Brendon Knott

Biography

Prof. Brendon Knott has established himself as an emerging global expert and thought-leader in the field of sport business, sport tourism and sport event studies. More broadly, he has developed special expertise in applied areas of marketing, branding, tourism and event studies, all within a sport context and primarily related to the emerging nation context. Prof. Knott received a scholarship to conduct his PhD study at Bournemouth University, UK, where he focused on the emerging field of nation branding as a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for South Africa (2015). He remains committed to this niche developing tourism field and presented at the first International Place Branding Association conference (2016). A sign of his international recognition as a sport tourism researcher and his commitment to research promotion is evidenced in his being an Associate Editor and Board Member of two international accredited journals (Journal of Leisure Research and Journal of Destination Marketing and Management  respectively) and regular reviewer of other accredited journals. He continues to showcase his research at local and international conferences, being an invited keynote speaker at industry conferences nationally and globally and Chair of the organising committee of the International Conference on Events (2021). He was invited to present his PhD study findings at the South African Parliament’s Tourism Summit (2012). Prof. Knott supervises Doctoral and Masters students. He has a National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) rating of Y2 (2018).

Besides research, Prof. Knott has continued to allow his research and global engagement to influence his teaching and learning, where he has been recognised by his peers for his innovation and excellence by receiving two teaching awards and serving as Curriculum Officer in his department, developing three new qualifications in sport and leisure management. Prof. Knott’s passion for sport tourism research and its impact on society and relevance to the African continent has led him to engage, promote and serve a number of other initiatives and partnerships even beyond the academic realm.

Education

PhD, Bournemouth University, UK, 2015

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Prof Knott's research focus areas are sport business; sport tourism; and sport event studies. In particular, he has focused on sport mega-event legacies relating to nation-branding in emerging nations.

Personal Interests

Beyond the scope of these academic activities, Prof. Knott is actively involved in the leadership of a local faith-based NPO. He loves the outdoors and participates in a variety of sport activities as a member of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa as well as trail-running and mountain-biking enthusiast. He excelled mostly in the sport of tennis, where he captained his High School 1st team and played in the regional club league for a number of years. He is an avid sport fan, particularly rugby, cricket and tennis. He has attended multiple Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups along with other sport events.

Websites

• Research Gate

Books

Articles