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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.

Community events are significant for building community identity and cohesion. During 2020–2021, events largely halted due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and many communities lacked the capacity to recover their events quickly, in comparison to larger more well-resourced events. The study aims to understand and learn from the experiences of Scottish community event practitioners' during the disruption and recovery period for their events.

A targeted qualitative questionnaire elicited open-ended responses from people involved in the management and operation of community events in Scotland. Focus groups were also conducted with relevant practitioners to further elicit data.

Four key themes emerged as follows: (1) COVID-19 fractured stakeholder networks and impacted the ability of community events to operate. Practices adapted to incorporate virtual events. (2) Events were considered as important for place-building and wider collective community benefits. This was brought more into focus for practitioners as a result of the pandemic. (3) Local authorities were variable in the level and support they gave community events. (4) Some positive changes were enforced through COVID-19, such as collaboration between small event collectives that can build resilience for community events in the future.

The research provides an analysis of community events, which are often small-scale, diverse, local, unique to destinations and under-researched compared to large events. It particularly builds understanding of their resilience to sectoral disruption, through the lens of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, an extraordinary disruptive event. This paper provides practical strategies for community actors and local authorities to improve event delivery and leverage community events as place-builders.