Event Audiences and Expectations

Jo Mackellar

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781138081987
• eBook ISBN: 9781136225383
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Industry
• Index: Business

Event Audiences and Expectations for the first time examines why people participate in festivals and events, the types of events which stimulate participation, and the fanatical antics of fans who become involved in these events. By doing so the book offers significant insight into how event managers can entice and manage participant expectations as well as manage audience involvement.

The book is based on primary research using participant observation, as well as in-depth interviews with event participants, event managers and government officials involved in over 50 international events to gain new perspectives into audience behaviour and participatory events. Using numerous international case studies and examples, the book offers a comprehensive outline of the reasons why people participate in festivals and events, the social world that reinforces their behaviours, and strategies that can be used to ensure future successful participatory events.

This thought-provoking and original volume will be valuable reading for students, researchers, events managers and tourism and community planners at all levels of government.

1 Event audiences

Introduction

‘Who is in the audience?’ and ‘What do they expect?’ These are the key questions asked by many event organizer's as they plan and manage events around the world. An event organiser's knowledge of the audience and their likely needs and behaviours at events is as important as any other aspect of event management, and yet sometimes we fail to even ask ‘who is in my audience?’

Audiences are as diverse and complex as people themselves. Audiences can include spectators who watch athletes in the Olympics, crowds that dance with performers at a dance festival, fans at a football match and even participants that compete in cycle races. Audiences can be fenced off by barriers, seated in numbered seats, sprawled on a hill, or massed in the street. Accordingly, they can be highly active or passive observers. As diverse as they are, there are ways to analyse and segment audiences into groups, and find out more about the similarities and differences in their needs and expectations. This book will show you how to analyse audiences, and what to do with that information.

There are over a hundred published studies on events and their audiences, each focussed on the unique context of the event in terms of its geographical and temporal environment. There are also hundreds of commercial studies undertaken by governments and market research companies which establish a profile of who is attending events and why. The role of this book is to synthesise these studies in one place to provide a compendium of knowledge. The book aims to categorise types of audiences and explore the differences between types. In so doing it emphasises the fact that audiences are not homogeneous – they vary greatly between event types and are a function of our recreational and cultural choices and experiences. Some primary motivations may be similar, but for the most part people are driven by other personal and social needs and desires.

In this first chapter we explore the types of audiences found at different styles of event, and explore the activities that engage them. We discuss the ways in which event managers can find out more about their individual audiences and review the types of research that can be undertaken.

The event and the audience

From the earliest times events have had an important role in societies and cultures around the world. Remnants of history are carved in the walls of the great pyramids in Egypt telling us of the festivals to celebrate the marriage of kings and worship of gods. Historians such as Dio Cassius studied the great events of the Roman empire and posited the meaning of the experience to the culture of that time (Murray 2003). The pursuit to find the meaning of the many events in society is an inquiry which has long interested philosophers, anthropologists and scholars.

Historically there has been an ongoing interest in the meaning and impact of events across all cultures, from the Hindu festivals of Diwali to the historical cultural festivals of China (Sofield and Fung 1998) and Japan (Johnson and Jaffe 2008). Many modern towns and cities have had a long history of planned events such as harvest festivals and sports carnivals which have roots in the traditions of agricultural and cultural endeavour.

The diversity of events has increased since the 1960s, when the great music festivals of Woodstock (1969) and the Isle of Wight (1969) changed western society's ideas of large-scale celebrations of modern culture. Events of today have become more diverse, celebrating everything from Elvis Presley to video games and motor cars. In the twenty-first century, the design and staging of events has expanded to involve sports, business, culture, arts, politics and recreation, in what event researcher Donald Getz describes as ‘unlimited scope for variety in form, function and event experiences’ (Getz 2007:18). The massive diversity of events is also highlighted in the extensive Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals (Salamone 2004), which reminds us of the historical and religious beginnings of many cultural events around the world.

An audience

For every event, there is an audience – or group of listeners or spectators expecting to engage with the event. In the context of this book, the definition applies to audiences at an event, but can equally apply to radio listeners, TV audiences or audiences at live performances. Events audiences may include a range of groups involved in the event experience, and can include paying customers, guests, participants, media audience, remote television viewers, performers, producers, VIPs, officials and regulators, sponsors, suppliers, volunteers, paid staff, media and the public (Getz 2007). Accordingly, the term ‘audience’ may include a range of people in this list who may or may not attend an event with the intention of participating. The concept of the audience is a fluid concept that can change as quickly as it is formed: performers can become spectators, competitors can become spectators, and volunteers can spectate and mingle with the crowd simultaneously. Nowhere is the fluidity of an audience more visible than in a flash mob – where a flash event is organised and unknowing passers-by become an audience, only to disband just as quickly. In managing and marketing events it is important to clearly define all parts of the audience so as to meet their needs and expectations.

