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THE STRATEGIC USE OF EVENTS WITHIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT:
A STUDY OF LONDON BOROUGH COUNCILS
CRAIG PUGH* and EMMA H. WOOD†
*First Protocol Event Management Ltd, London, UK
†UK Centre for Event Management, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK
The public sector has long been the provider of special events with the requirements for public assembly,
and, in more recent years, community events such as those related to the Millennium and the Queen’s
Golden Jubilee celebrations have increased local government involvement. Events have become an integral
part of the collective communities’ psyche in terms of celebration of culture and as a demonstration of civic
pride providing social as well as economic benefits. Previous research has shown that it is possible for public
sector marketing strategies to utilize events strategically to bring long-term economic and social benefits to
the location and its community. This article builds on the work undertaken by Bennett and Koudelova into
the image creation of downtown areas in London and New York, which recommended that a more “strategic”
marketing orientation within the Councils was preferable to an “operational” marketing orientation, which
was found to be restrictive and negative. This research attempted to ascertain whether or not events are being
used strategically or operationally within the marketing plans of London Borough Councils. In-depth interviews with four borough councils were used to gather first-hand data supplemented by the analysis of
relevant documentation. The findings indicate that the place marketing functions of these Councils can be
carried out in a more effective way through the use of events that are integrated into a strategic plan. Although the boroughs investigated are moving towards a more strategic use of events, the focus is still operational and ad hoc, resulting in missed opportunities. The benefits of a wider long-term use of events within
place marketing strategies are clear; however, the funding and organizational structure of local authorities
can create barriers to achieving this.
Key words: Local government; Marketing; Strategic events
The public sector is responsible for a large proportion of the special events provided for the community,
and the majority of local governments in Britain now
have a substantial and varied events program (Thomas
& Wood, 2004).
Despite the growth in the importance of events and
the increasing public sector role in providing special
events (Shone & Parry, 2001), the public service provision for entertainment, culture, and arts remains a
nonmandatory requirement (Borrett, 1991). The dis-
Address correspondence to Emma H. Wood, UK Centre for Event Management, Leeds Metropolitan University, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1
3HE, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 113 2832600; E-mail: [email protected]
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PUGH AND WOOD
cretionary nature of local authority events programs has
meant that quality standards are low (Torkildsen, 1999)
and that the opportunity to accomplish strategic objectives may often be overlooked.
A more strategic use of a variety of events could return long-term benefits to the community and greatly
aid the achievement of local authority objectives
(Bennett & Koudelova, 2001; Hughes, 1999; Nykiel &
Jascolt, 1998; Van Gessel, 2000). The social benefits
accrued are likely to include enhanced civic pride and
higher levels of community involvement (Wood, 2002).
An overview of existing research identifies three key
areas where events could be used by the public sector
to aid the achievement of longer term strategic objectives. These areas of urban regeneration, local community benefits, and place promotion are discussed.
Urban Regeneration
Urban regeneration is a primary concern for metropolitan local governments as regeneration leads to further development in the community and region, attracts
investment, and ultimately provides a higher tax base
(Brindley, 2000; Hughes, 1999; Maycock, 1998). This
process requires complex and detailed strategic plans,
which deliver the benefits of the regenerated area to
stakeholders and targeted groups. These methods are
based largely on accepted marketing strategy practice
in the private sector. City planners therefore use the
principles of the private sector to accomplish publicorientated objectives (Matson, 1994).
Deindustrialization of urban areas is widely regarded
as the catalyst for the decay and dilapidation of inner
city regions. The emergence of the postindustrial city
in the 1980s saw a need for entrepreneurial development strategies to work in tandem with the extensive
public and private property/housing developments.
Early attempts at aesthetic development strategies are
illustrated as using city marketing, waterfront developments, flagship and high-profile developments as well
as the earliest examples of the use of events for place
promotion (Hughes, 1999).
Urban regeneration has been a central urban function of both localized and central government within
London for more than 20 years (Brindley, 2000;
Tomaney, 2001). It is widely accepted that the city region is unevenly balanced in terms of economic, environmental, social, and amenities provision. The Town
and Country Planning (Development Plan) Regulations
1991 required each local authority to devise an integrated strategic plan that outlines its intentions for regeneration considering all key planning policy issues
including environmental, leisure, tourism, and culture
(Brindley, 2000; Evans, 2000; Tomaney, 2001). For
example, Newham Council, one of the London Boroughs, has, “adopted its Urban Regeneration Strategy
in 1997, thereby setting in place ambitious plans for
the future of the Borough. Regeneration is seen as the
key to unlocking Newham’s potential as an attractive
place to live and work within London” (Newham Council, 1998, p. 12).
