A Case Study Approach to Understanding Event Dimensions of Local ...

International Journal of Health and Economic Development, 1(1), 37-45, Jan. 2015, 37

A Case Study Approach to Understanding Event Dimensions of Local Kite Festival as Leisure

Metin Argan, Huseyin Kose, Guven Sevil Anadolu University, Turkey [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Sabri Kaya Kırıkkale University, Turkey [email protected] Mehpare Tokay Argan Bilecik Seyh Edebali University, Turkey [email protected]

Abstract The aim of the study is to evaluate the kite festival in terms of project based leisure applied before, during and after the kite festival and to make several contributions to this area. The main data collection techniques employed was personal semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and observations. Before the festival, the sponsors and the schedule were determined. It was evaluated from the perspectives of marketing, public relations and risk management. Transportation, budgeting and human resources including event staff and volunteers were organized. During the festival sponsors came to the fore and performance evaluation and participants’ experiences was put forth. After the festival, area was organized and cleaned for the next organization and information was transferred to the crew organizing next festival. Key words: Leisure, project-based leisure, festival, kite festival

Introduction Nowadays, a lot of events based on leisure are held every year. The events carried out previous years shed light on the future. In other words, in project-based leisure from past projects and actually implementing the event successfully on future projects is generally evaluated as difficult to achieve. The project based leisure, which can be considered to be the gray zone within project management and the philosophy of leisure, takes important place in literature. The project based leisure which contains, also in practice, wide range of events can be expressed as necessity for human life, happiness and leisure, and life satisfaction. People, because of various reasons like recreation, socialization, gathering with their beloved ones, escaping from the stress of busy life and strengthening their own personality, participate in several social and cultural activities. Almost all of these activities originate from leisure. In other words, even while people are participating in social and cultural events, they may refer to a reason such as making their leisure time meaningful. There are lots of events that are developed as a part of general recreation towards campus recreation and public. These events offer service for the society to benefit from. Spring

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festivals, art festivals and cultural activities can be regarded as a part of certain project-based events. The participation of people in these events enables them to brand. One of these events is kite festival held by Anadolu University in Turkey and financially supported by various shareholders and sponsors. In this study, kite festival has also been considered to be a projectbased leisure event. While some events are categorized within serious leisure, some others are subjected to different classification. This paper describes empirical research into project based leisure with the aim of improving a sense of project using a set of project-based processes to generate more meaningful outputs of leisure events. Another aim of this paper is both to give general information about projectbased leisure and to reveal how the kite festival turns from a project into the realization. The approach has been developed in a single case study which illustrates some obligatory and voluntary services, sponsorship and other organizations in kite festival event. Literature Review Leisure activities and events are work possibilities for people and bring people together and make them have good time. Also, they enhance the quality of people’s life and provide significant economic benefits that provide revenue for special projects. Regardless of size, events require a high degree of planning, a range of skills and a lot of energy (The Sport, Fitness and Leisure Act 1987). In addition, events contain tangible elements, such as food, beverages and other products sold or given away, but are essentially a service in that they consist of intangible experiences of finite duration within a temporary, managed atmosphere. As with all services, this experiential “product” is produced and consumed simultaneously, is highly heterogeneous and very difficult to store or control (O’neil et al., 1999). Leisure can be evaluated as one of the areas that offer unique opportunities in understanding and assessing the meaning of life. According to Iwasaki (2007), leisure can be powerful tool for understand and discover of life’s meaning, whether it be through the experience of positive emotions, positive self-identity, and development of social connections. So, one of the ways to discover this life and to acquire the positive emotions is project-based leisure. Although there are different definitions related to Project based leisure, the most commonly used one belongs to Stebbins (2009). Stebbins (2009) defined Project based leisure as “short-term, reasonably complicated, one-shot or occasional, though infrequent, creative undertaking carried out in free time, or time free of disagreeable obligation” (p.82). Stebbins (2005) has made an additional explanation regarding the definition and expressed the phenomenon of “occasional” included in the definition as regular occasions such as national holiday, one’s birthday party and religious festival. Some events may sometimes be suspended, or while the level of participation requires more effort in some years, in other years this effort may not be spent. There are several differences between Project based leisure and serious leisure Stebbins (2005) indicates that project based leisure fails to generate a sense of career. In addition, knowledge and ability take place among primary variables for the realization of the project. However Stebbins (2001) states that project based leisure produces most of the rewards that serious leisure creates. In order to carry out events both in project based leisure and in serious leisure, it is stated that these rewards are important for the formation of motivation (Stebbins, 2001). These benefits or rewards mentioned are expressed as personal rewards and social rewards. Personal rewards are composed of some elements such as personal development (self-improvement), self-realization, self-expression, image development, recreation, and re-generation, Besides, social rewards contain social attraction, group accomplishment and development and maintenance of group (Stebbins, 2005). There are two types of project based leisure activities: one-shot projects and occasional projects (Stebbins, 2005). Hobby is characterized as one-shot projects that are organized for once within the scope of art event. However, occasional projects are the events that are held

