Marketing space : a conceptual framework for marketing events

Despite the growing resonance of events within the marketing domain, they continue to receive scant coverage in academic literature, and remain a poor relation to other forms of marketing communication. This detracts from them realising their potential as a relevant and pervasive marketing delivery method. Couched between the authors previous and future (ongoing) empirical work in this area, this article provides much needed conceptual development. The paper introduces the core construct of ‘marketing space’ and associated framework. Marketing space represents the distinctive environment a marketing event creates, which is unlike that cultivated by other communication methods. Marketing space is a transient reality where representatives of an organisation come together physically, and in a planned manner, with a gathering of existing and future customer’s, clients, and wider stakeholders. Marketing events are a grouping that comprises a wide and rich variety of event types, which can be termed ‘marketing event platforms’. These range from the largest of congresses or trade shows, to the smallest and most intimate of seminars or hospitality events. The conceptual framework of marketing space, with associated concepts provides the basis of a new lexicon for practitioners and academics interested in, and utilising, events for marketing purpose. The paper also explores the rationale for the growing resonance of marketing events; examining the characteristics of events, including experiential, interactive, targeted, and relational. The paper ends with the introduction of two dichotomies to the lexicon of marketing events’ direct and indirect events, and exclusive and non exclusive events

Strategic application of events

This paper explores the area of strategy and events through a qualitative study. Organisations are increasingly seeking to achieve strategic objectives though the delivery of events. Particularly, as regards the role of events in the communication of brand strategy. This paper seeks to illuminate the underpinning reasoning for this trend, and examine prevalent issues relating to event management and event experience. There is a critical evaluation of the factors that facilitate and constrain events in supporting organisational strategy, with a number of themes identified that impede events from realising their strategic potential

Enlivenment and the Gruffalo; the unfolding story of events in destination shopping centres

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the growing, and multifaceted, role for events within destination shopping centres. With particular focus upon The Gruffalo experience (GE)—a three week pop-up experiential children’s activation—the study offers insights and provides a conceptual framework, relating to the emerging and future role of events. Design/methodology/approach The study emerged from a privileged opportunity to research The GE, enabling a visitor questionnaire survey (n=1,305), using a non-probability sample, and four in-depth interviews, which were extended by an additional seven respondents. Findings There is a noteworthy role for events as “enlivenment”; attractors to increase visitation, repeat visitation and equally to impact dwell time and boost footfall and sales for tenants. The study revealed a need for a developed event portfolio, with various fundamental tensions relating to objectives, tenants, integration with wider strategy and customer experience. Research limitations/implications By interlinking events with shopping, re-visitation intention is improved and therefore not only does it deliver short-term return but longer-term payback. The vast assortment of events, and stakeholders, means a strategic and reflective approach is required. A limitation of the study is that there is limited existing research on this topic upon which to compare the overall findings, or specifically the survey data and analysis. Originality/value This early research study into events within destination shopping centres has revealed a prolific and advantageous, but also emerging and intricate, relationship. There is an absence of extant literature and therefore this paper makes a notable contribution to this unfolding area

Experiential sponsorship activation at a sports mega-event: The case of Cisco at London 2012

Purpose: The application of event design principles in the creation and execution of effective experiential sponsorship activations (ESAs) by B2B brands is explored. Challenges posed by the sponsorship context to sponsors seeking to create ESAs are examined, with potential solutions proposed. Design/methodology/approach: A case study of Cisco’s ESA activities as part of its London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsorship activation is developed, drawing on interviews with key Cisco employees and secondary sources of data, both internal and external to Cisco. Findings:Blending the event design principles typically associated with B2B events with those more commonly found in corporate hospitality or B2C events, enables sponsors to address the cognitive needs of attendees as business representatives while also satisfying their needs as individuals seeking more sensorial experiences. Effective use of event design principles, creative marketing and promotion, and collaboration with other sponsors allows brands to overcome constraints placed on them by the unpredictable nature of sponsorship, sponsorship rights agreements and the increased clutter in the sponsorship environment. Research limitations/implications: Existing knowledge on sponsorship activation is extended, drawing on principles of event design to offer a sponsor-focused perspective on the creation and execution of effective ESAs for B2B brands. Existing thinking around B2B event design is challenged and augmented when considering its application to ESA design. Practical implications: Inter-sponsor collaboration and the blending of cognitive and sensorial elements of event design are important for sponsors seeking to create and deliver effective ESAs. Social implications: Originality/value: The paper draws on event design literature to appraise the execution of ESA by B2B brands within the context of event sponsorship