What this type of planning has provided is the opportunity for related areas to be dealt with in a more
integrated way. For example, tourism, culture, and leisure considerations are now being harmonized with
planning permission of local land usage.
Torkildsen (1999) identifies how developments of
tourism and leisure facilities are supply led with public
investment “pump priming,” so that private investment
will be enticed to the area. As an example, Newham
Council (Bal & Gudge, 2001) subsidized 20 local businesses to exhibit at Event-Expo 2002. The Council’s
Business Development Coordinator suggested that by
doing this local businesses would develop the skills to
support the local event market both in exhibitions and
special events, and would therefore benefit job creation
and regeneration in the longer term.
The market-led London Docklands regeneration program in Tower Hamlets is also testament to private sector investment openly being encouraged by the public
sector (London Docklands Development Corporation,
1990). As successful as it may have been, the development still provokes debate around the costs and benefits to the local community. However, public–private
partnerships appear to be essential if development is to
continue. The private and nonprofit sectors can be encouraged by the public sector to invest financially and
socially into areas that might otherwise decline.
More recently, there has been a conscious effort by
councils to move to a new way of managing urban regeneration and producing social welfare for the residents. “Partnership planning,” as identified by Brindley
(2000), is vital to this process as are the Cultural Regeneration models of European cities (Bianchini &
Parkinson, 1993; Kotler, Asplund, Rein, & Haider,
1999; Rogers & Fisher, 1992). These address how cultural diversity and multiculturalism help create a symbolic identity and advocate an approach that supports
EVENTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
the requirements of the locality as well as promoting
the area further a field. Cultural strategies such as cultural tourism not only bring in benefits but also create a
situation where public interest and public service is
satisfied (Elliot, 1997).
Culture is now undeniably part of the bigger picture
in place promotion and urban regeneration. For example, the European Commission-sponsored “European Capital of Culture” title was proposed in 1985 by
the then Culture Ministers of the Greek and French
governments. This title gives the chosen city the opportunity to focus on events within their cultural strategies. For example, an overview of the UK contenders’
planned cultural events for 2008 illustrates the importance of events, “Imagine if the guide to the Edinburgh
festival was the size of a London phone directory: this
is what you might face in 2008” (Glancey, 2003). This
use of events within a cultural strategy when done correctly can increase visitor numbers by 10% (Kotler et
al., 1999). Indeed, Newcastle-Gateshead, one of the
shortlisted contenders for the 2008 title, hoped for 4
million visitors, 17,500 jobs, and £700 million of inward investment (Glancey, 2003).
The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) mission
statement for the accommodation of cultural, media,
and sport facilities involves the representation of the
city region’s cultural interests at regional, national, and
international levels. Indeed, the Mayor has the power
to instigate bids for hallmark events such as the Olympics and to develop and approve sponsorship deals such
as the Norwich Union Athletics Grand Prix at Crystal
Palace (Livingstone, 2003). The GLA’s Cultural Strategy Group for London proposed a draft strategy in February 2003 that covered a 10-year plan and represented
“the first coordinated approach” within Greater London. Within this the Mayor, for example, approved the
release of £157,000 from the 2003/04 Cultural Initiatives Budget to meet the cost of the 2003 Trafalgar
Square summer events program and a sum for the promotion and marketing of Trafalgar Square events. It
also included the approval of the initiation of a tender
process for the 2003 Trafalgar Square summer events
program, which included 14 events over a period of 3
months (Livingstone, 2003).
Local Community Benefits
Local authorities are fundamental to the provision
of leisure and tourism facilities as they not only service
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and supply the basic infrastructure but also provide an
extensive range of facilities and services. Historically,
the attention on these services has been for the visitor.
However, Local Agenda 21 (LA21), devised at the
World Earth Summit in Rio in 1991, identified for the
first time that the provision should also benefit the local community. The multiplying effects of tourism and
leisure services have always advantaged the local community; what LA21 states is that any provision of these
facilities should be in accordance with community merit
as well (Leslie & Muir, 1996).