While every event attracts an audience, not all events are focussed upon them. Take the case of a triathlon, where the focus is on participation. While it is desirable to have some supporters by the side of the road, it is not a necessary part of the success of the event. The organiser makes his money from competitor registrations, and not spectators. When competitors finish, they watch others compete – moving from competitor to spectator in a matter of minutes. For other events, the focus of management is squarely on attracting and ticketing spectators as the audience, with the revenue raised from them paying for participants and performers, as well as the other event infrastructure.

The role of the audience has been examined in differing contexts, including performing arts, film, television, theatre and events, demonstrating various understandings of audience needs and behaviours. Studies in performing arts, such as theatre, ballet and opera, recognise the basic role of audiences in supporting and watching performers, who are often on a stage (Bennet 1997). For the most part, these audiences are passively seated for the performance, then leave the performance space (theatre or gallery) having consumed an experience. Studies in film and TV also see the role of the audience as a spectator, again as a consumer of the film experience; however, alternatively and increasingly, the role of consumer is not enough. Film-based researchers suggest audiences wish to be involved in ways other than spectating and seek ways to participate and become more involved as a fan (Murray 2004; Williams 2007a). This can include joining fans clubs and internet forums, going to fan conventions (fancons), travelling to film sites (Macionis 2004) and even writing film scripts (Barker and Brooks 1998). The advent of the internet and mobile phones allows TV fans to become involved as a participant in the experience and to determine the outcome of some performances. The ability to vote competitors off certain shows or to comment in an internet forum provides new opportunities to participate in the experience. So too in events, the desire for the audience to participate, either before, during or after the event, is a typical feature. There is an overall shift in society from passive to active participation in entertainment, to become more involved in the judging, outcome or overall experience.

Types of audiences

To understand more about event audiences, it is useful to examine the common kinds of audiences at events, and consider a ‘typology’ which allows us to classify audiences by a certain type. From the basic definition of audiences as a group of spectators at an event, it is possible to further classify event audiences according to their size, purpose and level of interest. As shown below, event audiences have identifiable behaviours and interests which help place them within a typology. Five types of audiences are identified and described further below. These are:

• mass event audiences;

• special interest audiences;

• community event audiences;

• incidental audiences;

• media audiences.

Mass event audiences

Mass audiences have a general interest in joining in the collective excitement of an event. Many may have a broad enjoyment of arts, sport or entertainment, and of coming together to enjoy the social connection of a community, city or place. Mass audiences are often attracted to large city arts events, which are held in many modern cities around the world. The City of London Festival, the Festival of Sydney and the Singapore Festival all attract mass audiences because they have a broad programme, are free to attend, and utilise large public parks, public transport and public amenities. The events use spaces that are designed for mass events and public celebration, encouraging large crowds to attend. Their audiences often include social groups and families across a wide spread of ages and incomes, and groups of people with mixed interests. In one travelling group, some may be motivated by the new displays of public art, others by live music, some by the idea of food, others by a jumping castle, and yet others may be reluctantly dragged along as part of the family. Oktoberfest in Munich is a prime example of an event which attracts a mass audience. As possibly the largest festival in the world, it is known for its celebrations of beer, food and fun and attracts an estimated 6 million people over the 19 days of the event.

Because of their size and general nature, mass audiences require careful management of risks to the public and to public buildings. Use of large public spaces, grandstands and stadiums requires extensive coordination between authorities, sponsors and governments to ensure the safety and transport of mass crowds. Audience expectations are for a safe and entertaining experience, in a social (often family-friendly) atmosphere.

Special interest audiences

Special interest audiences are groups and/or specialised recreationalists who attend events to meet their specialised needs. They seek a specialised experience that focuses on their recreational or leisure interest. Jazz festivals, birding festivals, film festivals, motorbike exhibitions, dance festivals and Star Trek conventions are all examples of events attracting a special interest audience (Mackellar 2006). Many special interest events are small in size, for example a gem show attracting only a few hundred people, while others, such as an airshow, can be large and complex events which attract thousands of people. As we explore later, these audiences are often fans or fanatics, for whom the event is just a part of a bigger passion in their life. They are often connected to other fans in smaller communities of interest, which may span the globe. Passionate fans will pay thousands of dollars to attend a Star Trek convention. While special interest audiences are generally smaller, their demanding needs can create their own challenges in management. Their expectations are for a specialised and customised experience that exactly matches their interests. They also expect to be surrounded by like-minded fans or fanatics.

Community event audiences

Audiences at community events are focussed upon celebrating the distinct elements of their community life, which may have a historical or traditional basis. Community audiences support the efforts of others in their community, either by dressing in certain costumes or participating in parades, dances or feasts. Raising funds for community projects and preserving community traditions are often key motivations for participating in community events, as well as just enjoying the community atmosphere. Traditiona...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Routledge advances in event research series
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Event audiences
• 2 Theoretical perspectives: psycho/social theory for event audiences
• 3 Theoretical perspectives: leisure, travel and consumer behaviour
• 4 Events and their audiences
• 5 Serious participation
• 6 Managing audience behaviour
• 7 Managing event networks
• 8 Marketing events to audiences
• 9 Government policy and public participation
• 10 Implications and new research
• Bibliography
• Index