27192 Event Impacts and Legacies

Subject level: Undergraduate

Handbook description

This subject provides an overview of the events sector, along with the functions and impacts that events have from the perspective of various groups and organisations within a society, as well as from the perspective of the broader community. Additionally, it examines various approaches that can be used to assess event impacts. The issue of planning for event legacies is also examined. Case studies feature strongly in this subject.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Discuss the trends and forces that are currently shaping the event field.
2. Describe and discuss the functions that different event forms perform from the perspective of their different stakeholder groups.
3. Identify the range of potential impacts (both positive and negative) that events can have on their host communities.
4. Discuss approaches to assessing the impacts of events on their host communities.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject is an elective unit within the undergraduate courses offered by the School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism. It is designed to provide students with a broad perspective on, and an understanding of, the events sector, and the roles, impacts and legacies of events from the perspective of various groups and organizations within a society. Additionally, it seeks to introduce students to approaches to the measurement of event impacts. A further feature of this subject is an exploration of the trends and issues that may serve to condition, or in some way influence, event related outcomes and impacts in the future.

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject seeks to engage students in the examination of a range of theories and concepts as they apply to the assessment of event impacts and legacies. In order to perform this role it requires that students undertake substantial directed readings prior to weekly classes. Lectures, along with guest presentations, will be designed to augment these readings. Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the event impact/legacy management process via a tutorial presentation and a case study. A site excursion to a specific event/event site (e.g. Sydney Olympic Park) may be undertaken as part of this subject.

Content

• Event forms and their characteristics
• The nature of the event sector
• Functions performed by events from the perspective of public and private sector organizations, and the broader community
• Event impacts: socio-cultural; environmental; economic; tourism; and political
• Measuring economic and non-economic event impacts
• Planning for event legacies

Assessment

Recommended text(s)

Student reader

Indicative references

Allen, J., O'Toole, W., McDonnell, I. & Harris, R. 2005 (3rd ed.), Festival and Special Event Management, Wiley, Brisbane

Arcodia, C., & Whitford, M. 2001, 'Festival Attendance and the Development of Social Capital', in J. Molloy & J. Davies (eds) Proceedings of the Eleventh Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE), Bureau of Tourism Research, Canberra, pp. 10 – 15

Cashman, R. 2006 The Bitter-Sweet Awakening: the Legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic

Games, Walla Walla Press, Sydney.

Fredline, L., Jago, L., & Deery, M. 2003, 'The development of a generic scale to measure the social impacts of events', Event Management, 8(1), pp. 23-37.

Getz, D. 2005 (2nd ed.) Event Management & Event Tourism, Cognizant Communication, New York, USA