The White Nights Role in Developing and Changing the Image of Cities - Case Study Example

HALLMARK EVENTS Student’s name Code & Course Professor’s name University City Date Events portfolio approach An event portfolio refers to an assemblage of a chain of related events with respect to markets, theming and resources. Such assemblages are patterned strategically according to thematic and operational relatedness. The concept of relatedness revolves around the level to which events complement each other. Such relatedness can be sourced from five major pools; i) volunteer pools facilitating implementation of events, ii) mobilizing shared resources, iii) employment of theming that has symbiotic connections with various events so as to maximize the resulting impacts iv) efficient and effective knowledge transfer during organizing of events and v) engendering markets through capacity capitalization of a series of events. There are various benefits from adopting the events portfolio approach for events. These benefits are especially in contrast to arranging and hosting single large-scale events. The most evident and major benefit would be sustainability of the implications of events hosting in the host area. The variety of events in a portfolio is also a significant benefit. In this sense, an event is able to reach a diverse segment of the target market which results to an increased event market size of the given host community. Additionally, it is crucial for event organizers to focus on the diverse needs of event attendee while capturing attendee motives. The event Portfolio approach, given the many events included, helps organizers to cater for these interests with respect to the prevailing community issues from the target markets and populations. Furthermore, when a variety of events are included in a portfolio, the result is that, due to the varying interests of attendees, sections of the society that would otherwise not meet are able to interact with each other as opposed to the case of hosting single large-scale events. In essence, there are numerous economic and social benefits that can arise from the adoption of the Events Portfolio approach during the organizing and hosting of events for host cities and regions. The White Night’s role in developing and changing the image of cities This section uses the Melbourne White Night Festival as the indicative model of the effect of ‘the sleepless night’ to the image of cities. To begin with, the main attendee motive for this event was the video mappings projections as well as the bold light displays. In fact, with respect to social media, most of the pictures posted on twitter and Instagram were from the State Library of Australia and the Royal Exhibition Building. Other pictures were from Flinders Street Station and the Forum Theatre hence the four major sites with a cultural heritage impression. The city image was transformed into an image that had never been seen before. Playful imagery and color overtook the prevalent sandstone and bluestone buildings. The attendees and local people thus related with the city as an entirely new spectacle as opposed to the usual Central Business District. At this point, due to the employment of large-scale technology in the city such as video-mapping and in the infrastructure, a city is gains the image of a Digital place as opposed to a place with digital aspects. The Melbourne White Night led to physical streets reorganization hence sharing of public spaces. The White Night restricts the spaces usually shared by pedestrians, cars, trams and cyclists to purely foot traffic. Melbourne City, commonly known for the tensions among the four groups of road users, was transformed into a moment of shared road safety. The attendees and stakeholders put away their usual divides and united into a common public with unifying interests. This led to the flattening of interests and although temporary, a cooperation that would be meaningful in changing the currently highly politicized issue of traffic, even at a global perspective. In another perspective, it would be expected that any Hallmark event and notably the White Night would be defined by multiple vices. The city of Melbourne on a usual basis is notorious for binge-drinking, hedonism and drugs alongside being publicly perceived as a place of drugs-related violence. This is called liminal space. Major events like the Brazil are well known for such instances as taking music, dancing and public parades to the streets in contrast with the usual rules of conformity, violence and crime notwithstanding. However, the White Night of Melbourne witnessed a different spectacle where the usual vices become irrelevant, making the vent highly dry. This was because there were restrictions as far as alcohol sale and consumption were concerned. The city was restored to a safe place for the whole society where all demographic levels were in attendance. In essence, the White Night was able to establish an anti-liminal state of affairs in the city while the city withstood the usual depravity caused by rituals. Gold Coast’s destination image, fitting events and significance of the Bleach Festival The destination image for Gold Coast is fun from the sand and the sun. This fun is embedded in the major attractions of the coast inclusive of surfing, shopping, the hinterland, nightlife, theme parks and most importantly, the beaches. In this respect, it is fitting for the Gold Coast Surfers Paradise to include other activities that will take surfing to a whole new level. The Gold Coast can introduce an event within the larger festival that markets surfing. For instance, the organizers could come up with an event labelled ‘surfing renewed’. Other fitting events for the Gold Coast based on its destination image are Shoppers Paradise and Gold Coast Film shows on the beaches. The Gold Coast has experienced rapid