X-Culture challenge tasked students with showcasing the economic, social and cultural impact of major events on host cities. The challenge was executed in collaboration with six BestCities destination partners – Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Dublin, Guadalajara, and Singapore – as well as the Academy of International Business. It took place at the Academy of International Business Southeast Chapter Annual Conference at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, which was also attended by 150 international business professors.
Through their research, 51 students from 15 different countries identified three critical themes regarding the impact of major events on host cities: the growing need for sustainability in event planning, the importance of involving and benefiting local businesses, communities, and youth, and the necessity of better communicating the positive outcomes of events to the broader public.
The X-Culture program is designed to help students gain international business experience while supporting businesses with real-life challenges. Professors guide their students throughout the competition and, upon the challenge’s conclusion, researchers use and apply the resulting data to their studies.
“We were thrilled to be part of this year’s X-Culture competition. It was a pleasure to hear new and inspiring ideas that came from the dynamic group of students who participated,” said Loren Christie, managing director, of BestCities Global Alliance.
This year’s competition was a tremendous success. The data collected offers valuable insights for researchers to further develop sustainable global conferences and work toward creating a more collaborative future for host cities and event organisers.
