Festival and event management

Our course is offered online over a six-week period. Each week focuses on an essential aspect 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, particularly in the context of a public health crisis.
• 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.

You can apply for a Certificate of Completion by actively participating in the course, completing all assignments, completing the Timely Topic, and submitting a business plan for a festival or event of your choice by a pre-designated deadline. For more details, review our certificate requirements.

Register for the six-week course

A Timely Topic is a one-week deep dive into a current trend or an emerging issue for festivals and events. It can be taken in combination with the full course or on its own. 

Sustainability has become an increasingly important issue in the festival and event industry. Festival organizers and event producers are under pressure to minimize the environmental impact of their festivals and events, while also considering attendees’ needs and expectations.

This Timely Topic provides a comprehensive introduction to the key elements of festival sustainability and serves as a guide for festival organizers and event producers to create environmentally and socially responsible events. The one-week course covers waste management, energy and water usage, transportation, and community engagement. 

By adopting a sustainability-focused approach, festival organizers and event producers can reduce the impact of their festivals and events on the environment while creating a more memorable experience for their attendees.

Continuing education credits (CEU): 1 

About the instructor: Cindy Lerick, MA, CFEE is the President and CEO of The Art of Events, LLC. Cindy has a Master of Arts degree in Creative Event Management and has been certified as an A Greener Festival Assessor. Cindy has over 30 years of event management experience. For both non-profit and for-profit organizations, she has produced art fairs, educational seminars, parades, music festivals, book festivals, galas, and various sporting events.

Cindy has held senior positions with multiple non-profit festivals, including the Irish Fair of Minnesota, Sausalito Art Festival, Art Fest Fort Myers, Saint Louis Art Fair, Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival, and Seafair. She serves on the board of International Festival and Event Association (IFEA), oversees the IFEA Certified Festival and Event Education Program (CFEE), and teaches at the NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association)/IFEA Event Management School.

Register for Timely Topic

Participants are eligible to earn six CEUs by completing the six-week course and one CEU by completing the Timely Topic.

CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS

Festival and Event Management (FEM)

University of Minnesota Tourism Center

Fall 2024

1. FEM Course — complete the following four requirements by Friday, February 7, 2025:
   1. Completion of the six regular modules
   2. Participation in all the discussion forum(s) in each of the six modules
   3. Completion of ALL the assignments for EVERY module
   4. Completion of the Timely Topic and its assignment(s)
2. Completion and submission of the FEM final assignment:
   1. Objective: Create a business plan for a festival or event of a student’s own choosing
   2. The majority of the business plan should have already been developed and reviewed by the instructors over the course of the six-week class. Students need to complete the remainder of the business plan, namely, Executive Summary, to make sure the plan is fully developed.
   3. A student’s submission of the business plan should reflect revisions made based upon instructors’ comments.
   4. Due date: Friday, February 7, 2025. Submissions will NOT be accepted after February 7, 2025.
   5. Format: Please use the template provided in the class.

   6. Submission: Please send the submission electronically to Xinyi Qian, qianx@umn.edu.

      Please proofread and spell-check!!

   7. Review process: Each submission will be reviewed within ten business days upon receipt. If sufficient, the certificate will be awarded. If insufficient, recommendations to improve the submitted business plan will be provided, and the student is expected to address the recommendations with revision(s) within ten business days after hearing back from the lead instructor. The submitted business plan will be finalized and accepted after all the comments are addressed.