ABSTRACT
The introductory chapter to Event Studies explains and defines this academic field of study and its three main discourses: event management, event tourism, and a disciplinary approach. A framework (a graphic model) for understanding and developing knowledge about planned events is presented, with its core phenomenon being the event experience and meanings attached to it. The other dimensions of the framework are planning and management of events (including design), personal antecedents and decision-making for event attendance, outcomes and the impacted, and patterns and processes. Major forces affecting planned events are discussed, along with important trends and issues, one of which is the rise of event-management careers and education. The evolution of event-related literature is summarized.
