The Virtual Sport Experience Design (VSX) framework, which was adapted from Funk's Sport Experience Design (SX) framework, was used to examine the event experience of cyclists who competed on the mixed reality platform, Zwift. Using a mixed methods approach, the findings suggest that Zwift is a viable substitute for real-life cycling events in that it provides users with realistic and serious competition in a social environment. High levels of technological embodiment, the quality of the in-game graphics, and the gamification elements added to the experience by creating a sense of presence and control. However, it was the social dimension and the ability to communicate and create a sense of "communitas" with other riders that provided the most compelling argument that Mixed Reality can provide a digital alternative to real-life events.

Cultural events feature prominently in the economic strategies of many cities. However, culture is open to interpretation and cultural expression can be problematic. This article examines Saint Patrick's Day celebrations in Belfast and how this event has been the victim of a bitter "cultural war." Efforts to reframe the event and make it inclusive have had limited success. Like many other postconflict countries, culture in Northern Ireland is tied to group identity and cultural expression is bound up with the battle for political legitimacy and state sovereignty. This battle for ownership and cultural supremacy has meant that Belfast has been unable to cash in on its authentic links to Saint Patrick. This is unlikely to change because, despite COVID-19 and the prominence given to event tourism in Belfast's new culture strategy, the zero-sum character of the cultural war in Northern Ireland would suggest group identity will continue to trump the economic argument.

This article assesses whether or not a cultural event can play a peacebuilding role during the post-violence phase of conflict. Cultural expression has long been a contentious issue in Northern Ireland, no more so than in Derry/Londonderry, the city at the center of this study. Adopting a qualitative approach, the authors used the city's Fleadh Cheoil (2013) event as a case study and found that it served three of the seven peacebuilding functions outlined by Paffenholz and Spurk: social cohesion, in-group socialization, and intermediation/facilitation. The findings suggest that the event enabled positive change by building "bridges" and developing intercommunal trust and cross-culture understanding. This did not happen by chance and nor was it unproblematic. However, inclusivity was a core objective and the event was planned and managed accordingly. This required strong leadership, risk taking, sensitivity, and a willingness to negotiate and compromise. In turn, this created the conditions for cross community dialogue that had ramifications beyond the cultural realm. Although this article has demonstrated how a cultural event can play a role in peacebuilding, it does not suggest that culture events are a panacea for sectarianism, bias, or conflict in Northern Ireland or elsewhere. However, if planned properly they can contribute to the peacebuilding process by providing an opportunity for people to navigate difficulties and develop shared experiences in complex and challenging conditions. These can help build trust, tolerance, understanding and confidence that enable divided societies to coexist more peacefully.

It is widely held that social capital can help build sustainable communities, yet researchers agree that further research is needed to fully understand the social dimensions of sustainable development. In event settings, understanding how social capital is formed remains limited. This paper addresses this issue by examining the extent to which the UK City of Culture 2013 (CoC13) succeeded in building social capital in post-conflict Derry/Londonderry. The authors adopted a case study approach and mixed qualitative methods in the form of in-depth interviews and focus groups. The findings suggest that CoC13 helped to generate both bonding and bridging social capital, however, while intra community bonds were strengthened, exclusivity was also fostered. More positive were the examples of bridging capital cultivated across communities, particularly between young attendees, and between event organisers, with cooperation building trust and goodwill between volunteers. Some of the cross community relationships developed have been sustained. However, the lack of legacy planning has meant that the long-term social goals have not been met. In summary, the study suggests that in a post conflict society, events can help build social capital. However, in the absence of legacy planning, the benefits gained may soon evaporate.

Purpose The use of “special events” as an attractor for destinations in the smart tourism paradigm has been suggested as one element of an effective destination strategy. This study aims to create new understandings of this potentiality by exploring an event from a participant perspective in smart tourism contexts by creating a model integrating factors impacting the smart event experience. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted five online focus groups by using Facebook secret groups to engage spectators of an international sports event. Discussions focussed on the digital event experience with particular reference to the event app. A subsequent interpretative phenomenological analysis facilitated the examination of how people make sense of this digital phenomenon and the impact on the overall event experience. Findings The findings demonstrate an increasing demand for real-time event integrative information, with more immersive and augmented experiences often sought by users. This has significant implications for the management of the digital event experience for all event stakeholders. Research limitations/implications This study is limited in its analysis of the smart event experience because of the use of a purposive sample from the International NW200 Event in Northern Ireland, which may limit the generalisability of research findings. Originality/value The study therefore, meets a critical gap in existent literature by providing the first event experience model in a smart tourism context and presenting the interlocking elements through the 4P’s (people, processes, personalisation and places) and 7R’s (rituals, realms, realities, renewal, review, relational and resourcing) of digital event experience.

