module specification

This module develops applied skills in sports marketing and the strategic management of sports events. Sports marketing is considered from the perspective of the marketing of professional sport to spectators and the marketing of corporations through sport. Sports sponsorships management shall be explored from the point of matching a sponsor to a sports body to the activation of that sponsorship.

The module also provides a framework of the sports event planning process, using short and long-term strategies, and an overview of operational strategies. Following the phenomenal success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the staging of many of the world’s major sports events in the UK over the next ten years, the importance of sports events have taken on a new meaning as they penetrate our every day lives. By the end of this module students will not only have an enhanced theoretical understanding of the concept of sports event organisation and management and the importance of a strategic approach, but shows how to implement strategies that can achieve successful sports events over the short and long-term.

1. Examine the application of marketing, public relations and communications theory and models to professional sport;
2. Offer a constructive critique of alternative marketing approaches and techniques in professional sport.
3. Develop practical skills in the matching and activation of sports sponsorship.
4. Give students an overview of the sports and events industries, the historical perspective, the importance and the scale;
5. Provide an enhanced theoretical understanding of the concept of sports event organisation and management and the issues surrounding the application of principles in practice.
6. Identify the inter-relationship between media and the variety of audiences/consumers in sports events;

The module is structured around the events planning / management process and includes coverage of the following topics:

1. The Marketing Planning Process
2. Understanding the Market
3. Brand Marketing through Sport
4. Sponsorship Sales & Proposals
5. Sponsorship Activation
6. M&E of Sponsorship
7. Ambush Marketing
8. Celebrity Endorsement
9. Event Design and Themes
10. Event Planning Process / Event Project Management
11. Impacts of Events
12. Volunteer Management
13. Finance / Budgeting/Revenue and Price Management
14. Logistics
15. Production / Staging
16. Organization and Management of Mega Events
17. Mega Events: Bidding, Staging, Evaluation
18. Impacts of Mega Events on Host City Infrastructure and Development
19. Organization and Management of Mass Participation Sports Events
20. Organization and Management of Sports Tournaments and Festivals
21. Media management and Sales
22. Health & Safety Requirements
23. Contingency Planning
24. Evaluation and Legacy 

Lectures give an overview to be supplemented by further reading in preparation for discussions and presentations during connecting seminars the following week. Seminars are designed to encourage the application of concepts and theories obtained from the lecture and readings to a particular scenario or problem or applied to event management. Students will be expected to undertake a large amount of self directed learning, including the reading of indicative texts and case studies in preparation for assessments. It is intended to develop a web support site for the module in order to assist students with their directed and self-managed learning. Self-managed learning will take place mainly around a) students own contributions to the seminar series and b) their coursework preparation and c) participation in on-line activities.

On successful completion of this module the student will be able to:

1. Evaluate a strong ‘fit’ between a sponsor and a sports property;
2. Design a strategic sponsorship activation plan that leverages a sport sponsorship;
3. Analyse and evaluate marketing strategies of professional sports;
4. Develop a detailed and strategic marketing plan for professional sport;
5. Appreciate the size and nature of the sports events industry as a whole focusing on the roles of international and national sports governing bodies;
6. Evaluate  the management structures and networks that are set-up in order to implement mega events such as the Olympics;
7. Understand the planning, bidding, staging and evaluation phases of mega events such as the Olympic Games.

• Shank, M. D., & Lyberger, M. R. (2014). Sports marketing: A strategic perspective. Routledge.
• Pitts, B. G., & Stotlar, D. K. (2007). Fundamentals of sport marketing. Fitness information technology.
• Shilbury, D., Quick, S., & Westerbeek, H. (2003). Strategic sport marketing. Allen & Unwin.
• Bowdin, G., McDonnell, I., Allen, J., O’Toole, W. (2010) Events Management 3rd edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
· Masterman, G (2005) Strategic Sports Event Management-An International Approach, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
Westerbeek H, Smith A, Turner P, Van Leeuwen L, Emery P & Green C (2006) Managing Sport Facilities and Major Events. Routledge 

Recommended Reading:
· Allen, J. (2010) Event Planning Ethics and Etiquette: A Principled Approach to the Business of Special Event Management. New York: Wiley.
· Allen, J. (2005) Time Management for Event Planners. New York: Wiley.
· Berridge, G. (2006) Event Design and Experience. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Getz, Donald (1997) Event management & event tourism, New York: Cognizant Communication Corp.
· Cashman and Hughes (1999) Staging the Olympics: The Event and Its Impact. University of NSW Press.
· Getz, D. (2007) Event Studies: Theory, Research and Policy for Planned Events. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
· Goldblatt, J.J., Delpy Neirotti, L.A., and Graham, S. (2001) The Ultimate Guide to Sport Event Management and Marketing, 2nd edn, New York, London: McGraw-Hill.
· Gratton C and Henry I (2001) Sport in the City: The Role of Sport in Economic and Social Regeneration. Routledge. 


· Hoyle, L. (2002) Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions. New York: Wiley.
· Lagae, W. (2005). Sports Sponsorship and Marketing Communications: A European Perspective, London: FT Prentice Hall.
· Masterman, G. and Wood, E. (2005) Innovative Marketing Communications: Strategies for the Events Industry. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
· Parks, Janet; Quarterman, Jerome; Thibault, Lucie - Editors (2007) Contemporary Sport Management, 3rd edn, Champaign, IL:  Human Kinetics
· Raj, R., Walters, P., Rashid, T. (2008) Events Management: An Integrated and Practical Approach. London: Sage
· Robinson, P., Wale, D., Dickson, G. (2010) Events Management. CABI: Wallingford
· Skinner, B. and Rukavina, V. (2002) The Event Sponsorship. New York: Wiley.
· Shone, A. and Parry, B. (2001) Successful Event Management. London: Continuum.
· Silvers, J. (2003) Professional Event Coordination. New York: Wiley.
· Solomon, J. (2002) An insider’s guide to managing sporting events, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
· Tarlow, P. (2002) Event Risk Management and Safety. New York: Wiley.
· Torkildsen, G. (2005) Leisure and Recreation Management, 5th edn, London: Routledge.
· Tum, J., Norton, P., Nevan Wright, J. (2005) Management of Event Operations. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
· Van der Wagen, L. (2002) Event Management: For Tourism, Cultural, Business and Sporting Events. Melbourne: Hospitality Press.
· Van der Wagen, L. (2006) Human Resource Management for Events: Managing the event workforce. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
· Watt, D. (1998) Event Management in Leisure and Tourism, Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.
· Yeoman, I., Robertson, M., Ali-Knight, J., Drummond, S., McMahon-Beattie, U. (eds.) (2003) Festival and Events Management: An International Arts and Culture Perspective. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Journals