• Chinese New Year - cultural event

• Chingay parade - Cultural

• I light marina bay - cultural

• F1 - Singapore grand prix. - sport

• Exhibitions.

They want major business and leisure events to partner up with the private sector to help support funding of major events. They hold a diverse range of events to achieve the objective of their profile of a leisure destination.

They want to become highly innovative and multi talented global city for arts and culture and this is the reason they hold so may cultural events.

The annual festival held in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. It's one of the city's most vibrant and eagerly anticipated events. The festival is famous for its street decorations, with residents competing to create the most original and elaborate designs. The streets are transformed into thematic, colorful, and imaginative landscapes.

Themed weeks:

Barcelona Design Week: This event celebrates design in all its forms, including interior design, architecture, and fashion. It typically features exhibitions, workshops, and talks by prominent designers.

Barcelona Fashion Week: A key event for fashion enthusiasts, this week showcases the latest trends in fashion with runway shows, exhibitions, and presentations from both established and emerging designers.

Barcelona Tech Week: This event brings together technology professionals, startups, and investors. It includes conferences, workshops, and networking events focused on the latest trends in technology.

Mega Events:

Motor GP

Formula One Grand Prix

La Mercè Festival

Barcelona’s carnival 

• Carnival

• Primavera Sound festival

• Sonar Festival

They also host some large specific events such as Formula One Spanish Grand Prix.

Taking this into account, the size of the events held in Barcelona are very large.

• The main Carnival event has hosted millions of people in the past (2019 source)

• Primavera Sound Festival hosted 253,000 people in 2023.

• Sonar Festival in 1994 hosted 6000 people, in 2023 they saw over 100,000 attendees.

• Formula One Spanish Grand Prix hosted 284,000 people over one weekend.

They have a leisure events fund.

They have a global network where they get their funding from.

The Turisme de Barcelina Consortium attracts benchmark events to generate economic activity, boost productive sectors, and create well-being.

1. Dubai World Trade Center - the most popular event space in the city's heart, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, and award shows. (Beauty World Middle East)

2. Burj Khalifa - Panoramic skyline view, best for conferences, product launches, and award shows. (I.e Global Gold Convention)

3. The Palm - luxury hotel Atlantis is famous for weddings, galas, and special events. (I.e New Year's Eve Gala Dinner)

4. Atlantis, the royal - luxury ballrooms, conferences, meetings. Luxury hotel (i.e Beyonce private concert)

5. Dubai International Stadium - for sporting events and concerts (I.e Drake’s concert)

6. Dubai Mall - famous for fashion shows, exhibitions, and product launches.

• Many event management organisations aid the organisation and development of events within Dubai.

• They work alongside the Dubai Department of economy and Tourism.

• The government offers sponsorships for leisure events which are hosted in Dubai.

• It is a way of aiding businesses and motivating international businesses to host events in Dubai instead of other destinations.

• Dubai’s department of economy and tourism as an organisation have a whole department focused on hosting events within the city.

• As a governing body, they work closely with the businesses hosting the events to make sure that each month is full of events happening to boost the economy and people’s perceptions on Dubai.

• Supporting events by linking them to government owned companies:

• Emirates airline gives out free tickets to events if flying to Dubai in a given timeframe. Leads to people being pushed to go to these events.

• Supporting the event by motivating visitors to attend.

• Visit Dubai also offers support for events being hosted in the city.

• Dubai Fitness Challenge: this annual fitness festival invites everyone to complete 30 minutes of activity every day, for 30 days.

  • Encourages healthier lifestyle at no cost to those who participate

  • Tackles cost problems: many companies are sponsoring free classes or mini fitness events (e.g. DP world, Adidas, RTA)

  • Inclusion: the event is for anyone and everyone who wants to participate, no set venue (lots of flexibility)

Dubai Expo 2020 

• Expo 2020 Dubai was aimed to educate the public, share innovation, promote progress and foster cooperation. Hosting expo in Dubai was targeted to develop the city's economy and the image of the city as a destination, not only for tourism, but for business and economy. 

• Expo is a global platform for new ideas, new technologies, and innovations. Therefore, this global mega event is a huge tool for soft power which means: the ability to influence others through networks along with the ability to persuade according to Dubai’s goals. 

