Strong Ties within Cultural Organization Event Networks and Local Development in a Tale of Three Festivals

The purpose of this article is to provide a deeper understanding of successful event networks and offer a conceptual framework which can be used to analyze their impact on local development. We address two research questions. First, how does network structure affect the success of the event and its outcomes on local development, other than in economic terms? Second, which main capabilities does the "network orchestrator" need in order to promote the effectiveness of the event network? By analyzing three different Italian cultural festivals this article sheds light on: (a) the features of successful event networks, (b) the dynamics linking network structure and the social outcomes generated, and (c) the typical bundle of relational capabilities that network orchestrators need. In particular, two different archetypes of event networks - namely, "Community-driven events" versus "Market-driven events" - emerge, which are related to different outcomes on local development. We draw some implications for management and offer some remarks to stimulate further research in the field of special events