Politics and the Olympics: My Humble Opinion

There is no larger special event in modern times than the Olympics. No event musters more of a host nation's pride, creativity, and sustained planning than this international extravaganza. It is an opportunity seldom presented that has such commercial and emotional influence on all the nations participating.

In my opinion, however, it should NOT be a forum for politics. The time for making choices based on politics is during the selection process for the host nation. The time is not immediately before or during the games. If the ideal of de Coubertin as "a way for the countries of the globe to become more connected" is to be followed true to the letter, then once a decision is made for a country to host the games, politics must be left behind. Those who continue to use the games as a forum for their political agendas will eventually cause those games to be lost to history forever. Indeed, history has proven that once a civilization loses its focus on the true reason for a large public event, that event soon deteriorates and becomes extinct. Egypt, Rome, Greece, and a host of other ancient civilizations have seen this happen. The various boycotts of the modern Olympics have been hard on the Olympic movement and if the current furor over Tibet continues (a complex problem, by the way, that dates back to the Mongol Empire of the 13th Century), it may be the beginning of the death knell of these games in modern times. Those who suggest boycotting the games or any part of them are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

But that's just my humble opinion.

Unusual Event Venues Around the World

One of my hobbies - and hopefully the subject of my next book - is the study of ancient civilizations and the amazing special events that they used to hold. Some of these far surpassed anything that we do today in magnitude, creativity, and cost. Part of the fascination of these ancient events are the locations that were chosen for them. Many of the locations are still in existence today and are objects of awe by tourists and of intense study by archaeologists.

During my visits to these locations, I have photographed them and spent a lot of time questioning my guides and others about them, in addition to researching the literature. A recent trip to Egypt provided me with more fascinating places. One is known as the Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara, built for King Djoser by his architect, the high priest Imhotep, in the 27th century BCE (i.e. almost 5000 years ago!!). Part of this complex is a large courtyard that was used for a festival held in the 30th year of a pharaoh's reign to prove his ability to continue to govern. This festival consisted of a number of rituals and feats performed by the pharaoh and witnessed by dignitaries from all over the country, and included the requisite feasting, drinking, musical, and acrobatic performances that accompanied virtually all such events.

According to my guide, given the right budget and the correct procedures for obtaining permission to utilize the site, it would not be out of the question to actually use it for special events today. Now this would mean a lot of paperwork and some pretty adroit cross-cultural negotiation, but one can imagine the impact of holding an incentive event in such a location. Note the photo below of this complex.


Similarly, the nearby Red Pyramid at Dahshur, the second largest pyramid in the world, has two beautifully restored burial chambers inside, capable of holding about 30 or 40 of your closest friends, that may make an impression if you were to use it for say a wedding. Again, a lot of negotiation and palm-crossing may be in order, but not out of the question given the fact that Egypt still has an incredible number of rich archaeological sites awaiting excavation and funding.

This situation is similar in other fantastic locales throughout the world, as you may see if you take a look at some of the photos of unique venues I have posted on the left side of this blog. Lots of negotiation and planning but what a way to celebrate in style and impress your guests. It could end up being a very happy marriage between incentive tourism and archaeology, a field that is constantly in search of funds.

New Tent Ideas

It has been awhile since I wrote an entry to my blog and I would like to switch gears this time and talk about tents.

Tents have been with us since pre-historic times and now they are extremely popular for special events all over the world as most readers will know. There are two unique and exciting new technologies I came across while doing research for my recently published book. The first of these is a technology that utilizes the free-form design of the Bedouin tent from the middle east. It has been created by F3 Freeform Bedouin Tents, a division of Unit Solutions International in South Africa (http://www.bedouintents.co.za/). It permits tents to be completely flexible in their setup. Larger tents (with canopies up to 10,000 square meters or over 100,000 square feet) can be erected with sides up or down or a combination thereof. Poles can be moved around to accommodate numbers of guests and to create different shapes. Canopies can be wrapped around trees, rocks and walls - and erected with or without poles. There is almost no space that an F3 tent won't transform into a viable entertainment zone. These tents have already been successfully used for special events in South Africa, as can be seen by the photo below.

