DR MICHAEL B. DUIGNAN – TENURED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AND EXPERT IN THE ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF MAJOR EVENTS

Mike appointed Editor-in-Chief of Event Management journal

Event Management is the leading international journal for the study and analysis of events and festivals, founded over 20 years ago in 2000 and based in New York, USA. Read more: https://cognizantcommunication.com/publication/event-management/#tab-id-2.

Sky News debate with Dr Mike Duignan & Dr Rachel Pistol moderated by Sir Trevor Phillips (2022)

30 years of events-related research (Duignan, 2023)

This commentary examines how events-related research has and increasingly contributes to tourism studies, and how these lines of argument have evolved over the last thirty years, primarily in Annals of Tourism Research. I explicate the theoretical features of events, how previous work has conceptualized them, and why events are unique organizational settings to contribute to theory development. This is particularly significant as events are increasingly delivered in public, cultural and tourist spaces – an extra-territorial shift with implications for the future study and practice of tourism.

I close by calling for a more plural conception of events, inclusive of world events, which share similar conceptual features to cultural and sporting events that typically dominate social analysis in event and tourism studies.

Duignan, M.B. (2023). Thirty years of events-related research. Annals of Tourism Research, awaiting DOI.

“Events as Catalysts for Communal Resistance to Overtourism” (Duignan, Everett & McCabe, 2022 – Annals of Tourism Research)

The negative impacts of tourism, often associated with overtourism, can lead to resistance by local stakeholders. This study focuses on collective resistance across Japan in the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, during a period of exponential growth in tourism that produced disruption and fear, and led to a rise in tourismophobia. We conceptualise negative reactions through Castells’ theory of the network society. Utilising qualitative data, we argue that Japan’s national tourism growth strategy represented a state-imposed legitimising identity, leading to communal resistance sentiment and tactics across Japan and Tokyo. We illustrate how events act as catalysts for opposition against tourism development and how resistance identities can produce a new project and counter-legitimising identity tourism planners should take seriously. Article link and read more: https://michaelduignan.uk/publications/ and listen to the authors’ 140 second overview video below.

“Banning Russia from world events will help alienate Putin” (Duignan, 2022 – The Conversation)

“…having previously enjoyed the soft power benefits that sport and other events can bring, it is encouraging to the rest of the world to see those powers united – and turned against him.” Read more: https://theconversation.com/banning-russia-from-world-events-will-help-to-alienate-putin-178255.

InsideEvents podcast

InsideEvents is an international podcast series hosted by Mike delving into contemporary and research debates across the study and practice of events. It is intended to inform a hybrid and research informed approach to learning and teaching, with 21000+ downloads to date (Jan 2022). Below, Mike introduces the series and the value of listening for students and scholars, policy makers to practitioners.