The shift towards the DJ as a mainstream performer challenges the possibilities of the live music eventscape. House music – a specific form of electronic music – represents a current trend in the UK, and this paper explores the nature of its consumption as a live event experience different to other types of music events. It aims to demonstrate the unique reality of an event as a combination of experiences (e.g. Petterson & Getz, 2009. Event Experiences in Time and Space: A Study of Visitors to the 2007 World Alpine Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 9(2-3), 308–326.); arguably this can only be truly conceptualised by the individual, and so the ‘Event Experience Mapping Model’ (EEMM) methodology has been designed to conceptualise an individual’s sensory and emotional ‘immersion’ within the eventscape. This is done primarily in the context of recreational habits, emotional responses and social engagement, thus combining multiple facets of event experience within one study in the milieu of twenty-first century house music. The EEMM used a questionnaire to garner broad themes associated with this event type; this produced an ‘Experience Matrix’ which can then be completed by an individual to produce an individual ‘Experience Map’. Key to this principle is that this ‘map’ this will differ from person to person and thus the EEMM allows for this to be expressed in an individual ‘map’. The map demonstrates the intersections of four aspects of experience and thus plots which aspects are more/ less prevalent within that individual’s experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent social lockdowns necessitated an immediate cessation of events, replaced entirely by virtual events—a concept present in the existing events literature, but one not fully conceptualised. This article explores the virtual event experience during the pandemic through the lens of a case study, Love to Be events, a long-established house music brand which produced a series of successful virtual events during the lockdowns and beyond. This research also offers discussion on the potential for virtual events—in contrast to what this research terms ‘venued events’—to become a notable and profitable element of the events industry in the longer term. This article presents a substantial literature review considering multiple relevant areas, centring on the event experience and virtual event potential. This article also presents primary qualitative data in the form of a semi-structured interview with Marc Dennis and Tony Walker, DJs and founders of Love to Be, conducted in Autumn 2020 via Zoom, and analysed using a thematic analysis as well as a comparison with other pandemic virtual events. The original contribution to the events studies literature is two-fold; firstly, a novel conceptualisation of event experience during this historic moment, documenting the practical and philosophical nature of events at that time. Secondly, by synthesising primary and secondary data, it offers theoretical principles on how virtual events may develop to become a notable and profitable element of the industry. This article concludes with suggestions for future research, in the hope that this exploratory research will stimulate further studies.

This journal retracts the article, ‘Building the Virtual Dancefloor: Delivering and Experiencing House Music Events in the Time of COVID-19’ (Grebenar, 2024)

A mainstay of the modern event industry for decades, the concept of the VIP experience is ubiquitous, yet it lacks a clear conceptual and commercial definition. This research seeks to address this by exploring the experience of two event managers well versed in designing and delivering VIP experiences at music events. The exploratory nature of this research offers a literature of associated issues to bridge the current gaps in event studies scholarship regarding VIP experiences. The research also contains empirical primary qualitative data from two semi-structured interviews, which is subject to thematic analysis and then synthesised with Grebenar’s Event Experience Mapping Model (EEMM). This application of Grebenar’s model attempts to quantify the VIP experience, and the results demonstrate a number of available experiences. These are based, in line with the EEMM, on four key elements of experience, but the research also offers an original conception of the VIP guest by noting four consumer types: A-Listers, Friends and Family, Repeat Clients, and Once-in-a-Lifetimers. Experience maps are provided for these four consumer types, and these, along with the associated discussion, are intended as a means for event professionals and academics to better understand the expectations, experience, and profile of VIP guests. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->