ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a multi-agency approach to large events and provides a contextual introduction to the research conducted in examining the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May 2023 (ESC23). This overview describes the growth of large events in the UK and beyond and identifies the numerous agencies involved in such events. This chapter analyses the roles and responsibilities of event organisers, emergency services and key partners in managing such events and considers historical and legal challenges that form the backdrop to present day major event production and management. The chapter provides a contextual examination of the ESC in recent history, challenges for host cities and the background to the ESC23 being held in the UK originally set to be hosted in Ukraine. Finally, the chapter details the research methodology, including the authors’ insider and outsider perspectives and sets the scene for the in-depth exploration of multi-agency approaches to large event planning and delivery presented in the subsequent chapters.
