Community Participation In Rural Events: The Potential To Develop And Utilize Social Capital

Event management has attracted increased recognition within the academic literature over the last decade, however much of this research has been descriptive in nature and lacks a strong theoretical framework. This paper is a conceptual one in that it outlines the potential of employing community stakeholder participation in organizing and planning events. It is proposed that an outcome of this is the potential development and utilisation of social capital in communities. This is particularly important for rural communities that have suffered a number of hardships over recent decades. A consequence of this has been that the social fabric of rural communities has been endangered. By empowering rural communities through the development and organizing of events may enable communities to take control of their situations and foster new developments and opportunities in their area