Dinan and Sargeant (2000) identify the need for “social marketing” of areas with the view of creating a
sustainable tourism and leisure product. The ideals of
LA21 could in fact help organizations take a wider view
of their role and consider not only their own welfare
and development, but also that of the society in which
they are based. Councils need to apply the principles
of social marketing for the good of the community as
well as furthering partnerships with the private sector
for development (Elliot, 1997). Sensitivity is required
to balance the needs and wishes of local people with
developing projects that will offer sustainability and
return, as is recognition of the importance of both resident attraction and retention as place marketing objectives (Kotler et al., 1999).
From a marketing perspective, local communities are
ultimately the end customers of any council strategy
and, therefore, their needs and desires should be identified and met. The trend towards increasingly diverse
lifestyles and customer expectations (Moutinho, 2000)
suggests a need for new approaches to leisure and recreation and therefore to local government service development. The cultural and leisure provisions that the
community requires need to be clearly defined before
local government can respond. This market/customer
focus begins the strategic marketing planning process
(Kotler et al., 1999).
Satisfying complex customer and community demands is the difficult task facing the local government
in London. The variety in each area’s demographics
means that there is rarely one way of attaining local
government goals (Ashworth & Voogd, 1990). The urban community is a complex mix, due to decades of
social and economic changes (Bennett & Koudelova,
2001; Brindley, 2000). Local government, therefore,
needs to ensure the development of a range of products
that will meet the needs of all the community subgroups.
As long as the events produced appeal to the heteroge-
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neous community that exists in London, then the area
will benefit from the positive results (Ueberroth, 1992).
London’s South Bank regeneration history highlights
another form of community participation that can ultimately be beneficial. Dissatisfied with the proposals
made by local government, the community designed
their own development plans that included housing,
workspaces, and open spaces with provisions for leisure and assembly. Subsequently the community developers became leading players in the redesign of the
South Bank area to the point where they established
Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB). This community model was more open to the ideas of partnership planning, adding value to the area in which they
lived, and the importance of cultural provision
(Brindley, 2000).
Place Promotion and Tourism
Major cities throughout the world have turned to promotional activity to market and reinvent themselves in
changing economic and social climates (Ashworth &
Voogd, 1990; Gold & Ward, 1994; Nykiel & Jascolt,
1998). Place promotion is the process of creating a symbolic image that is representative of the area and then
communicating that image to a target audience in order to create or maintain the desire to visit or live there
(Gold & Ward, 1994; Kotler et al., 1999). Strategic place
marketing would therefore appear to be essential for
any area wishing to promote itself positively to its local residents, businesses, and visitors and could best be
achieved through substantial local government involvement. However, there will also be the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors, in the
form of active partnerships, if place promotion is to be
successful (Kotler et al., 1999).
Even though the UK government has recognized the
centrality and significance of events to other processes
such as urban regeneration, it has been slow to encourage such activities (Hall, 1998). The process of place
marketing does not instantly produce results, and local
authorities need to analyze the long-term benefits to
businesses and residents in their evaluations before
conclusions can be drawn (Morgan, 1996).
The three stages to creating a place promotion strategy as identified by Kotler et al. (1999) are: first a
SWOT evaluation of the community; secondly, a development of long-term solutions to the weaknesses or
problems of the community; and finally a staged or
long-term plan of action. One marketing technique that
can be implemented to create “value-added” as well as
civic pride is, perhaps, the use of special events.
The close relationship between tourism and events
is reflected in the way they are commonly discussed as
one issue in the majority of local government planning
documents. Moutinho (2000) suggests that there is a
“curious intertwining” of the “cultural environment”
(which includes special events, festivals, pageants, and
traditional ceremonies) and the tourism industry. Importantly, when the impacts and agenda of the tourism
product are discussed by the public sector, they are also
incorporating special events.
In his critique of London Borough Council Unitary
Development Plans, Evans (2000) identifies the lack
of dedicated sections for tourism or events. They are
more often than not dealt with in the Arts, Culture, and
Entertainment sections, but the lack of clarity suggests
that strategic consideration of these functions is low.
