TLH 107 Assessment 2: Essay Analyzing Mega Events' Sustainability

This essay, prepared for TLH 107, delves into the complex world of mega events, analyzing their successes and failures on a global scale. It begins with an introduction defining mega events and their characteristics, followed by a comparison of successful events like the London 2012 Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, contrasting them with failures such as the 2015 Eurovision and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The essay further examines the potential positive and negative impacts of these events on host cities, using examples from Russia (FIFA World Cup 2018) and India (Commonwealth Games 2010). It also explores the strategies cities employ to manage the aftermath of these events. The essay concludes that the sustainability of mega events is a myth, as both successful and unsuccessful events inevitably result in a mix of positive and negative consequences. The essay uses various books, journals and online sources to support its arguments.

TLH 107 Assessment 2:
Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Comparison of success and failures of mega events worldwide..................................................1
Potential positive and negative impacts on host cities.................................................................2
The ways in which cities have deal with the aftermath of events................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Mega events are considered as ambulatory occasions that are organised at international
scale by special authority as well as yield high media coverage by attracting large number of
people and international participants (Barker, Page and Meyer, 2002). Such events require huge
investments and they target international market by involving participation of media. The events
have short life span, preparations along with stages that creates opportunities in terms of shaping
sustainable legacies. This essay includes a discussion on the statement, “ The sustainability of
mega events is a myth.” it is discusses by considering as well as comparing successes along with
failures of such events worldwide. It further includes positive as well as negative impacts of the
mega events on hosting city. It also includes the ways cities deals with the aftermath of events.
MAIN BODY
Mega events are the means through which various cities stimulates programmes related to
regeneration as well as improvements by enhancing their positions through advertisements at
global level (Daniels and Norman, 2003). Such events acts as key instruments that results in
significant changes as well as development at different levels. Some of the mega events are
World Cup, Eurovision, Olympics and so on.
Comparison of success and failures of mega events worldwide.
Mega events that were successful:
London Games, 2012: Such mega event was successful as all the best as well as worst
elements of previous Olympics games were considered and accordingly planning as well as
implementation of programmes, plans as well as procedures was done. As the community
members participated in organising such mega event that enhances excitement of the city along
with successful delivery of all games (London Games, 2012. 2018).
FIFA World Cup 2018: Such event war organised at Russia and was not only the
enjoyable event but the unpredictable and significant one (World Cup, 2018. 2018). Such event
was successful due to remarkable performances by participants from different teams, usage of
advanced as well as innovative technologies, fantastic management of tournament and so on
aspects.
Rio Olympics, 2016: The mega event was the successful event among the Olympic
games that were held in past years. It was an iconic event that stated new records, great
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emotions, inspiring sportsmen ship, personal bests and so on. It was successful as it the planners
had set new standards, increased awareness of the global public, provided high quality or
equipments and many more.
Mega events that were failed:
Eurovision, 2015: Such mega event failed due to not able to meet the hopes of viewers,
less preparations by participants before the finals, weak as well as outdated stages, biasses in
result declaration, incompetent teams and many more reasons (Eurovision, 2015. 2015).
Commonwealth Games, 2010: This was a collective management failure event. The
reasons for the failure were poor infrastructure facilities provided to international athletics,
inappropriate tools or equipments used at the time of games, improper facilities for parking,
collapses of main stadium that caused injury to various people, improper scheduling of games,
various issues at the time of departure of athletics, level of cleanliness was very low at living
areas, negligence of various incidents and so on.
Montreal Olympic Games, 1976: Such event was also in the list of failure events. The
reasons for the failure of this event are poor organised structure, lack of awareness about the
event, horrendous erection problems, technical challenges and time pressure from top authorities
or international administration.
From the above mentioned events it can be compared that the reasons for the success of
FIFA World cup 2018 and London 2012 Games was providing highly technological equipments
that reduces biasness in measuring accurate results, planning all the events in systematic manner,
implementing programmes in smooth ways where as the failures of Eurovision 2015 and
Commonwealth Games 2010 are improper equipments, poor infrastructure, biasness in
measuring results, improper implementation of plans as well as programmes.
Potential positive and negative impacts on host cities
From the above success and failures of mega events following impacts are evaluated:
FIFA World Cup 2018 was hosted by Russia. The impact of such mega event in Russia
are as follows:
Positive impact: Such event had marginal positive impact in the economy of Russia. Such
retailers of such country were successful in improving financial condition after successful of the
event as well as boosting their sales related to snack food, beverages and drinks. It lifted
confidence level of merchandisers and helped pub owners by providing general public a
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convivial atmosphere to watch the matches that helps owners to generate more revenues. Due to
hosting of such event, Russia had experienced developments in generation of employment
opportunities along with hospitality industry (Impacts of World cup. 2018). It has increased the
number of visitors and renovated hospitals, power stations and hotels at great extent that
impacted on positive development of Russia.
