Edinburgh Napier University

  In a time of tremendous environmental, social and economic change, the authors apply the reasoning that sustainability is a transcendent societal mega-mega trend (Varey, 2013), i.e. one of the most significant world mega trends. They acknowledge that, nonetheless, the concept and actions towards, and association with, sustainability has also been one that has been divisive for many countries and their governments. Often is has required acknowledgment that the determinants of this movement, i.e. global warming (global emergency) and widening economic and social disparity, may run counter to the political and economic agendas and drivers which in part – or wholly - purpose their current power base.

Much has written about the potential of planned tourism as narratives of changes, or as agents of social change (Jafari & Aaser, 1988; Lew, 2007) and, more recently there a strong body of research looking at planned events as purposive agents of social change (Ong & Goh, 2018). This research looks at the under-researched area of Business Events as agents of social change. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK and the Melbourne, Victoria, Australia are the cities captured in this critical research study.