In early January, CCSE’s Deputy Director, Professor David McGillivray, was invited to the Olympic capital, Lausanne, to present his work as part of an Event, Cities and Urbanism conference hosted by the University of Lausanne.
The conference was held alongside the Youth Winter Olympic Games which took place in Lausanne in early January.
Along with his co-investigator, Dr Andrew Smith, from University of Westminster, David presented a paper titled The Long Term Implications of Mega Events for the Provision of Accessible Public Space. This paper draws on the research Prof McGillivray and Dr Smith have been conducting as part of the HERA-funded FESTSPACE project. They argued that major and mega sport events act as Trojan Horses introducing new conditions and policies to host destinations which last after the event has moved on. Second, they suggested that hosting major and mega events in urban public space normalises these as venues, leading to greater interest from event organisers and city authorities to use them in the future. To follow our ongoing research into festivals, events and public space, follow us @FESTSPACE1 or via the website.
This blogpost was written by David McGillivray, Professor of Event & Digital Cultures and CCSE Deputy Director.
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