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Andrew Smith

Reader in Tourism and Events, University of Westminster

I am a Reader in Tourism and Events and have been at the University of Westminster since 2004. Previously, I held lectureships at the University of Kent and at Sheffield Hallam University. I read Geography at Cambridge University in the mid 1990s and then moved to Sheffield where I studied for a PhD in a programme of research entitled 'Reimaging the City'. This PhD was funded jointly by both Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield.

I currently lead the MA elective in Mega-Events and the MA Dissertation module. I also undertake research supervision at MA and PhD levels. I lead two undergraduate modules on the BA Tourism and Events programmes - Eventful Cities and Comparative Study. I also lead the annual final year field trip to Malta.

Over the past five years I have written on various urban themes. My first book 'Events and Urban Regeneration' was published by Routledge in 2012; and my second 'Events in the City: Using Public Spaces as Event Venues' was published by Routledge in 2016. My research has also been published in leading journals including: Urban Studies, European Planning Studies, European Urban and Regional Studies, Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Geographies.

There are three main strands to my work. The first is events, in particular their role as tools for the regeneration and revitalisation of cities. The second is place image, drawing heavily on my doctoral work. The third is urban tourism, especially the role of iconic projects and monumental urbanism in tourism. This work is focused mainly on UK cities, but I have also published research on Oslo, Barcelona and Valletta.

Is it right to use public parks for commercial events?

Jul 03, 2016 01:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

During the summer, London is abuzz with large-scale cultural and sporting events many of which are held in public parks. This season, Formula E motor races will be held in Battersea Park, while music festivals will take...

Economy

Gold Prices Rebound as U.S.-China Tensions and Russia-Ukraine Conflict Fuel Safe Haven Demand

Gold prices surged in Asian trading Thursday, bouncing back from earlier losses as uncertainty over the U.S.-China trade war and renewed Russia-Ukraine tensions boosted demand for safe haven assets. Spot gold rose 1.3% to...

Thailand’s Exports Surge to 3-Year High Despite U.S. Tariff Risks

Thailands exports jumped 17.8% year-on-year in March, marking the ninth consecutive monthly increase and the highest level in three years, according to the Commerce Ministry. The figure outperformed analysts expectations...

FxWirePro- Major Economic Events for the day

Time Currency Detail Actual Forecast Previous 2:30am AUD RBA...

Malaysia Weighs Growth Forecast Cut as U.S. Tariff Deadline Looms

Malaysia is likely to lower its 2025 GDP growth forecast of 4.5% to 5.5% due to rising trade tensions and looming U.S. tariffs, according to Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour. Speaking at an IMF event in...

Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Japan Gains, Korea Lags on Weak GDP

Asian stocks saw modest gains on Thursday, with Japan leading the region on renewed hopes of U.S. trade dialogue. Investors remained cautious, reassessing optimism over a potential de-escalation in the U.S.-China trade war...

Politics

Ramaphosa Urges Unconditional Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks During Zelenskiy Visit

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to begin without any preconditions, including the controversial idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Moscow. His remarks came during...

Trump Urges Putin to Halt Missile Strikes on Kyiv, Calls Timing "Very Bad"

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, urging him to stop missile and drone strikes on Kyiv. Vladimir, STOP! Trump wrote in a social media post following Russias...

Modi Vows Retaliation After Deadly Kashmir Attack, India Cuts Ties with Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of a deadly militant attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, calling it the worst civilian assault in nearly two decades. Speaking at a rally...

Japan’s Economy Minister Heads to U.S. for Crucial Tariff Negotiations

Japans Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa is set to travel to Washington from April 30 to May 2 for a second round of high-stakes negotiations with U.S. officials regarding tariffs on Japanese exports, according to media...

Trump Signs Executive Order Tightening College Accreditation and Targeting Foreign Funding

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Wednesday aimed at tightening college accreditation standards, a move that could affect access to billions in federal student aid. The order is part of a broader...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

South Korea Flags DeepSeek for Unauthorized Data Transfers to China and U.S.

South Koreas Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of transferring personal user data and prompt content without consent during its app launch in January 2025. The PIPC...

Adobe Expands Firefly with AI from OpenAI and Google, Launches Mobile App

Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) is expanding its Firefly generative AI service by integrating image-generation models from OpenAI and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), while also making the app available on mobile devices. This move...

Nintendo Switch 2 Sees Surging Demand with 2.2 Million Lottery Applications in Japan

Nintendo has revealed that over 2.2 million people have entered a lottery for the new Switch 2 console in Japan, signaling overwhelming demand ahead of its June 5 launch. The company admitted it cannot fulfill all orders...

TSMC to Launch Advanced 1.4nm Chips by 2028 to Power AI Growth

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds leading contract chipmaker and a key supplier to Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), announced plans to begin mass production of its next-generation 1.4 nanometer (nm) chip...

SK Hynix Q1 Profit Soars on AI Chip Boom and Tariff Stockpiling

SK Hynix (KRX:000660) more than doubled its quarterly operating profit as demand for AI chips surged and clients stockpiled inventory ahead of potential U.S. tariffs. The worlds second-largest memory chipmaker posted an...