Laville, LucyAlbalawi, Sarah2024-07-242024-07-242024-05-13https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14154/726791.1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION There has been a glut of mega-events across a wide range of areas from sports, culture, music, business entrepreneurship etc. that seek to attract a global audience with an itinerant characteristic whereby they take place in different cities on each occasion (Varrel and Kennedy, 2021). The sheer size and frequency of mega events imply that they exceed the combined financial investment in non-mega events (Varrel and Kennedy, 2021). Although there are several definitions of mega events they all share the aspect of being large-scale events that are advertised globally to attract domestic and international visitors (Hall, 2006; Humphreys and Prokopowicz, 2007). Muller (2015) has refined the concept of a mega event to those events that incorporate the following four aspects: 1. the ability to draw a large number of primarily international visitors 2. to have a large reach 3. require a large financial investment 4. to make a substantial impact on the built environment and the local population where the event is held. Although all mega events seek to attract a physical audience they are challenged by widespread television broadcasting and internet streaming of events where the bulk of the audience tends to be non-physical (Sugden and Tomlinson, 2012). The growth of home-based audiences is reflected in the price of broadcasting rights of mega events such as the Olympics which grew from US$34 million for the 1976 Montreal Games to over US$ 4 billion for the Tokyo Olympics. IOC (2020) found that 3.05 billion unique viewers watched some of the Tokyo Olympics. Chappelet (2014) found that in the case of the London Olympics, there were two media representatives for each athlete. From an event management perspective, this implies that mega-events need to be designed to engage the physical audience. Countries with a long history of mega-event management have proved that they can make the transition from a physical to a combined approach that includes a digital platform. For a country such as Saudi Arabia which embarked on its journey into mega-events less than a decade ago, this offers new opportunities to first learn from existing players. Second, Saud Arabia has the potential to leapfrog and become a major player in mega events through the use of technology. The ease and availability of technology implies that it is available to everyone. The importance of technology and digital platforms has grown in popularity due to the widespread availability of smartphones, low-cost internet connectivity and technological improvements such as 5G that have made watching streamed events seamless. Technological advancements have allowed audiences to produce, edit, distribute information and engage in ways that were not possible just a few years ago (Di Pietro et al 2012). The experience of the 2022 FIFA World Cup shows that the official app was downloaded over 20 billion times by over two billion users according to the FIFA website. This implies that viewers were able to actively interact with other fans online. Further, the ability to watch physically and follow the event on a digital platform allowed the audience to have a deeper and more engaged experience. Wirtz et al. (2013) find that digital platforms allow the audience to discuss and share information and opinions regarding mega-events. As such digital platforms have become an important tool not only to reach out to a larger and more global participation and deliver an engaged experience but also to design mega events that deliver exceptional audience experiences (Levy and Hassay, 2005; Torres, 2017). The popularity of an omni-channel experience is now an important aspect of the success of any mega event (McGillivray, 2014). The reason is that audiences are accustomed to consuming content physically by attending the event, via broadcast on television and digital platforms. Further, consumption of two or more channels can take place simultaneously implying that each experience needs to be unique and engaging. This was the case for sports and music mega events but the Dubai Expo 2020 has shown that this is relevant for business events as well. Dubai Expo 2020 developed its own TV station as well as a digital platform for live streaming of content and discussing various topics relating to hundreds of daily events. This allowed the audience to consume different aspects of a mega event where several activities were scheduled to take place concurrently. Baldus et al. (2014) argue that the development of online content and communities leads to a better evaluation of the audience experience of a mega event.Mega events are large-scale occasions that are widely publicised to draw visitors domestically and from abroad (Hall, 2006). With considerable improvements in home viewing content and technology the audience who prefers to stay at home and enjoy first-rate experiences without having to deal with the inconvenience of physically being at the event venue has become a rival to the growing quantity and variety of mega events. This suggests, from the standpoint of event management, that mega-events should be planned to involve the physical audience and provide a memorable, transformative experience that makes them want to come back and find more opportunities for interaction (Bowdin, 2011). Saudi Arabia is a new entrant into the world of mega-events with strong government support and finance from the sovereign wealth fund. Technology's accessibility and ease of use suggest that it is affordable and available to everybody, even to new entrants such as Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether providing audiences attending mega events in Saudi Arabia with an enhanced experience may be achieved via the use of digital technologies and engaging tactics. The results, which were obtained through the use of a comprehensive survey instrument distributed to the target audience in Saudi Arabia, indicate that going to a mega-event is motivated by more than just a keen interest in the topic, sport, or artist; it's also a way to try something new and get away from social and personal pressures. The results of this study indicated that while both the hard and soft elements of the physical environment are significant, they were not equally so. According to the survey, comfortable furnishings and good visibility are important for the hard physical environment, while convenient scheduling, plenty of clear signage, good service, the availability of event staff to help with problems, and reasonably priced, high-quality food and beverages are important for the soft aspects. The study concludes that safety and security are the most crucial factors for any mega-event. According to this research, when a mega-event is presented in an immersive and interesting way, people have an extraordinarily positive experience. Furthermore, this study discovers that positive attendee experiences result in more positive word-of-mouth. Attendee satisfaction increases the likelihood that they will tell their network about the mega event, which will contribute to its continued success. The study's findings indicate that Saudi Arabia's mega-events have been effective in providing captivating and immersive experiences.94enManaging Successful Mega SprtsThesis