Evans (2000) also submits that outside the central core
areas there are also “islands of culture” that do approach
the importance of tourist activity, major visitor attractions, arts and leisure amenities. It seems the relevance
of recreation, cultural and heritage venues, and public
amenities is slowly coming to the forefront. Parks, festivals, and special events are growing elements in city
tourism marketing as well as the promotion of civic
pride and place identity. “Place marketing provides a
framework within which events and event tourism find
multiple roles, as image makers, quality of life enhancers and tourist attractions” (Getz , 1997, p. 51).
Urban tourism is now well established and often includes the use of urban settings and city spaces for special events to add value to the overall package offered
by the destination. Swarbrooke (2002) suggests six
stages in planning the development of an urban destination for tourism: 1) The need for cities to be living
places rather than museums, 2) the chance for visitors
to see ordinary people living and working, 3) the vital
role of both traditional and specially created events and
festivals, 4) the importance of a partnership between
the private and public sector, 5) the need for a professional approach to destination marketing, 6) desire of
tourists to visit safe and secure destinations.
Tourism can have a beneficial role in the processes
of urban renewal and marketing, as long as the destination offers a truthful and candid tourism product that is
representative of the locality and does nothing to alienate the indigenous population (Elliot, 1997). Event tour-
EVENTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
ism is an emerging trend that gives city marketers the
opportunity to position their destination while fulfilling specific target markets and stakeholders needs. The
events should, however, be consistent with the destinations’ overall image and cultural heritage.
Culture is now seen as an important component in
the development of an area, with many local authorities valuing cultural development alongside more standard concerns such as property development and education fulfillment (Newman & Smith, 2000).
Cultural diversification and cultural production can
help provide competitive advantage. For example, the
London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC)
utilized culture within a number of events to provide a
variety of benefits. Large international high-profile
events drew attention to the area, as well as increasing
the marketability and creating quality of life experiences to employers, employees, and residents. The program of events was as varied and creative as the population, and not only did the area benefit from the
prestigious London Arena but other events also included
the London Docklands Jazz Festival, the Festival of
Street Music, and the London International Festival of
Theatre (Maycock, 1998). The significance of special
cultural events in London marketing strategies couldn’t
be better demonstrated. The physical environment was
enhanced by a comprehensive and coherent strategy
for all concerned: workers, visitors, and residents alike.
In discussing the use of events in urban regeneration, local community development, and place promotion it becomes clear that the three areas are interlinked
and that all require a customer focus. This market orientation would help to leverage the benefits of an events
program to the many stakeholders.
dissemination are vital in order to respond (Caruana,
Ramaseshan, & Ewing, 1997).
This level of strategic approach, however, was not
reflected in the findings of Bennett and Koudelova
(2001). All four of the London councils included in
their research deemed the marketing function primarily as operational, a perspective that would suggest a
lack of strategic objectives and a minimal longer term
planning process. Cousins (1988) also found that marketing planning in the not-for-profit public sector tended
to be more tactical and marketing mix based than strategic.
A simple transfer of private sector marketing practice to the public sector is unlikely to be as successful
as practices that have been specifically developed for
the unique nature of public sector organizations and
markets. Walsh (1994) argues for public sector-specific
language and techniques, and Smith and Saker (1992)
stress the importance of strategic marketing planning
that is sympathetic to the cultural values of the public
sector and the need for an incremental rather than dramatic change.
However, Matson (1994) suggests a strategic process for successful city marketing that can be adapted
to aid the public sector marketer incorporate events into
a longer term location marketing plan. This process
incorporates many of the areas deemed as important
by Kotler et al. (1999), Getz (1997), Swarbrooke (2002),
and others and can be summarized in a five stage model:
1.
2.
Strategic Marketing Orientation
Strategic marketing approaches have been developed in the public sector in response to competitive
tendering within the public realm and the private sector. A strategic approach becomes necessary once the
monopoly position of public services is eroded and
they must act in the light of what others do (Walsh,
1994).
Although some may still argue that marketing principles are inappropriate to the public sector, research
has shown that a market orientation and particularly
market “responsiveness” are valid management goals
in the public sector and that information gathering and
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3.
4.
5.
An analysis of the internal and external environment in order to develop a competitive assets and
capabilities strategy to give sustainable competitive advantage.
The development of more targeted products/services (customer-oriented event program development).
A focus on longer term investment and paybacks.
The use of database marketing to develop longterm relationships with customers and to track responses as a form of evaluation.