Negative impact: The negative impact of such mega event was that numerous people lost
their shelter for the preparation of FIFA World Cup that forced general public to shift towards
basic huts where they were provided no electricity or water facilities. Russia had to invest much
amounts for such event that resulted in reducing their profits as well as position in terms of
financial aspects. Due to internet access to developed countries, tickets were sold online as such
the local people were unable to attend various events that impacted in strong dissatisfaction
amongst Russian locals.
Commonwealth Games, 2010 was hosted by India. The games of such events took
place at Delhi.
Positive impact: Such event helped New Delhi to analyse its capability to host multi
sporting event in which numerous visitors visited the events that resulted in improving image of
such city in the international market. It impacted on increasing economic conditions of the nation
by developing urban as well as rural areas that impacted on development of infrastructure,
improving water supplying system, building new networks of flyovers as well as roads that
connects the city with domestic along with international terminals. The authorities focused on
renewing waste material in order to optimally utilising resources. Thus, such mega event
impacted on development of transportation system, construction of infrastructure, waste
treatment and so on.
Negative impact: The failure of such event results in criticism of development of Indian
economy as more money was invested in such sporting event. Investment impacts on loss of
financial resources for the developing country (Hall, 1992). Furthermore, such event has
negatively impacted social life of Delhi as numerous people were allotted duties at expensive
rates. At the time the games were conducted it impacted on rising of prices of various retail
products that affected customer expenditure as well as economic conditions of Delhi.
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The ways in which cities have deal with the aftermath of events.
In order to deal from negative impacts of the mega events or aftermath of the above
stated events, cities have used following concepts:
 In context to FIFA World Cup 2018, the management association of Russia has
reshaped all the physical space and provided shelter to the affected people (Preuss,
2008). The association have build various houses from the earned profits and delivered
them to the general public.
 In context to Commonwealth Games, 2010, the Delhi authorities have implemented
various strategies that resulted in reducing prices of retail products as well as have used
the infrastructure for further integration or interaction of government and organisations
with other countries as to overcome the failures of the event (Madden, 2002).
From the above discussion it can be said that whether a event is successful or failure, it
has to face various positive as well as negative impacts. All the mega events have some or other
problems associated with them from the stage of planning till executing as well as monitoring
results. Only the impacts can be seen for long time period but it is very difficult to sustain any
mega event for longer duration. They only exists for the described time period and results in
negative or positive influencer. Thus, it can be said that sustainability of mega events are myths.
CONCLUSION
From the above essay it can be concluded that mega events takes place by attracting
larger audiences a swell as participation of international as well as international athletics.
Sustainability of such events depends on integration with the desired objectives behind hosting
such events. Some of the successful mega events were London Games, 2012, FIFA World Cup
2018, Rio Olympics, 2016 and so on. While on the other side, the mega events that were failed
were Eurovision, 2015, Commonwealth Games, 2010, Montreal Olympic Games, 1976 and
hence forth. All the events results in positive as well as negative impacts inspite of their success
or failure. While all cities performs various practices in order to deal with aftermath of events.
Hence, the sustainability of mega events is a myth.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Barker, M., Page, S. and Meyer, D., 2002. Modelling tourism crime: The 2000 America's Cup.
Annals of Tourism Research, vol.29: 3, 762.
Daniels, M. J. and Norman, W.C., 2003. Estimating the Economic Impacts of Seven Regular
Sport Tourism Events, Journal of Sport Tourism, vol. 8: 4, 214–222.
Hall, C. M., 1992. Hallmark tourist events – Impacts, management and planning. Bellhaven
Press: London.
Madden, J. R., 2002. The Economic Consequences of the Sydney Olympics: The CREA/Arthur
Andersen Study. Current Issues in Tourism, vol. 5: 1, 7-21.
Preuss, H., 2008. The Impact and Evaluation of Major Sporting Events. London: Routledge.
Online:
Eurovision, 2015. 2015. [Online]. Available through: <http://benroyston.com/five-reasons-why-
the-united-kingdom-failed-at-eurovision-2015/>
Impacts of World cup. 2018. [Online]. Available through: <https://www.lonbrella.co.uk/post/the-
real-impact-of-the-fifa-s-world-cup >
London Games, 2012. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<http://thesportdigest.com/2013/08/why-london-2012-worked-the-critical-success-
factors/ >
World Cup, 2018. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/what-made-2018-fifa-world-cup-so-successful>
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