Cities used to compete to be monumental - now they compete to be eventful. Processes of globalisation, economic restructuring and urban redevelopment have placed events at the centre of strategies for change in cities. Events offer the potential to achieve economic, social, cultural and environmental aims within broader urban development strategies.

Eventful Cities: cultural management and urban revitalisation aims to analyse the process of cultural event development, management and marketing, and link these processes to their wider cultural, social and economic context. The book provides a unique blend of practical and academic analysis, centred partly on the case study of the European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) over the past 20 years and also on a selection of major festivals and cities where 'the event' has had an important element of development strategy. Cases will include:

ECOC analysed - Glasgow, Brussels, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lille, Cork, Bruges, Porto, Rotterdam, Santiago, Prague, Cracow, Bologna, Thessaloniki, Weimar, Lisbon, Dublin, Salamanca, Genoa and Graz. In addition, the development of the Cultural Capital concept worldwide will also be used to provide examples from Canada (Vancouver), Chile (Sanitago de Chile), and the USA (Austin). However, a range of other events from different locations and cultural contexts will also be employed to provide comparison and contrast with the ECOC, including Montreal, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Barcelona as festival cities, the First Night events in North America (Boston, Charleston, Toronto), The Fete de la Musique in France and other countries, the Cultural Olympiads held alongside the Olympic Games (e.g. Barcelona, Sydney, Athens), Carnivals in Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro and London, Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Sydney and gastronomic and cultural festivals in Singapore and Thailand.

Eventful Cities: cultural management and urban revitalisation provides the reader with the chance to appreciate the use and limitations of theoretical perspectives as well as the links between theory and practice. Critical success factors are identified which can help to guide other cities and regions in their strategic development. It is essential reading for any student or practitioner involved in event management, cultural management, arts administration, urban studies, cultural studies and tourism.


* Analyses the process of cultural event development, management and marketing and links these processes to their wider cultural, social and economic context
* Provides a unique blend of practical and academic analysis, with a selection of major festivals and cities where 'the event' has had an important element of development strategy
* Examines the reasons why different stakeholders should collaborate, as well as the reasons why partnerships succeed or fail