2.2. Event studies
New academic fields such as tourism, leisure or
hospitality studies generally arise from professional practice
that justifies courses or degree programs at universities
and colleges. When a critical mass of students, programs,
and teachers is reached, research and publications in
research journals follow. The academics who teach, do
research and publish within the emerging field typically
need to elevate the status of their work from that of purely
applied to something more theoretical and at the same time
academically credible. This describes the evolution of
tourism management with tourism studies, and recreation
management with leisure studies, so we can similarly justify
the relationships between ‘event management’ and ‘event
studies’.
The study of events has long existed within several
disciplines, manifested in research and theory development
on (for example) the anthropology, geography or economics
of events, but the term ‘event studies’ appears to have
been coined in 2000, and then only in passing in Getz’s
speech in the Events Beyond 2000 (Sydney) conference. In
a 2002 article in Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Management Getz explicitly discussed event studies and
event management, questioning their possible status as
disciplines or fields (Getz, 1998, 1999, 2002).
Event studies was an unnecessary and perhaps irrelevant
idea until academics doing event-related teaching and
research had published a critical mass of papers and books,
met at event-specific research conferences, established
event-specific journals, and generated sufficient interest in
theory. In terms of events-related education the majority of
programs appear to be at either the practical, hands-on
level (encompassing ‘event design’) or those with emphasis
on applying management theory and methods to events
and event-producing organizations. Event tourism is
generally covered within tourism degree programs as a
topic or a single course.
3. The tourism perspective
The term ‘event(s) tourism’ was not widely used, if at all,
prior to 1987 when The New Zealand Tourist and Publicity
Department (1987) reported: ‘‘Event tourism is an
important and rapidly growing segment of international
tourismy’’. An article by Getz in 1989 in Tourism
Management (‘Special Events: Defining the Product’)
developed a framework for planning ‘events tourism’.
Prior to this it was normal to speak of special events,
hallmark events, mega events and specific types of events.
Now ‘event tourism’ is generally recognized as being
inclusive of all planned events in an integrated approach
to development and marketing.
As with all forms of special-interest travel, event tourism
must be viewed from both demand and supply sides.
A consumer perspective requires determining who travels
for events and why, and also who attends events while
traveling. We also want to know what ‘event tourists’ do
and spend. Included in this demand-side approach is
assessment of the value of events in promoting a positive
destination image, place marketing in general, and cobranding
with destinations.
On the supply side, destinations develop, facilitate and
promote events of all kinds to meet multiple goals: to
attract tourists (especially in the off-peak seasons), serve as
a catalyst (for urban renewal, and for increasing the
infrastructure and tourism capacity of the destination),
to foster a positive destination image and contribute
to general place marketing (including contributions to