Is This for Real? Authentic Learning for the Challenging Events Environment

Abstract

This article explores a set of emerging competencies that education providers will be increasingly compelled to consider and, more importantly, embed in their event management course offerings. The undergraduate event management program offered at Victoria University, Melbourne, provides a case study of the efforts of teaching staff to iteratively and reflectively integrate these emerging competencies into course curriculum, many of which will be required for graduates to successfully transition to work in their career sector of choice—the events industry. The competencies of sustainable development, creativity and innovation, and networking are all seen as vital to graduate outcomes and employability. The fundamental responses to this process are discussed and lead to a distillation of the implications for teaching practice associated with embedding emerging competencies in event management education.