Year
2021Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
Nil
Incompatible
MGMT312 Event Management: Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts
Teaching organisation
3 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent.Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit forms the capstone of the event management major and brings together the skills learnt throughout the major in a practical and applied unit where students will develop their own event. In this unit student will develop a comprehensive event plan which covers all aspects of an event including competitive analysis, stakeholder engagement, financial and budgetary issues, venue selection and site planning, and the operational management of the event.
This unit also explores the theory of the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental) in terms of managed events. Students will learn the practical skills required to professionally and ethically manage an event, and to make a professional assessment of the event’s outcomes in terms of the triple bottom line and towards a sustainable event future. Event consideration is centred within a variety of sectors – entertainment, sports, arts, cultural, community festivals, social, corporate and not for profit sector. A key feature of this practical unit is the opportunity for students to work on an actual event activity.
The aim of this unit is to give students the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have developed throughout the event management major by actively engaging with the planning and implementation of a specific event.
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 - Evaluate the key theories and concepts related to practical event planning considering real world situations (GA5, GA8)
LO2 - Examine the challenges involved in real-world event management in differing global/international, cultural, and industry contexts and provide solutions (GA5, GA6)
LO3 - Appraise the economic, ethical, social and environmental impact of events in real-world situations (GA3, GA5)
LO4 - Demonstrate the ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively in an event planning team (GA5, GA7)
LO5 - Critically analyse the sustainability and regulatory issues in planning and managing events (GA4, GA5)
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
GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
Content
Topics will include:
- evaluating professional event coordination
- creating the event plan
- the framework and structure of an event
- building and working collaborative in an event team – people and processes
- procurement considerations
- professional practices: selection and management of food and beverages
- professional practices: selection and management of a venue
- professional practices: location, site planning and venue selection, assessing accessibility (parking, traffic coordination, permits)
- professional practices: promoting the event, communication with all stakeholders and marketing plan
- professional practices: pricing considerations, management of budget and revenue
- managing the event experience for all
- differing cultural and industry contexts
- evaluation of economic, ethical, social and environmental impact
- future proofing the event for sustainability
- regulatory issues in event planning
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the implementation of the knowledge and skills developed in the event management major. Students are able to draw on the extensive knowledge base underpinning event management by applying this knowledge in a practical setting. The applied event engagement is supplemented by a limited number of workshops designed to support students in their application of event management skills. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing their planning, management and communication skills required to successfully manage an event by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences.
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 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 that they have been able to take the theory and models of event management and apply these in a real event management setting. The first assessment allows students to demonstrate their overall understanding of the range of activities which need to be planned for in conducting a successful event. The second assessment develops the ability to objectively evaluate the success of an event in terms of the strategic objectives outline in the event management plan while the final assessment allows students to critically reflect on their overall experience of event management and the extent to which the reality reflects the theory and models they have learnt throughout their study of the event management major.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Event plan This assessment task consists of a 12-15 minute verbal presentation (along with a slides).. This task requires students to collaborate and work in groups/teams to evaluate and communicate how all elements of an event fit together in a single comprehensive plan, taking into account economic, ethical, social and environmental factors and differing cultural and industry contexts. In this assessment students have to also take into account reasonable working conditions for event staff in their presentation. Submission Type: Group Assessment Method: Event plan presentation Artefact: Presentation slides | 30% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 | GA3, GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8 |
Assessment Task 2: Evaluation strategy This assessment task consists of a 1500-word written evaluation strategy. This task requires students to undertake an objective evaluation of the extent to which an event (real-world event) meets the strategic objectives of the event plan with reference to the triple bottom line, and taking into account differing cultural and industry contexts, and considering economic, ethical, social and environmental factors. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Evaluation Strategy Artefact: Written strategy document | 30% | LO1, LO2, LO3 | GA3, GA5, GA6, GA8 |
Assessment Task 3: Reflective journal This assessment task consists of a 2000-word written reflective journal. This task requires students to critically reflect on the experience of event management and independently evaluate how the practical component has developed their skills and understanding of events. Also, in this assessment students have to also take into account regulatory and sustainability issues in event management process. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Reflective journal Artefact: Written journal | 40% | LO1, LO4, LO5 | GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8 |
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.
Fenich, G., 2014, Planning and Management of Meetings, Expositions, Events and Conventions, Global Edition, Pearson Higher Ed, USA.
Getz, D., & Page, S. 2019 Event Studies: Theory, Research, and Policy for Planned Events, 4th edn, Routledge, UK.
Holmes, K., Hughes, M., Mair, J., & Carlsen, J. 2015 Events and Sustainability, 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.
Pielichaty, H., Els, G., Reed, I., & Mawer, V. 2017 Events Project Management, Routledge, UK.
Quick, L., 2020, Managing Events: Real Challenges, Real Outcomes, Sage Publications Ltd, UK.
Raj, R., Walters, P., & Rashid, T., 2017, Events Management: Principles and Practice, 3rd edn, Sage Publications Ltd, 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.