Gorlova N.I. VOLUNTEERING AS A RESOURCE OF THE EVENT ECONOMY OF HISTORIC SITES
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/ek.jvolsu.2026.2.13
Natalya I. Gorlova
Doctor of Sciences (History), Professor, Department of the Hospitality and Tourism Management, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Stremjannyj Lane, 36, 115054 Moscow, Russian Federation, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0833-2053
Abstract. The article examines the concept of the event economy as a contemporary model for the development of historic sites in the context of transformations in state and municipal cultural policy. It substantiates the transition from a predominantly conservation-oriented approach to a model of active use of historical and cultural heritage based on systematic event programming, the formation of sustained audience interest, and the integration of heritage sites into the socio-economic space of a territory. Particular attention is paid to the role of volunteering in the implementation of the event economy of historic sites. Volunteer activity is analysed as a system-forming resource that ensures the scalability of event programmes, improves the quality of visitor engagement, and strengthens connections between heritage sites and local communities. The importance of the institutionalisation of volunteer participation is emphasised as a key condition for the sustainability and reproducibility of eventbased models. The article analyses international and Russian practices in the implementation of the event economy of historic sites, including cases from the United Kingdom and international festival formats providing open access to architectural heritage, as well as Russian projects of community-based, event-driven revitalisation of the historic environment and urban programmes aimed at the popularisation of cultural heritage sites. It is concluded that an effective event economy of historic sites is formed when event formats and volunteer participation are integrated into the heritage management system and oriented towards the long-term socio-cultural and economic development of territories.
Key words: event economy, historical and cultural heritage, volunteering, cultural policy, revitalisation of the historic environment, cultural heritage management.
VOLUNTEERING AS A RESOURCE OF THE EVENT ECONOMY OF HISTORIC SITES by Gorlova N.I. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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