- Home
- Session Reports
- Opening Address
- Question Time 1
- 01. Events and IT
- 02. Staging Events with Excluded Young People
- 04. Cities and Major Events
- 05. Sports Events and Community Conflict
- Question Time 2
- 06. Evaluating Events (i)
- Keynote: Liverpool 08
- Day 2: Plenary Keynote
- Question Time 3
- 12. Making Cultural Venues Open
- 13. The Importance of Small Events
- 14. Evaluating Events (ii)
- Question Time 4
04. Cities and Major Events
Andrew Macgill (Leeds City Council); Eamonn O’Rourke (Manchester Leisure)
Where events once had been little more than a vanity exercise for cities in the last twenty years they have now become focal points for much wider regeneration and development. There is also a growing understanding of what cities should do to make the most of major events elsewhere in the country, such as 2012. In terms of developing culture and sport strategies around events, two of the UK’s leading examples are represented in this session, and presenters will outline their approaches and initiate discussion.
Conference Report
This session contrasted the approaches of two major regional cities – Manchester and Leeds – to planning and staging event. Eamonn O’Rourke explained how, following its Olympic bids and the success of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester has established a reputation for staging large-scale international events, especially in the field of sport. He also explained that the core drivers for Manchester’s events strategies are economic and social regeneration. Andrew Macgill explained how Leeds has to date adopted a more modest approach to planning and staging events, concentrating largely on hosting free sports and cultural events for local people. However, in line with a new facilities and infrastructure building programme he explained that Leeds is now seeking to stage more high profile national and international events. In doing so, it will be considering the development a more thoroughgoing legacy and monitoring programme.
