Event Management in Ice Hockey : Case: Liiga (The Finnish Elite League)

Abstract: The aim of this research was to discuss about event management theory and how the Liiga (the major ice hockey league in Finland) team organisations could use this theory to improve their home game events. This topic has been divided into two research questions from which the first discusses the current situation and the other gives suggestions for future improvements for the Liiga team organisations. This research is conducted as a master’s theses and it has been conducted in years 2014 to 2016. In order to understand the research topic the general theory of event management has been told from the sporting event point of view. This theory has been divided into two different sections which are the five stages of event management and the operational strategies of event management. Answers for the research questions have been search with a qualitative research and its methods of interview and questionnaire, observation and content analysis. These methods and the way these have been used in this research are introduced after the event management theory. The data collected with the selected qualitative research methods has been introduced as empirical findings. These empirical findings are introduced a research method at a time and in a same order as the data has been collected. After introducing the collected data it has been carefully analysed. The analysis have also been divided into two section from which the first answers to the first research question concerning the current situation and the other the second questions concerning the future improvement that could be done. The first part of analysis has been made in a same chronological order as the event management theory has been written in order it to be easy to compere these two to each other. In the end the conclusions of this research and its research questions are introduced. Also the knowledge which this research is offering for the tourism industry and for its readers have been discussed. This are also a lot of different ways how this research could be continued and made further and these ways have been discussed as well. Last but not least the research has been viewed critically and the quality of it has been questioned.