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discontinuously or occasionally (Stebbins, 2007). But in some cases, these occasional projects become a routine and can be organized for years. The kite festival dealt with in the scope of this study can also be considered in such a quality. Because it was seen that the interest in kite festival held for once was great, it has started to be held once a year and become a routine. According to Stebbins (2005), while project based leisure requires a particular preparation, planning and effort, it also requires knowledge and ability mostly. However, this planning, effort and knowledge is not as at a professional level as serious leisure. When it is handled in this context, the events that are not regarded in yearly base and in the scope of serious leisure can also be considered to be project based leisure. Some events held by non-profit organizations for the benefit of public can also be dealt with in this scope. Project based leisure is attractive for some groups of people. For instance, retirees and those who are not restricted in terms of spare time participate in such events. In this respect, the events are organized on days when the participation in the events is high. For example, the logic underlying the fact that some festivals are held on Sunday is this. Therefore, the logic underlying the fact that some festivals and festivities are held on Sunday is this. As the research subject, kite festival is also carried out on a Sunday in May every year. In this regard, the motivation for the participation in kite festival may be high for this reason. Every year about 5000 people on average take part in this festival in order to spend leisure time eat and drink something, to gather with their friends and have fun with their kids. The study related to project based leisure has examined motivation, participation, happiness and the relationship between themselves. But the different aspect of this study from those other studies is that as a case study it examined project based event. In this context, kite festival is studied with the help of case study method and a set of steps before and after carrying out this festival was dealt with in detail. For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to report on case study research which has developed a new approach to capturing project-based leisure. Transportation In traffic management terms a special event is any planned activity that is wholly or partly conducted on a road, requires multiple agency involvement, requires special traffic management arrangements and may involve large numbers of participants or spectators. The definition also applies to events conducted in their own venue if the event requires special traffic management arrangements and multiple agency support. From a traffic and transport perspective, a special event needs to: ensure the safe separation of event patrons, participants and volunteers from traffic, and manage the reduced capacity of the road system, and minimize the traffic impact on the non-event community and the emergency services and minimize the costs (Traffic Management for Special Events-Application Procedure, 2011). Human Resources Human resource management is much more than recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers; it is a wide-ranging activity, involving the long-term strategic development of the event organization. The expected outcome of this is a positive culture of commitment and cooperation developed in the process of managing the work force (Wagen, 2005). In events also there are the volunteers. They are representatives from the community who freely choose to give their time and skills to support club activities for no payment other than reimbursement for out of pocket expenses. Volunteers come from all age groups, educational backgrounds and genders. People generally volunteer to have fun, socialize, learn new skills, help others, develop new friends, explore career opportunities etc. (AFL Club Management Program, 2004). Working with volunteers requires that their special contribution to the success of the event be acknowledged and shared. Working with volunteers requires consideration, flexibility and enthusiasm because volunteers often work for the ‘fun of it’ of for charitable purposes.

