EMGT202 - Event Management: Design and Sustainability

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

MGMT215 Event Management: Design and Sustainability

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

National, international and global events are making an increasing contribution to the tourism, arts, entertainment and sports industries in contemporary economies. Key principles of their successful design, branding, marketing and ethical execution are the focus of this unit, which introduces students to the fundamentals of event management. In this unit, students will learn the essentials of creative design, skills in managing events and the ability to assess event proposals in terms of their design principles, and their sustainability outcomes. 

The aim of this unit is to provide students with an overview of the breadth of knowledge and skills required to stage an event. In doing this, students will develop an appreciation of the complexities involved in the project management of an event with a specific focus on the interpretation and implementation of the client brief. This unit provides the practical foundation for the more specialised units in 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 - Discuss the key principles of practical project and event management (GA5, GA9)

LO2 - Describe the essentials of creative design in event management, using key information and relevant technologies (GA5, GA10)

LO3 - Critically analyse the fundamentals of managing events in national, international, and global scale (GA4, GA5)

LO4 - Analyse and evaluate the sustainability of an event in terms of design inputs and outcomes (GA5, GA8)

LO5 - Examine the role of corporate social responsibilities and improvement of stakeholders’ well-being in event management (GA2, GA5)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

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

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

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

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• defining events and classifying the event industry
• analysing the fundamentals of event management
• the client brief
• communicating effectively in event management
• the event experience and event concept creation
• understanding event creation and design
• event decision making: pricing, promotion, place, physical evidence, event experience
• sustainable business and event planning
• key information and technologies in event planning
• principles of evaluations towards a sustainable future event
• ethical principles, corporate social responsibilities, and stakeholders’ wellbeing in managing events

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 managing events. Students are able to explore the breadth of knowledge and business skills required to create and manage an event. The unit is taught through interactive workshops which are designed to support students in applying the skills of event management. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the how and why event management is complex. A key focus of the workshops is on interpretation of creative briefs. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing their persuasive communication skills required to effectively manage client expectations. The workshops draw on the experiences of colleagues and is 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 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 breadth and complexity of the event management process from a theoretical and practical perspective. The first assessment allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the economic contributions of events. The second assessment develops creative interpretation and persuasion skills through the development and pitching of an event concept to a client. An examination will test your understanding of the key models and concepts underpinning event management. 

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.

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.