Managing Special Events in the New Era of the Triple Bottom Line

Abstract

A new concept has emerged in special event research—the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). The TBL, borrowed from accounting and finance, amalgamates the social, economic, and environmental aspects of activities into one framework. Within the context of special events, the TBL has been particularly linked to their evaluation. In this conceptual article it is argued that while this approach to event evaluation is useful, it is imperative that the underlying principles of the TBL be applied to the planning stage of special event management. This article proposes a framework for this purpose that draws upon Stakeholder Theory. By using this framework, the underlying principles of the TBL can be implemented to special event planning so that the outcomes of special events can be enhanced for their stakeholders.