2. From Local to Mega-Event: The Event Impact Scale

Introduction: Every Scale Has Its Own Rules

In the events sector, size is not just a number: it is a parameter that defines organisational complexity, required resources, necessary skills and the impact the event will generate on the territory and the community. An organiser who applies the same approach to a local event and a major event is making a fundamental strategic error. Understanding the differences between different scales is the prerequisite for effective and proportionate planning.

Why the Size of an Event Matters

Not all events are equal. A neighbourhood networking lunch and the Olympics are both events, but the resources required, the economic impact and the organisational complexity are on entirely different scales. Bowdin's classification of events by size and impact is a fundamental tool for any industry professional. It allows you to calibrate expectations, budgets, human resources and communication strategies proportionally to the event's scope.

In this article we will explore the five main categories, from local events to mega-events, analysing the distinguishing features, organisational challenges and opportunities each presents. Since the pandemic, this classification has been enriched with a fifth category: virtual events, which have redefined the very concept of participation.

Local Events: The Heart of the Community

Local events form the base of the events pyramid. They are events rooted in the territory, organised by the community for the community. A village fair, a craft market, an amateur sports tournament or a networking event for local businesses all fall into this category.

The main characteristics of local events are:

• Limited and local audience: attendees predominantly come from the surrounding area.
• Reduced media coverage: they rarely attract national or international media attention.
• Modest resources: the budget and planning time are generally limited.
• Non-professional organisation: often managed by volunteers or local community members, not professional event managers.

Despite their small scale, local events play a crucial social role. They strengthen the sense of belonging, stimulate the local economy and create opportunities for connection. For an aspiring event manager, organising local events is an excellent way to gain practical experience and build a portfolio.

Major Events: Regional Attractors

Major events differ from local events in their ability to attract visitors from outside the region, often in significant numbers. A nationally acclaimed arts festival, a city marathon or an industry convention are typical examples of this category.

The economic impact of major events is considerable. Visitors from outside the area spend on accommodation, restaurants, transport and shopping, generating economic benefits for the entire local economy. For this reason, many public authorities actively invest in attracting and supporting major events as a tool for regional development.

Organisational challenges grow proportionally with scale:

• Complex logistics: managing visitor flows, parking, transport and security.
• Targeted marketing: the need to reach a wider audience beyond the local area.
• Stakeholder engagement: authorities, sponsors, media and the local community must be managed with structured communication plans.
• Impact on services: accommodation, restaurants and transport must be adequate for the expected volume of visitors.

Media interest is another distinguishing element: major events generate press coverage that, in turn, attracts further visitors and consolidates the destination's reputation.

Hallmark Events: When the Event Becomes Synonymous with the Place

Hallmark events are a particularly fascinating category. They are events that have become so closely identified with a place that they have become synonymous with it. When someone says "I'm going to Wimbledon," the mind immediately jumps to the tennis tournament, not the south-west London neighbourhood. Similarly, the Sanremo Festival is inseparable from the Ligurian city, just as Carnival is forever linked to Venice or Rio de Janeiro.

The characteristics that make an event a hallmark event are:

• Inseparable identity: the event and the place are perceived as one and the same in the collective imagination.
• Established tradition: hallmark events have been running for many years, often decades.
• Recognisable brand: the event's name has autonomous brand value.
• Permanent tourism impact: they attract visitors even outside the event period, because the place is associated with that experience.

Turning an event into a hallmark event is the dream of many tourist destinations, but it requires consistency, quality and sustained investment over time. It is not something built in one or two editions: it is the result of years of organisational excellence and a strong cultural identity.

Mega-Events: Global Impact

At the top of the pyramid sit mega-events, the largest events in terms of size, impact and visibility. The Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and World Expos are the most well-known examples. These events attract participants and spectators from around the world and generate television audiences of billions.

Organising a mega-event is an undertaking of extraordinary proportions:

• Billion-dollar budgets: costs for infrastructure, security, logistics and production reach astronomical figures.
• Multi-year planning: preparation begins years before the event and involves thousands of professionals.
• Urban impact: new infrastructure is built (stadiums, Olympic villages, transport networks) that transforms the host city's fabric.
• Legacy: the long-term legacy, both positive and negative, is a central theme in mega-event planning.

The economic potential of mega-events is enormous, but so are the risks. Without careful management, costs can spiral out of control and leave significant debts for the host city. Recent history offers examples of both successes (London 2012) and problematic management.

An often underestimated aspect is that mass religious events can exceed any secular event in size. The Kumbh Mela in India, for example, attracts tens of millions of participants, far surpassing any Olympic Games or World Cup.

Virtual Events: The Fifth Dimension

The 2020 pandemic had a devastating impact on the events industry, forcing the entire sector to reinvent itself within a few months. For at least 18 months, all in-person opportunities moved online, giving rise to a new category in the size and impact classification: virtual events.

Even after restrictions ended, the virtual component has remained a stable element of the events landscape. The advantages are clear:

• Global accessibility: anyone can participate regardless of their geographic location.
• Reduced costs: elimination of travel, accommodation and venue expenses for participants.
• Environmental sustainability: lower impact in terms of emissions and resource consumption.
• Data and analytics: the ability to track participant behaviour and engagement in detail.

However, virtual participation cannot fully replace the live experience. The hybrid model, combining physical and virtual attendance, is set to establish itself as the standard, provided it offers comparable value to both types of participants.

How to Choose the Right Scale for Your Event

Choosing the appropriate scale depends on several factors that the event manager must carefully evaluate:

• Client objectives: a local product launch requires a different scale from an international congress.
• Available budget: financial resources directly determine the achievable scale.
• Target audience: the size and geographic distribution of the target audience influence the scale.
• Available infrastructure: the hosting territory's accommodation and logistics capacity sets natural limits.
• Timeline: larger-scale events require proportionally longer planning times.

Tools like Play the Event allow you to manage events of any scale, adapting planning, budgeting and stakeholder management features to the specific complexity of the project. From cash flow management to post-event evaluation, every aspect can be scaled to the event's size.

Growth Strategies: From Local to Major

Many organisers harbour the ambition to grow their events from local to major scale or, in the most ambitious cases, to transform them into hallmark events. This growth does not happen by chance; it requires a deliberate strategy:

• Consistent quality: each edition must offer a better experience than the previous one.
• Accurate documentation: collecting data, feedback and metrics at each edition to guide continuous improvement.
• Strategic networking: building relationships with sponsors, media and institutions that can support growth.
• Strong identity: developing a recognisable brand that differentiates the event from competitors.
• Multi-year development plan: setting realistic and measurable growth objectives for each edition.

Growth must be sustainable: expanding an event too quickly without adequate resources is one of the most common mistakes and can damage the reputation built over time.

The Importance of Classification for the Event Manager

Understanding which scale your event belongs to is fundamental for calibrating every aspect of planning. A local event does not need the same approach to security or marketing as a major event. A hallmark event has reputational challenges that a first-edition event does not yet face. Correctly classifying the event from the outset allows you to allocate resources proportionally, set realistic expectations with the client and select suppliers with experience appropriate to the scale.

The classification by size and impact integrates with Getz's typological classification: a local music festival has different needs from a major music festival, and these differences influence every decision from Phase 1 to Phase 4 of the planning model. An event manager who masters both classifications has a complete map of the events landscape that guides their strategic and operational choices.