Mega-events as a place marketing strategy in entrepreneurial cities: İzmir's EXPO 2015 candidacy as a roadmap for hosting EXPO 2020

One of the most popular place marketing strategies for regional development and the promotion of stakeholder collaboration is the use of mega-events. This study investigates how mega-events as an entrepreneurial governance tool have been used. The paper examines the legacy of the failed application for İzmir to host the 2015 EXPO from a stakeholder organisational perspective. The impact of the bidding process on the governance of İzmir is evaluated primarily through stakeholder interviews using four indicators of effective collaboration: commitment, mediation, representativeness and networks. The conclusion highlights the importance of the collaborative approach for stakeholder organisational structure and resilience as critical in building an entrepreneurial city even when the city did not succeed in bidding for this mega-event.