Sport Events and Community Development

Kyriaki Kaplanidou is Professor in the Department of Sport Management, University of Florida, USA, and Director of Innovative Research Initiatives in Sport Events (i-Rise) lab at the University of Florida. Her main research interests relate to sport event consumer behaviors and the evaluation and management of sport event legacy outcomes for the improvement of the quality of life of host communities’ residents. Her findings suggest the importance of socio-cultural programs embedded in the planning of sport events to improve residents’ quality of life. Dr. Kaplanidou has published more than 75 peer-reviewed articles and has received multiple research grants. Among others, Dr. Kaplanidou’s research has been funded by the International Olympic Committee, the Athens Marathon (Greece), and Qatar University. Luke R. Potwarka is Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and is Co-Director, International Collaborative on Trickle-Down Effect Research, and Director, Spectator Experience and Technology (SEAT) Laboratory. His research focuses on consumer behavior related to sport events. It addresses the overarching question: under what conditions do sport events have positive impacts for individuals and organizations in host communities? Dr. Potwarka’s research draws from diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches and falls within two broad themes: (i) exploring the role of elite-sport events in the promotion of physical activity and sport participation and (ii) exploring commercial and tourism-related responses to elite sport events.