PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL EVENTS

The course is part of the Master’s degree programme as a learning activity aimed at developing managerial skills applied to the cultural sector. The course adopts project management as its general framework, while focusing in particular on three integrated dimensions: business strategies of cultural events , planning and control tools, and the essential elements of project-based management.
The cultural event is analysed as a temporary, complex and multidimensional project promoted by different types of cultural organisations in terms of institutional nature, objectives and economic model: museums, archives, foundations, public bodies, private event companies, fairs, festivals and territorial events. Particular attention is paid to the ability to transform a cultural idea into a sustainable, planned, controlled and assessable project.
The course aims to provide students, including those with a mainly humanities-based background, with business and management tools to understand objectives, actors, resources, costs, revenues, risks, results and impacts of cultural events.

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the managerial and economic meaning of cultural events and analyse them as complex, temporary projects aimed at generating cultural, social, economic and territorial value. They will be able to distinguish the main types of cultural events and recognise the different management needs of museums, archives, foundations, public institutions, private companies, fairs, festivals and territorial events.
Students will be able to interpret the strategy of a cultural event, defining its mission, objectives, positioning, stakeholders and target audiences and in general the sustainability. They will be able to use management control tools such as event briefs, schedules, responsibility matrices, budgets, cost and revenue analysis, business plans, variance analysis and performance indicators.
They will also be able to apply basic project management tools, including the project life cycle, WBS, Gantt charts, milestones, deliverables, risk management, supplier management, authorisations and final reporting. The course also aims to develop critical analysis of both hypothetic and current cases.

Basic knowledge of business administration, organisation, and elementary concepts of cost, revenue, budget and management of cultural organisations is necessary.

he course is organised into fifteen lectures and addresses Project Management of Cultural Events through three main dimensions: strategies, planning and control, and essential project management tools.
The first part introduces the concept of cultural organisation and cultural event, analysing the event as a cultural product, a temporary project, an experience, a communication tool, a means of territorial enhancement and a generator of social and economic value. The main types of cultural events will be examined: festivals, exhibitions, cultural programmes, performances, cultural fairs, digital or hybrid events and territorial events.
The second part focuses on promoters and strategies: museums, archives, foundations, public bodies, private event companies, fairs and cultural events have different objectives, constraints, economic models and accountability systems. Mission, objectives, positioning, stakeholders, audiences, cultural value, social value, economic value and the relationship with the territory will be addressed.
The third part explores operational planning and control tools: concept development, project brief, schedule, responsibility matrix, budget, cost and revenue analysis, economic sustainability, business plan, variance analysis and performance indicators.
The fourth part introduces basic project management elements applied to cultural events: project life cycle, WBS, Gantt chart, milestones, deliverables, project team, suppliers, partnerships, authorisations, safety, risk management and final reporting.
The course includes the analysis of real cases and the development of group work focused on cultural events that have already taken place or on the design of new events.

Compulsory Course Reader, available on Moodle from 2 October 2026. Edited by S. Russo : Structure and Performance Management of Cultural Events.
Compulsory Textbook
Lucio Argano, Alessandro Bollo, Paolo Dalla Sega, Organising Cultural Events. Conception, Planning and Strategic Audience Management, FrancoAngeli, latest edition.

Further Reading
Lucio Argano, Managing Performing Arts Projects. Elements of Cultural Project Management, FrancoAngeli, latest edition.
Lucio Argano, Manual of Cultural Project Design. Project Philosophy, Design and Project Management in the Cultural and Artistic Field, FrancoAngeli, latest edition.

The examination consists of a written test and the analysis of a case study.
The written test includes multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, text analysis and open-ended questions. For the case study analysis, each student, individually or in a group of no more than four people, must select a real or hypothetical cultural event, either national or international in scope, and analyse it according to the examination grid available for download on Moodle. The choice of the case study must be agreed in advance with the lecturer in order to avoid overlaps.
The case study must be submitted via the Moodle platform at least five days before the date of the written examination. It will remain valid for the entire academic year, regardless of the examination session for which it is submitted. The selected case may be assessed through an open-ended question, where applicable, as part of the written test.
In general, assessment will take into account knowledge of the theoretical contents, the ability to analyse the strategies and performance of the cultural event from an organisational and economic perspective, the correctness of the preparation or interpretation of the budget, where available, the ability to connect managerial tools with the characteristics of the case analysed, clarity of description and the appropriate use of business, economic and managerial language.
Any use of artificial intelligence tools to support the preparation of the case study must be declared in advance and indicated in the submitted work.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

The assessment will take into account the level of knowledge of the course contents, the ability to apply performance management tools to cultural events, the quality of the case study analysis, clarity of exposition and the appropriateness of the language used.
The overall final grade will be calculated as a weighted average of the grade obtained in the test, weighted at 70%, and the grade awarded for the final assignment, weighted at 30%. The final assignment will be accepted only if it receives a grade between 26 and 30 out of 30; assignments graded below 26 will not be accepted.
The overall final grade may fall into the following categories:
A sufficient grade, between 18 and 22, corresponds to essential knowledge of the topics and the ability to describe a cultural event in basic terms from a strategic, organisational and economic perspective.
An intermediate grade, between 23 and 26, requires good knowledge of the topics, the ability to connect the concepts covered in the course and the ability to apply managerial tools to concrete cases.
A high grade, between 27 and 30, requires critical autonomy, technical accuracy, command of managerial language and the ability to interpret complex cases, including through the connection between strategies, planning, control, performance and sustainability of the cultural event.
In cases of excellence, the grade of 30 with honours may be awarded. Honours may be awarded only to students who have received honours in both assessments.

The course includes lectures, guided case discussions, classroom debate, applied exercises, individual or group work and student presentations. Examples drawn from real cultural events or developed ad hoc will be used in order to support the application of the managerial tools discussed during the course.

With regard to the case study, students will be encouraged to examine a cultural event that has already taken place or to develop a project hypothesis for a cultural event, collecting and organising information on objectives, promoting organisation, actors involved, audience, costs, revenues, funding sources, expected or achieved results, critical issues and performance indicators.
In accordance with the organisational rules of the degree programme, attendance is strongly recommended, given the applied nature of the course and the use of cases, examples and classroom exercises.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development