events Archives - Tourism Research Centre Blog

CPH:DOX : Innovative, globally aware and a proud reflection of Danish culture

Written by Nancy Dionne

Hello from Copenhagen!

CPH DOX is an early documentary film festival, meaning that it occurs in March well before most of the others for both fiction and nonfiction. More programmers are attending this early festival to help them plan their own focus or themes, as well as to feel that they have a first glimpse into what topics are going to be most “top of mind” for the year. The festival screenings are also open to the public and non-industry people can
attend these and hear the Q&A’s afterwards with many Directors and Producers. Fun for all!

CPH DOX has become one of the “hottest” tickets due to its early “sneak peak” and as a reflection of Danish culture, is innovative and open way that it approaches its Official Selections. The festival honors the art of filmmaking, being visually pleasing to the eye and prides itself on being globally aware. The ability for industry to come together just after Sundance in a more intimate way to connect, combined with the delicious food and drink and welcoming hospitality of Copenhagen, is a bit like a solid pre game huddle with your favorite teams. The festival centers at the “Hub” located in
the city center at the lovely Kunsthal Charlottenborg and acts as a home base.
Banners and posters can be seen city wide overhead, on walls and even fences as
seen from the photo above. This year, 2,645 delegates registered (up from 260
from last year) which included industry, filmmakers, and students of film for the
private and intimate events. The public numbers of who attended the film screenings were over 125,000, with over 27 (yes 27!) venue/theaters spaces across the city to choose from, allowing the festival to come to their own neighborhoods to experience together and for out of towners to in turn, experience many
neighborhoods and different aspects of Copenhagen. Each delegate is given a badge that is connected to their program, film tickets and events to
make it more hands free for: FORUM, Conference, LAB, Symposium, Market, Academy, Delegates and all film screenings. There was also a VR event mixed in with the more traditional style of filmmaking.

Temporary yet colorful lecture style chairs and couches are set up and the design changes each year, to allow for more intimate conversations and a cozy feel throughout the Hub and other various rooms dedicated to those who are gathered.

Panel events run all morning and afternoon, forum pitches and special one to one mentoring occasions are always packed to the brim and with evening happy
hours sponsored by different countries and groups, allowing to meet other
filmmakers around the globe AND after parties usually sponsored by the distributors or larger sponsors, it’s literally jam packed.

The Happy Hour room, where some members of
Screen Scotland, (Dani Carlaw, Head of Unscripted
in green hat) and the Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI) and local producers in fine representation. Honestly, the hardest part is to work out which events to attend, combined with which films and parties all in one day!

Denmark is quite expensive however in the “off season” of March, I found affordable clean budget hotels and easy flights.

With delicious food and drink, locals known for their friendliness and openness, I have never been disappointed. You literally can meet people that you
see in early stages of their films or finished teaser trailers and get to celebrate and honor them the next year when they finish. It’s a feeling of camaraderie.

(above image is the collection of film posters over the years of
films to premiere at the festival)

This small but mighty festival with its many events, is a special way for the
doc filmmaking community to connect in person and to help support one
another. Attending these early doors for me, is like charging up all of your
batteries at once, allowing me to get through the year. But that doesn’t
mean you don’t leave tired, as yes, I can confirm that you most certainly do!

I have met an ever growing group of creatives from every continent, we stay connected and look forward to seeing each either at CPH or another doc related
film festival each year. I cannot wait to welcome many to Edinburgh this summer and was happy to be able to attend this year thanks to Napier’s post graduate International Festivals and Events program.

(Special labeling for the fest for Happy Hour IPA’s)

This is Joe Mecca (left), we met in 2023. The film that he and the team are representing for its European premiere is called MEDIHA.

It is directed and produced by Hasan Oswald, produced by Joe’s sister, Annelise Mecca and Fahrinisa Campana, Alexander Spiess, and Stephen Nemeth. Mediha is a young woman, one of many women and children survivors of the ISIS
orchestrated genocide, who stands up to her trauma and to the authorities. Mediha’s resolve and the gripping bravery of local heroes and the film crew’s live rescue attempts, will cause you to manually close your
dropped jaw. A-mazing. Be on the lookout for this incredible work, it will stay with you as an inspiration.

Goodnight from CPH:DOX, Copenhagen!!!
Stay Brave, Untamed and Kind, Nancy

(photos by Nancy Dionne and Joe Mecca)

#FestivalsConnect tackles diversity, equality, inclusion and social cohesion

A picture showing the #FestivalsConnect audience at event

Dr Afiya Holder – 25 April 2023

What do events, festivals and sports have in common? – the power to connect, celebrate and inspire change.

Last week Professor Jane Ali-Knight and I attended the launch of #FestivalsConnect- an initiative of USW’s Centre for Culture, Sports and Events. The hosts Professors David McGillvray, Gayle McPherson and Sandro Carnicelli curated a gathering space in the rich cultural and historic town of Paisley for key industry practitioners, policymakers, and academia to discuss the role of events, festivals and sports in DEI and social cohesion.

