A global event is an occurrence with worldwide impact, requiring the involvement of multiple countries to organize and take place. The resulting activities have consequences felt in many places and are usually accompanied by extensive media coverage.
Global events can be either mega-events (planned, large-scale events) or global crises (unplanned events with widespread consequences such as natural disasters, pandemics and major wars). The two types of events can have a very different effect on local communities and economies depending on the nature of the crisis or emergency.
The most obvious way in which global events impact all places is through their ability to bring people together from different parts of the world, and this is especially evident during global sporting competitions such as the Olympic Games or the World Cup. However, even a more modest event such as a tomato festival in Spain or the ball drop in New York City can attract visitors from across the globe due to their uniqueness.
Similarly, globalisation provides the ideal conditions for epidemics to spread rapidly, as evidenced by the Plague of 541 AD and 1346-53, influenza in 1918 and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, global events can also help to control such epidemics by allowing healthcare organisations to learn from previous outbreaks and improve their responses, as illustrated by the effectiveness of vaccination strategies in the case of COVID-19.
To maximise the potential for positive local impacts of global events, it is important to develop comprehensive event guidelines and checklists, and share these with all the teams involved in organizing the event. Moreover, to ensure consistent event production, it is essential to use centralized communication and planning platforms to facilitate real-time collaboration.
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