Increasingly, the involvement of people in events extends far beyond the physical realm and encompasses the digital experience - sharing through social media and mediated by mobile technology. In a bid to understand how to improve the digital and mobile experience and subsequently the user experience in an event context, this paper presents the Digital Event Experience Diagnostic and Development Framework (DEEDD). The DEEDD conceptual framework is first developed from a synthesis of the literature encompassing communications, mobile technology and event experience theories. Using a generative research approach, through the emerging technique of digital Netnography, the framework is tested in a real event context incorporating qualitative insights gained through participatory design enquiry. In view of the empirical evidence presented, further development of the conceptual model was undertaken and is incorporated in the final DEEDD model presented in this paper. In this model we posit that participatory design enquiry, through pro-active event participant engagement, creates new value and increases event satisfaction - ultimately leading to a better event experience for all users.

Whitford (2009) in her analysis of event policy discusses how the popularity of events and the positive association attached to them means they are coveted by Governments around the worldwide. The tourism potential of events is one of the main economic reasons why Governments are so keen to support them. This is summed up by Roberts (2004) who discusses how towns, cities and counties bid for and host events primarily because they attract visitors and their money. In fact, Roberts (2004) goes as far as to state that the economy of most cities and holiday resorts would stutter without a stream of major and minor events. However, it would be naive for a destination to simply jump on the ‘event tourism bandwagon’ and assume that an event will generate tourism benefits. To maximise the tourism potential of an event it is essential that tourism impacts are planned properly. In this chapter the authors will discuss why the host destination must adopt a strategic approach to event tourism and will use Northern Ireland as a case study.

In August 2013, Northern Ireland hosted the World Police and Fire Games. The official event evaluation found that the games projected Northern Ireland in a positive light; however, this survey does not tell the full story. Leading up to this event Northern Ireland experienced 4 months of civil unrest. Many consumers turned to social media to seek reassurance and guidance. However, the event organizers did not provide such support during this crisis. In fact, by mismanaging concerns regarding political stability and visitor safety, this event in effect reinforced the negative stereotypical images of Northern Ireland and because it happened online, it was ignored in the official event evaluation. The two key lessons event organizers can learn from this case study are do not underestimate the power of social media, especially in a time of crisis, and in this digital age an event must have a social media strategy that has the flexibility to deal with a crisis.

War can have an instant and far-reaching negative effect on the image of a country. Gilboa [(2006). Public diplomacy: The missing component in Israeli's foreign policy. Israel Affairs, 12(4), 715-747] discusses how a country involved in a prolonged violent conflict will acquire an undesirable, hard image that has to be softened. To try and achieve this, an increasing number of governments have, or are considering including events as part of their post-conflict recovery strategy. This paper focuses on Northern Ireland and how it has strategically used major events as a policy tool to help remove stereotypical images of its troubled past. The paper also highlights the risks of using events in a post-conflict environment. The authors recommend that if a government of a post-conflict country does decide to invest in events for reimaging purposes, it must do so with caution. Events and the media attention they attract help project the image of the place. However, if there are still political tension and entrenched problems within the country, then a negative image may be portrayed.

From 1968–1998 Northern Ireland was a war zone with an ongoing cycle of protest and violence fuelled by sectarian division and hatred. During this period, which is often referred to as the 'Troubles', over 3,600 people were killed and over 30,000 injured. Understandably this had an adverse impact on festivals and events as local organisers struggled to plan and run their events while those who owned the rights to international events were reluctant to commit to Northern Ireland. However, amidst such turmoil and carnage a new community festival was established in 1988, called Féile an Phobail (Irish language). When translated into English Féile an Phobail means 'festival of the people', an appropriate name, given the impact it has had on community life in one of the most troubled parts of Northern Ireland, West Belfast.

The convergence of 'smart destination’ practice with the emergence of a more ‘intelligent web’ looks set to fundamentally change the planning for and experience of tourism destinations and events. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of ‘smartness’ (or lack thereof) in relation to the application of integrated ICTs and mobile technology in the tourism event context. This study will focus on the event’s ecosystem, by interpreting the barriers to and enablers of smartness. Using Kozinet’s netnographic approach to analyse data generated around the event as well as through qualitative semi structured interviews, the study will examine enablers and barriers to online collaborative and open participation in event enhancement. Thus, the aim is to empirically review the impact of human and social capital within a smart tourism event context. This exploration will conclude with a conceptual framework from which smart destination practice can be more effectively integrated through experience touchpoints in the age of smart tourism.

