Robert Pettersson

Time and Space in Event Behaviour: Tracking Visitors by GPS

Abstract Research on tourist mobility in combination with the tourists’ experiences has been rare to date. Previous studies focusing on the activities of tourists in time and space have most often used the method of time–space diaries. However, an important flaw in this method is that these recordings depend on the respondents’ personal observations and notes. This disadvantage is avoided by using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices, which record their carriers’ movements directly, thus replacing personal notes. This new method was used to study the time–space movements of visitors during the Biathlon World Championships 2008 in Östersund, Sweden. In addition to the GPS devices, questionnaires were used to study the tourists’ movements and experiences. In trying to combine methods to support the event analysis, the aim of the study is to evaluate the practicability of GPS devices during an outdoor sports event. Movements and experiences in time and space are studied. In order to answer questions regarding the visitors’ movements on a macro-level, these methods were combined with birds-eye view photographs taken of the race arena every minute. The overall results of this study thereby contribute to our understanding of time–space movements. The questionnaires offer comprehensive background information about the participants and their experiences, although some modifications will have to be made in future studies. The information provided by the photographs substantially complements the itineraries collected by means of GPS.

Access to Sami tourism in northern Sweden

In recent years, there has been increased development of indigenous tourism as part of the tourism industry. Even the Sami of Northern Sweden are now engaging in tourism, not least because the restructuring of reindeer herding has forced them into taking up other occupations. The purpose of this article is to analyse the potential of the emerging Sami tourism in Sweden, with special emphasis on access to Sami tourism products. The analysis uses the four H approach outlined by V. L. Smith - habitat, heritage, history and handicraft. The article starts with a short description of the Sami and their culture, followed by a discussion of the relationship between the Sami and tourism in northern Sweden. Smiths concept is then introduced, modified and applied in relation to the new Sami tourism development in the area. The analysis is based on a survey of all 68 Sami tourist attractions and projects in Swedish Lapland in 1999.

Sámi heritage at the winter festival in Jokkmokk, Sweden.

Indigenous tourism is an expansive sector in the growing tourism industry. However, the tourist experience of the indigenous heritage is often delimited to staged culture in museums, exhibitions and festivals. In this paper, focus is put on the annual Sámi winter festival in Jokkmokk, Sweden. It is discussed to what extent this festival truly is an indigenous event. This is accomplished by scrutinizing the Sámi representation at the festival regarding its content and its spatial location. It is argued that the available indigenous heritage is highly staged, although backstage experiences are available for the Sámi and for the curious tourists.

Event Experiences in Time and Space: A Study of Visitors to the 2007 World Alpine Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden

Abstract The spatial and temporal nature of event experiences was studied through interviews, participant observation and photography at a major sporting event. Results contribute to a better understanding of how visitors interact with the event setting and with each other, and help build theory on experiences, their design and management. Event tourists were observed spatially and temporally while enjoying various elements of the host village and four event arenas, while photographs and notes made by participant observers enabled a more focused evaluation of positive and negative experiences. Results identified the importance of social factors, as visitors wanted to be where the others were, revealed that surprise created positive experiences, and identified the existence of experiential “hot spots” defined in both time and space. It is concluded that positive experiences are more important than negative ones in terms of overall satisfaction. Implications are drawn regarding the nature of event experiences, their design and management, and on related methodological development.

Designing events for social interaction.

Socialization motivates people to visit events and social interactions between event visitors influence their experience of the event. Consumer-to-consumer interactions in service settings and leis ...

Event evaluation: definitions, concepts and a state of the art review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to define event evaluation, develop a conceptual model of its process and elements, review pertinent literature, and draw conclusions pertaining both to the discourse on evaluation and its praxis. Design/methodology/approach – General review of literature and development of a conceptual model of the evaluation process. Findings – The review suggests that impact assessments have dominated, but are only one type of evaluation; research and papers on evaluating the worth of events has been minimal, while those on the evaluation of various management and marketing functions is fragmented. Research limitations/implications – It is concluded that little has been written about evaluation paradigms and systems, although the discourse on sustainability and triple bottom line accountability has led to a greater emphasis on non-economic considerations. Originality/value – The conceptual model of the evaluation process and its components offers a systematic approach to shaping evaluation discourse and methods. Conclusions are drawn on how to advance evaluation research and methods applied to events.

What and where is the indigenous at an indigenous festival : Observations from the winter festival in Jokkmokk, Sweden

What and where is the indigenous at an indigenous festival? : Observations from the winter festival in Jokkmokk, Sweden.

Evaluating the social impacts of events: in search of unified indicators for effective policymaking

ABSTRACT Policymakers in destinations regularly struggle to identify effective ways to evaluate the impacts of planned events. Especially problematic is the relative lack of knowledge about the social impacts that planned events incur. This challenge is largely attributable to the historic focus on economic impacts. However, this trend is shifting along with the realization that events often fail to deliver on promised economic trickle-down effects. This paper addresses the absence of a unified view on social impacts, and how this impedes destinations that aspire to work strategically with planned events. Policymakers at the destination level currently lack the common language needed to effectively measure these impacts. We use a Delphi approach to pinpoint social impact indicators that are of use in policy settings. The results show six indicators that meet the study criteria, thereby contributing towards a unified set of indicators for dealing with strategic event management at the destination level.