The golden thread (pun intended) running throughout the discussions: “there is much being done but more support, structure, empirical work and practical impact are still needed”.

Amy Finch – Spirit of 2012 showcased numerous practical case examples of #MomentstoConnect, the power of inclusivity and engaging traditionally excluded social groups such as the British Futures Windrush 75 Project aimed to acknowledge the significant cultural histories and contribution of the Windrush generation and Caribbean community.

Panelists Craig Burn – UCI Cycling World Championships, Marie Christie – EventScotland, Sodhi Deerha- Glasgow Mela also shared their roles in fostering DEI and social cohesion in #events, #festivals, and #sports.

Craig highlighted the local and national impacts of cycling events that changed the socio-economic landscape of remote towns, developed purpose-built facilities in communities, and inspired active lifestyles among youth. In a side chat with Dr Holder, he also shared the impact of their involvement in developing the popular Scotland cycling course for eSports, a popular option and favourite of disabled international players.

Marie offered a holistic take on Event Scotland’s approach to inclusion and actions to ensure equality based on setting the #PerfectStage for all regarding age, ethnicity, religion, gender, and disability. Key action points included examining and ensuring equity in event funding and support. Marie also called for all to be actively involved in the upcoming series of consultation workshops aimed to address some of the gaps in the state of Scotland’s event industry and future- DEI being a main item for discussion.

Sodhi presented a unique perspective speaking from a supplier’s perspective as Producer of Mela multicultural events that showcase Indian music, dance, as well as interactive arts and culture. Sodhi shared the significant and lasting impact these events had on Glasgow’s cultural fabric, artists’ cultural pride and sense of self-determination as well as community social cohesion and acceptance of multiculturality.

On the topic, it’s safe to say Festivals, Events and Sports in Scotland are in capable hands. Yet, as I reflect on my work in this contested space, careful consideration is needed to avoid virtue signalling and ‘DEI-washing’ which is unsupportive when creating an inclusive and equal environment. Therefore, in this multi-layered and complex space it is imperative:

To achieve a deeper understanding from multiple socio-cultural lenses to achieve a comprehensive outlook;
To foster more engagement and empirical work to examine DEI impacts and social cohesion outcomes from events, festivals, and sports; and,
To determine clear indicators of success and practical impact

As I noted in my research on socio-cultural aversions, socio-cultural and economic ramifications for individuals, businesses and communities can be considerable if left unaddressed.

For more interest on this topic connect with Dr Afiya Holder, Prof Jane Ali-Knight or Tourism Research Centre for research, collaborative or PhD opportunities.

Festivals as networked communities, and a PhD journey to Tilburg University

By Dr David Jarman

In the world of festivals and communities, relationships matter. Festival managers and producers understand the overlapping links, both professional and private, amongst their colleagues. Freelancers and graduates developing their careers appreciate that opportunities may come by way of personal connections. The future success of entire festival organisations can depend on forging, maintaining and exploiting associations with collaborators, suppliers and allies.

Academic literature in the field of festival studies has sought to better understand the interpersonal dimension of these events, from different conceptual standpoints, in a range of contexts. However, in this festival environment there remains an opportunity, if not a need, to establish the place of network-based research methods and perspectives in the development of academic and industry understandings of social relationships. Networks underpin these connections and communities, from simple ties between pairs of people, to complex webs spanning hundreds of individuals, venues, performing companies, supply chains and audience members.

Earlier this summer, just before the beginning of term, I headed over to The Netherlands to complete my doctorate. The research is a response to the question: “What can social network analysis, and a network-orientated perspective, contribute to understanding the relationships within festival and creative communities?”

My PhD was with Tilburg University, where I had been a student for three years through the period of Covid lockdowns. The empirical work that contributed to it was built up over a number of years though, through a range of different journal articles, conference presentations and book chapters. It has been a privilege and an interesting journey over that time to complete this range of different projects, and to work with different people along the way. Taking this “by publication” route meant that I was able to focus on different projects, involving an array of primary data types, and various research methodologies. I was also able to find different homes for my work, with the support of many editors and colleagues along the way. Presenting my work at different conferences and events allowed me to tell people about my work and generate some interest in the network approach that I’ve been taking.

Throughout my work I’ve been focusing on different types of social network analysis. SNA is a growing area of academic research, partly driven by the opportunities that it presents, but also because of the interest in networks that has developed over the past 20 years. This interest is partly driven by widespread use of social media and communications technologies, but also through the shared experience of the Covid-19 pandemic and its spread across the globe. I was able to take this interest and apply it to the context of festivals and events, showing that there is a lot to be learnt and concluded from a network focused approach.

