Recent times have seen the increased proliferation of the concept of applying events in promoting destinations. This can be attributed to the effectiveness of events in solidifying the image and attractiveness of destinations. Currently, South Africa ranks as the twenty second most popular location for hosting events and has a foothold of 2.5% of the global event market share. The global pervasion of events has changed the dynamics that surround how destinations are promoted and has also significantly impacted the tourism industry and the respective tourist patterns of consumption. Literature suggests that events are gradually moving from previously being viewed as a complementary leisure activity towards becoming a primary source of attraction for destinations. Literature also confirms the extensive inclination of cities in the use of events for branding destinations. The primary problem that this study investigates is the lack of substantial knowhow with respect to how events can be presented in order to augment and enhance the attractiveness of Nelson Mandela Bay. There is no substantial blueprint that is capable of informing from the perspective of event marketers, how best they can drive a successful event marketing imperative that the local and external consumers can appreciate. Additionally, Nelson Mandela Bay has over the recent years encountered a significant amount of losses stemming from the events realm of its tourist offering. The most recent and calamitous of its losses to date has been estimated at R200 million, which escaped the coffers of the local economy as a result of the internationally applauded IRB World Sevens event moving from the metropolis to Cape Town. This has caused disconcerted and agitated sentiments across business and tourism leadership locally. Since 2011, the IRB World Sevens Series cultivated over R1 Billion towards the local economy. Losses in terms of showcasing the city to a global audience on highly established and followed media platforms are also expected. In addition, given the lack of knowledge with respect to event marketing dynamics, the “Twelve Events in Twelve Months”, an initiative that will see different event themes being launched within the twelve calendar months of the year in Nelson Mandela Bay, runs a high risk of failing to take off upon its launch because local residents and potential tourists, both national and international will lack the knowledge sufficient to stimulate their acceptance and attraction to this concept. This study aims to investigate the concepts, notions and critical success factors that event marketers can apply in order to increase the success of the event marketing imperative in Nelson Mandela Bay. The success of event marketing is expected to increase the attractiveness of Nelson Mandela Bay and brand it as a viable destination to prospective stakeholders. To evaluate the conceptual framework that was suggested by this study based on the literature review, an empirical evaluation was performed amongst the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay through the application of a questionnaire that was electronically and physically distributed. This questionnaire received 3 659 responses and measured respondents’ access and usage of media facilities. It also measured the perceptions of the current state of events in Nelson Mandela Bay. Furthermore, the questionnaire evaluated the destination image of Nelson Mandela Bay. Moreover, hypotheses were tested to evaluate the assumptions that the manner in which events are packaged, placed, positioned and promoted will enhance the attractiveness of Nelson Mandela Bay as a destination. The findings of this study suggest that the strategic bundling, placing, promoting and positioning of events is critical towards advancing an event marketing imperative and sustaining it in the long term. Additionally, the study also indicates that the successful development of a comprehensive event marketing initiative will enhance the attractiveness of Nelson Mandela Bay as a destination. The study thus concludes that event marketers can apply the proposed event marketing framework as a blueprint for informing their strategic development of event concepts in order to enhance their potential for success. The successful establishment of event offerings will consequently amplify the destination attractiveness of Nelson Mandela Bay. This research’s deliverables are expected to positively influence and reinforce the productivity of the social interactions that encompass Nelson Mandela Bay. Essentially, a framework that credibly guides the event marketer’s thinking in developing event concepts for the city is expected to enhance the attractiveness, sustaining and success of events therein. The success of events is expected to widen business prospects within the city. Moreover, eminent events are also expected to position Nelson Mandela Bay as a formidable player, and an attractive destination to aspiring investors, decision makers and visitors. This is expected to widen the resource base of the local players within the city, and motivate for more collaboration amongst them in a quest of deriving mutual gain from the city’s progression. In view of these notions, this study can be grounded in the social capital theory.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Management Sciences: Hospitality and Tourism Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The study addressed four questions using secondary annual time series data: (1) How is event spend related to economic development? (2) How are the physical attributes of the region (natural capital) related to economic development?(3) How is social cohesion related to economic development? (4) How does human capital influence economic development? The study period starts in 1994 and ends in 2016, accordingly 100 data points were pulled from the time series. Error Correction Model and Ordinary Least Squares were used as analytical tools to test the regression model developed for the study. Economic development is the dependent variable and is represented by tourism employment data sourced from Statistics South Africa. The independent variables are event spend represented by expenditure figures for culture, sports and recreation published by Statistics SA; human capital was measured using gross educational ratio for secondary education accessed from the World Bank database; natural capital was measured using the gross domestic product attained from Statistics South Africa; and social cohesion was measured using social expenditure data acquired from the South African Reserve Bank. The theoretical framework that underpins the study is the geography political theory as espoused by different authors including Collier (2007) and Kollosov (2001). On the basis of this theoretical framework the study seeks to look at the effect of event spend, natural capital, human capital and social cohesion on economic development. The findings of the study show that there is no relationship between economic development, event spend and human capital. However a relationship was established between natural capital and social cohesion. The results of the study will inform policymakers in the allocation of budgets towards major events. It will also contribute to the equitable distribution of resources to promote social cohesion in communities. / M