Portfolio of major events in Auckland: characteristics, perspectives and issues

Abstract

Although event portfolios have become an integrated part of destination development, a lack of empirical research into the nature of portfolio design exists. A case study was conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, to explore the nature of the applied portfolio strategy in the city. The findings indicate that Auckland employs an outcomes-driven approach which is characterised by the orientation on economic outcomes, an ‘agnostic’ attitude to the compositional structure of the portfolio, an intensive bidding campaign and leveraging strategies. The current city’s reputation awards, successful event bids and positive economic indicators justify this approach. The identified issues, including a supply-led nature of the event portfolio and its predominantly quantitative measures of success, call for a revalidation of the approach. The results of the study contribute to the ongoing discourse about the value of event portfolios and their sustainable design in different urban destinations

Issues, patterns and strategies in the development of event portfolios: configuring models, design and policy

“…This implies a shift away from purely developing the externalities related to major events (Smith & Fox, 2007) towards a more integrated approach that strategically uses events as part of wider policy frameworks (Richards, 2017a). However, the ability of cities to develop holistic or integrated events policies differs widely (Antchak, 2017;Smith, 2005Smith, , 2012, and so a range of different approaches to the relationship between cities and their event portfolios or programs has emerged (Richards, 2017b). But, within this context, what does exactly constitute an event strategy (and its elements) that shape portfolios?…”

“…This entity aligned the portfolio with the city's policy agenda for economic development by showcasing the region's landscape, culture and lifestyle in order to generate substantial economic revenues. This represents a top-down outcomes-driven approach, which is characterized by the orientation on economic returns, an intensive bidding campaign, and economic leveraging strategies; thus, Auckland's portfolio focuses on marketing existing events with the highest potential to attract visitors and bidding on events with high shortterm positive impact (Antchak, 2017). This market-led orientation implies a separation of events based on those that are major and bring tourist revenues, and those that are smaller and serve community needs.…”

“…This market-led orientation implies a separation of events based on those that are major and bring tourist revenues, and those that are smaller and serve community needs. Such an approach creates not only a disproportion in government support but also considerably downplays the social and cultural importance of major events (Antchak, 2017). Clearly, the local policy context with the establishment of ATEED, proclaiming the city's vision to become the most liveable city in the world, has chosen major events to achieve this policy objective.…”

Major Events Programming in a City: Comparing Three Approaches to Portfolio Design

“…More specifically, by identifying local needs and opportunities as well as external forces that might influence the portfolio nature (e.g., political, economic, legal, or environmental issues), city event planners could design portfolios that would reflect the unique and authentic conditions of a host destination. There is still insufficient research that is focused on examining local settings and public processes, which may determine the development of event strategies and portfolio approaches (Antchak, 2017, Clark & Misener, 2015Dragin-Jensen et al 2016;Ziakas, 2007). Local institutional and community contexts where portfolios operate should be holistically scrutinized in order to understand the complexities of event-related processes in cities and their unique set of developmental needs that a portfolio of events might be able to satisfy.…”

“…In Auckland, a separate management of major events by a semicontrolled economic development agency, ATEED, determines the investment nature of the city's portfolio of major events. Major events are treated as investment assets to deliver positive economic results (Antchak, 2017). A well-developed event policy framework including strategies, policies, and protocols center the approach on several economic and sociocultural outcomes.…”