TSM10103 International Festival and Event Environments Assessment 1 Brief | ENU

Module introduction

What can an environment support? How can opportunities be taken and threats identified? This module asks what we need to know about a country, a region or a city to understand it and consider what this means for people running festivals and events in that location. By looking at a destination’s history, society, economy and politics we will investigate how they have affected the development of its festivals and events over time. These are all key factors affecting the environments within which today’s events take place.

While thinking about approaches to the assessment of such environments, we’ll be looking at ways event managers around the world have strategically responded to them. What can they do to manage their environment, develop strategies to overcome threats to their success and hopefully succeed in producing popular and effective events? Along the way we’ll spend time thinking about who contributes to these environmental conditions, the role of governments and the public sector, and finally try to identify some current trends and forecasts in the festival and event industry. The strategy of comparing one location, or environment, to another will be used from time to time, seeking similarities and differences. Please have a good look at the Learning Outcomes below as they set the stage for the module, its content, our weekly topics and the assessments.

Learning outcomes

By appraising the environments and contexts in which festivals and events are created and managed worldwide, you will critically reflect on the core
issues that have contributed to their development. Strategic and operational aspects of festival and event management will be considered through a
variety of learning and teaching approaches.

On completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• Critically engage with contemporary theoretical, conceptual and comparative analyses of festivals and events.
• Identify and critically examine key environmental contexts affecting the operating environments and management of festivals and events, both
  domestic and international.
• Analyse and critically reflect upon strategic approaches to festival and event management.
• Devise strategic responses and recommendations for the development of festival and event organisations, based on analysis of conceptual,
  theoretical and industry sources of information.

Assessment Brief

This assessment is an individual report, focused on an organisation that operates in the festival and event industry. You are being asked to carefully choose which organisation to focus on, then critically examine its strategic position and potential. There is to be a particular focus on the relationship between the organisation and its host community (or communities), and what this might mean for the sustainability of its activities and its survival. You will also make recommendations to the organisation, to help it work towards its stated objectives, with reference to a comparator organisation of your choice. See below (sections 11, 12 and 14) for detailed guidance.

This coursework relates to all four learning outcomes, and potentially draws from material across the module.