Events are vital in uniting people across business, government, and the community to discuss key issues, and they also offer a significant boost to the places that host them. Local events have not only tangible effects, such as economic impacts but also intangible effects, such as reputation and social cohesion, which are equally important to measure, especially for gaining buy-in for further hosting and developing more activities to promote and improve places.
Local research, like the C-EDGE project conducted by Dr Sunny Son and Dr Jessica Mei Pung with the City of Adelaide, has shown how events like the 2023 Winter Weekends can positively influence the image and perception of areas like the Gouger Street Precinct, making them perceived as desirable places to visit and meet friends. Winter Weekends is a place activation event hosted by the City of Adelaide to activate and develop unique precincts to support a diverse range of businesses and communities. Winter Weekends is delivered in multiple precincts on Friday and Saturday nights in June, July and August to activate the city during the traditionally quieter winter months, in partnership with hospitality businesses and involves local musicians and artists.
In undertaking this research, the C-EDGE team led by Dr Sunny Son compared the perceptions between Winter Weekends attendees and non-attendees, to understand how Winter Weekends influenced their views on the Gouger Street Precinct, Adelaide.
The team observed the influence this place activation had on perceptions of the Gouger Street Precinct, in different domains:
- Perception of the Precinct: Winter Weekends had a positive impact on how people perceive the Gouger Street Precinct, enhancing overall perception and both cognitive and affective images, resulting in Winter Weekends attendees having a more favourable overall impression of the Precinct.
- Image of the Precinct: Winter Weekends contributed to a more vibrant, enjoyable and pleasant image of the Precinct. The Winter Weekends attendees expressed more favourable emotions toward the Precinct compared to those who have not experienced Winter Weekends.
- Future Visitation Intentions: The experiences gained during Winter Weekend positively influenced people’s intention to revisit, with Winter Weekends attendees showing a stronger intention to revisit compared to non-attendees. Specifically, those in the 18-49 age group displayed a greater intention to revisit the Precinct.
The research also allowed to provide recommendations for further optimisation, promotion and expansion of the event, and for hosting more activation events.
From this research, the team concluded that the Winter Weekends event played a significant role in enhancing the image and perception of Gouger Street Precinct. This finding highlights the meaningful and important intangible impact of events.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3jnIjwUyIRA/?rel=0
For more details about this research, contact Dr Sunny Son and Dr Jessica Mei Pung.
