The role of social and intangible factors in cultural event planning in Catalonia

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to detail the scope of social capital (SC) in cultural events held in Catalonia and to analyze their tourism appeal. This study considers three elements of SC which play a role in event planning (motivation, internal network creation, and leadership) and analyzes their impact on the local tourism industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The current work assesses the presence and importance of SC factors at 263 surveyed events. This information was crossed with tourism appeal and impact data obtained from the same survey, and the statistical significance of the differences between various SC factors was evaluated via a χ² test.

Findings

This study's primary conclusion is that events with SC elements which strengthen their social cohesion, view and justify the event as a socializing fact, regardless of the scope of tourism at these functions. Additionally, research showed that the creation of relationship networks strengthened the community's internal cohesion, representativeness, and sense of identity. Finally, leadership elements which increase visibility and connect the event to external networks explain the current differences between events' tourism appeal and impact.

Originality/value

The study's major contribution lies in highlighting the role of SC as a factor which affects the social and tourism repercussions of Catalan events. Recommendations suggest the strategic importance of incorporating SC in managing and creating new products and tourism policies focused on cultural events.

Citation

González Reverté, F. and Miralbell Izard, O. (2011), "The role of social and intangible factors in cultural event planning in Catalonia", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 37-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/17582951111116605