Going through the Dutch system was very interesting and rewarding, and very different from the experiences of colleagues who went through a UK system. My trip to Tilburg in late summer was primarily for a public defence of my PhD: I was given an hour on stage in which to present my work, and then to answer questions from a panel of assembled professors. It was a good experience, and my supervisors were confident that I would get through it, so I was happy to have my family with me to see it! I also produced a public publication so to speak: this took the form of multiple copies of a printed book with a shiny cover, that people who attended the event were free to take away with them. It has been an interesting journey to turn my PhD thesis into something which can quite comfortably sit on a bookshelf in a library, or in someone’s study.

The publication of the book in this form, and also as a PDF freely available from the Tilburg University repository, means that the various publications that I collected over the years are now in one place. If anyone wants to know what I’ve done over the past 10 years or so, they can head to the Tilburg University website and there it will be.

The journey to Tilburg was fantastic, and the good weather really helped. I was also very happy that one of my colleagues at Napier, Professor Jane Ali-Knight, was one of my supervisors, and therefore also at the public defence. Working with her, and my director of studies Professor Greg Richards, has been a really rewarding and valuable experience in itself. Greg and I, for example, published a special issue of the Event Management academic journal in 2021. We also collaborated on some events through the ATLAS group of academics, and we shall continue to build on this.

Final thanks from me must go to two groups of people. One is my family, my partner and young son who came out to the Netherlands with me. We enjoyed some lovely days in Amsterdam, Tilburg, and nearby Breda. The other group of people are the various administrators, support staff and Beadles who helped me at Tilburg University. They are a fantastic team, and I was really lucky to work with such great people through the six-month journey from thesis submission to public defence and book publication. The Tilburg campus is beautiful, the atmosphere is lively, and I was very well looked after by everyone I met.

In terms of my work as an academic at Edinburgh Napier, I am now in a position to tell anyone that there is a collected body of my work in that book. I’m also very happy that I can now call myself Dr. This will open up future opportunities to me in terms of research and other work, with additional freedoms to treat each project on its own merits rather than being part of a bigger endeavour. I will, of course, retain my interest in festivals, networks, and communities, and I will continue to share this with people at every opportunity that comes my way.

New report offers guidance to events industry partners on managing risk in the time of unexpected crisis: COVID & Innovation within Edinburgh’s Festivals

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed significant social and economic losses on festivals globally. Government imposed lockdowns prevented socialising and meant that events were cancelled, paused, or redeveloped into a virtual format. Event organisers turned to creative problem-solving and accelerated innovation to manage the crisis.

Edinburgh Napier academics – Prof. Jane Ali-Knight, Dr Gary Kerr, and Hannah Stewart MSc – have created a report in collaboration with Prof. Kirsten Holmes from Curtin University (Perth, Australia) examining the impacts of COVID-19 on festivals in eventful destinations and the response of festival managers to the ongoing pandemic, using the case study of Edinburgh’s Festivals.

First, the team reviewed policies and practices relevant to the safe opening of festivals and events up to the Autumn of 2021. Second, they used a mixed methods approach to collect a range of data between June 2021 to November 2021, including participant observation of events, and in-depth interviews with key Edinburgh Festival Directors, managers and city stakeholders to identify how they initially responded and continue to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The fieldwork data are supported by content analysis of key media narratives focusing on festival and event cancellation and post COVID-19 recovery.

Key Findings revealed that since March 2020, 10 out of 11 of Edinburgh’s major festivals have successfully delivered programming in a live or digital format; all participants reported having to restructure their organisations’ business and delivery models in response to COVID-19; festivals were forced to shift their primary funding avenues from a ticket sales and revenue-based focus to securing funding from sponsorship, donations and COVID-19 recovery support with several organisations trialled a digital ‘pay what you can’ model for access to online events, championing and maintaining financial accessibility in an economic crisis.

The research team used the data to develop a new framework (please see below) for industry partners to approach risk management within festivals and events. This new model provides a tactical response to unexpected crisis events, such as a global pandemic, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other unique disruptive scenarios beyond the sector’s control.

The framework consists of three components. The first one, response, refers to organisers first assessing the situation, then reacting to evolving customer needs and behaviours by offering new types of experiences, products, and services, and lastly, strategically planning the next steps to cope with high levels of uncertainty.

The model’s second element, resilience, describes the critical importance of business model innovation that can be done through establishing new partnerships, as well as adjusting and adapting business and delivery models and supply chains to manage risk in the long term.

Lastly, the reimaging component touches on dynamic recovery through the reviewing of organisational successes and areas for opportunity, the development of potential future scenarios and how they can be prepared for, as well as the building of flexible and dynamic strategies that are stress-tested against various scenarios.

The importance of effective communication and support between festival stakeholders in times of crisis is emphasised by the researchers, and it appears in the centre of the framework interlinking all elements.

To download the full report please click here.