Review of established methods in event research

In reviewing 165 of the most prominent event articles this paper provides a timely evaluation of prevalent research methods that have shaped event research in the past 16 years. We adopt critical case sampling and citation analysis approaches to identify 21 journals and the 165 articles. We subsequently analysed the content of each article to reveal the method(s) used and classified these by journal and by year. To facilitate discussion about the findings, the paper initially appraises the character of the event phenomenon and the implications of this for methods selection. This discussion portrays a largely social and contingent character to events that presents specific requirements to researchers seeking to interrogate it. The discussion pinpoints key considerations that should shape event researchers decisions about their selection of methods. The findings reveal a preponderance of survey based approaches and also very limited adoption of multiple methods. The findings also indicate a less prominent, but growing, application of subjectivist oriented approaches such as interviews, indicating a progressive trend that is discussed as being more favourable to the character of the subject matter. Ultimately we provide six precepts that emerge from this study, to signpost key considerations for event researchers as our discipline moves beyond the early stages of its development toward a more mature phase. Keywords: Event research, Research methods, Survey, Interviews, Focus groups, Observatio

A CNO Dichotomy among O2 Giant Spectra in the Magellanic Clouds

From a survey of the 3400 Å region in the earliest O-type spectra, we have found that two of the four O2 giants observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud have O IV lines there that are stronger than the N IV lines, while the other two have the opposite. A Small Magellanic Cloud counterpart also has N IV stronger than O IV. Inspection of the blue spectra of these stars shows that the former pair have weaker N lines in all ionization states (III, IV, and V) present as well as lines of C IV λ4658, while the latter three have stronger N lines and greater He/H. Space ultraviolet observations of two of the N-strong stars show N V wind profiles substantially stronger than those of C IV, while in the N-weak stars the C IV features are equal to or stronger than the N V. The N-strong stars are now reclassified as ON2 III(f*), newly defining that category. These characteristics strongly suggest a larger fraction of processed material in the atmospheres of the ON2 stars, which we confirm by modeling the optical spectra. In the context of current models, it is in turn implied that the ON2 stars are in a more advanced evolutionary state than the others, and/or that they had higher initial rotational velocities. The recent formulation of the effects of rotation on massive stellar evolution introduces an additional fundamental parameter, which the CNO abundances are in principle able to constrain. We present some illustrative comparisons with current Geneva evolutionary models for rotating massive stars. It is possible that these very hot, nitrogen-rich objects are products of homogeneous evolution. Our results will provide motivation for further physical modeling of the atmospheres and evolutionary histories of the most massive hot stars.Fil: Walborn, Nolan Revere. Space Telescope Science Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Morrell, Nidia Irene. Las campanas observatory; ChileFil: Howarth, Ian D.. University College London; Estados UnidosFil: Crowther, Paul A.. University of Sheffield; Reino UnidoFil: Lennon, Daniel J.. Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes; EspañaFil: Massey, Philip. Lowell Observatory; Estados UnidosFil: Arias, Julia Ines. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentin

The Wolf-Rayet Content of M33

Wolf-Rayet stars (WRs) are evolved massive stars, and the relative number of WC-type and WN-type WRs should vary with metallicity, providing a sensitive test of stellar evolutionary theory. The observed WC/WN ratio is much higher than that predicted by theory in some galaxies but this could be due to observational incompleteness for WN-types, which have weaker lines. Previous studies of M33's WR content show a galactocentric gradient in the relative numbers of WCs and WNs, but only small regions have been surveyed with sufficient sensitivity to detect all of the WNs. Here we present a sensitive survey for WRs covering all of M33, finding 55 new WRs, mostly of WN type. Our spectroscopy also improves the spectral types of many previously known WRs, establishing in one case that the star is actually a background quasar. The total number of spectroscopically confirmed WRs in M33 is 206, a number we argue is complete to approximately 5%, with most WRs residing in OB associations, although approximately 2% are truly isolated. The WC/WN ratio in the central regions (<2 kpc) of M33 is much higher than that predicted by the current Geneva evolutionary models, while the WC/WN ratios in the outer regions are in good accord, as are the values in the SMC and LMC. The WC/WN ratio and the WC subtype distribution both argue that the oxygen abundance gradient in M33 is significantly larger than found by some recent studies, but are consistent with the two-component model proposed by Magrini et al.Comment: ApJ, in pres

Challenges for Third Sector Organisations in cutback management: a sporting case study of the implications of publicness

Cutback management is a key theme for public services in an era of austerity, but the responsibilities for implementing public funding cutbacks do not always fall upon managers employed in the public sector. This article focuses on the cutbacks at third sector organisations (TSOs) - three national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport - which were affected by UK Sport’s ‘No Compromise’ policy following the 2012 Olympics. The article introduces the public funding cutback decision hierarchy as a novel framework which is used alongside existing theory to assess the implications of the severity and immediacy of cutback