The second technology is more an application of culture to tent structures. Russian architect Anwar Khairoullin (http://www.anwar-khairoullin.ru/) has exhibited colorfully painted tensile fabrics as building covers and as individual tents. His unique high-peaked and strikingly colored designs are reminiscent of classic Russian church roof architecture. They are distinctly eastern, Cossack-like in concept, yet warm and welcoming at the same time (see below). As well, Khairoullin has designed specifically-shaped tents for mass manufacture but with proprietary cultural designs appliquéd to the walls and roofs of individual tents, thereby enabling very different and eye-catching structures (Also see below). These types of design concepts may soon become apparent to western tent manufacturers and desired by the special event industry.

These examples give us some idea of the many new developments taking place all over the world in special events. Let us not forget that not all innovation starts and ends with North America.

Event Studies and a Commentary on Research

I have been reading a new book by Donald Getz entitled Event Studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events (see Getz, 2007). It is a timely look at how event studies is a field whose time has really come. More than event management, it proposes the establishment of an all-encompassing field that researches planned events of all types, not just special events. Near the beginning, Getz points out the gap that exists between event practitioners (e.g. event managers, producers, planners, etc) and researchers/theorists (academics). Interestingly, I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of practitioners do not even know that a "parallel universe" of researchers and academics exists in the field of event management and that a great deal of useful information can be obtained from these researchers for the design of better and more effective events (i.e. read better designed for ROI). As Getz notes, "it is probable that closing this gap will require direct intervention by professional associations in seeking research and training partnerships with academic institutions that specialize in event management and Event Studies."

As one who has a foot in both camps (I began as an event producer for 19 years and am now a writer with two recent books on the subject of event production), I do, though, have a bit of a bone to pick with the researchers, and I am by no means singling out Getz in this case, just the whole academic side of event research. I have noticed that most research is concerned almost exclusively with the impact of events on tourism. My problem with this is that the impetus for research should be driven by practitioners and not by academics. I am not convinced that this is now the case. The reason I state this is that having been on the practical side, I know that the entire industry is driven by practitioners and has been ever since its approximate birth some 25-odd years ago. The fact of life in the world of practitioners is that most of them work on corporate events and private events, not the high impact public hallmark and mega events that Getz and the academics would have us believe if we read their research. In fact, according to the 2006 Event Solutions magazine industry survey results, of the types of events respondents were involved in, 78% were corporate, 57% were social, and 45% were non-profit. These were the top three, and only 23% were involved in fairs and festivals. That means that practitioners need information about these as much or more than large tourist-oriented events.

Furthermore, all these practitioners generally look on themselves as SPECIAL event persons, not just event persons. Herein is some confusion in terminology. The academics tend to separate out special events as just another label and also tend to treat any special event as important only as long as it contributes to tourism, whereas those of us in the industry see it as the ONLY label, whether the event contributes to tourism or not. I believe, as I have stated before, that special events CAN be defined and can be divided up based on types and based on a list of defining characteristics of "specialness." All that I ask of Getz and the academics is that they take into consideration the importance of being industry-focused in their research.

Having gotten that off my chest, I do commend Getz on his thoughts about this new field. I particularly like his emphasis on and explanation of "foundation disciplines" such as anthropology, sociology, psychology, religious studies, performance studies, history, and such. These are essential background disciplines, at least a smattering of whose knowledge would greatly enhance the education of future practitioners. As he points out, there are almost limitless research possibilities from these disciplines in terms of their effects on and relationship to events - rather SPECIAL events. As practitioners, we would do well to open up the lines of communication with the academic side as soon as possible.

Reference:

Getz, Donald. (2007) Event Studies: Theory, research and policy for planned events. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.

