Building Events Into Destination Branding: Insights From Experts

Events have become an increasingly significant component of destination branding. Although events are thought to be important contributors to their host destination's brand, the most effective means by which to leverage them in order to build that brand are poorly understood. To explore the potential uses for events in destination branding, workshops with leading event and destination marketers were conducted by the CRC for Sustainable Tourism throughout Australia. The workshops were designed to clarify what destination and event marketers do when using events in destination branding. The workshops then identified what the industry would like to know to make better use of events in this regard. Workshop participants identified community support and a good strategic and cultural fit with the destination as necessary bases for building events into destination branding. Other themes that emerged were: the need for an event to be differentiated from others, the longevity/tradition of the event at the destination, cooperative planning between key players, and media support of the event. Participants also recognized the need to consider the effects of events with reference to the overall portfolio of events at a destination. It was noted that event marketers and destination marketers have not yet learned how to synergize their efforts, and that there is a consequent need for further research into the best means to use events to build a destination's brand.