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University of Minnesota Extension
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Festival and event management

Young kids at a festival enjoying a ride on a merry-go-round horses
A person managing crowd safety at an event
Dancers in cultural clothing performing at an outdoor street festival

Online training for successful community festivals and events

Festivals and events create community pride in what makes a place unique and special, and people continue to seek experiences and things to do. But hosting a successful community event requires exploring many considerations. Festival and event organizers face challenging questions, such as:

  • What marketing strategies will help you sustainably grow your event?
  • How do you manage an event’s financial health and sponsor relationships?
  • How do you implement health and safety protocols going forward?

Let’s explore the answers together as you pivot, maintain critical relationships, and reset your events. Throughout the course, you will develop a business plan tailored to your event, laying out the roadmap for your event to adapt and succeed.

Update

The Tourism Center periodically updates or revises our festival and event management online course to reflect current and emerging industry trends. We're currently reviewing all aspects of the course, including curriculum, course length, and modality. Our next course offering will be in the fall of 2026. 

Express interest in the course to be notified when registration is open.

About the course

Our course is currently offered online for six weeks and focuses on the essential aspects of festival and event management. Professionals with expertise and experience in the field teach each section of the course.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Create a business plan for a festival or event of your choice.
  • Create and implement site management strategies.
  • Create and execute marketing strategies and messaging.
  • Manage a festival’s financial health and sponsor relationships.
  • Oversee the recruitment, management, and retention of staff and volunteers.
  • Identify appropriate approaches to assess sentiment and satisfaction among attendees and other stakeholders.

Earn CEUs

You can apply for a Certificate of Completion by actively participating in the course, completing all assignments and submitting a business plan for a festival or event of your choice by a pre-designated deadline. 

Schedule

Dates for the next course are to be determined

Cost

Current early-bird ($449) and regular ($599) rates are subject to change for 2026.

Register

Registration details will be announced at a later date.

Express interest in the course

Course contact

To learn more about the Festival and Event Management course, contact Xinyi Qian.

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© 2025 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.