Events Management for the Infant and Youth Market

In recent years, research on children's tourism experiences has gained prominence, as children are becoming an increasingly vital market for the tourism industry. While events are a main sector of the industry and host millions of children every year, there is a lack of research specifically focussed on children's experiences in events. This chapter focusses on children's entertainment events which can provide children with a satisfying, memorable and educational experience. This study has developed a framework to facilitate deeper mixed studies on children's experiences in event tourism. The framework is composed of four pillars based on various social, tourism and event theories and models, including the Cognition–Affect–Behaviour (CAB) theoretical framework, the Orchestra Model of Experience, the Event Experience Scales (EES), the Theory of Child Well-being and the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM). The framework can be used by future researchers as an analytical evaluation tool to study children's experiences in different types of events and understand the mechanisms of behaviour change in this context.

Family events have unique significance on children as well as long-lasting impacts on them during their adulthood. A review of conceptual and theoretical literature on the subject was conducted to identify underlying trends and best practices in engaging children in the events industry. Societies are in transition from industrialised societies into risk societies and are increasingly becoming eco-socialised. Family events are integral towards developing inclusive and integrated societies and in realising Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16). Childhood is always eco-socialised, i.e. socially, economically and ecologically integrated with other forms of life. To the extent that childhood nostalgia forms the basis for future sustainable events and tourism choices. Family events are, therefore, increasingly becoming fundamental towards developing sustainability discourse. This viewpoint chapter provides conceptual and theoretical perspective on the roles and impacts of childhood research in sustainability discourse.

In today's world, events are used as a mean to achieve an array of objectives including changing behaviours. This chapter asserts the importance of marketing in encouraging sustainable behaviours by children through events. Thus, it examines the most effective way of marketing to contribute to shift behaviours in a young age having events as an ally. The question that poses is how marketing and more specifically social marketing can help to plan, create, design and promote sustainable events for children. Bearing that in mind, and based on a semi-systematic literature review, one developed a comprehensive conceptual framework intending to show how it is possible to encourage sustainable children's behaviour through events. Results suggest that social marketing can play a significant role in changing children's behaviour towards sustainability. It is argued that there is a creation of ‘value’ even that behaviour change is only temporary. Furthermore, it is suggested that social marketing represents a viable approach when seeking to educate children and change their behaviours towards the adoption of more sustainable practices. This chapter advances theoretical knowledge by offering a conceptual framework and by suggesting a way forward in marketing sustainable events for children.

Education for Sustainable Development and graduate employability are key agendas within Higher Education, and career-related events provide a context that caters to both simultaneously. There is a need for greater integration of academic department and career service teams in developing event management that systematically considers the potential to raise awareness of sustainability-related careers. This can maximise student personal and professional growth through sustainability-related career events, which simultaneously benefit the student through shaping personal and professional ‘purpose’, society through impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and university impact-related measures. By approaching events as a source of empowering students to become aware of, and actively seek out careers in which they can have a positive impact on people and planet, universities can provide a pipeline of sustainability ‘actioners and transformers’. This chapter illuminates the potential actions between career service teams and academic departments in developing information-related events about sustainability-related careers. It extends a popular employability framework to sustainability, presented with an illustrative case in a UK study context aligned with the sustainability ‘Thinker, Actioner and Transformer’ typology. An analysis of career service information enables clear recommendations to be provided on how academic teams, career and other operational services might coordinate approaches. It is proposed that the ultimate commitment of growth in transformation might well be to nurture students as activists for change, presented through the topical analysis of ‘fossil-free’ career events. This is very much a starting point, and it is hoped that the chapter provides an opening for further discussion.

This research work explores the perception of children's experiences as spectators of a sporting event. The study focusses on the 19th Mediterranean Games hosted by Oran in the summer of 2022 and aims to analyse the trace of emotions and memories that the event left in their minds. A qualitative survey was conducted with 22 resident children who attended the event as spectators. The results show that a child's experience at a sporting event is holistic, appearing in several dimensions: a cognitive dimension, referring to what the child learnt from the event, and an affective dimension, which is important for creating strong and meaningful experiences for children at sporting events.

The role of children and young people is not outlined in the sustainability transitions literature. The aim of this work is to illustrate the significance of young people's agency by showcasing Hare Krishna eco-farms organising cultural/eco-spiritual events. This work forms part of a wider sustainability study focussing on food in spiritual communities in Europe. Data were collected through observation and interviews on three Hare Krishna farms. The agency of children and youths and the significance of their presence at eco-events emerged as an unexpected theme. Findings show that Hare Krishna events in Europe are visited by a relatively high number of children and young people who learn about more sustainable practices through extracurricular activities. By describing the cognitive and experiential encounters, the authors draw attention to the significance of children's involvement in ecologically geared events in the context of sustainability transitions.

