Mega events: a regional phenomenon and research network

The contributions to this Survey issue provide a contemporary insight to the mega-event phenomena, based on recent projects and their regional dimension, including the ‘regional’ European Capital of Culture in Aix-en-Provence/Marseilles 2013. The mega-events reviewed here range from Olympics - summer and winter; aspirational International Expositions or ‘EXPOs’; to completed Capitals of Culture and unsuccessful bids. This latter issue is important since in the competitive world of mega-events, many cities and regions bid, but most are unsuccessful. Many rebid in successive rounds, but the process is generally part of a wider regional development and regeneration regime which continues even if the mega-event is not in fact held. Mega-events can therefore be situated in the ongoing era of the competitive, entrepreneurial city, with regional impacts evident over significant periods of time