Which are the world’s largest events? If we count the number of people participating in an event, Table 1.1 shows the all-time Top Ten. The figures in Table 1.1 are of course estimates, and subject to...

Which are the world’s largest events? If we count the number of people participating in an event, Table 1.1 shows the all-time Top Ten. The figures in Table 1.1 are of course estimates, and subject to a high level of uncertainty. The more recent events probably have more accurate estimates since the development of the use of aerial photography. A precise head-count is made of a measurable area within the photograph, and then this is scaled up for the total area. Some readers may find this list surprising. Among the characteristics of the events listed are: ● They tend to be religious events and include many funerals. ● Ownership of the event lies with a non-commercial organisation, and there is an absence of any profit imperative. ● They generally have taken place in Asia rather Europe or North America. ● There is only limited evidence that big events are getting even bigger. ● What we more normally think of as big events, such as the Summer Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup, do not feature in the Top Ten. One obvious reason that sports mega events do not feature in this list is that their size is attributable not to spectators at the event but to the numbers of people who watch the event live on television. Nielsen Media (2008) estimated that 4.7 billion viewers (70% of the world’s population) tuned in to watch the Beijing Summer Olympics. This is an increase on the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Athens Games, and the 3.6 billion who watched the 2000 Sydney Games on television. Estimates for London 2012 were that the Beijing viewing figures had been exceeded. Estimating viewing figures is an even more inexact science than estimating the numbers in crowds, which with aerial photography can be reasonably accurate. FIFA ’s claim of a billion viewers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup was challenged as wildly inflated (Harris, 2007), and FIFA was forced ‘to admit yesterday that numbers up to now have been massively exaggerated in some cases, and simply guessed in others.’ FIFA responded saying that they would only use verifiable data in future and ‘We are going to steer clear of estimating, and publish data from audited measurement systems only’. More recently, Sreenivasan (2011) rejected projections of 2 billion viewers for the Prince William–Kate Middleton wedding as decidedly unrealistic. Even allowing for exaggerated estimates, it is clear that the world’s largest events are unarguably large in comparison with the events we are more likely to experience normally

Table 1.1