Events Provision in Birmingham

This assignment will identify the range of events being promoted in the city of Birmingham, it will also classify whether the events are organised by the public, private or voluntary sector. There will also be an overview of the visitor's perception of the city and event and finally it will analyse the local resident's attitudes towards the event.

The six events which will be analysed are the MPH Show '06, which is a motor event hosted by Jeremy Clarkson. Mitchell and Webb Live, which is a comedy sketch show. The BBL Cup Final. The Survivor Series Tour, which is a sports entertainment event. Mela 2006 and the final event is Little Britain Live.

Theorists such as Allen 2002 state that an event is defined as a significant gathering or activity that takes place often in a social setting. (J. Allen 2002)

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The first event, which will be analysed, is the MPH Show '06. The event was in operation between 26-29 October 2006 at the NEC Birmingham. The MPH Show's web page describes the event, as "a 75 minute theatre show in an explosive combination of car chases, outrageous stunts, incredible driving and world debuts. A personal look at the finest selection of the most stylish, rare and expensive cars in our galleried exhibitions - its motoring heaven!" (www.mphshow.co.uk)

This event can be categorised under the mega events typology group. The reason for this is that the event has the potential to attract over one million visitors. A further reason that this event can attract a vast amount of large visitors is that well-known motoring expert Jeremy Clarkson is hosting it. Due to the motor show being taken away from Birmingham, The MPH Show can be its ideal replacement and generate a high level of economic and tourism impact into Birmingham.

Theorist such as Getz 1997 states, "Mega events, by way of their size or significance are those that yield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage or economic impact for the host community and destinations." (Getz 1997)

There could be arguments suggesting that it can be put under the special events typology. The reason for that being that the event is a one off event and is an event, which comes under persons social activities such as football and music.

The second event that will be analysed is Mitchell & Webb Live, which will take place at the Birmingham Hippodrome on 5th November. The event brings comedian duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb to the Hippodrome as part of their live tour. This event can be categorised under the special events typology group. Getz states, "A special event is a one time or infrequently occurring event outside the normal programme or activities of the sponsoring or organising body." (Getz 1997- lecture hand out)

The third event that will be analysed is the Survivor Series Tour, which is organised by sports entertainment company WWE. The event will be held on 12th November 2006 at the NEC. This event can be categorised into the special events group. The reason for this is that it is part of a person's social interest and it is place where they can go with family and friends to the event.

Getz 1997 states, "To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience." (Getz 1997)

The fourth event, which will be analysed, is Little Britain Live, which will be held in The NIA. According to the NEC group website, "David Walliams and Matt Lucas have extended their phenomenal Little Britain Birmingham tour dates with a 14th night at The NIA on Saturday 9 December." (www.necgroup.co.uk)

This event can be categorised in to the special events typology category, due to this event being a social interest event.

The fifth event, which will evaluated is the BBL Cup Final that will be held in The NIA. The BBL Cup Final is the basketball tournament finals that will come to a climax in Birmingham. Also in the event are the women's basketball tournament finals.

This type of event can be categorised under the hallmark typology. The reason for this is that it is a one off event. Theorist such as Ritchie 1984 defines a hallmark event as "A major one-time or recurring event of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance the awareness appeal and profitability of a tourist destination in the short or long term." (Ritchie 1984)

The final event is The Asian Mela 2006, which is to be held between 17-19 November 2006 at the NEC. The Asian Mela is an event targeted at the Asian community by holding an event that has Asian fashion, entertainment and many more experiences. This type of event can categorised in to the special events typology group. A special event recognises a unique moment in time with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs. The reason for this being is that it relates to the cultural aspects of the Asian community and also can be an event that brings together people from different backgrounds to celebrate Asian lifestyles and how it has made an impact in today's British society.

The second part of this assignment will identify whether the events have been organised by private, public or voluntary sectors.

The Mph Show was organised by the fuel company shell. Shell is considered a global group that produces oil, fuel and other types of energy sources. The company is considered part of the private sector. Theorist such as Fardon state, "The private sector compromises of businesses which are directly or indirectly in private ownership." (Fardon 2000)

The Mitchell & Webb Live event is being presented at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The Hippodrome is a theatre, which is a charity run theatre. The charity 'The Friends of The Hippodrome' is an organisation, which counts on donations from corporations such as Lloyds TSB and even donations from the public.

The Survivor Series event, which is an event run by the sports entertainment company WWE. The company is a private limited company that runs live events mainly in the United States, but also tours the rest of the world.

The Little Britain Live event, which is being shown at the NIA. The event is by the NIA group, which is linked with the city council. This sector can be put in the public sector, as it is part of the district council.

The BBL Cup Final is an annual event, which is to be held at the NIA, is being organised by the British Basketball League Association. This is part of the public sector. Websites such as www.whatsis.techtarget.com have given a definition to the public sector, which states, "The public sector overlaps with the private sector in producing or providing certain goods and services. The extent of this overlap varies from country to country, state to state, province to province, and city to city."

By evaluating this statement and relating it to events, the public sector needs sum form of assistance from the private sector such as funds and sponsorship. It can be an advantage for both private and public sectors, as the private sector organisation is getting good recognition by giving a helping hand to the public sector organisation.

