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Sustainability is a major global concern, and research has suggested a bidirectional relationship between participatory sport events and the natural environment. Against this background, we examined the influence of runners’ environmental consciousness on their perceptions of the quality of green initiatives and their supportive intention at a running event.

We collected questionnaire responses from 496 runners at an event held in Taiwan, and we used partial least squares structural equation modeling for our measurement and structural models.

Our findings revealed that environmental consciousness had a positive relationship with green perceived quality, and that green perceived quality, in turn, positively affected supportive intention. Green perceived quality also mediated the relationship between environmental consciousness and supportive intention, and running frequency moderated the relationship between environmental consciousness and supportive intention.

Stakeholders should promote the environmental consciousness of event participants and implement sustainable initiatives to enhance participants’ supportive intention towards participatory sport events.

This study contributes to the literature by examining the role of environmental consciousness, green perceived quality and supportive intention in the context of a running event. The findings highlight the importance of environmental sustainability in participatory sport events and provide valuable insights for event organizers and stakeholders in designing and implementing sustainable initiatives.

This paper aims to examine participatory sport event organizers’ perspectives on potential connections between their events and tourism and destination marketing outcomes.

This qualitative study entailed in-depth interviews with participatory sport event organizers in the United Kingdom, coupled with thematic analysis of event websites and social media. The paper uses Chalip’s (2004) model for host community event leveraging to interpret findings.

Event organizers focused on attracting participants and delivering positive experiences, rather than on stimulating tourism-related outcomes. However, organizers used a range of strategies to attract participants, such as emphasizing attractive and unique location features, which could also serve to entice active sport tourists and promote the event host destination.

Participatory sport event organizers may not prioritize or even sufficiently understand the potential for their events to generate tourism outcomes. For organizers confronted with operating constraints and event delivery challenges, it may be difficult to find the time, and practical ways, to satisfy the needs of tourism stakeholders.

The unique contribution of this paper is its focus on supply-side perspectives on the role of participatory sport events as tourism catalysts, and its examination of the potential for such small-scale events to contribute to sustainable tourism development. This paper also considers the nature of event organizers’ role in implementation of Chalip’s (2004) model for host community event leveraging.

In sport tourism, an undeniable recent participation trend is the gravitation of amateur athletes to participatory sport events, particularly cycling sport tourism events. This trend presents numerous policy, applied, and scholarly opportunities and challenges. Contemporary trends are identified to guide future research addressing cycling sport tourism events. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This is a collaborative initiative between a major global sport event management organisation and established sport tourism scholars. Industry data are drawn upon to identify contemporary sport event participation trends and thus inform a future research agenda.

This paper draws upon industry data and insights to tease out five emerging trends in the participatory sport event sector which scholars should engage with.

Due to the confidential nature of the company data, there were restrictions in the detail which could be reported.

Increasing growth in premium quality, physically challenging cycling sport tourism events is analysed. A five-pronged future research agenda is proposed to address contemporary sport event management issues around measuring event impacts; strategic management of events; and leveraging globalisation and emerging markets.

Based on trends identified in this paper, theoretical concepts are drawn upon to propose a timely, industry-relevant future research agenda into cycling sport tourism events.

This study extends the event leverage model and applies the community development theory to explore how event managers can leverage recurring, non-mega sporting events for sustainable socio-economic development.

The authors conduct a survey comprising 6 semi-structured interviews by targeting recurring participatory events in Japan with an average 37.7 years of history.

The model highlights the strategic objectives (community needs) for socio-economic community development by attracting tourists during both event and event-free periods. Social development comprises three factors: social capital, sport participation and health promotion. Economic development comprises two factors: event revenue and tourism revenue. To achieve strategic objectives, the uniqueness of the event, good relationships with the media and locals, a platform to enjoy the local culture and sport event infrastructure are identified as means (community assets). Furthermore, locals and media are added to the model as key stakeholders, an additional category of the event leverage model.

Event managers need to make efforts to identify local resources and should optimize the event to attract participants and tourists for socio-economic development. In particular, local experience, local products, local culture and good relationship with locals could be key resources to produce sustainable benefits for the local city. The proposed model adding locals and media as key stakeholders could be useful for other similar contexts/future events aimed at socio-economic benefits for community development.

The proposed model extends the theoretical explanations in the literature on leveraging strategies through events to the perspective of the community development theory. Specifically, this study sheds light on community needs and assets for community development in the context of recurring non-mega sporting events.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the interrelationships among the dimensions of sport event experience, event satisfaction and event behavioral intentions.

The sample was comprised of 186 individuals who actively participated in a mass participation sport event. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the relationships among the latent constructs.

The results indicated that the dimensions of sport event experience predicted 55% of the variance of event satisfaction and 63% of the variance of event behavioral intentions was predicted by sport event experience dimensions and event satisfaction. Specifically, the sensory, affective and relational dimensions of experience sought to have a statistically significant and positive association with event satisfaction, while event satisfaction and the relational dimension of experience were found to have a statistically significant and positive correlation with event behavioral intentions. In addition, event satisfaction was found to mediate the relationships between sensory, affective and relational experiences and event behavioral intentions.

