Beschreibung:
Over the last few years, large events have conferred great importance on Event Management, or the management of mass meetings. In the religious sector, for centuries, pilgrimages have been a clear example of mass events of a spiritual nature. Due to globalization and increased mobility, recent times have seen the multiplication of international events without a fixed location: Taizé encounters, Kumbh Mela (India), and World Youth Day are all good examples of this. These events imply at least a threefold spiritual, organizational and touristic challenge, and success in each one of these areas contributes to the favourable result of the others. Due to the particular nature of these events, which can mobilize millions of people in just a few days, communication is fundamental. In this sense, the development of mobile technology allows for direct communication with the individual and an unprecedented capacity for diffusion, especially by means of apps and instant messaging, which are two of the most-used channels available on these devices. This paper offers a reflection on the prospects and management of information via smartphones during these large religious events. As a practical case, we will study the beatification of the Catholic bishop Álvaro del Portillo held in Madrid in September 2014, in a ceremony that drew more than 250,000 people from over 70 countries.