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Volunteers require just as much management and coordination as employees (Tassiopoulos, 2005). Budgeting According to Goldblatt (2002) the budget represents an action plan that each successful event manager must carefully develop and is the most important tool to use the financial decisions within the event management business. Since different events are designed for different purposes, they may fall in to three different categories, named, “Profit-oriented events, Breakeven events, lost leaders or hosted events.” Marketing and Public Relations Being very trendy at the present, event marketing is however not a new phenomenon. In the US and in the whole world, event marketing has existed as long as traditional marketing has been conducted. It is a natural part of the marketing mix, and now goes under the name special events (Eriksson and Hjalmsson, 2000). Effective marketing can attract the ‘right’ people and the ‘wrong’ to an event. However, it is even more crucial to ensure that the event is supported by sufficient numbers of participants to make it success (Tassiopoulos, 2005). When marketing something purely intangible, such as sporting contest there is a large service component. In some respects it is far more difficult to market something that the customer cannot take home or physically consume. Thus promotional efforts might suggest that the audience will be entertained and have fun at the event. Zeithaml and Bitner (1996) define services as ‘deeds, processes and performances’. The definition suits the event business well, whether it refers to a sporting contest, and clearly places event marketing (Wagen, 2005). In management of the events, public relations have two roles. On the one hand it supports marketing activity in the form of promotions; on the other hand it is also the tool that disseminates non-promotional information to other target publics that are important to the organization. An event’s leading aim is to achieve positive coverage on the media for the event without paying for the space or air-time it occupies. Strong relationships with the key media and a range of innovative techniques and tools in order to evoke an attraction are important when trying to create the desired media exposure (Masterman, 2004). Also, media relations and publicity should be given a lot of attention. A well-planned publicity campaign should run alongside any advertising campaign. Ideally this drive should be spread over the period of months, building up to a peak shortly before the event. Early warning allows potential participants and spectators to book the event in to their diaries and prevents potential clashes with rival attractions (Tassiopoulos, 2005). Risk Management The goals of risk management in events like everywhere include the protection of assets, to minimize legal and financial liabilities, to control potential loss, properly manage growth, and to operate responsibility. Risk management recognized in varying degrees as a key component of the responsibilities associated with the planning and producing events. It is often perceived as a function that is carried out once an event has been conceived, designed, and organized. Risk management should be thoroughly embedded in the event design and throughout its development and production process to ensure the risks associated with the event are managed effectively and cost efficiently (Silvers, 2008). Method The purpose of the study is to analyze a special event based on event marketing and event management perspectives as a case study. The purpose is divided into two research questions: What were the applications of Kite Fest 2013 Event based on event marketing and event

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management approaches? How these applications were implemented in the event? Kite Fest 2013 event is selected case study under investigation for the purpose of this research. In this study, the research method adopted was the case study because this type of approach is useful to investigate contemporary phenomena within a real life context, especially when the boundaries between the phenomenon and the context are not clearly evident (Silvestre and Dalcol, 2010; Yin, 2003). Research by case study is more suited to how and why questions which can be explanatory in nature. Case research allows the researcher the opportunity to tease out and disentangle a complex set of factors and relationships, albeit in one or a small number of instances (Easton, 2010). Yin (1989, p. 23) defines a case study as ‘‘an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used’’ (Halinen and Törnroos, 2005). Silvestre and Dalcol (as cited in Siggelkow, 2007) state that a case method can sharpen existing theory by identifying gaps and fill them in, and also provide theoretical contributions when employed as illustrations. According to Cutler (2004) research based cases are used to investigate activities or complex processes that are not easily separated from the social context within which they occur. To select a sample to this study, researchers have chosen to use judgmental sample that is a nonprobably sampling method that allows us to select the case that seems most suitable to answer our research questions (Maki and Sjöstrand, 2007; Saunders, 2007). Based on this method, a special event in Turkey, Kite Fest 2013, was chosen as a case. Case research can employ many data collection methods, either quantitative or qualitative, depending on the variables being studied (Cutler, 2004). While some researchers have used only one method, others have used multiple methods for the purpose of “triangulation” of data from different sources (Barratt et al., 2011). Voss, Tsikriktsis and Frohlich (2002) pointed out that employing multiple data sources elicits increased reliability of data and stronger substantiation of constructs and propositions (Barratt et al., 2011). Data in the study was collected from primary as well as secondary data sources. The main data collection techniques employed was personal semi-structured interviewing, and observations. This case study was applied by three investigators. This approach can be evaluated as sign of reliability.