• In April 2017, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the UAE Soft Power Council with Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, who is also the Chairman. The strategy has four fundamental goals with seven pillars of action. The objectives focus on coordinating many sectors’ tasks, among others: the economy, humanities, tourism, media, and science.

They also utilise La monumental for SOUNDIT – used to be a bullring

- Global Village- is described as the world's largest tourism, leisure, shopping, and entertainment project. It features 27 pavilions representing over 75 countries, each showcasing their unique culture and traditions​​ 

- Cyber Security for Critical Assets MENA- The event will cover the increase in number and sophistication of cyber attacks and cybercrime worldwide, emphasising the importance for organisations within critical infrastructure to reassess their cyber risk and maintain business continuity.

- Global Data Privacy, Cyber Security & GRC Confex- The focus is on resolving operational challenges in areas like Litigation, Risk, Security, GDPR, CCPA Compliance, Data Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, Legal Technology, Automation, Machine Learning, E-discovery, and Contracts.

-Dubai World Expo 2020 - Themed "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," the Expo aimed to foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration globally. It was organized around three sub-themes: Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability, each featuring its own pavilion and representing key areas of focus for collective progress.

• Conferences and Exhibitions → Dubai World Trade Center

• Expos → Dubai Expo (over 24 million visits)

• Gala → often hosted in Burj Khalifa, Atlantis and the Palm (example: New Year’s Eve Gala 1.7 millions visitors)

• Sports events → Rugby. The Seven Stadium, biggest annual events attracting more than 100 000 visitors over 3 days of competition and festivities 

• Entertainment → World Trade Center 

• Social events and weddings → hosted in variey of locations (Al Maha Desert Resort,  Burj Khalifa, Atlantis and the Palm, Madinat Jumeriah)

• Innovation events → the Global Tech Innovation,

• Barcelona's cultural offering attracted a fair number of tourists, it was the 1992 Olympic Games that really transformed the city from an economic and social point of view.

  
  

  
  

• Rod laver arena in Melbourne Park

• Olympic park stadium

• Melbourne Convention and exhibition centre

• Yarra River / Yarra Promenade

• Birrarung Marr

• Alexandra Gardens

• The City Gallery

•  ArtPlay

• Assembly Point

• Royal Exhibition Building

• Federation Square

• Crown melbourne

• Marvel stadium

Range of Events

As host of more than 8000 festivals, exhibitions and events every year, Melbourne is well known as the events capital of Australia.

Categories: festivals, markets, teather and music, family events, tether and musicals, music and gigs, exhibition and expos, sport.

They host various types of events of different sizes. The city is however recognised by organising major events such as: 

Australian Open (January)

Melbourne International Comedy Festival (late March–April)

Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix™ (late March–April)

Rip Curl Pro surfing event at Bells Beach (April)

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (March)

RISING (June)

Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (late October)

Melbourne Cup Carnival (late October–November)

ALWAYS LIVE (November–December)

New unique and innovative events

• The LUME Melbourne

  • An immersive digital art experience

• BBC Earth experience

  • An immersive educational experience enhanced by technology

• River Riffs

  • A free floating music festival along Yarra River

• RELICS: a new world arises

  • An art event where LEGO takes over human artefacts

• Downtown Dumpling Market

  • An event where food is festivalised

• Rain Room

• Maho Magic Bar

  • A magic cocktail bar

• The Friends Experience

  • Immersive experience allowing guests to witness a replica friends set

• Planetarium nights

  • Explore the universe in the planetarium dome

• Connection

  • Immersive digital art exhibition

• Pentridge prison tours

  
  

  Strategic use of events to address challenges

• Many diverse cultural events to promote social cohesion in a multicultural city

• Holding many events in public spaces is a way to combat safety and public security

• By holding events city-wide the traffic is spread out through all corners of the city reducing congestion in central areas

  
  

Organization and Support

City of Melbourne

https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/arts-and-culture/events-partnerships/Pages/our-role-in-events.aspx 

Visit Melbourne

https://www.visitmelbourne.com/whats-on/major-events 

Visit Victoria: promotes the area as leading tourism and events destination

https://corporate.visitvictoria.com/marketing 

$3 Million Grant Program for Local Events

Victorian business events grants open for 2023 

What’s on Melbourne: promotes the events in the city

https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/major-events 

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