The Benefits of Hosting IAAF Championship Event

Discuss about the Events Management for Festival and Special Event.
 

Since the IAAF champion was introduced, many nations have reaped social as well as economic benefits from the proceeds of the sports activities. The recent event was held in London taking place from 4^th to 13^th on August 2017. This was the 16th champions’ edition involving participants from almost all countries which are members of the IAAF. The London Stadium was the main venue which had also hosted the 2012 summer Olympics. In this event, it also got reported that more than six hundred thousand tickets were sold breaking the record in the world of championship. The one that had been recorded was the 417, 000 tickets in the Berlin competitions in the year 2009. The country was highly reputed for having an ability to host an international event which surpassed the previously hit world records in terms of attendance. Also, this event made the country one of the world’s largest tourist centers with the effects of an improved economic status.

The reports majorly focus on the current state and ability of the Events and Conference industry in the United Kingdom. It uses the 2017 IAAF competitions to explore the implications of the sports industry and how best such events can be managed within a reasonable legal framework. Also, the report provides an in-depth analysis of all the legal structures that were applied in the organization of the IAAF 2017 champions. In this view, the study evaluates how some of the regulations in the industry affected the management of such a big event which attracted international attention. In the examination of the industry standards, the report provides a review of some of the ethical constraints besides the legal frameworks. Lastly, the analysis of legal and ethical considerations is meant to explain how organizers and managers of significant events in the UK incorporate sustainability in their work. 

Since its inception, sports and Olympic activities have gained a lot of popularity (Handerson, 2011, p.78). The industry was established just as a recreation activity practiced among few individuals. However, sports are now recognized as one of the fastest growing sectors with participants making significant gains economically and socially. Also, any governments have embraced the development and growth of sports causing them to get a lot of economic benefits (Jennings and Lodge, 2011, p.67). Organizers and the managers in this industry are guided by laws as well as ethical practice. Each of the events has a governing body which sets laws and regulations to govern a particular game. Governments and each of the governing organizations such as the IAAF have statutes and well-defined ethical standards that guide event management. The IAAF championship event has been held sixteen times since its inception (Barr, 2011, p.44). The managers and responsible bodies have used data and findings from the previous events to implement necessary changes for improving quality of the subsequent events.

Legal Structures Applied in Organizing the IAAF Championship Event

In this section, the current state of the event and conference industry is analyzed. The UK has been one of the countries which have contributed to the success of this industry. Thus, the examination of the sector by use of the UK context will help provide a more comprehensive view of how the management of activities is controlled by the laws and the ethics for success. An event is defined as an organized gathering that brings people together at a given place to discuss, share, or find a solution to an issue. Also, events can be held to meet educational, social, as well as political needs. The broad categorization of the purpose of a game can even be broken down to come up with several genres or issues which are likely to influence the conducting of an event. For instance, business communities, governments, or private partners can meet in a conference to discuss some of the significant trading opportunities or challenges. In the social aspects, an event could be for leisure, competition, or for education. Thus, this breakdown of the nature of activities makes it hard to analyze the entire scope of event and conference industry. This is one of the sectors that have a complex structure and an extended range that affects other areas.

Just like the tourism, the events industry has been found to be the fastest growing activities (Chelladurai, 2014, p.445). The UK has featured in many reports as one of the leading countries which have put a lot of efforts and committed resources in staging dominant word and local events. The events industry has been found to have contributed over 30 percent of the national GDP. In 2016, the industry was worth over 45 billion pounds of the entire UK economy (Oxford Economics, 2017, p.5). From international federations and ranking bodies, the UK is number five regarding ability and the popularity of hosting major world and regional events. Social, political, and economic conferences or games are some of the primary agents of economic growth. Thus, the government should support the organization of such events by creating enabling environments and providing resources. States also help in publishing such activities to make them accessible to other countries all over the world. Each government has made efforts in creating suitable and useful facilities which are accommodative for significant events. Thus, they should make them known to the organizers and other federations that seek accommodative capacities for hosting activities that have an international participation. 

Ethical and Sustainability Considerations for Significant Events in the UK

According to Jugo (2012), events are classified as minor, principal, or mega based on their scope and nature of activity (p.311). Limited participation characterizes small events, and they do not attract many people. Similarly, primary and mega-events are almost the same by the fact that they deal with international issues, or are likely to accommodate many people who are drawn from different parts (Allen, 2012, p.45). A significant event also handles an international concern with following from many countries. Governments and other regional bodies are likely to come together in the creation of environments that can allow people to participate in such activities. For instance, the Rio marathon and the 2012 London marathon can be classified as significant events. It should be noted that such events with international participation help in the reconstruction of the economy of a country (Hede, 2017, p.99). Similarly, the games are likely to portray the host country as the best and suitable tourist destination. The organizers of many of these events have however come up with a rotational policy to ensure that the effects of such activities spill over to the major parts of the world. As a result, no single nation is expected to host an event on two consecutive occasions. During some of the significant events, many people get interested and make efforts to visit the places where the activities are hosted. Also, other people will discover profitable opportunities which they could wish to maximize (Hall and Gössling, 2013, p.77).

The role of the media in publishing the major events cannot be underscored. For instance, the IAAF 2017 was televised by the BBC. Thus, many people were able to follow the event for every step making it possible to analyze and integrate its benefits. The 2017 IAAF championships contributed significantly to the economic progress of the country. On the other side, the regional events which can be considered as significant are held to cover few countries with similar economic or social interest. The number of participants could also be high in the major event, but it does not attract many nations (Getz, 2016, p.543). An excellent example of the significant events includes the trade fairs and Hall-Mark activities. These events are always based on specific regions of the world with the aim of getting participants to take part in mega-events. Countries, unions, and areas have held cultural events and social activities which were aim at teaching people essential values (Ferdinand, and Kitchen, 2012, p.312). The EU has significant city events which are held annually with the aim of bringing people together. The government and other stakeholders provide all the necessary resources required to make all the games meet the intended purpose. 

