Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-22-2013 12:00 AM Understanding urban development through an event portfolio: A case study of London, Ontario Richelle Clark The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Laura Misener The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Kinesiology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Richelle Clark 2013 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Sports Management Commons Recommended Citation Clark, Richelle, "Understanding urban development through an event portfolio: A case study of London, Ontario" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1534. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1534 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNDERSTANDING URBAN DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A SPORT EVENTS PORTFOLIO: A CASE STUDY OF LONDON, ONTARIO (Thesis format: Integrated article) by Richelle Clark Graduate Program in Kinesiology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Western University London, Ontario, Canada © Richelle Clark, 2013 Abstract This study investigates the underdeveloped area of event portfolios in an attempt to fill a gap in the existing literature. This research looks at the strategic positioning of events and the critical role they play in local development. In order to understand this, a case study design was performed in a small-medium scale city in Canada. The purpose of the study was to determine how the city has utilized events for broader local development and enhancement of the civic brand. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with local city actors and document analyses were used to further understand the strategies within the community. The results show that though a city may possess the necessary portfolio components, it is essential that there is an overarching strategy that bridges the pieces of the portfolio for sustainable development. Consequently, we found that sequencing, or the strategic timing of events and political grounds, played a crucial role in this process. Keywords: Event Portfolio; Event Tourism; Portfolio Character; City Branding; Social and Human Capital ii Co-authorship Statement The material presented in this Masters thesis is my original work; however, I would like to acknowledge the important contributions of my advisor, Dr. Laura Misener. Her guidance helped form this thesis and strengthen the final product. Note that a version of the Integrated Article in Chapter 2 has been submitted for publication under the authorship of Richelle Clark, and Dr. Laura Misener. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere appreciation to a number of individuals for their support throughout my journey as a Master’s Candidate. First, I would like to thank my committee members: Dr. Karen Danylchuk and Dr. Michael Heine. Your valuable support and guidance towards this thesis are truly appreciated. Next, I would like to acknowledge my family and friends. My parents Ron and Lynn have been nothing but supportive in me pursuing this degree and I could not have done this without them. Their love and support did not go unnoticed! My academic colleagues/friends who I met and traveled with for school – I could not ask for a better group of friends! Thank you to all who told me I could do this – I did do this! Lastly, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Laura Misener. I could not ask for a better teacher, mentor, and role model; who always had my best interests at heart. She allowed me to experience once in a lifetime opportunities during my time at Western University. I cannot thank her enough for all of the encouragement and assistance over the past 2 years. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Co-authorship Statement ................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of Appendices .............................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 1 Overview of Literature ........................................................................................................ 2 Overview of Methodology ................................................................................................ 10 Reference ........................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................................... 15 Integrated Article ............................................................................................................... 15 Clark, R. & Misener, L. (Submitted). Understanding urban development through an event portfolio: A case study of London, Ontario. Journal of Sport Management. .................... 15 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 15 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................................... 17 Review of Literature .......................................................................................................... 18 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 22 Research Setting ........................................................................................................... 22 Results ............................................................................................................................... 28 Event Relatedness .......................................................................................................... 28 Social & Human Capital ................................................................................................ 33 Grounding Logic ........................................................................................................... 35 Authenticity ................................................................................................................... 39 Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 42 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 44 Building and Creating Portfolios ................................................................................... 44 Aligning the Challenges ................................................................................................ 47 Conclusion and Future Research ....................................................................................... 50 References ......................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................................... 57 Discussion and Conclusion ................................................................................................ 57 Conclusion and Future Research ....................................................................................... 65 References ......................................................................................................................... 67 v Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 69 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................... 77 vi List of Tables Table 1. Sport events hosted in London, Ontario since 2001 ........................................... 25 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Framework for studying event portfolios adapted from Ziakas and Costa (2011b) ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 2. Portfolio character with political grounds and sequencing ..................................... 59 viii List of Appendices Appendix A: Western University Certificates of Approval for Research Involving Human Subjects...................................69 Appendix B: Letter of Information...................................................................................71 Appendix C: Interview Guide...........................................................................................74