How to be a true institution? Understanding festival organization's role in urban festival management from the stakeholder analysis

This study uses a practical case to show that festival organizations could be true institutions in the context of China's urban festivals. Utilizing social network analysis, this study proposes a quantitative method for classifying festival stakeholders into key, primary, and secondary stakeholders. Based on expert snowball sampling and questionnaire surveys, 27 relevant stakeholders were identified and their respective attributes regarding power, legitimacy, and emergency were evaluated, and the categories were classified. With sufficient resources and political support, as well as encompassing various powerful and resourceful stakeholders, festival organization could be a true institution. This study contributes a new perspective and methodological approach for understanding the complex and highly cooperative nature of festival management.