The pursuit of networks and partnerships with other
public and private sector organizations.
There is a clear need to shift the emphasis from operational to strategic marketing principles in dealing
with destination imaging, urban regeneration, and managing local consumer expectations. Events will undeniably help to raise the profile and standing of a bor-
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ough if clear objectives are set that complement the
overall strategy for the area. Examples exist where
event-led strategies have significantly contributed to the
meeting of municipal objectives (Manchester’s 2002
Commonwealth Games, Sheffield’s 1991 World Students Games, and Newcastle Gateshead’s bid for European Capital of Culture 2008). These examples highlight the importance of a strategic approach to events
and the necessity of utilizing a long-term planning process (Masterman, 2003).
Events have a clear role to play in the social and economic development of the community. It is hypothesized that with a market orientation and strategic outlook local governments could utilize the event product
as a strategic tool to aid urban regeneration, city imaging, cultural provisionm and job creation as well as
adding value for the end user, the community.
The process recommended by Matson (1994) has
been utilized to develop a framework for assessing the
current level of strategic planning within the events
activity of local government. This framework has been
applied, through in-depth interviews, to three of
London’s Borough Councils.
the boroughs is important as the demographics and distribution of wealth will have an impact on the type of
events produced. Therefore, any submission of the theories and recommendations made is merely indicative
of the four boroughs interviewed. These were Lambeth,
Southwark, Camden, and Newham.
After talking to key personnel within each chosen
council the most appropriate person to interview was
identified. The suitability of the intended interviewee
was discussed with them in relation to the research and
in some cases this resulted in a referral being made to a
more suitable person. The job titles and roles varied
between councils; therefore, the suitability of the respondent was gauged on their level of responsibility in
terms of marketing planning and their involvement in
the events program.
The data analysis was conducted using conceptual
analysis techniques (Miles & Huberman, 1994, as cited
in Coffey & Atkinson, 1996, p. 5). Relationships between the conceptual narrative and documents produced
by the councils in relation to their strategies and directives (i.e., Cultural Strategies, UDPs, Best Value Reviews, etc.) were also investigated.
Methodology
Summary of Interview Findings
Face-to-face interviews were carried out to provide
an insight into the marketing strategies of each borough and to identify the strategic orientation of the
events held. The main aim of each interview was to
establish the strategic importance of events to that Borough Council and the extent to which they were incorporated into a planning process.
All participants were asked the same generic questions and invited to elaborate on any key or relevant
points. The questions related to: 1) Establishing their
position and area of responsibility and background to
events in that area, 2) customer focus/market orientation, 3) competitor analysis, 4) event objectives, 5) development of program of events, 6) investment and resources, 7) evaluation, 8) partnerships, and 9) marketing
strategies.
Documentation produced by all the units (such as
Unitary Development Plans, Cultural Strategies, and
Best Value Reviews) were also scrutinized.
The selection of councils to participate in the research
was deliberated and it was determined to include two
boroughs situated north and two boroughs situated south
of the River Thames. The geographical positioning of
Background to Events Within Each Borough
Lambeth Council events are positioned within the
Parks division and Lambeth is the borough in the sample
that has a dedicated Events Officer. Financial difficulties
5 years ago caused Lambeth to close its Arts and Entertainment unit; it now only vets and monitors external
events proposals apart from Fireworks displays. Newham
and Southwark representatives are positioned within the
Leisure divisions and are strategic or marketing managers. The Performance Policy and Projects unit in Camden
is little over 12 months old and is responsible for the
impact culture has throughout the Borough.
All departments had regular event concerns. As
Lambeth works with events proposed to them, there is
little chance of considering strategic implications.
Southwark’s Leisure Marketing Manager has regular
supervisory meetings with his events team and the community. Newham’s main focus is marketing and the
involvement with events varies. The cultural nature of
the department in Camden means events are the mainstay of their work.
Southwark’s Best Value Review (BVR) identifies
whether the internal positioning of the events services
EVENTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
is beneficial to the events provision. The review concludes that coordination between leisure and corporate
communications will achieve improved results for promotional objectives such as city positioning, as identified by Gold and Ward (1994) and Getz (1997).
