Call for Chapters: Sport Events for Territorial Marketing, Place Branding, and Global Visibility

Editors

Bruno Sousa, UNIAG, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), Portugal
Lara Santos, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), Portugal
Laurentina Vareiro, UNIAG, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), Portugal

Call for Chapters

Proposals Submission Deadline: June 21, 2026
 Full Chapters Due: September 13, 2026
 Submission Date: September 13, 2026

Introduction

In an increasingly competitive global environment, territories seek innovative strategies to enhance their positioning and visibility. Sport events have emerged as powerful instruments for territorial marketing and place branding, offering opportunities to attract tourists, investors, and media attention. From mega-events to local competitions, these initiatives contribute to shaping destination image and reinforcing place identity. The growing integration of sport events into broader marketing strategies reflects their potential to generate economic, social, and reputational benefits. Through global media exposure and stakeholder engagement, events can strengthen brand equity and differentiate destinations in crowded international markets. However, their impacts are not inherently positive, requiring careful planning and alignment with long-term territorial objectives. At the same time, contemporary challenges such as sustainability concerns, digital transformation, and evolving consumer expectations are reshaping how sport events are organized and leveraged. These dynamics call for more strategic, inclusive, and innovative approaches to maximize their value. This volume aims to advance knowledge on how sport events contribute to territorial marketing, place branding, and global visibility. It invites interdisciplinary research and practical insights that explore strategies, impacts, and emerging trends across diverse contexts.

Objective

The primary objective of this book is to advance theoretical and practical understanding of the role of sport events in territorial marketing, place branding, and the enhancement of global visibility. It seeks to explore how sport events can be strategically designed and leveraged to strengthen destination image, foster competitive advantage, and stimulate sustainable socio-economic development. This volume aims to bridge existing gaps in the literature by integrating perspectives from marketing, sport management, tourism, and urban studies. It intends to provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing the multifaceted impacts of sport events, including their economic, social, cultural, and reputational dimensions. Additionally, the book aspires to identify best practices and innovative approaches in the planning, management, and evaluation of sport events within territorial strategies. It encourages critical reflection on contemporary challenges such as sustainability, digital transformation, and stakeholder engagement, offering actionable insights for both scholars and practitioners. Ultimately, the book will contribute to furthering current research by presenting diverse empirical studies, comparative analyses, and conceptual advancements, thereby supporting more effective and responsible use of sport events as tools for place development and global positioning.

Target Audience

This book is primarily intended for academics, researchers, and graduate students in the fields of sport management, marketing, tourism studies, urban and regional development, and related disciplines. It will also be of interest to scholars investigating place branding, destination competitiveness, and event management from interdisciplinary perspectives. In addition, the volume will benefit practitioners, including policymakers, city and regional planners, destination management organizations (DMOs), sport event organizers, and marketing professionals involved in territorial promotion and branding strategies. Consultants and industry stakeholders seeking evidence-based insights into the effective use of sport events as tools for enhancing visibility and competitiveness will also find this book valuable. By combining theoretical advancements with practical case studies, the book aims to serve as a relevant resource for both academic inquiry and professional practice, supporting informed decision-making in the planning, management, and evaluation of sport events within territorial contexts.

Recommended Topics

- Strategic role of sport events in territorial marketing and place branding - Mega-events vs. small-scale events: comparative impacts on destination visibility - Sport events and destination image formation and repositioning - Place branding strategies linked to sporting events - Economic impacts of sport events on local and regional development - Social and cultural legacies of sport events - Sport tourism and its contribution to territorial competitiveness - Media exposure, broadcasting, and global visibility of destinations - Digital marketing and social media strategies in sport event promotion - Stakeholder management and collaboration in sport event planning - Public policy and governance of sport events - Sustainability and environmental impacts of sport events - Smart cities and innovation in sport event management - Risk management and crisis communication in sport events - Community engagement and resident perceptions of sport events - Legacy planning and long-term impacts of sport events - Branding through recurring and hallmark sport events - Case studies of successful and unsuccessful sport event strategies - Sport events as tools for urban regeneration and infrastructure development - Ethical issues and inclusivity in sport event organization - Internationalization strategies through sport events - Measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of sport events in place marketing

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before June 21, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by July 5, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by September 13, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Sport Events for Territorial Marketing, Place Branding, and Global Visibility. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process.

All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference", "Medical Information Science Reference", "Business Science Reference", and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2027.

Indexing Information for Prospective Authors

IGI Global Scientific Publishing meets the criteria for inclusion in major indexing services such as Scopus; however, it is important to note that all indexing decisions are made independently by these services. IGI Global Scientific Publishing books are selectively indexed by the indexing organization after publication. Indexing cannot be guaranteed for any book prior to publication, and the indexing organization has complete control over the final selection and timeline.

Important Dates

June 21, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline
July 5, 2026: Notification of Acceptance
September 13, 2026: Full Chapter Submission
October 25, 2026: Review Results Returned
November 22, 2026: Final Acceptance Notification
November 29, 2026: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries

Bruno Sousa UNIAG, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) bsousa@ipca.pt Lara Santos Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) lmsantos@ipca.pt Laurentina Vareiro UNIAG, Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) lvareiro@ipca.pt
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