Defining the Field of Events

Abstract

When considering the field of events, an important initial step is to consider the definition of an event. The goal of this article was twofold, first to take a novel approach in defining an event by considering the contextual aspects of an event from the traditional definitions, but adding the perspective of the attendee; and second to develop a typology focused on a unified definition of the field of events relational to the extant literature. The definition of an event is an occurrence that has a time element, two or more participants, is planned, and is a unique opportunity. A systematic review of extant literature was conducted in order to define the field of events. A total of 95 articles were analyzed. The field of events is characterized as having four major categories: professional, entertainment, social, and common cause. Within these four categories there are 20 types of events, all of which meet the four components of the definition of an event.