Events education and community engagement: working with external clients

Abstract

The Bachelor of Business (Events Management) was introduced at La Trobe University in 2011 (with an initial cohort of approximately 80 students). Due to some students receiving advanced standing for previous studies and, because sometimes second year students are permitted to study third year subjects in second year, a mix of 45 second and third year students were enrolled in the third year subject named Event Planning in Semester 1, 2012. The subject aims to provide an understanding of the issues and complexities of developing and staging community events and explores how community organisations and local governments stage events for a range of economic, social and political reasons. The subject examines the process of developing an operational plan by creating and running a real event and provides students with a practical perspective of evaluating and assessing such an event.