All participants expressed an increase in events activity and significance. In Lambeth larger events have
increased and funding implications mean that smaller
events are declining. Newham is awaiting an Arts and
Events Strategy that will help to realize the importance
of events. Southwark is keen to keep its three major
events through a policy of making the events self-sustainable with sponsorship. Other events such as the
London Run have increased in significance through
sponsorship with Carlton Television. Camden discussed
new dynamic events that are more responsive to changing circumstances than the old style events such as the
Camden Festival. All acknowledged increasing leisure
time as a catalyst, and Camden accepts the best way to
respond is through strategic plans.
Both Newham and Southwark’s BVRs identify the
objectives that events can offer to the public sector:
“Events do support wider social outcomes such as economic regeneration and social inclusion. There is also
evidence that events can contribute to increased community identity and cohesion” (Southwark Council,
2002, p. 4).
This shows that borough councils are aware of the
diversification of lifestyles, identified by Moutinho
(2000), and they are keen to react and use these events
as a tool to meet objectives. Newham’s Arts and Events
Strategy consolidates further Camden’s acceptance of
strategic planning of events being advantageous in detailing three key objectives: a place where people want
to live and visit, to put Newham on the map, and to
work in partnership to add diversity and value.
Internal and External Environment
All of the sample appeared to understand the importance of customer research in delivering the right event
products. In Camden, three approaches were used prior
to developing a cultural strategy: a citizen’s panel of
users and nonusers of leisure services, focused research
into the Bangladeshi and Somali communities and their
perceptions of culture, as well as work with people
with physical disabilities and their requirements. “We
are moving more to the role of marketing in identifying customer need, responding to customer need and
67
really reallocating resources and reprioritising our services based on the needs of the customer” (Head of
Performance Policy and Projects, Camden Council).
Newham’s Cultural Strategy was based on research
conducted through consultation meetings, focus groups,
on-foot interviews, and through a website. Southwark
also conducted research for their review, which targeted
the business community as well as the public. Lambeth
conducted a survey to see what people wanted at the
firework displays; however, there was no ethnic or demographic breakdown to this survey.
One key finding in Newham’s and Camden’s Cultural Strategy research, as well as being offered by
Lambeth, is the need for more events for children and
the younger residents.
In general the councils interviewed showed a commitment to a marketing focus for the services they provide as identified by Ashworth and Voogd (1990) and
Matson’s (1994) satisfaction of consumer requirements.
A range of research techniques was being used and the
respondents ranged from the community to other stakeholders such as the private sector and voluntary sectors.
Direct competition between the boroughs is not apparent in terms of attendance at events; however, there
is recognition that events help the borough to compete
in terms of maintaining and attracting residents, businesses, and visitors. Very little research is presently
being conducted by any of the sample boroughs on their
competitive position in these terms, although on a more
operational level they attend and share information on
events to assist in benchmarking and establishing best
practice.
Private sector organizations tend to be viewed as
potential partners rather than competitors. This would
suggest recognition of more strategic place marketing
objectives as opposed to competing for event attendance
or ticket revenue.
Objectives Setting and Product Development
Tourism is responsible for 14% of jobs in Camden
so its importance is a key factor in the objectives of
certain events. The focus is now heritage and the promotion of the hidden face of Camden. Lambeth and
Southwark are community focused but both see tourism as an inevitable by-product of their events and believe it to be positive. Newham has developed a Visitor
Strategy, its remit to manage visitor volumes and pro-
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mote the area to visitors of major destinations like the
Excel Exhibition Centre.
Newham’s Visitor Strategy identifies with the proposals of Local Agenda 21 and Dinan and Sargeant’s
(2000) social marketing, with the objective of developing the tourism aspects of the area while ensuring that
the community also gains. Swarbrooke’s (2002) urban
destination plan is also in evidence throughout the strategy, ensuring quality cultural provision, cross-sector
partnerships, and a safe destination.
The regeneration of areas within the boroughs was
also an objective of some of the larger longer term
events. For example, in Lambeth the program of events,
“helps to meet leisure needs in the Borough, provide
employment and can assist economic regeneration by
upgrading the social and physical environment. They
also act as local landmarks providing a sense of identity” (Revised Lambeth Unitary Development Plan,
1998).
Newham and Camden also understand the importance of events to the urban regeneration process. Kings
Cross in Camden is currently undergoing a 13-year regeneration process and strategies are being formed with
events in mind.