change within a period of 60 years. Hinterland and coastal villages, alongside significant growth, have merged to create Australia’s biggest non-capital city. Moreover, the villages host more than 10.5 million visitors annually. Alongside urban developments and population growth, the destination’s cultural landscape has changed significantly. Despite other aspects like economic growth and developments, the Gold Coast’s investors, visitors and residents have increasingly dynamic expectations. There is a need for integration of art and culture in to the Gold Coast in order to heighten economic developments, reputation and livability of the city. The bleach festival has played a significant role in filling the gap for need of arts and culture in Gold Coast as a tourist destination. The event is merged with others like Roxy Pro and Quicksilver, hence the opportunities for attendees to enjoy themselves while experiencing the destination. Opera on the beach proved to be the biggest event relating to art and culture at the Gold Coast. The Bleach Festival was officially launched in March 2016. The destination will surely add to the packages of the Bleach Festival given that in 2014, the ‘stay and play’ packages led to booking out of rooms long before the commencement of the event. Also, funds were leveraged for additional investments, having registered a 50 percent rise cash and in-kind during the same year. Other drivers for the bleach festival include nurturing local talent such as the case of Karl S. Williams, who was sponsored by Footstomp Music after performing at the bleach festival. The authenticity in rural festivals in comparison to urban staged performances; a case of Haiti Voodoo Festivals It is valid to argue that to some extent; rural festivals are more authentic compared to urban festivals. In Haiti for instance, voodoo festivals occur every year during the month of July. In essence, the festivals in the rural Haiti are characterized by activities in nature such as swimming in the mud and bathing in sacred waters. There is therefore an appeal of authenticity in the rural rituals compared to the performed dances for tourists in the cities of Haiti. For the performances in the urban streets of Haiti, there is a need for making the events different from the ones during rituals so as to meet the requirements of staging as per the needs of urban performances. Such staged performances in the cities are short with exaggerated and obvious cues. On the other hand, the rural voodoo ceremonies in the rural areas of the same country last for many hours and involve hundreds of participants. The subtle and elaborate developments are also another source of authenticity with respect to rural voodoo rituals. Further, to meet the requirements of urban staging, aesthetic forms and costumes as well as choreographic styles have been developed by urban impresarios. Such performances are evidently influenced by rural ceremonies, meaning that without the rituals in the rural areas, the staged performances for tourists and other urban dwellers would not exist. However, the performances are already transformed at considerable levels by the time they are performed in the urban stages. Moreover, even with such staging, rural rituals ad ceremonies cannot be replaced by the urban performances. Furthermore, even when the rural ceremonies are sponsored by foreigners, their communitarian and overwhelming religious aspects are still resilient. Impacts of Bendigo Art Gallery exhibitions on tourism and the city’s image Bendigo is a major tourist attraction destination in Victoria, due to its rich cultural heritage. The destination attracts tourists from the state, domestic visitors as well as others from other countries around the globe. Bendigo’s economy received a $17 million boost in 2012 alone from the Grace Kelly Exhibition. The event, which lasted for three months, broke the records by surpassing the projected economic forecasts prior to its commencement. The forecasts had claimed that the event would generate about $10 million while attracting approximately 100,000 visitors. According to an announcement by the destination’s minister for tourism, the exhibition had attracted over 135,000 people. The exhibition agenda is well articulated by all stakeholders, external and internal, at Bendigo Art Gallery. The exhibitions are combinations of international exhibitions, domestic Australian exhibitions and in-house curated exhibitions. Such exhibitions have changed the image of the city, especially the way the community perceives it. The local residents are now proud of being associated with the town, while without the Bendigo Art Gallery; there would be nothing out of the ordinary for the town. Bendigo is currently clearly distinctive from other cities within the region; being seen as a desirable place for living as well as having a strong sense of community. The local government, businesses and other members of the community are actively investing in the development of the city. La Trobe University, for instance, is investing in the growth of the city social amenities. Tourism, notably from the Bendigo Art Gallery has increased hence a strong impact on the development of the city. Tourism at Bendigo has grown tremendously in the recent past. In 2012, of the 135,000 attendees, about 124,715 were from beyond the regional borders. More than 80% of the attendees visited primarily to attend the international exhibition. A further 91% of the attendees from Melbourne travelled also to attend the exhibition only. On an overall basis, the Grace Kelly exhibition generated over 10,550 bed nights for Victoria. From the Bendigo viewpoint, there were more than 17,200 bed nights at the city; with the majority of such nights being generated by attendees from Melbourne. This is a reflection of how much tourism has grown in the destination. Read More