The Event and Conference Industry in the UK

Primary and mega-events generate a lot of revenue used by the host countries to finance other economic activities. Also, people gain a lot through social interactions and exchange of ideas. The tourism industry has much depended on the organization of primary events (Bladen et al. 2012, p.66). When people learn that a particular country has an accommodative capacity with adequate resources, they get interested in making visits and spending a considerable amount of time, thus bring with them foreign income. In any event, the government remains the central stakeholder. Any state is the one that creates a friendly environment through political stability and maintenance of law and order.

Similarly, the participants are other groups with a direct and particular interest in the success of any event. Also, since the organizers are the ones who determine the victory and the venue of each activity, a lot of attention has been given to these groups. For each participant in an event, some varied opportunities and roles count for the success of each event (Bowdin et al. 2012, p.54). Also, well-wishers and sponsors are ordinary citizens and groups who are willing to fund the activities. For the Olympic and athletic events, stakeholders come from different parts of the world. When their interests are best served, these financers will beef up more resources to help the successful organization of significant events. Also, there are others who want to be associated with the success of a game. As a result, they seek to help the management as well as the organization of some significant athletic events such as the IAAF championships (Jago, 2010, p.72).

As it was stated earlier, minor events are associated with small groups such as families, religious formations, and communities. Such group sings will always engage in some of the everyday activities such as sports, weddings, and celebrations. Thus, the content of that event does not necessarily matter in a regional or global context. However, it should be noted that some of the minor functions are the building blocks for the mega events. For instance, before participation in the IAAF championships, all the members are auditioned in some of these minor activities. There is progression so that those who qualify to proceed from a smaller event to a major one. In each of these events, there are rules of the game that govern the conduct of each participant. 

Ethics guide people to doing what is right. Any formal organization which includes people must have rules and regulations for it to achieve the desired goals. Law guides the managers and organizers of any event in their daily activities. Thus, any game should be within the legal frameworks, and also, it should encompass a business which is harmless to the people as prescribed by the governing principles. The organization and management of the 2017 IAAF championship sports were successful due to a strict adherence to the law and some of the ethical standards. Many people as outlined from the turn-up statistics attended this event.

Classification of Events Based on Scope and Nature

Managers should buy protective equipment to mitigate against some accidents that may occur. Also, the staff needs to be trained to understand some laws and regulation as well as getting skills to help them in managing the event. Use of notice for communication should be enhanced to ensure relevant information is passed. Also, this will avoid delays in many activities. Regarding sustainability, the managers of the event should corporate with local companies for a source of energy which is renewable. Wastes from the event are collected and recycled if they cannot be reused.

Conclusion

The event industry has several activities. Olympics and games are some of the commonly held events which attract many people. The UK is one of the countries that have greatly benefited from hosting such events. From the 2012 London marathon to the 2017 IAAF championships, the country has gained a lot of economic progress. However, the managers of these events are always guided by the law and moral standards that ensure each activity meets its objective. There should be safety measures and standards that protect the participants. Also, an event should be sustainable by protecting the interest of the immediate environment as well as that of the coming generations. 

References

Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R. and McDonnell, I., 2012. Festival and Special Event Management, Google eBook. John Wiley & Sons.

Athletics, B., 2012. World’s best set for Aviva London Grand Prix.

Barr, C., 2011. Principles and practice of sport management. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Bladen, C., Kennell, J., Abson, E. and Wilde, N. (2012) Events Management: An Introduction. Routledge, pp211-212

Bowden, G., Allen, J., Harns, R., McDonnell, I. and O’Toole, W. (2012) Events Management. 3 rd Ed. Routledge, pp1-7

Chelladurai, P., 2014. Managing organizations for sport and physical activity: A systems perspective. Taylor & Francis.

Economics, O., 2017. The Economic Contribution of the UK Hospitality Industry. A report prepared for British Hospitality Association.

Manning, A. (1996). The Equal Pay Act as an experiment to test theories of the labour market. Economica, 191-212.

Faylor, J.A., 2014. The Dismantling of a German Champion: Katrin Krabbe and her Ordeal with the German Track and Field Association and the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). Arbitration International, 17(2), pp.163-172.

Ferdinand, N. and Kitchin, P., 2012. Events management: an international approach. Sage.

Getz, D. and Page, S.J., 2016. Event studies: Theory, research, and policy for planned events. Routledge.

Hall, C. M., and Gössling, S. (2013) Sustainable Culinary Systems: Local Foods, Innovation, and Tourism & Hospitality. Routledge, pp28-30

Hede, A. M. (2017) Managing Special Events in the New Era of the Triple Bottom Line. Events Management. Vol. 11, pp13-22

 Henderson, S. (2011) The development of competitive advantage through sustainable event management. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. Vol. 3 (3), pp245-257

Jago, L., Dwyer, L., Lipman, G., van Lill, D. and Vorster, S., 2010. Optimising the potential of mega-events: an overview International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 1(3), pp.220-237

Jennings, W. and Lodge, M. (2011) Governing Mega-Events: Tools of Security Risk Management for the FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany and London 2012 Olympic Games. International Journal of Comparative Politics. Vol. 46 (2), p192