Mega-Event and a Hallmark Event, and Their Defining Characteristics - Essay Example

MEGA AND HALLMARK EVENTS (Student Name) (Course No.) (Lecturer) (University) (Date) Introduction The increase in leisure time and unrestricted spending among the global communities has led to the fast growth of the event sector. Currently, events are considered as an important part of the global culture with governments supporting events as an important part of nation building, economic development and destination marketing. Corporate institutions are also increasingly getting involved in events for marketing purposes as well as brand promotion. The increased engagement of the global communities in the events has led to the development of a wide range of events such as hallmark and mega events throughout the globe. The term hallmark events refer to the events that are identified with the tenet and the spirit of a given town, city or region that they become synonymous with the name of the place and gain extensive recognition and awareness (Getz, Svensson, Peterssen and Gunnerval, 2012, p. 3-19). With regards to tourism, the hallmark events are events that occur once or recur within a limited duration with the main aim of awareness creation and making a tourist destination profitable in the long run or in the short term. Examples of hallmark events include; the Carnival in Rio, known globally as an expression of the Latin liveliness, Tour de France and the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. Mega event on the other hand, refer to the events that are so large that they affect the economies and resonate throughout the global media. Mega events are commonly developed by means of the competitive bidding process with the best bidder being allowed to host the event. Examples of mega events include; the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the IAAF World Championships and World Fairs. Such events commonly result in very high media attention as well as large economic impacts on the local communities as well as the host countries. Discussion Case Study 1 – The Carnival Event in Rio de Janeiro The Carnival in Rio is an annual event that takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a four day event that takes place forty days before the Easter celebrations and marks the beginning of Lent, which is a period of sorrow in the Catholic calendar. This is primarily because most of the Brazilian population are Catholics by religion. The Carnival event is a famous celebration across Brazil and is celebrated across all the Brazilian cities. Since the Carnival celebrations take place in Brazil, they are commonly organized by the Brazilian government. The event commonly markets Rio de Janeiro to the rest of the world as an attractive tourist destination. During the Carnival events, the Samba music are commonly played with the dancers adorned in Samba costumes as a way of selling the Brazilian culture to the rest of the world. Furthermore, the Carnival celebrations in Brazil attract thousands of tourists from different parts of the world who also enjoy the fun loving nature of the Brazilian citizens. Commonly the Sambadrome Grandstands commonly hold approximately 16000 spectators and attract even the world’s celebrities. By attracting tourists, the Carnival events contribute to economic development. Additionally, Brazilian corporate entities use the event in marketing their products to the visitors. Case Study 2- FIFA World Cup Events The FIFA World Cup Events are considered as important events especially in the sporting world. It is the biggest sporting competition in the world that involves competition among the senior men’s national teams from all the 208 member countries of the federation. The World Cup events are commonly held after every four years. The FIFA World Cup competitions have been in existence since 1930 when the first tournament was held. The main aim of the event is to promote football among the member countries and to build a better future through various ways. The planning of the World Cup events is commonly done by the global football governing body FIFA (Federation for International Football Association) who organize the matches as well as the stadiums where they are to be played. Since it is an international event, the planning commonly involves multi-stakeholder dialogues to ensure that all their needs are taken into consideration. To host the tonourments, countries submit bids which are then voted on to select the best bidders. World Cup events attract many football loving fans from across the globe. This way, the events contribute greatly to the economies of the host countries. The stadiums where world cup tournaments are held attract millions of people who enjoy watching the live events. The FIFA World Cup has been held in several countries across the globe such as Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Italy and Uruguay among others. Differences between Hallmark and Mega Events Regionalism A primary difference between the hallmark and mega events is regionalism. Hallmark events are characteristic of a given country or region while the mega events are global or international, not engrossed in a particular region. Annually, the Carnival festivities are held in Brazil and not in any other country in the world. However, mega events such as the World Cup is held in different countries across the world, hence its global aspect. Since the inauguration of the World Cup in 1930, the event has been held in different countries across the globe, for instance Germany in 2006, South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014 and the 2018 event is set for Russia. Attraction Another difference between the hallmark events and the mega events is attraction. The attractiveness of an event is directly proportional to the number of people drawn as well as the geographic market area covered by the event. An event is considered attractive if it is able to make people to travel across nations to experience it. While considering the aspect of attraction, the mega events are considered to be more attractive than the hallmark events. The Rio Carnival annual event attracts thousands of tourists across the globe to experience the samba music extravaganza in Brazil. However, mega events such as the world cup is known to attract millions of football fans across the globe to experience the tournament and the fun associated with them. The FIFA World Cup games held in 2006 and 2010 drew a total of over three million spectators in the 64 matches held with average stadium attendance of 49,000 people. Media coverage Hallmark and mega events also differ in terms of the media coverage. Mega events commonly gain extensive media coverage than the hallmark events. The hallmark events such as the Carnival festivities in Rio are regional events and do not gain exclusive coverage from the media. However, mega events such as the World Cup commonly experience wide media coverage both within and outside the member countries of the football association. For instance, millions of people viewed the last world cup match held in Germany while the 2010 world cup event was aired by 245 media stations across the 204 FIFA member countries. Culture Moreover, mega events and hallmark events are differentiated by the cultural aspect. Culture refers to the way of life of a given community. Hallmark events are commonly cultural celebrations and attract tourists through the promotion of the cultural activities of a given group of people. The Rio Carnival event for instance, promotes the unique culture of the Brazilian people, which in itself is a tourist attraction. The music played during those events and the costumes won are unique to Brazil. The mega events on the other hand, are not culturally rooted within any culture of the world since they attract people of different cultures. Hallmark events and tourism Hallmark events play an important role in the promotion of both local and international tourism. Among the primary requirements of event tourism are destination and image branding as well as tourist attraction. Hallmark events ensure the promotion of tourism by ensuring the realization of the tourism goals such as ensuring that the tourists have a good experiences of the events as well as the overall satisfaction of the tourists making them to yearn for a repeat of the event. Hallmark events also promote the living standards of the locals by creating jobs and improving trade and infrastructure. Mega events and tourism Mega events play a critical role in the event tourism sector. Studying tourist behaviors for instance, can lay a major role in determining how the mega events promote tourism. By attracting many people across the world to an event, the mega events serve to promote tourism in the host countries. This argument is supported by the increased economic gains in terms of foreign exchange and trade that are commonly experienced by the countries hosting the mega events such as the World Cup. Conclusion With regards to the above discussion, it is evident that both the hallmark and the mega events contribute significantly to event tourism. This is mainly due to their ability to attract tourists and promote the economic development of the host cities and countries, although at different levels. It is, however important, for the event organizers to ensure proper planning and implementation of the events for successful tourism. Reference Getz, D, Svensson, B, Peterssen, R and Gunnerval, A. (2012). Hallmark Events. Definition, Goals and Planning Process. International Journal of Event Management Research. Volume 7, p. 3-19. Read More