Defining Event Categories

Welcome and thank you for considering taking part in this online survey

Before you decide if you would like to participate, we would like you to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please contact one of the investigators using the contact details below if you have any questions.

This research aims to objectively understand what exactly we mean by small, medium, large, major, mega and giga events, to create both objective and subjective definitions, and a scoring system to know when an event has passed through one size to another. Through this, we hope to develop “generally accepted” definitions of different event categories.

This research has been co-designed and is being conducted by researchers from Loughborough University (Dr Jamie Kenyon and Dr Verity Postlethwaite) and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Professor Mike Duignan).

As part of this research, you will be asked to complete an anonymous online survey, which should take no longer than 20-25 minutes to complete. You do not need to do anything before completing the survey. This is a low-risk activity and no disadvantages or risks have been identified in association with participating.

To participate in this survey:

You must be over the age of 18 and have the capacity to fully understand and consent to this research.
You should also be employed (or have relevant experience, paid or volunteer) within the event industry (or other relevant industry, e.g., tourism & hospitality, non-profit sector, higher education, etc.).

Loughborough University as owners of the data, will be using the information/data you provide and will both act as the data controllers for this study. This means that the University is responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.

The research aims to collect personal information on respondents' job roles, which might make them identifiable. However, participants will be encouraged to provide generic (or non-specific) responses to avoid this, and this data will only be accessed by the researchers to analyse cross- and between group responses. Furthermore, no identifying information will be used in any outputs to result from the research.

Personal data will be processed on the public task basis. For further details on the data protection legislation see: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/ Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), some of the personal data which will be collected from you is categorised as “sensitive data”. The processing of this data is necessary for scientific research in accordance with safeguards. This means that study has gone through an ethical committee to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are put in place with respect to the use of your personal data. Anonymised data will be used in research outputs (peer-reviewed articles, academic presentations, etc.). No individual will be identifiable in any report, presentation, or publication. All information will be securely stored on the University computer systems.

In line with Loughborough University's Ethics Review Sub-Committee’s guidance for investigators regarding data collection and storage, on completion of the research, data will be held for ten years (subject to periodic review).

After you have read this information and asked any questions you may have, if you are happy to participate, please read the consent page and confirm your consent by checking the tick box at the bottom of the page. You can withdraw from the survey at any time by closing the browser. However, as the survey is anonymous once you have submitted the survey it will not be possible to withdraw your data from the study.

Dr. Jamie Kenyon, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management & Academic Integrity Lead – UG Sport, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU. Email: J.A.Kenyon@lboro.ac.uk. Tel: +44 (0) 1509 223083.
Prof. Mike Duignan, Professeur des universités, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne IREST 21, Rue Broca - 75005 PARIS. Email: michael.duignan@univ-paris1.fr.
Dr. Verity Postlethwaite, Lecturer in Strategic Event Management, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU. Email: v.a.postlethwaite@lboro.ac.uk.

What if I am not happy with how the research was conducted?
If you are not happy with how the research was conducted, please contact the Secretary of the Ethics Review Sub-Committee, Research & Innovation Office, Hazlerigg Building, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, Loughborough, LE11 3TU. Tel: 01509 222423. Email: researchpolicy@lboro.ac.uk

The University also has policies relating to Research Misconduct and Whistle Blowing which are available online at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/research-ethics-integrity/research-integrity/ . If you require any further information regarding the General Data Protection Regulations, please see: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/privacy/research-privacy/