury 2000 festival gate crashing incident, deaths of fans at the Denmark’s Roskilde Festival 2000, Atlanta Olympics bombing in 1996, and the cancelling of Birmingham Christmas Lights Switch On Event in 2009 for security concerns are some examples. Fans can be either dedicated or fanatical, which can determine the overall atmosphere of an event, since; aggression can lead to mishaps and tension between the local public and tourists (Wyludda, 2009). Ecological concerns can also develop due to events, because the probability of air water or landscape pollution, and environmental damage cannot be disregarded. This can happen due to strewing, corrosion, and carbon di oxide emission, which is caused by the immense traveling involved to and from an event. Robinson et al explained that “an event will inevitably use considerable energy, which will put pressure on local resources” (2010, p.187). Overusing the facilities and resources can ultimately cause damage to the infrastructure, and heritage obliteration. Traffic congestion is another aspect that directly affects the public, and spreads noise pollution. For example, during the 2006 Sziget Festival in Budapest, 2200 m3 of waste were collected, which is equal to the amount that ten storey building residents will accumulate in 10 years (Raj & Musgrave, 2009). Risk colonisation is an important aspect related to events since large-scale events are subjected to local and environmental issues, such as traffic accidents or noise pollution, and can produce pressure on governmental forces, which in turn can create a collision. If a proper risk management system is not developed, then such issues become difficult to handle, and pressure from institutions regarding risk consolidation most often results in clashes between management and government. Matters like cost's overrun, unfulfilled constructional requirements, and delay in deadlines can also pave the way for institutional clashes, which can never be in the favour of society. Another perspective is the short-term nature of Mega-events that eventually imposes long-term problems to the government. That is because events like Olympics are not held annually, and it is highly unlikely that a particular country gets to host a mega event every time. However, the current scenario behind hosting a mega-event requires some heavy investment, and huge infra structural upgrading. This can impose long-term debts and there is every possibility that if the event fails, then the private sector will be greatly affected. Mega-events are not called so because of the wide-ranged participation involved, but also because lately, events are being organised in a way that every government try to outshine the previous host as far as the grandeur, and scale of an event are concerned. Henceforth, this can be concluded that governments have realised that events of any category would garner generous monetary turnouts as well as international eminence for the hosting nation. However, the stigmas and problems associated with such endeavours are not to be left unnoticed. The motives are honest, and praiseworthy, yet; the best strategy should involve the betterment of society, and the welfare of local people. Negative impacts and complexities must be realised in due time, and governments should develop strategies that could lead to a successful event without causing such eventualities. Bibliography Bowdin, G., Allen, J., Harris, R., McDonnell, I. & O'Toole, W., (2012). Events Management, Ed. 3rd, London: Routledge. Damster, G. & Tassiopoulos, D., ( 2006). Event Management: A Professional and Developmental Approach, Ed. 2nd, South Africa: Juta and Company Ltd. Getz, D. (2012), Event Studies, London: Routledge. Hall, M., M., C. & Sharples, L., (2012). 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