EMGT301 - Event Management: Economic Social and Environmental Impacts

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

MGMT312 Event Management: Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts

Teaching organisation

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 - Explain 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 workshops or equivalent 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. 

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered in different modes. These are: "Attendance" mode, "Blended" mode and "Online" mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater to the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.

Attendance Mode

In an attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Blended Mode

In a blended mode, students will require intermittent face-to-face attendance determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Online Mode

In an online mode, students engage in asynchronous learning and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive activities to enhance their learning including knowledge checks, discussion boards and self-paced exercises. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to pass this unit, students must demonstrate competence in all learning outcomes 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

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.