Overview

This unit introduces students to the field of Public Festivals and Events. In covering ideas and skills fundamental to managing and planning festivals, functions and events, it aims to build not only competence and understanding of the scope and scale of events but also students confidence in functioning as ethical operators in practical environments. Students should be able to conceptualise, research, plan and implement a range of techniques to achieve desired outcomes for festivals and events.

Requisites

Prerequisites

100 credit points

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
06-July-2026
04-October-2026
Last self-enrolment date
19-July-2026
Census date
04-August-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
25-August-2026
Results released date
27-October-2026
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
01-March-2027
30-May-2027
Last self-enrolment date
14-March-2027
Census date
30-March-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
20-April-2027
Results released date
06-July-2027

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
 

  1. Identify the scope and scale of events and their planning needs
  2. Articulate events’ importance, either as a catalyst for economic development, or as a generator of social cohesion
  3. Critically examine the multi-faceted functions of event management from conceptualisation, through to planning, risk management, and marketing
  4. Highlight and explain both positive and negative impacts and advance sustainability as an overarching objective for events

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Lecture (asynchronous)		 1.00  12 weeks  12
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Specified Activities
Various		 3.00  12 weeks  36
Unspecified Activities
Various		 6.50  12 weeks  78
TOTAL     150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment Individual  20%  1,2,3 
In-Class Exercises Individual  40%  1,3,4 
Pitch Presentations Group  40%  1,2,3,4 

Content

  • Planning and sustainability
  • Project management
  • Human Resources
  • Finance and budgeting
  • Risk and impacts management
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Branding and sponsorship
  • Programming and logistics
  • Event tourism
  • Evaluation
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.