An evidence informed approach to planning for event management in Ireland: An examination of the European Tourism Indicator System

Events are a significant component of Ireland’s tourism offering. They are an important source of economic activity and an incremental driver of social change and development throughout the country. However, the visual and physical impacts often created by event activities to the environmental and social resource base upon which, events depend, have begun to draw attention to the way events are planned and managed. Although the concept of sustainability has become the topic of much discussion and debate in event management literature, there exist many gaps in relation to its practical application in event management planning in Ireland. This is despite the statutory obligation of Local Authorities in Ireland to license events and to facilitate the process of planning for large-scale outdoor public events in Ireland. Yet, with the continued expansion of Ireland’s event industry, there is a fundamental need for an evidence-informed approach to planning for event management. Through the application of the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS), the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the national event industry in Ireland could be secured. This paper will examine and discuss the application of the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) as a possible tool to facilitate greater levels of sustainability and accountability within the events industry in Ireland. This study employed a quantitative content analysis approach involving a complete population sample of Local Authorities in the Republic of Ireland to determine the application of the ETIS within the legal process of planning for event management in Ireland. While the findings have identified a basic provision for event management within a number of Local Authority legally required County Development Plans, none however, were utilising the ETIS to monitor the impacts of events at local level. This lack of data collection and bench-marking highlights the need for greater levels of sustainability and accountability within the legal process of planning for event management in Ireland. This study suggests the ETIS as an easy, cost effective and viable solution to facilitate an evidence-informed approach to planning for event management at local level. However, the lessons learned from this study may also have implications for destination planners and event managers outside of Ireland.