ABSTRACT
Mega-Events are developed into one of the most powerful tool to promote urban development. Sport events, like Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, as well as cultural and business ones, as EXPO can be considered as such Mega-Events. The aim of this paper is to understand the role of mega events as catalysts in urban development. The methodology comprises of two steps: understanding the concept of mega events through literature review and analysis of case studies based on parameters. The case studies selected are Athens Summer Olympic Games 2004, Shanghai Expo 2010 and Dubai Shopping Festival. The parameters analyzed are Impact on Tourism, Infrastructure and Economy of the host city. The study recognizes that a city could experience developments through the hosting of mega events. The most significant conclusion of the study is that the mega events have the ability to assist in the effort to improve a city’s economy, infrastructure, transportation system and environmental protection projects.