The tourism potential of events is one of the main economic reasons why Governments are so keen to support them. Getz (2008:406) defined event tourism as ‘the development and marketing of events for tourism and economic development purposes’. Event tourism is highly competitive and if a country wants to target this market then it must plan accordingly. In this paper the authors will discuss how a strategic approach to event tourism would involve analysing the unique geographical, economic, political and social characteristics of a country which would help identify the type of events it should and could target. The authors have also identified five generic issues that a country should also consider when planning for event tourism: seasonality, strategic fit, industry development, funding and collaboration.

Are indigenous students prepared for employment in a multicultural working environment?This is a relevant and important topic as every year at least 1 in 3 of our students in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management decides to go International for their placement experience of 48 weeks at level 5. Many of these students will then return and enter the workforce in the Hospitality and Tourism sectors either here in Northern Ireland, the wider UK or abroad. In recent years the Hospitality and Tourism sectors in Northern Ireland have become increasingly multi-cultural in that 1 in 4 (25%) employees are born abroad (Labour Force Survey, 2015), therefore new graduates, ready to enter employment need to be prepared and be more culturally aware when interacting with both the employee and customer alike. Cultural Diversity is an increasingly important factor in working life as tourism organisations, worldwide, become more diverse in terms of the race, ethnicity, natural origin and other personal characteristics of their members, Shaw and Barrett-Power (1998). The terms multiculturalism and cultural diversity in this paper is used interchangeably, aiming at providing and yielding important insights into the students’ learning and knowledge of cultural awareness issues. It is hoped that the findings from this research will help us as academics to release how best to prepare our students to become global citizens before going on international assignments and/or entering the multi-cultural world of work. If the preparation is successful then harnessing cultural differences will create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, where their talents are being fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met (Devine et al, 2009).

This study aims to ascertain student and staff attitudes to and perceptions of audio feedback made available via the virtual learning environment (VLE) for summative assessment. Consistent with action research and reflective practice, this study identifies best practice, highlighting issues in relation to implementation with the intention of redesigning activities in the light of the findings. It utilises four case studies where audio feedback was provided to students using the Wimba voice authoring tool within Blackboard Learn+ for various types of summative assessment. The intention was to identify how and in what context audio feedback via the VLE is effective and why. The research was undertaken via a combination of techniques, including a student survey and staff reflective logs. The findings indicate that students liked the convenience, effectiveness, flexibility and personalised nature of this feedback, but raised concerns with some aspects of the technology. This paper also makes practical recommendations for the use of the feedback mechanism, focusing on the most effective use of the digital medium, and highlights directions for future research.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine how the structure of government-funded event agencies affected the development of the events industry in Northern Ireland. The institutional arrangements for two agencies which operated at different times in Northern Ireland were analysed.Design/methodology/approach– A total of 62 in-depth interviews were conducted with event organisers and public officials who had worked directly with these two organisations.Findings– The standalone National Events Agency which began operating in 1999 was found to be more hands-on and worked closely with event organisers to develop the quality of their event. As a quango it worked at arms length from government. Unfortunately it abused this freedom and used public monies to manage its own events, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability when managing this type of agency. In 2008 it was replaced by an Events Unit which was set up within the National Tourism Organisation. Under this structure event tourism and not event development was the priority. For the events industry this created development issues and reduced its clout at government level.Originality/value– This paper addressed a gap in the literature and found that the institutional arrangements did affect how a government-funded events agency operated and what it regarded as a strategic priority. This in turn had repercussions for the development of the events industry.

Summary This note reflects on student perceptions of audio feedback made available via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for various types of assessment. Consistent with action research the study identifies best practice, and highlights issues in relation to implementation. It utilised four case studies where audio feedback was provided to students using the Wimba voice authoring tool within Blackboard Learn+ for various different types of summative assessment feedback. With increased pressures of larger class sizes and the resultant reduction in tutor–student contact of recent years in business education, the intention was to identify where audio feedback via the VLE is effective and why, which was researched via a student survey. Based on these insights the findings have been disseminated as best practice to other colleagues in the Higher Education (HE) sector, in particular focusing on where it has been most effective in relation to assessment and feedback.