This text takes a strategic management approach to understanding events, using cases or examples drawn predominantly from Asia, Australia and Europe. This approach focuses on events in terms of their purpose and strategic goals, including but not limited to their relationship with destination image and tourism and links with social capital and community development. The text incorporates current theoretical and methodological developments related to festivals and events research. Issues examined include the early concept stage of events; understanding the meaning of events for key stakeholders; strategic planning and analysis; decision-making for events; and monitoring and evaluation of events. Topical areas are highlighted, including the growth in green events, the strategic use of an events strategy to encourage tourism , the advantages and disadvantages of bidding for global mega-events, the nexus between popular culture and events and the use of events to build national and community identity. It is aimed at a 2nd or 3rd year undergraduate student who has some management knowledge or background and is looking to study events as an important and growing industry, which needs to be considered from a strategic management context. This customised eBook has been created with the content you need for your studies. Due to the process used to produce this customised eBook, it doesn't offer the same functionality available in other Cengage eBooks, including read aloud and copy text.