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Factors affecting resident support for a hallmark cultural event : the 2018 European Capital of Culture in Valletta, Malta

Hallmark events have a great impact on a host community, and local support for such events is vital. Previous research has mainly focussed on resident attitudes towards sport events rather than cultural hallmark events. This paper analyses the 2018 European Capital of Culture (ECOC) in Valletta, Malta, to understand resident’s attitudes towards a cultural event. A resident survey a few months prior to the event generated 267 responses. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis reveals that resident support for the ECOC was influenced by levels of perceived benefits and perceived costs, in line with social exchange theory. Perceptions of benefits and costs were related to levels of community attachment, community concern, resource utilisation and European identity. Levels of community involvement and identification with European culture are particularly important in generating support for the event, in line with the European Commission’s stated aims for the event.

Emerging models of the eventful city

Cities around the world are increasingly using events as a tool to generate a wide range of effects, including image enhancement, income generation, and social cohesion. However, the use of events as an urban policy tool is hampered by the fact that events themselves also have their own objectives, such as making a profit or advancing the agenda of national and international organizations. In some cases, the objectives of the events and the city may coincide, but in other cases, they may not. Therefore, for cities there is a growing challenge in coordinating their events program in order to maximize the benefits for the city as a whole, while also supporting individual events. Many cities have already developed specific events policies and support mechanisms, but these tend to treat events as individual occurrences, rather than as an integral part of the urban ecology. Richards and Palmer have argued that the "eventful city" needs to take a strategic, holistic view of its events portfolio in order to move from being a city full of events to developing "eventfulness." This article considers how some cities are developing more holistic approaches to event policy and eventfulness. In reviewing the events policies of cities worldwide, it identifies three emerging policy models: event-centric policy, sector-centric policy, and network-centric policy. The article further considers the implications of these different models for events and events policies in cities.

Emerging cultural tourism practices: New opportunities for small cities?

The impact of the 2007 European Cultural Capital in Sibiu : a long term perspective

Malta’s candidature for the title of European Capital of Culture 2018

De kandidatuur van Malta als Europese Culturele hoofdstad in cultuurtoeristisch perspectief

Estimating Impacts

This report investigates prior experiences and impacts of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) with the aim of informing preparation plans for Leeuwarden and Fryslân to organize the event in 2018. The longterm benefits that the ECoC tend to be both tangible through improvements in facilities, and intangible as self-confidence and pride increase as the result of celebrating the destination, its culture and history.