Seeking a Definition of Special Events

At this point, there is no question that special events have taken on all aspects of an “industry” in that their organization and management are the underlying support for the employment of significant numbers of persons. This has been apparent since approximately the early 1980s, and it has been apparent in most first world countries. Whether this “industry” has yet become a “profession” similar to others like law, medicine, or engineering is still open to debate and not the subject of this blog. However, it is suggested by this author that if future professional entrance certification requirements based on advanced education can be tightened up and more rigorous practical application terms applied, it may eventually qualify to be in the same league. One of the first steps to achieving this status is to have a common understanding of exactly what special events are so that the “profession” understands its boundaries.

General Definitions

Let us begin trying to achieve this by looking at some current definitions. Goldblatt was one of the first to attempt a definition in his first book and again in his second (2002). He states, “A special event is a unique moment in time celebrated with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs.” Getz (1997; p.4), on the other hand offers two definitions, from each of the event organizer’s and the guest’s point of view, respectively:

· “A special event is a one-time or infrequently occurring event outside normal programs or activities of the sponsoring or organizing body,” and
· “To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience.”

Lastly, Jago and Shaw (1998) offer up individual definitions of events that have been categorized as to size and their impact on tourism (e.g. minor events, major events, hallmark events, mega-events, festivals) based on surveys of current literature and the use of specific terms.

There are several problems inherent with all these definitions. Goldblatt’s definition, while generally all-encompassing, does not place limits on the recurrence or duration of an event. For example, how would one differentiate between a regular season baseball game and a world series final; would either, both, or neither qualify as a special event? This definition also implies that special events are more celebratory than anything, the connotation being that they are of a festive nature only. This would possibly disqualify historic public executions and even present-day, high-level political meetings designed to discuss international emergencies. Getz’s definitions fail to place important boundaries on the defined events. For example, for an organizing body, by his definition a terrorist attack on the organization’s headquarters would qualify equally with the organization’s annual corporate retreat as being a special event. For a guest, although recognizing that an organization’s special event may not be one and the same, his definition fails to indicate whether the guest is a participant or an observer, nor does it recognize that there are other types of special events than just cultural and social, such as educational. Finally, Jago and Shaw’s definitions place too much emphasis on the tourism aspects of special events alone and ignore entirely the considerable legacy owed to the industry by historical special events. Perhaps their biggest failing, though, is their categorization by size rather than by type. This leads to inconsistency, for example, when considering the economic tourism impact of small, but highly lucrative private incentive events, and to the presumed elimination of minor special events as worthy of consideration in the study of event management.

Contrary to Jago and Shaw’s assertion (1998) that “it is unlikely that a single, all-embracing definition of special events can be developed,” I believe it can. This statement is based on extensive research of historical and modern rituals, celebrations, ceremonies, and spectacles across a wide variety of cultures and time periods. However, I do agree that it cannot be done by simple definition alone. The definition must be accompanied by a further examination and breakdown of the characteristics of “specialness.” I therefore offer up the following as a modified version of my first similar statement (Matthews, 2008):

“A special event is a gathering of human beings, generally lasting from a few hours to a few days, designed to celebrate, honor, discuss, sell, teach about, encourage, observe, or influence human endeavors.”

I believe this definition has several advantages over previous attempts. First, it places general boundaries on the duration of a special event, from a few hours to a few days. Certainly there are exceptions to this if one considers that such events as a World’s Fair can last for up to six months; however, the norm is a duration of no more than two weeks or so in the case of large, modern festivals, fairs, or conferences. Second, it acknowledges that special events are not restricted to festive celebrations but can encompass a variety of gatherings, serious or happy, and religious or secular, including meetings and conferences, expositions and trade shows, private and public special events, and events of various sizes. In so doing, it eliminates a direct relationship to tourism while still allowing its use in that industry, and it thus also recognizes the legacy of historical special events from a multiplicity of cultures. Lastly, it allows for the wide disparity of reasons for organizing and attending special events, without defining these from the restricted and specific viewpoints of organizer or guest.