The present study is one of the first that explores the relationships among sport event experience’s dimensions, event satisfaction and positive behavioral intentions in the context of sport event participation.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the benefits of charitable sport events and examines how consumer involvement in the cause, attitude toward the event, and event-sponsor fit influence corporate image (CI) and corresponding purchase intention (PI).

The conceptual model developed in this research consolidates various constructs related to sponsors and events into a single comprehensive framework, thus offering an integrated view of the factors that determine consumers’ perceptions of a sponsorship and their attitudes toward a sponsor. Data were collected from participants in the Pink Ribbon Love Marathons (PRLM) held in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 650 female subjects (mean age=41.2, SD=12.5) participated in this investigation.

The findings indicate that CI plays a significant role as a partial mediator within a reciprocal relationship between participants’ event perception and patronage intention. Sponsoring a well-targeted event might have a positive impact on CI and PI.

What makes this study unique is the application of previous research examining cause-related sport sponsorship from a sport participant’s perspective. From a practical standpoint, the findings of this study reveal the importance of corporate communication in CSR.

This article aims to provide a critical review of the articles included in this special issue and highlight their findings and contribution to events, festivals and destination management research.

The article critically reviews methodologies, findings, themes and conclusions offered by each article included in this special issue.

The articles in the special issue identify the latest thematic trends in events, festivals and destination management research and propose conceptual frameworks for event and festival life cycle trajectories. They build on previous research confirming how accessible tourism and a balanced event portfolio can increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the destination. Based on sound methodologies, they offer specific theoretical and practical implication for the successful planning, marketing and management of events, festivals and destinations. They provide suggestions on how event innovation, participatory sport events, mega sport events, food and wine festivals and meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) can assist in the marketing and branding of the tourism destination.

The articles in this special issue lay the foundation for future research in events, festivals and destination management. Articles in this special issue apply various research methods and analysis, indicating the growth of event and festival research. Research methods and analysis techniques used in the special issue include content/theme analysis, case studies, qualitative studies and questionnaires. The research articles and methodologies used in this issue should help both researchers and industry practitioners.

This study highlights key findings, theoretical and practical implications and contributions of the articles included in this special issue. It provides a holistic view of events, festivals and destination management research and suggests areas for future research.

Given the increased competition among running events, it is important for event organizers to comprehend how they can retain a base of loyal customers. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between sport event personality and loyalty intentions of runners participating in a running event. More specifically, it examined the relationship of sport event personality dimensions with the overall image of a sporting event as well as the association of event image with runners’ loyalty intentions.

Data were collected from 247 participants of an international running event. A structural equation model analysis was followed.

The results showed that three dimensions of event personality (namely, excitement, sophistication and sincerity) predicted event image, which in turn positively associated with loyalty intentions.

The study discusses how event managers can improve the image of their events in order to increase their customers’ loyalty levels.

This is one of the first endeavors that examined the role of event image, a construct that has not received much attention in the context of road races, in a model concerning event participation.

Understanding factors that enhance participants' satisfaction has become critical to developing effective donor retention strategies for charity sport events (CSEs). However, there is a lack of empirical research on participants' satisfaction with CSEs. The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction among CSE participants and to empirically test the relationships between the proposed constructs.

Data were collected from 238 participants from four Relay For Life (RFL) events organized by the American Cancer Society, North Central Region in the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to analyze the measurement model and the structural model.

The results of the structural model indicated that perceived prosocial impact, sense of community and trust in CSE had significant positive effects on CSE satisfaction, while venue quality, knowledge attainment and entertainment value did not positively influence CSE satisfaction. CSE satisfaction had a positive direct effect on participant loyalty to CSE, which had a significant contribution to future participant intent.

The findings of this study provide CSE directors and marketers with valuable insights into the process of how to build long-term relationships with participants by identifying factors that influence participants' satisfaction and its consequences.

By measuring the mediating role of CSE satisfaction, this study provides a deeper understanding of the causal pathways from the antecedents to participant loyalty through CSE satisfaction.

Mass participation sport events, such as running events, have the potential to foster social capital among event participants. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interrelationships among sport event participation, social capital and various (behavioral, psychological, informational and negative) outcomes.

Following Putnam's social capital approach, a research model was developed and tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, based on survey data from 301 runners with varied running histories and event experiences.

Results showed a limited impact of sport event participation on participants' social capital, indicating that the temporary interactions within the event timeframe were insufficient to generate sustainable social capital among event participants. Nevertheless, significant relationships were found between social capital and behavioral, psychological and informational outcomes of social capital, suggesting that social capital can be converted to a range of benefits for participants and the event community.

Event marketers and sponsors should take strategic actions to enhance participants' social experience and cultivate social capital, which may help them gain support from the event community irrespective of past experiences with participation.

This study extends Putnam's social capital framework into mass participation sport event context. As an initial effort to quantitatively test the linkage among event participation, social capital and various outcomes, this study offers empirical insights into the role of sport event participation in generating long-term social benefits for event participants.