ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the underlying political aspects of event bidding and hosting. Managing and mitigating the political aspects of events is a key skill for an event manager. It would be ideal to be able to tell you how to manage each type of political situation. Due to the complexity of places, people and scenarios, however, this is not possible. To become a skilled political manager of events, you must develop knowledge and experience concerning where to expect political maneuvers, how they could come into play, and then devise personalized management strategies based on your own knowledge and experience. To aid in the foundational knowledge necessary for this skill, this chapter defines “politics”; applies this definition to bidding and event hosting experiences; explains the role that politics play through the event continuum in three distinct phases – including bidding, transition and review, and event hosting; examines scenarios; and offers some insightful ways in which the political effect can be mitigated. A case study in event bidding is included to guide the reader to develop personal insights regarding politics and a series of questions is posed to encourage the reader to contemplate how they might choose to navigate the complex world of politics in event bidding and hosting.
