Research Article, J Tourism Res Hospitality Vol: 2 Issue: 2
Events and the Means of Attention
| Greg Richards1,2* | |
| 1Department of Leisure Studies, Tilburg University, The Netherlands | |
| 2Academy for Leisure, NHTV Breda, The Netherlands | |
| Corresponding author : Greg Richards Dept of Leisure Studies, University of Tilburg, PO Box 90153, 5000LE Tilburg, The Netherlands E-mail: G.w.richards@uvt.nl |
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| Received: February 20, 2013 Accepted: March 06, 2013 Published: March 14, 2013 | |
| Citation: Richards G (2013) Events and the Means of Attention. J Tourism Res Hospitality 2:2. doi:10.4172/2324-8807.1000118 |
Abstract
Events and the Means of Attention
In the contemporary network society, attracting public attention has become more challenging as the supply of information increases. Events arguably play an essential role in synchronizing personal, social and political agendas, helping to focus attention and frame places, objects and people. The event audience justifies the event by paying attention to it, but the event also has to reciprocate by paying attention to the audience. This paper looks at how contemporary rituals that are designed to focus attention and generate ‘emotional energy’ through shared co-presence and a mutual focus of attention, as suggested by Collins in 2004. The event itself, therefore, arguably mirrors practices in the wider network society, where sociality increasingly depends on generating and exchanging attention. The extent to which events and event places successfully create the conditions for successful event rituals by developing the means of attention is examined through examples of cultural and sporting events, focusing on the creative interplay between consumers and producers and their cocreation of event experiences.