Newham has had other major successes in the last
3–4 years with the opening of the new Stratford Arts
Centre, refurbishment of the Theatre Royal, and the
Tower Hamlets area.
As well as the tourism and regeneration objectives
the boroughs also use events to promote the image of
the council and other partner organizations. For example, Newham’s emphasis is on creating partnerships
within the community, taking a facilitator role, which
means partner branding at events becomes the focus.
Lambeth tries to promote a positive image for the council at events wherever possible, and Camden stresses
the council’s participation in events in order to create
an increased awareness of their activities.
Meeting the needs of the local community is the most
important objective for all the councils interviewed.
Newham describe it as the determining factor of what it
does, and try to address the range of cultures within the
borough. Similarly, Southwark has a broad range of cultures within the borough and this is reflected in the events
produced, including the Southwark World Village, which
brings together all the communities at one event. Camden
sees culture as extremely important and events like the
Mela, the Irish festival, and the Camden Mix highlight
the cultural diversity of the event program.
“The service needs to ensure it is reaching minority and hard to reach groups and this must be clearly
reflected in the events programme and grant giving
process” (Southwark Council, 2002, p. 7).
Southwark’s program of events is determined on an
annual basis as budgets are subject to influential political decisions. However, a strategic 5-year plan will
be in place soon. This is to be monitored through an
annual assessment, the final target being the events
function in Southwark being self-sufficient through
sponsorship.
Camden has recently produced the Cultural Strategy
for the borough and feels this will shape among other
things the events program for the coming 5e years. Strategic objectives have been set with events seen as a tool
to achieve a competitive distinction.
Although the four councils interviewed discussed
events in terms of meeting regeneration, tourism, and
local community-based objectives, there was little evidence of these objectives being formalized. They were
discussed more in terms of recognizable benefits rather
than measurable targets. This lack of quantifiable and
time-specific objectives for the events will inevitably
make it difficult for their value to be objectively assessed. The lack of formal objectives will also limit the
strategic development of an events program, as strategy exists to meet objectives.
Investments and Resource Implications
None of the sample believed that significant investments in resources had been made, although it was recognized that there were underutilized areas such as the
National Lottery Fund and the redirection and better
management of existing resources. Also, partnerships
with community groups and the private sector were
mentioned as new sources of finance.
The sampled boroughs, however, have all gone some
way to providing better provisions for events. Camden’s
Cultural Strategy clearly identifies work with police and
other stakeholders to ease provision for events, and they
clearly identify within the strategy Culture-Friendly Licensing.
Camden’s Cultural Strategy is clear in identifying
the need to have an environment that is not only conducive to the kind of urban design as identified by Davey
(2000), but also an environment that actively cooperates in event provision: “We will make our public spaces
into cultural spaces, enabling residents to both spectate
EVENTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
and participate in high quality cultural events and activities” (Camden Council, 2002, p. 29).
The limited and uncertain budget for events was a
problem for all four councils, with partnerships and
alliances being seen as one way to alleviate this along
with the move towards being event facilitators rather
than providers. “An overall assessment of the Councils
current performance in organising events suggests it
would be most effective if it moved away from the current position of being a the developer and organiser of
events to a more enabling role” (Southwark Concil,
2002, p. 4).
It appears that any substantial long-term investment
in events will be difficult to achieve from local government funding. This may be alleviated somewhat if the
benefits of events in terms of meeting economic and
social objectives could be more clearly demonstrated.
This requires measurable objectives and systematic and
objective evaluations against those objectives. Such
evidence could also be used to attract private sector
investment and sponsorship.
Private Sector Partnerships
The councils interviewed use private sector partnerships in a variety of ways, ranging from the sponsorship of events, the subcontracting of some event services through to the outsourcing of the complete event
though competitive tendering.
As Lambeth facilitates rather than organizes events,
every event is seen as a partnership. Management of
the events is assessed throughout the planning process,
and a newly acquired marketing unit may enable sponsorship to be pursued. Both Camden and Southwark
see sponsorship as an opportunity to be further pursued.
Southwark’s plan for its events provision is identified in Objective 2a of its Cultural Strategy. The private sector will be given the opportunity to stage events
on the behalf of the council, so over time the council
will fill the enabler role.