The issues surrounding the scholarship on children-inclusive events management are explored in depth to provide a context for this chapter. Focus then turns to the city of Winchester in the United Kingdom as a case study for potential events aimed at this age group. Through a synthesis of the findings from a thorough new research study along with emerging theories in narrative and storytelling as experience co-creation, a proposed design for a new event is put forward. It is hoped that this approach in the academic literature will encourage other researchers to include innovative proposals in their synthesis and conclusions. Finally, additional considerations of integrating city branding with a wider regional branding are explored through ethnobotany. Lessons are drawn from an example of brand management based on a city event for children in Scotland.

Events feed our desire to connect, celebrate and share experiences. Visiting or taking part in Children's events forms part of many a child's upbringing. They are part of family life. All well-planned events share the same core principals whatever their size or type. Children's events are no different. Events designed with children in mind require no less time or effort. The audience may well be young but don't be fooled into thinking that they are any less demanding! Your event needs to work on many levels to please this audience and their parents and or guardians. While the process of planning a Children's events is the same as that aimed at adults, they are more difficult to deliver because of the requirements of the legislation designed to safeguard and protect children, while at events. The legislation and best practice guidance is all designed to ensure children attending events are kept safe, free from harm and if they, for example, get lost, there is a procedure in place to reunite parents and children. This chapter is specifically about events where children are the primary audience, either specifically or because of the nature the event programme children often attend with their parents. It will give you an overview of the seven steps event managers take to ensure they deliver successful and safe children's events.

Events that are designed around the needs of children are particularly challenging to plan and thus choosing the right venue to stage such an event is a substantial task. Venue considerations for such events includes location, access and nearby amenities, capacity and flow, facilities, catering, decor as well as safeguarding. Given that event managers can now choose from purpose-built event spaces, hotels, academic, sporting and unique venues, the decision is even more complex. This chapter provides a comprehensive assessment of key venue considerations for event managers when planning child-centric events and outlines the typical characteristics of a range of venues, as relevant to organising events for family audiences.

This chapter explores some of the key operational steps and marketing activity required to organise a children's sports events based on the experience of event management company ReesLeisure. The chapter highlights the importance of conducting research pre-event, creating robust event aims, developing a target market, marketing the event correctly, working with competent suppliers, hiring the correct number of staff and having the vital paperwork and policies in place. It explores some of the barriers and challenges that organisers face and have to work through when organising events for children.

When celebrating with newly-weds on their wedding day, many would imagine the best way to enjoy the day at its best would be to invite and include all members of the family, including the youngest. However, unlike adult guests who will usually happily enjoy the food and drink offered alongside any entertainment, children can be trickier to keep safe and happy all day long as their boredom threshold may well be lower than their adult counterparts and their needs more complex. There has long been a difficult debate over whether children bring unwanted stress to wedding plans or actually enhance the fun and celebration wished for. This chapter discusses all sides of an emotive argument of whether children should be invited to weddings and wedding receptions and how we might ensure their presence is enjoyable for all including the young person themselves.

This chapter tells the story of an intense but rewarding five years of running events for children in Hampshire in the south of England, UK, from 2015 to 2020. Whilst there will be a wealth of theory and academic models presented within this book, here the focus is primarily practical with lessons learnt from direct, and sometimes hard-earned experience. There are of course many formal options for becoming a primary school teacher or trained event host, for example, but we took a more lean and pragmatic approach to designing our off-curriculum activities and events.

Children with disabilities are integral part of the society, but they often confront challenges due to barriers that people throw in their way. As a result, their participations in public events are often limited. Despite several treaties and conventions, children with disabilities still face discrimination that spreads into all spheres of life and not much is done to empower them to become resilient. According to the UNICEF Report (2020), children with disabilities are stigmatised and they are often isolated without having a possibility to participate in events and activities of the schools. While the government sector undoubtedly provides the basic support and facilities to them, the rest is often left in the hands of private sectors and NGOs. As a result, it is important to recognise and acknowledge NGO's effort in empowering children with disabilities and integrating them in the society. The African Network for Policy, Research and Advocacy for Sustainability (ANPRAS), an NGO affiliated with the African Union and headquartered in Mauritius never neglected this segment of the society while organising its flagship activities and annual event. Unlike Dowse, Powell, and Weed (2018) who argue that children are mostly undermined as community members, the current study seeks to demonstrate that children have a voice at ANPRAS and those with disability have a louder one. In fact, children with disabilities are gifted with talents and they may live a normal life if they are accepted by the society and if appropriate support is given. Methodologically, the chapter is built on secondary data from documents archived at ANPRAS office. The chapter closes with a concluding note on few implications related to the participation of children with disabilities in public events and ANPRAS activities.

This chapter explores the potential for a rigid format of event structure that has been successful for decades to be curated by, hosted by, attended by and with speakers who are all children or young people. The chapter considers the opportunities for an event and the changes in format that need to be made to stay true to the essence of the TED format yet incorporating the creativity and brilliance of children and young people to ensure they gain the most from an event of this format.