Multispecies event experiences: introducing more-than-human perspectives to event studies

Abstract

Events are all about experiences, and event managers and designers are encouraged to explore innovative and creative ways to engage and excite customers, creating satisfaction and loyalty. These experiences are not always solely human phenomena, although event studies as an academic field has yet to acknowledge this multispecies aspect and remains firmly anthropocentric. In this paper, we introduce more-than-human perspectives to event studies to illustrate how moving beyond humanist paradigms can open up alternative insights and add to the richness of understanding about event experiences. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at equestrian ‘endurance riding’ events both in the UK and Australia, we apply a multispecies lens to the investigation of event experiences. In equestrian events, the experiences of human participants are profoundly shaped by those of the equine participants, and the interactions between the two. Endurance riding offers an interesting example of one ‘contact zone’ between human and nonhuman, as horse and human work together to create sporting performance, travelling through varied landscapes and environments. In such ways, horses are co-creators of event experiences, actively shaping and helping create those encounters, whether they be memorable or mundane. By decentring human experience, more-than-human perspectives open up possibilities for exploring and understanding the richness of event experiences that involve multiple actors and species.