The following study will discuss the diverse and fragmentary nature of the Events
Industry and how it originated and developed. This essay will look at the key concepts relating
to event types categorized by size and scale and by form and content. The events sectors, the
internal and external event impacts, and the market demand for events will be discussed. A brief
outline of trends in the industry, consumer motivations, leadership skills in the events industry,
and relative Health and Safety Legislation has been made.
Events originated as a result of unique moments in life and people’s desire to get
together and celebrate these occasions with music, food, and drinks. Since then, the UK’s
Events Industry has grown to generate £70bil. direct spend according to The BVEP UK Events
Report, 2020. Goldblatt (2014, cited in Shone and Parry, 2019) defines special events as a
celebration of a unique occurrence in time, in the form of a ceremony or a ritual that aims to
meet specific objectives. Dowson and Bassett (2015) explain the need for objectives as they are
used to define progress towards an event’s goal and to set benchmarks that will allow organizers
to assess the final success or failure of different event aspects. Special events are very diverse
and unconsolidated and can be categorized by several factors.
If categorized by size and scale, the event’s type depends on the number of attendees,
the media presence and coverage, the set-up costs, and the benefits from the event. Events can
be local, major, hallmark, and mega-events in this categorization. According to Janiskee (1996,
cited in Bowdin et al., 2012), local or community events use public venues such as streets and
schools, attract volunteers from the host community, and are directed by local government
agencies or non-government organizations. These are often charity events, which aim to bring
a sense of belonging and usefulness to the local community. An example of a local event is The
Sutton Fun Run, which is an annual event, organized by Sutton Council. Schwarz (2017)
clarifies that a major event attracts a larger number of people and is an opportunity for the host
community to bring tourists to the area, generate revenue, and improve the infrastructure, but
major events also have their negative side. The London Marathon is an example of a major
event as it welcomes more than 40,000 attendees each year. The negative characteristics of
these events are related to financial outcomes, disapproval from local communities, poor waste
management, etc. Bowdin et al. (2012) interpret hallmark events as ones that have become
synonymous with the name of an ethos or town and are widely popular for this reason. Tour De
France, Oktoberfest which is held in Germany, the Carnival in Rio, the Edinburgh Festival,
1