Events Society And Sustainability

The growth of the events industry brings with it concerns of sustainable management, the sharing of available resources, and ensuring that people and places are not over-exploited. While the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability have attracted a reasonable attention in the study of events, the social and cultural aspects of sustainability have been largely neglected. This book brings together emerging critical perspectives, innovative conceptual frameworks and contemporary case studies. Events cannot be isolated from the actions of humans and this is reflected in the emphasis on people and society throughout. The next wave of sustainable discourse requires a critical synthesis of information and this book is the first to address the need for more critical approaches and a broader way of thinking about events and sustainability. Divided into five thematic parts, the contributions delve into understanding the mainstream stances towards sustainability, the role events play in indigenous cultures and in diasporic communities, and the extent to which events influence the public discourse and civic identity. Sustainability is also examined from a strategic perspective in the events sector, and consideration is given to issues such as corporate social responsibility, greenwashing, and the power of mulit-stakeholder alliances in promoting sustainability goals. Written by leading academics, this timely and important volume will be valuable reading for all students, researchers and academics interested in Events and the global issue of Sustainability.

Increasing concerns over climate and environmental change, the global economic and financial crisis and impacts on host communities, audiences, participants and destinations has reinforced the need for more sustainable approaches to events. Sustainability now features as part of the bid process for many mega-events, such as the Olympic Games, as well as significant regional and local events, where the event organisers are required by funding bodies and governments to generate broader outcomes for the locality. This book is the first to offer students a comprehensive introduction to the full range of issues and topics relevant to event sustainability including impacts, operating and policy environments, stimulating urban regeneration and creating lasting legacies, as well as practical knowledge on how to achieve a sustainable event. Taking a holistic approach drawing on multidisciplinary theory it offers insight into the economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts and how these can be adapted or mitigated. Theory and practice are linked through integrated case studies based on a wide range of event types from mega events to community festivals to show impacts, best practice and how better sustainable practice can be achieved in the future. Learning objectives, discussion questions and further reading suggestions are included to aid understanding and further knowledge; additional resources for lecturers and students including power point slides, video and web links are available online. Events and Sustainability is essential reading for all events management students and future managers.

Sustainable management is an important consideration for businesses and organisations, and the enormous number of tourism events taking place requiring facilities, power, transport, people and much more makes sustainable event planning a considerable priority. By looking at mega events, sports events, conferences and festivals, this book uses best practice case studies to illustrate sustainable management issues and practical considerations that managers need to apply, providing an essential reference for researchers and students in leisure and tourism.

This book examines the links between events and sustainability, with a particular focus on how festivals and events contribute to making places more inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Previous sustainability research in events often focused on reducing the negative environmental impacts, with a corresponding lack of consideration of socio-economic dimensions. More recently, research has begun to consider events in relation to a range of economic and social issues, highlighting the growing importance of examining events through a critical lens. This book adopts a critical and broader approach to event sustainability, arguing that scholars should examine how events might contribute to sustainable development, rather than merely exploring how individual events could be made more sustainable. Accordingly, the contributors to this edited book address how events might change attitudes and behaviours by promoting sustainable lifestyles, communities and technologies. Following a detailed introduction, the book features 16 chapters written by scholars from across the world. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

Landmarks for Sustainability is a high-impact, quick-reference guide to many of the most critical events and initiatives that have shaped our world, and the sustainable development agenda, over the past 20 years and more. These include high-profile historic events – such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Rio Earth Summit, the anti-globalisation protests in Seattle and Genoa and the collapse of Enron – as well as more subtle but no less important developments, such as trends in fairtrade, ethical codes and sustainable investment. By shining a spotlight on these and other landmark events and initiatives, the book draws into sharp relief the most significant social and environmental challenges of our time – from climate change and the state of the planet to poverty and corruption. Equally importantly, however, more than half of the book is dedicated to constructive global responses, such as the boom in clean technology, the role of the World Economic and World Social Forums, and the growth of ISO 14001 and SA8000 standards. Each of the 20 chapters follows a similar easy-access full-colour design, with inspiring quotations, compelling photographs, a timeline of associated events, a narrative description of trends, and spotlight features of specific initiatives or events, including charts, factboxes and suggestions for further reading and websites. Also included is the world's most comprehensive sustainability timeline, listing and dating 190 key sustainability-related events and initiatives that occurred between 1919 and 2008. All these features combine to make the book an essential and highly accessible resource for managers, teachers, students, government officials, consultants and activists alike. For the first time, these crucial change agents will have a single-source reference book, which is not only packed with useful facts and figures, but is also fascinating to look at and full of inspirational material.

Social impacts are increasingly used as one of the main justifications for staging and funding events, and yet there is very little empirical evidence on the extent to which these impacts are realised by different kinds of events or in different settings. This volume explores the different social aspects of events, looking in particular at the role of events in developing social capital, social cohesion and participation in local communities.

Gatherings of people for a purpose always have and always will be a part of the human story. Those staging these events have a social and environmental responsibility to manage their impacts and enhance potential their positive lasting legacies. Written by a leader in the field, this book is a practical, step-by-step guide taking readers through the key aspects of how to identify, evaluate and manage event sustainability issues and impacts - for events of any style and scale, anywhere in the world. The product of tried-and-tested methods, coverage includes numerous examples and case studies from across the world, such as Boom (Portugal), Bonnaroo (USA), Hurricane (Germany), and Glastonbury (UK) Festivals. Readers are provided with checklists for action and tools for measuring performance. This updated second edition includes a detailed review of the new international standard ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management Systems along with other recent standards and certifications. It expands detail on measuring and reporting event sustainability performance outcomes with explanation of the Global Reporting Initiative Event Organizers Sector Supplement performance indicators. This is the indispensable one-stop guide for event professionals and event management students who want to adjust their thinking and planning decisions towards sustainability, and who need a powerful, easy to use collection of tools to deliver events sustainably.

Grow your audience, shrink your footprint, change the world Events can help educate, inspire, and connect us to our community, but all too often they escalate into resource-intensive glorifications of excess and exclusivity. How We Gather Matters is an invitation to reimagine the modern events industry as a powerful vehicle for change. This practical guide will enable and inspire festival, conference, trade show, wedding, concert, and sporting event planners to: Develop the financial and human resources required to implement green, sustainable gatherings Collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders Design events with impact and purpose, while supporting marketing and strategic goals Engage participants authentically while aligning with positive and progressive values Lead the shift towards net-zero emissions and zero waste by leveraging best practices and accepted international standards. Packed with personal insights, behind-the-scenes stories, and case studies, How We Gather Matters is required reading for event professionals who want to decrease risk, increase profitability, and meaningfully contribute to a more just, inclusive, and sustainable society.