The Asian Mela event is presented by the Asian television station Zee and events firm Clarion Events. Both companies are part of the private sector.

This part of the assignment will explain the impact that the actual events provision of the city has on visitor perceptions.

When discussing event impacts there are various elements that need to be considered. These elements are as follows, social/cultural, economics, political and developmental. The social/cultural implications are to bring increased community spirit and bring people from different cultures to unify and enjoy the events. In today's world, there are many negative issues surrounding different cultures. It is vital that there are events that can bring people from different backgrounds and faiths so that they can enjoy them without any fear or scepticism.

The economic side of the impact is that it can help with the cities revenue, resulting in the city bringing more events and even construct new buildings to present the events. As Birmingham is one of the United Kingdoms visited places with hot spots such as The Bull Ring and The Mail Box for shopping and leisure and recreational areas like Star City and AMC. Which ever type of event is happening in Birmingham there is high possibility of tourists staying over the local hotels and bed and breakfasts, which also is a plus for the local businesses as well as the city.

The political element is that increases the cities national reputation and improves its profile.

The developmental and environmental elements of having events in Birmingham are that it can have effects such as urban regeneration. This can have a positive outcome on the less funded areas of the city.

With the money generated from these events, by giving the lesser funded area's resources to rejuvenate the area by constructing community centres for young people who have broken backgrounds to learn new skills and make more of their lives.

When considering these types of impacts for the events chosen for this assignment. The MPH Show will bring in many visitors who have an interest for exotic and concept cars, these are also known as 'petrol heads'. The main target market for this event will be 18-30 mainly male. The economic side of the event will be a benefit as it is running for three days, this is a bonus for hotels as there will be visitors from outside of Birmingham who may want to go to the show, whilst site seeing and going to local businesses.

The political element will be affected, as Birmingham was once home to the motor show. By having this type of event with a well-known host such as Jeremy Clarkson may not replace the revenue and the publicity that the city used to get from the motor show, but it will be a stepping-stone to bringing in similar types of events to the city.

The BBL Cup Final will target mainly basketball fans from different ages. Although basketball is not one of England's favourite sports, a minority can be targeted effectively.

The economic element will bring in the minority of basketball fans through as much advertising there can be. This can also be a positive for accommodation businesses.

Whether or not the NIA is going to remain being the host of the tournaments finals, it will be a positive for the city council, which can attract other indoor sports events.

The Survivor Series event will be targeting mainly young males aged 16 and over. However, there has been an increase in female attendances to the sports entertainment events. Although the company is originated in the United States, the business does have strong relations within the UK. This can bring in tourists from outer Birmingham and even out of England. This resulting in massive revenue for hotels and other local businesses.

The Mitchell and Webb Live and Little Britain Live events will both have similar type of element results. The target for these events are going to be varied as the events are based on shows from television, this is a positive because it can attract young and older generations. Economically it will be good for the city as these events are apart of a long tour, generating revenue for local businesses. This will raise the profile of the city by having well known comedy gigs and even make aware of other comedy performances to add the city to their tours in the near future.

The Asian Mela event will target mainly the Asian community and even target other cultures, as it is known that different cultures are adapting Asian fashion in to their lifestyles. This will be a good event for local businesses, as the event will attract tourists from other regions. Regarding the political element, this is an event that will be popular as the more it goes grows with the community, there will be more ideas for events for other cultures. By attracting the non Asian community to the event, it can bring a unity to the general public and let the people know that there is room for understanding to the cultures and not the dark cloud that hangs around the Asian community as misinterpreted in today's media.

The final part of this assignment will consider local residents attitudes to the events within their city.

When events such as the MPH Show come into Birmingham, resident's attitudes are going to be stereotypical. They may assume that the event may attract a group of hooligans and maybe concerned that there will be a riot of some sort. The residents will more likely welcome the sporting events the BBL Cup Final and the Survivor Series Tour, as they are events the whole family can go and watch. The basketball final's tournament is something in which the local residents can be proud that their city is part of. This can result in pride in association with the city. It can also be a positive for locals because it is bringing in tourists and even be welcomed by shops and other business.

The comedy events Little Britain Live and Mitchell & Webb Live will be welcomed, as both events are family friendly and are based on television shows that are well known.

Birmingham is known for being a cultured city, with evidence being backed up by Birmingham City Councils webpage which provides statistics in the form of charts.

One way of showing this is by holding an event targeted for its Asian community, The Asian Mela. As Birmingham has a high percentage of Asians as one of its many ethnic groups, the Asian community will welcome the event. By holding this event, it can even attract other people from different ethnic groups and be welcomed by everyone. A family event for al to enjoy the community will be proud to have it in their city.

In conclusion a city such as Birmingham will welcome it. The main factor is that it can hold majority of events within its venues such as the NEC, the NIA and the Symphony Hall. Bringing in more events will increase tourism and revenue for the city. This is a plus as the money generated from the events can go on to bring in more opportunities for people with different interests and backgrounds. Making the city a hotspot for events.

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