Assessing the economic impact of event management in Ireland: A local authority planning perspective

The purpose of this article is to examine the extent of local authority economic planning for event management in Ireland. Local authorities are increasingly using events to achieve a diverse range of economic objectives. However, achieving economic objectives can come at an expense to host communities and affect a societies social capital. Therefore, the need to plan for and manage the economic impact of events needs to be acknowledged. This study assessed 32 local authorities and city councils utilizing a content analysis approach. This methodological approach provided nationwide perspectives in relation to local authority planning for the economic impact of event management. Analysis has found that few local authorities recognized the need to provide planning guidelines and policies to manage the economic impact of event management. Therefore, support for the economic development of regions and counties in Ireland has not been realized. Further analysis revealed the necessity of providing effective policies and guidelines with the incorporation of best practice indicators to sustainably plan, manage and monitor the economic impact of event management. The findings from this article highlight the need for nationwide improvements to effectively plan for and evaluate the economic activity of event management by local authorities.