Festival and Events Management: An international arts and culture perspective
Edited compilations of articles by a number of specialists in management disciplines are increasingly becoming the norm, and Festival and Events Management is such a volume. It offers the reader a broad international spectrum of angles on this very wide subject, from the prosaically practical to sky-soaring strategy and policy-making. The book is particularly timely for those post-industrial parts of the world, whose cities, once dominated by heavy industry, are trying to re-launch themselves as ?cities of culture? or as ?short-break tourist destinations?, offering a modern urban experience to the visitor. This is where festivals and events come in, as the put-up-and-take-back-down-again element in the attractions and entertainment industry. They may occur only once or they may happen regularly; they may ultimately define what a destination stands for, as in the case of Glyndebourne or Edinburgh; or they may bring the glory and pizzazz of the event itself from one location to the other, as do the Olympic Games.
The editors of Festivals and Events Management assume that this business paradigm is special enough to deserve its own body of theory. They have got it right. It makes sense to write, as happens here, of the specific significance of good financial management, marketing and security in the events and festivals ?industry?; of its impact on local economies and its dependence on local traditions in public policy-making; and, of course, its very variety that makes it an attractive field for those doing the actual managing.
With thirty-four (count them!) editors and contributors, the writing style is inevitably varied and not every writer has a razor-sharp focus on events management. But this also makes the book an interesting read. In the ?real? world, events and festivals naturally overlap with politics (since politicians are often involved in planning and enabling them, and large amounts of money are involved). The book contains thought-provoking essays about the effects that overlap can have at the strategic level and warns against thinking that a festival is automatically going to solve a region?s or town?s problems.
For all its global focus and background, this is a British management textbook at its best. It has been well cared for by its team of editors and deserves a wide readership among both students and practitioners in the field. The latter are characteristically proud of the experience that gives them their edge as managers and organisers, and sometimes sceptical of the attempts of academics to help students into the profession via the seminar room. But this book will permit students to pick up specialist knowledge and insight before starting their careers, and will prove both useful and beneficial.
Review by Dr Hans-Christian Andersen, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Tourism, Northumbria University.
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By Ian Yeoman, Martin Robertson, Jane Ali-Knight, Siobhan Drummond and Una McMahon-Beattie (eds) (Elsevier/ Butterworth Heinemann, 2004, ISBN 0 7506 5872 X £29.99 [£35.09 inc p&p*])