Findings and Results Kite Festival was evaluated from the perspectives of marketing, public relations and risk management. Transportation, budgeting and human resources including event staff and volunteers were organized. The planning of the festival, the organization managers decided when and what will be done for the festival. How many people are going to work and how many volunteers will be needed? Who the target mass going to be? Than the objectives were determined. The target participants were the families living in the city, primary, secondary, high school and handicapped students. The number of the people planned to participate the event were approximately 10.000 limited to the area of the festival. When deciding the area of the Kite fest, Anadolu University (the host of the event) obtained Iki Eylul Campus Recreation Area and the most important issues about the area are listed as follows:  Suitable for kites  Equipment’s inputs and outputs to be easy  An environment that emergency health care units can easily be reached  Area and environment to be relevantly used  Parking problem.

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For Kite Fest the managers of the organization arranged meeting with the mayor and municipality arranged all the transportation system for the event. Three buses were given to the organization with the drivers and two of them routed whole the day from different locations of the city to the event hall. One of them were sent to the primary schools to take the students and their families at the arranged times and it took them back after the event with the turn. The costs and expenses arisen while regulating the event budget are provided by the sponsors including food and beverage distributors named Looza, activity sponsor Sablon Wellness Club and main sponsor of the festival a famous communication company in Turkey named Turkcell. They distributed 4.000 kites to the participants with the turn. The realization of the Kite Fest 2013 event successfully, there is a need for adequate, competent and well-qualified human resources to achieve the goals of the event. In this sense, the staff employed in the event consisted of Anadolu University personnel and some organization staff. These people had responsibilities from the beginning to the end of the event. Also, during the event the personnel in charge were assigned to serve the participants. In the event a total of 73 employees were assigned including 13 for organization, 10 for set up and enter-exit controlling, 8 people for branding, 5 for promotional business, 6 for welcoming the participants and 31 volunteers (students) from Anadolu University. The students were assigned to meet the needs of participants and provide necessary assistance in the area during the festival. To promote the Kite Fest in the city posters and brochures were distributed in the areas of heavy pedestrian traffic. The most famous shopping center of the city advertised the festival from its Facebook page. To reduce the risks that may occur during the event ambulances and medical teams were ready before the start. In addition, to ensure the security of the event professional security staffs were assigned. Discussion and Conclusion Project based leisure continues to develop as a type of event whose scope has been increasingly extending in recent years. There are many activities and events that can be considered in this context. The aim of this research was to study the kite festival organized by a university in Turkey through case study method. As in many project-based events, in kite festival too, the event initially considered for only once seems to become traditional. The fact that it is supported by different sponsor and financers every year essentially reveals its project-based part. Although the fact that it is traditionally held every year seems to be against the phenomenon of project-based, the differentiation of the organizers, shareholders and sponsors from one year to another appears to be in harmony with the aspect of project-based. Due to this structure, kite festival was studied as a project based event. This event, which is dealt with by case study that reveals examination of a slice of life and then reporting of it, was investigated based on some headings. Some of these headings are transportation, human resource, budgeting, marketing, public relations and risk management. In terms of transportation, the fact that the target group’s level of possession of a car is high and increasing the number of public bus services for the rest was assessed under this heading. For the children whose economic conditions are not good, free municipal bus expeditions were organized. In the issues regarding transportation, Metropolitan municipality, Odunpazari Municipality and Tepebasi Municipality gave their support. Since the field of event is wide enough to offer space for private cars to park, no serious problems were encountered. Municipalities’ support with respect to transportation can be regarded as an indicator revealing that kite festival is non-profit event. Related to human resource, it can be easily said that it is a voluntary and non-charged assignment. None of the personnel that take charge in the event was made additional payment.