As is obvious from the definition, the primary categorization method for special events that I prefer and that I believe to be the most logical is that of type rather than size. Why is this? I feel that organizing by size does not allow for the logical application of individual specialties within the industry. For example, if a hypothetical major event (defined by Jago and Shaw as “a large-scale special event that is high in status or prestige and attracts a large crowd and wide media attention”) such as the American Super Bowl football game is organized by a person with a professional special event certification, that does not mean that the same person is qualified to organize a major conference of similar proportions. Perhaps the best way to further illustrate the point is by way of examples from other professions. A civil engineer who has developed a reputation for designing bridges is not necessarily the right person to design a 70-storey skyscraper. The captain of a 2000-passenger ferry is probably not the right person to captain a 2000-passenger cruise ship. A neurosurgeon who performs a 3-hour operation on someone’s brain is definitely not the right person to perform a 3-hour operation on another person’s heart, and so on. The more logical approach to categorizing special events therefore appears to be by type, as this method follows the rapidly expanding division of responsibilities and certifications in the industry. It also permits the breakdown of different types into sub-categories based on size without any loss of their relationship to tourism. Before we discuss this method of categorization, however, we need to put the final touches on the definition of a special event.

The Characteristics of “Specialness”

The word “event” is overused. In our society it has come to mean almost anything that happens to us in going about our daily lives, and may include as diverse possibilities as an argument with our spouse, the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Only some, though, are “special,” and they are “special” in ways that differ according to our individual points of view. This was recognized by Getz in his definition of special events. The organizer, participant, and attendee or guest is each going to see a given event differently. Guests might very well consider an event “special” because they have planned on attending it for a long time. The key, however, is that the simple act of attending is the “special” part and not the event itself. Participants and organizers might not consider the same event special because it is simply their daily job. An example here might be a family going on holiday to Disneyland for two days. They consider the holiday to be a special event. However, for the organizers and participants of the daily parade at Disneyland, it is merely a job and it is done exactly the same way every day, thus making it a daily event, or more accurately, an attraction, but not a “special” event. To make this absolutely clear, let us attempt to add some more bounding characteristics to our previous definition of a special event, based on how the present industry perceives the events on which they work and also based on what history perceives as significant events. These then, are what turn an ordinary event into a “special event:”

- They must be of limited and fixed duration, typically hours or days at most.
- They must be a one-off or infrequent occurrence, typically monthly or annually at most.
- If they are part of a regular series, they must be an unusual component of the series.
- They must be unique.
- They must require one or more organizers.
- Their execution must be planned and controlled.
- They must conform to the definition of a special event.
- There must be a live audience other than the organizers present at the physical event location.

It’s easy to fit events with which we are familiar into this tidy definition and its boundaries. It is not, however, as easy to fit events that skirt the periphery, and that is the reason for the limiting characteristics. The signing of the peace treaties following World Wars I and II were special events, but were the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Battle of the Atlantic, or Hiroshima? According to our definition, they could have been if one was only an observer. According to the limiting characteristics, they would not be because their executions were not controlled. Would an actual public execution in the 1700s be a special event? Yes, it probably would according to both our definition and our limiting characteristics, in that it is planned and the outcome is known. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Public executions were very much a part of society at that time and considered in some ways to be entertainment. Would a regular season hockey game compared to a Stanley Cup final game be a special event? By our limiting characteristics the regular season game would not be but the final would be. These are but a few examples of questionable cases but most can be placed in one or the other of special or just ordinary events using the definition and the limiting characteristics.

References:

Getz, D. (1997). Event Management and Event Tourism. New York: Cognizant Communication Corporation.
Goldblatt, J. (2002). Special Events: Twenty-First Century Global Event Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Jago, Leo K. and Shaw, Robin N. (1998). Special Events: A Conceptual and Definitional Framework. Festival Management & Event Tourism, Vol.5. (pp. 21-32).
Matthews, D. (2008). Special Event Production: The Process. Oxford: Elsevier.