ABSTRACT
Events are created for a purpose, and increasingly in portfolios as instruments of corporate strategy and a wide range of public policies. It is therefore essential to implement a comprehensive evaluation and impact assessment process, as detailed in this chapter. The subjects and objects of evaluation and impact assessment are profiled, and discussed in turn. Attention is given to social, cultural, ecological, economic and built-environment outcomes. A number of specific models and tools are presented, including the balanced scorecard, forces-pressures-state-impacts-response model, Leopold Matrix, logic and theory of change models. Important distinctions are made between outputs and outcomes, and between evaluation as a routine process and the determination of the worth or value of events. Important variables and issues for event impact assessment are highlighted, leading to recommendations for how to conduct full benefit/cost assessments that incorporate principles of equity and sustainability.
