Events During Geopolitical Tension: Shaping the Future of International Events in Volatile Regions

Call for Papers

Events During Geopolitical Tension: Shaping the Future of International Events in Volatile Regions

JOURNAL NAME: International Journal of Event and Festival Management

PUBLISHER: Emerald Publishing

SUBMISSIONS OPEN: 30 September 2025

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 1 October 2026

About This Special Issue

This special issue aims to make an original contribution by providing insights into navigating geopolitical challenges and shaping the future of international events, tourism events, and festivals in volatile regions worldwide. As political situations evolve rapidly yet unpredictably across the globe, this special issue will enhance understanding of resilient strategies and creative solutions developed by regional destination marketing organizations, convention centers, and event organizers in various cultural and political contexts.

The special issue will add a much-needed perspective on managing events amid real-world political complexities and uncertainties by presenting case studies of successfully delivered events and conceptual frameworks tailored for different volatile regions. It will also reveal crisis management best practices, community partnership models, and risk mitigation lessons that can inspire event professionals worldwide seeking to strengthen regional cooperation and exchanges through significant cultural and sports events despite geopolitical tensions.

Scope & Theme Areas

We invite submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Security and Risk Planning — Security and risk planning for major tourism events and conferences in high-risk destinations

• Emerging Technologies for Event Security — Leveraging emerging technologies for event security in geopolitical tension destinations

• Virtual and Augmented Reality — Harnessing VR and AR for resilient event programming

• Tourism Partnerships — Leveraging tourism partnerships to strengthen community tourism industry resilience for hosting events

• Tourism Marketing Challenges — Marketing challenges of high-profile cultural festivals in politically contested regions

• Cross-Border Collaborations — Innovative cross-border tourism collaborations for events promoting regional destinations

• Safety Regulations and Protocols — Regulations and protocols for ensuring safety of international tourist participants amid unrest

• Virtual Events — Targeting global tourism markets and circumventing geopolitical barriers through virtual events

• Economic Impact Assessment — Assessing event tourism economic impacts in contexts with restrictions affecting visitor flows

• Capacity Building — Capacity building of local tourism suppliers disrupted by geopolitical tensions impacting skills and resources

• Grassroots Festivals — Community events as tools for tourism recovery in politically fragmented areas

• Destination Branding — Restored visitor confidence through post-conflict commemorative events

Guest Editors

Dr. Mahmoud Ibraheam Saleh Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, Helwan University, Egypt ✉️ Mahmoudibraheam580@gmail.com

Prof. Konstantinos Andriotis Professor in Tourism, Middlesex University London, Department of Marketing, Enterprise and Tourism, United Kingdom ✉️ K.Andriotis@mdx.ac.uk

Key Deadlines & Dates

Submission Guidelines

How to submit: Manuscripts must be submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts, strictly following the journal's author guidelines.

Selection step: Authors must select the special issue title from the drop-down menu at the appropriate submission step — in response to "Please select the issue you are submitting to."

Eligibility: Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review for this journal.

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