ITM Bachelor 3. Sem.
8354: Leisure & Event Management I (Seminar): Introduction to International Leisure & Event Management
           

Characteristica of Events

Development Celebration -> Event

Human beings have always celebrated, events are a recent development.

Process:

1.  Deinstitutionalisation

Decrease in importance of celebrations by institutions (churches, government)
Increase in importance of events by non-institutions (NGOs, commercial organizers, local community)

Example: Good Friday Procession -> quarter party

2. Destructuring

Decrease in homogenity of participants. Big events open to mixed audiences with no prior connection instead of homogeneous groups with institutionalized connection.
Event creates temporary group

Example: Guild parade -> quarter party

3. Profanisation

Decrease in rituals, planned activities
Increase in playful, spontaneous activities (for commercial events: at least appearance of spontaneous form)

4.  Increase in numbers

Number of Events growing, new events invented or institutionalized (Theme Park)

5.  Comodification

Development from „Volksfest“ (fair) to professionally organized event.
Entrance fee or commercial value (branding)

6. "Every day is an event"

Growing number of events decreases the special character -> events have to be ever more sensational, excessive, special

12 Characteristica of Events

1. Collective experience

"Am eigenen Leib erfahren" - being there.

2. Special and unique

Suspension of normality: special space, special time, special behaviour.
Liminality

3. Planned

Rituals which appear spontaneous and non-ritual but are professionally planned.

4. Escalation

Escalation of experience - each event should be more spectacular/special than the one before.

5. Cultural and aesthetic syncretism

Events merge different cultural forms (music, light, body language), different areas of living (art, sport, media), different cultures (High, low, ethnic) into a new total form.

6. Holistic experience

Events promise to create new "power", new group coherence or new significance ("Sinn").

7. Post-traditional experience of collectivism

Events as the most typical post-modern, post-traditional, less-binding form of development of collectivity.

8. Reflexivity of collective experience

"Events as strategic rituals of collective loneliness."

Events instead of rituals bearing no consequences.

9. Focussing

A beach is no event. Event as „social occasion“ need a story, a message, a stage.

10. Participation of the audience

Shouting at the football stadium, singing along in the rock concert, being part of the event in a parade.

11. Medialisation

Mega and Hallmark Events made mainly for the audience of the media, not the audience present. But participants necessary to represent the media audiences.

12. Emblematisation

Events connected to emblems, to demonstrate collective belonging (pins, stickers, flags, special form of clothing, make-up etc.).

  Contact: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS
Bachelor and Master Program International Tourism Management
arlt@fh-westkueste.de, Office 2.018, Tel. 0481 8555-513
Consultation hours (during lecture period): Fr. 10.00-11.00 h