Fostering the social utility of events: an integrative framework for the strategic use of events in community development

Abstract

Although the use of planned events for achieving community development has received academic attention from different disciplines, the findings of these literatures are not systematically used towards developing a common understanding aimed at fostering their social utility. The challenge then is to study from an integrated inter-disciplinary perspective how the social value of events can be fostered and leveraged for community development. In addressing this challenge, the purpose of this conceptual paper is to shed light on the multi-layered processes that foster the social utility of events. To this end, the theoretical tenets of social leverage, event dramaturgy and social capital are employed and integrated. On this basis, a conceptual framework linking event processes and outcomes is proposed aimed to guide future inter-disciplinary research towards strategically incorporating events in community development. This line of research can eventually help create synergies between different event genres and implement joint social leveraging strategies, hence, fostering and magnifying their overall social utility for host communities.

Issues, patterns and strategies in the development of event portfolios: configuring models, design and policy

“…In another study, Mackellar and Jamieson (2015) (1) setting a common goal, (2) identifying key stakeholders, (3) building relationships, (4) event design and staging, and (5) planning for legacy. This process corroborates evidence in the literature showing that notwithstanding events foster a sense of community by creating shared experiences and improving communication across diverse groups, the resulting distribution of social capital may be uneven creating tensions and disengagement of some groups that diminish the social sustainability of a host community (Misener & Mason, 2006a, 2006bSchulenkorf, Thomson, & Schlenker, 2011;Stevenson, 2016;Wilks & Quinn, 2016;Ziakas, 2016). Similar studies need to be taken for portfolios to demonstrate the ways that their development process impact social capital in order to optimize its benefits and rectify any negative effects.…”

Evaluating the intersection between “green events” and sense of community at Liverpool’s Lark Lane Farmers Market

“…However, more work is concerned with how 'green' as a concept refers also to social sustainability. Within a sustainability framework, a green event is one that seeks to enhance sense of community, belonging and local well-being-using events as an important social lever (see Boström, 2012;Laing & Frost, 2010;Richards et al, 2013;Smith, 2012;Wise, 2016;Ziakas, 2016).…”

Discursive contradictions in regional tourism marketing strategies: The case of Fryslân, The Netherlands

“…Marketing strategies then can become contradictory or even counterproductive, communicating conflicting signals. An example is when destination marketing is developed for external visitors only, without considering the consequences for the local environment and residents (Burns, 2004;Choi & Sirakaya, 2005;van Rekom & Go, 2006;Ziakas, 2013). This is particularly relevant for regions in which tourism mainly relies on markets that are geographically proximate or even within the regions that are branded as destinations.…”