ABSTRACT
Governing authorities are meant to effectively govern, direct, and regulate at various levels (locally, regionally, and nationally) depending on their remit, within a society on behalf of the people they represent. Within this remit, an authority’s role is to represent and connect with the people. Events of all kinds are a central feature of a governing authority’s social and business development activities, so much so that many larger cities and towns now have a dedicated events department and destination management organisations that focus solely on attracting business and tourism through international events or assist in bidding processes. In recent years, the exposure that is generated through the various media channels and global communications by international events has played an important role, driving many governing authorities to become increasingly engaged with international events.
This chapter considers the strategic use of international events by authorities as well as some of the protocols that are central to the proper and respectful delivery of international events. It considers the values authorities place on its processes, particularly on how the various procedures, processes and dialogue impact on the event itself. We learn that international events will require the intervention of the authorities at different levels depending on their size, the roles that authorities undertake in supporting international events, as well as how they approach creating international events for cities, regions and nations.
