EMGT201 - Event Management: Planning a Successful Event

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

MGMT209 Event Management: Planning a Successful Event

Teaching organisation

12 weeks or equivalent

Unit rationale, description and aim

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the principles underpinning the successful planning process for an event. Planning involves a high level of external analysis of market trends, demographics and competitors. In this unit students will learn the techniques required to develop a market analysis to underpin the event management planning process.  

Critical to successful events is the management of key stakeholders. In this unit, students will learn the key models of stakeholder engagement along with some practical skills for managing stakeholder expectations in ethical ways. Students will also address the issues of risk in holding an event and devise risk mitigation and response strategies. 

Communication is critical to the success of any event. Drawing on an analysis of the market and stakeholders, students will create a promotional plan for an existing event. This plan will link promotional activities to strategic objectives, include and may include a wide range of marketing communication tools.  

The aim of this unit is to deepen student understanding and knowledge of relevant theories and frameworks which underpin successful events and to develop some practical skills in sustainable event management. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - identify and demonstrate the scope and objectives of a managed public event (GA5, GA8)

LO2 - devise a practical promotional plan for a managed public event using appropriate event management communication (GA5, GA9)

LO3 - show understanding of the aspects of ethical stakeholder management in planning events such as taking on board customers’ feedback (GA3, GA5)

LO4 - identify and critically analyse risk levels and response strategies in planning events (GA4, GA5)

LO5 - evaluate the impact of a managed global public event identifying key issues and presenting solutions (GA5, GA6).

Graduate attributes

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media.  

Content

Topics will include: 

• determining event objectives and vision design  
• goal setting and experience design  
• functions of an event manager  
• monitoring the budget  
• sponsorship and fundraising 
• event market segmentation – sub cultural groups, consumer behaviour 
• effective media strategy (social, digital) 
• use of technology, developing the event website 
• integrated marketing communication and brand management 
• stakeholder management, collaboration with others, including lobby and pressure groups, authorities 
• managing stakeholders’ issues ethically in event planning
• managing and scheduling people, staff, and volunteers 
• crisis management, risk assessment plan and risk minimisation 
• impact assessment and evaluation of successful event. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge associated with planning events. Students are able to explore the complex range of issues that must be addressed as part of the planning process including the management of stakeholders, identification of risks and analysis of the market. The unit is taught through interactive workshops which are designed to support students in applying the skills of event planning. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the external factors which impact on event planning. A key focus of the workshops is on developing analytical skills to identify potential adverse impacts on events. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the planning and communication skills required to effectively manage stakeholders. The workshops draw on the experiences of colleagues and are designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social and interactive environment. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure student levels of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.  

The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to demonstrate an understanding of the key issues involved in event planning from both a theoretical and practical perspective. The first assessment allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the use of key stakeholder management theories. The second assessment develops the student’s planning skills as they link the overall strategic objectives of an event to a range of tactical promotional activities within the context of a promotional plan. The final assessment will assess overall understanding of the risks involved in undertaking an event and what can be done to minimise or mitigate these risks. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Bladen C., Kennell J., Abson E., Wilde N. 2018, Events Management: An Introduction, 2nd edn, Routledge, UK.

Dowson, R., & Bassett, D. 2018 Event Planning and Management, 2nd edn, Kogan Page, UK.

Getz, D., & Page, S. 2019 Event Studies: Theory, Research, and Policy for Planned Events, 4th edn, Routledge, UK.

Jackson, N., & Angliss, K. 2018, A Practical Guide to Event Promotion, Routledge, UK.

Jones, M., 2018, Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide, 3rd edn. Routledge, UK.

Linton, T., 2019, Project Management Essentials, Cengage, Australia.

Lunt, T., & Nicotra, E,. 2018, Event Sponsorship and Fundraising: An Advanced Guide, Kogan Page, UK.

Nadda, V., Arnott, I., & Sealy, W. 2020, Legal, Safety and Environmental Challenges for Event Management: Emerging Research and Opportunities, IGI Global, USA.

Pielichaty, H., Els, G., Reed, I., & Mawer, V. 2017 Events Project Management, Routledge, UK.

Reic, I., 2017 Events Marketing Management: A Consumer Perspective, Routledge, UK.

Ryan, W.G., 2020 Managing International Events, Routledge, UK.

Shone, A., & Parry, B. 2019 Successful Event Management, 5th edn, Cengage, UK.

Van Der Wagen, L., & White, L., 2018 Event Management for Tourism, Cultural, Business and Sporting Events, 5th edn, Pearson, Australia.

Wynn-Moylan, P., 2017 Risk and Hazard Management for Festivals and Events, Routledge, UK.