Cultural and community partnerships have been identified as a way of developing a more focused customer
orientation, and as these partnerships develop their significance to the provision of well-targeted events will
increase. Other networking opportunities are needed
to develop a range of mutually beneficial partnerships.
The council as a facilitator has a critical role to play in
bringing cultural, community, and tourism organiza-
69
tions together as well as recognizing that the private
sector can provide specialist expertise and funding opportunities.
Private and public sector partnerships will increasingly be vital to the provision of quality events, and the
selection and management of these partnerships is likely
to require new skills and new roles within local government.
Event Evaluations
Regular and consistent postevent research was lacking in all those interviewed, with lack of time and resources being cited as the reasons it is not performed
regularly. The research that is undertaken tends to be at
an operational level focusing on numbers of attendees
and satisfaction levels with the event.
However, all four councils recognized this as an area
of concern and were actively looking into introducing
performance indicators, benchmarking, and more consistent research.
The importance of evaluating the longer term benefits of an events program in terms of its impact on the
social and economic well-being of the area still needs
to be recognized. This evaluation needs to be undertaken against the long-term objectives of the program
objectives, which at present are not being specified.
Public Sector Marketing Strategies
All were in agreement that councils are well placed
to produce marketing strategies that incorporate events
for predetermined objectives. Newham, Camden, and
Southwark have all produced strategies (Cultural Strategies and Best Value Reviews) and these documents
are the focus for the event provisions for the next few
years.
Three of the boroughs sampled described themselves
as having adopted a strategic approach to their marketing function already. A significant indicator of this is
how the strategies produced follow Kotler et al.’s (1999)
three-stage approach to producing place promotion
strategies in the identification of strengths and weaknesses, targeted responses to develop weaknesses, and
a long-term plan of action.
It would appear, therefore, that it is not the propensity to undertake strategic marketing planning that is
lacking but an understanding of how events fit within a
longer term place marketing strategy.
70
PUGH AND WOOD
Conclusions and Recommendations
There are a number of important findings relating to
the strategic significance of events within the marketing initiatives of London Boroughs derived from the
interviews conducted and the documentation investigated.
Strategies are becoming a key concern for the Borough Councils. The concerted move by many to become facilitators rather than operational suppliers in
event programs is an indication of a more strategic
marketing orientation (Bennett & Koudelova, 2001).
The recent production of strategies, such as Best Value
Reviews for events in Camden and Southwark, and
Cultural Strategies in Camden and Newham, indicates
strategic planning is being adopted. It is important that
these strategies are allowed time to develop and produce results. Councils are beginning to acknowledge
that cultural provision and events are complementary
to many statutory services in matters such as regeneration and social welfare and that the benefits are long
term. However, utilizing strategic marketing is not universal throughout London’s councils, and budget and
resource limitations are still the main restricting factors.
Although event programs have only a moderate strategic significance within current council marketing strategies, there is recognition of the broad spectrum of
benefits events can have for a council, its borough, the
community, and visitors. The use of events will develop
further as councils identify their significance through
marketing principles such as customer orientation and
marketing research.
At present, the councils interviewed do not undertake or are not consistent in undertaking postevent evaluations. Improvement in strategy development will be
difficult to achieve, and the success of existing strategies will be difficult to assess if consistent systematic
research is not completed.
Sponsorship will become a key issue in the future as
council events come to rely more and more upon external funding. There is currently a lack of emphasis placed
on sponsorship in many of the boroughs; however, if
councils are to leverage long-term strategic benefits
from their events programs then longer term funding
issues need to be addressed.
Councils have acknowledged the spectrum of benefits arising from a strategic event program, such as
regeneration, social inclusion, tourism, and cultural
provision, and this is a trend that appears set to continue. However, they do not at present incorporate this
into a formal strategic marketing plan with clear objectives, strategies, and evaluation.
The research demonstrates that councils are adopting a more strategic approach to the incorporation of
events. The main issues appear to be funding, objective setting, and a lack of pre- and postevent marketing
research. Event programs need to be regularly reviewed,
with input from all stakeholders, to ensure that the
council’s objectives are being met.
Although the boroughs investigated are moving towards a more strategic use of events, the focus is still
operational and ad hoc, resulting in missed opportunities. The benefits of a wider, long-term use of events
within place marketing strategies are clear; however,
the funding and organizational structure of local authorities can create barriers to achieving this.
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