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Students, workers, company staff and all other personnel and instructors gave physical and psychological supports. Apart from this, recruitment of the staff responsible for the stands was provided by sponsors or vendors. Budgeting was obtained by sponsors and the groups serving food and drinks on the field. In this event which was carried out in a non-profitable way, all kites were provided by sponsors. In addition, all the fees taken in little amount from the firms selling and advertising goods on the field of event were spent for the expenses on the field again. With respect to marketing, studies in the scope of social campaign were done. Positioning was done as an event where people can spend their weekends, blow off steam, socialize and do different things (novelty). With the help of billboards and posters, it was tried to raise awareness in the target group. From the point of PR, this department of the university gave the support in terms of necessary press relations. By informing the local media (press) of the event, information about the activity was given and interviews were carried out. In some years, national media (TRT) also covered this issue and mentioned about this festival as news for Turkish public. In terms of Risk management, any problems that may be encountered were focused on. The fact that there is a medical department in the campus where the event is held is considered to be a factor that can minimize the risks of health. Similarly, it was thought as a supportive health measurement that there is a comprehensive private hospital in proximity of the event field. With regard to car parks and transportation, security personnel were made use of. The fact that the event lasted between 8 and 10 was favorable in terms of crowd management. No serious congestions were experienced on arriving and leaving in terms of traffic flow. As a conclusion, even though project-based events seem to be small, they require an organization, implementation and supervision. However, Kite festival can be perceived as a moderate event in which 5 to 10 thousand people participate. In fact, that it is an event of such a scale for project based events adds new dimensions and makes a contribution to the literature. This study will make a major contribution in terms of the fact that a discussion will arise about the scale of project based events. Moreover, categorizing the incidents through an approach whose limits are determined is not easy at all. These kinds of events changing every year with its planning and management team can be said to be considered project-based. Limitation and Future Studies This study has certain limitations that should be considered before relying on the results. A main limitation of the study is that qualitative case study was employed as methodology for only one festival. This study conducted for Anadolu University’s Kite festival, and generalization of findings of this case study was limited to this festival. Thus, based on the purpose sampling the main limitation came from selection of one case. Obviously, the results cannot be generalized to all Turkish Festivals or university festivals, because the subject of this study were selected on the basis of event management perspectives. Therefore, future research should include many different festivals as event category approach. Future researchers may investigate whether or not the scale of events affect the application dimensions. References AFL Club Management Program, (2004). Volunteer Management for Football Clubs. AFL Publishing, Australia. Barratt, M., Choi, T.Y., and Li, M. (2011). “Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications”, Journal of Operations Management, 29(4):329-342. Cutler, A. (2004). “Methodical failure: the use of case study method by public relations researchers”, Public Relations Review, 30: 365-375.

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Biography of Authors Metin Argan is a marketing professor in Faculty of Sport Sciences at Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. His areas of research include sports marketing, sport sponsorship management, ambush marketing. He has published books and international based articles about marketing, sports marketing and sponsorship in Turkey and presented various works at a range of international and national conferences. Sabri Kaya is a Faculty member and Vice Dean of School of Physical Education and Sport at Kirikkale University, Turkey. Dr. Kaya currently teaches sport and recreation management. Prior to joining the department, Dr. Kaya was a lecturer for the Bilkent University in Ankara and the Girne American University in Karnia, Cyprus. His teaching interests are in the areas of Sport and Recreation Management, Sport Economy, Sport Finance and Entrepreneurship. He has written and published research on the topics of Sport and Recreation Management, Sport Finance, Sport Economy, Sport Facility Planning and Management. Mehpare Tokay Argan is an associate professor of marketing at Bilecik University, Turkey. Her primary research interests are in the areas of health care marketing, social marketing, social campaigns and service marketing. She published book chapter, international based articles about marketing, social marketing, virtual community and health campaign in Turkey. She also presented various works at a range of international and national conferences. Guven Sevil is a finance professor of Business Faculty at Anadolu University, Turkey. He received his Ph.D. in finance from the Anadolu University in Turkey. He published books and chapters about financial and risk management, and international based articles about finance sectors and stock exchanges in Turkey. He also presented various works at a range of international and national conferences. Hüseyin Kose is a research assistant in Faculty of Sport Sciences at Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey. He is a PhD. on Department of Physical Education and Sports. He is doing his researches on sports management and customer relationship management in sport