EVENT PORTFOLIO AND DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT - 2025/6

Module Overview

Using examples from around the world this module introduces the foundations of event portfolio planning and development. The module also adopts an experiential learning approach structured around a compulsory three night field trip during which students will visit destinations and meet key stakeholders involved with event planning, marketing and delivery. They will assess whether event portfolio planning is being effectively implemented and make suggestions for improvement where appropriate.Destination marketers and developers recognise that events attract tourists which can bring a number of benefits including: accelerated economic development, image enhancement, social cohesion and community capacity building. The recognition of these benefits has led destinations to add events to their existing event calendars, in some cases with minimal planning and co-ordination. The result being that the promised benefits are not realised in full and in some cases rivalry and conflicts of interest between organisations involved in delivering events have arisen. The event portfolio planning approach seeks to address such issues by fostering collaborative stakeholder networks which produce events that complement each other and deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

LUNT Thomas (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 20

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Foundations in event portfolio planning

Challenges and prospects in event portfolio and destination development

Event portfolio design and management

Event portfolio leveraging

Synergies and collaboration among different events and stakeholders

Capitalising and fostering event portfolio relationships

Event portfolio as tool for sustainable development

Patterns of event portfolio inter-organisational networks and relationships

Community capacity-building

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

In place of the Group Presentation students are are required to do an individual presentation which may be recorded

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the module learning outcomes.

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative feedback will be provided through group work and presentations in class where students will also be asked to critically comment on each other's performance. Seminar discussion with ongoing tutor feedback is designed to assess transferable skills in working as part of a group and practical/professional skills in expressing ideas and critical analysis in oral communication. It also assesses subject knowledge of event portfolio planning and cognitive/analytical skills in strategic thinking and in using theory in the close reading of destination marketing strategies.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of two components:

The first assessment component (the individual report) assesses student's ability to critically review relevant literature related to one specific topic in event portfolio and destination development and applying this subject knowledge to a destination of their choice. Completing the first assignment and receiving comments from tutors will help to facilitate interpretation and application of feedback as the students to work together on the second assessment.

The second assessment (the group presentation) students will be working with a consultant mind-set to evaluate the event portfolio of one destination. The presentation should critically evaluate the destination's current event portfolio and related strategies (or lack thereof). The student's evaluation should generate managerial implications which could be recommendations for improvement or the identification of areas of best practice in event portfolio planning and destination development strategy.

Module aims

• Provide students with and advanced understanding of the frameworks, concepts and tools used in event portfolio planning and destination marketing
• Enable students to evaluate the use of events for destination development
• Examine future prospects and challenges for event portfolio planning in relation to sustainable development goals.
• Develop students team work and presentation skills

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to deliver subject knowledge, to develop cognitive/ analytical skills, and to develop in-depth transferable, practical, and professional skills in line with the Universities curriculum framework. 

Students will be expected to undertake extensive secondary source reading and to lead conversations on relevant topics relating to event portfolio planning and strategic destination marketing. Seminars involve student-led discussions that develop skills in communication and in working individually and as part of a group. The seminars also provide students with instruction on planning and implementing timetables for work and on presenting ideas coherently under time constraints. Seminars are designed to develop subject knowledge through an emphasis on student-led involvement, critical analysis of literature, and close analysis of strategic destination marketing plans.

The learning and teaching methods include:

Lectures, seminars and a 3 night field trip.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM510

Other information

IMPORTANT - students should note that this module includes a compulsory 4 day/3 nights away field trip within the UK that is part subsidised by the University.

Students will be required to contribute to the cost of the trip in addition to their tuition fees. The cost of the trip to the student is approximately £200 which is not included in the course fee.

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing individual students with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Global and Cultural Capabilities - the module is based on a global perspective, centred on the universal application of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and acknowledging that these are equally relevant nationally and internationally. Students develop an understanding of inequalities in how events shape local communities, cities, regions and countries. Invited speakers contribute to a diverse global perspective. Students are encouraged to share experiences and knowledge from their own cultures and backgrounds, and to respect and value differences in experience

Resourcefulness and Resilience - the approach of this module is one where students are experiencing the methods of assessment from both the “practitioner” and "consultant" perspective. As a cohort, all students will experience this together, sharing experiences and supporting each other practically. Through the seminars, field trip and the assessments students are able to draw upon and develop their own resourcefulness and problem solving and building their own confidence and self-efficacy. They will also develop an appreciation of barriers and challenges that local communities and the city and regional authorities which represent those communities, face when integrating events into their development strategies.

Employability - this module provides students with a working knowledge of the strategic and tactical tools used by Event Planners and Destination Marketing Organisations. These tools will naturally be developed and refined over time with more experience and will be built on in subsequent modules on the programme (MHUM007 and MHUM013). The module continues to build on ability to collect, analyse, present, and critically evaluate strategic plans that are a key transferable skill sought by employers

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.