Which are the worlds largest events? If we count the number of people participating in an event,…

Which are the worlds largest events? If we count the number
of people participating in an event, Table1.1 shows the all-time Top Ten.
The figures in Table1.1 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

Which are the worlds largest events? If we count the number
of people participating in an event, Table1.1 shows the all-time Top Ten.
The figures in Table1.1 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 worlds 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 WilliamKate Middleton wedding as decidedly unrealistic. Even allowing
for exaggerated estimates, it is clear that the worlds largest events are
unarguably large in comparison with the events we are more likely to experience
normally

Table1.1