Proven Performance

Event Impact Measurement Tools for Local Government

This self-guided course equips government professionals with knowledge and practical tools on the why, what and how of measuring the economic and social impact of events.

 It's for economic development practitioners looking to upskill and understand cost-effective impact measurement methods, allowing you to assess ROI and make better informed, data-led decisions.

This course will arm you with the knowledge and skills needed to confidently advocate for investment in events for your community.

Course content

  • Lesson 1: The big picture - A look back at government involvement in events

    A brief history of government involvement in events and how its shaped today’s major events landscape.

    We’ll also walk through a disconnect between the priorities of state and local government, and provide you with an exercise to think through what your current calendar of events delivers for your community.

    Lesson 2: Impact measurement essentials – Getting your philosophy and priorities right

    Before diving into the what and how of measurement, let’s get the clear on the why.

    In this week’s lesson we’ll discuss why measurement is important, how to define the metrics that reflect your community’s priorities and a foundational truth about research and measurement that should be kept front and centre when thinking about your measurement program.

  • Lesson 3: Accurately estimating event attendance

    An event’s unique person attendance is the most critical figure to get right when measuring an event’s impact.

    For wholly ticketed events this is something we don’t need to think too hard about. However, if an event is free, multi-day and/or covers a number of venues, then accurately estimating attendance is going to be a harder nut to crack.

    In this week’s lesson we’re going to delve into how to credibly estimate the size of an event’s attendance.

    Lesson 4: Economic impact evaluation

    In this week’s lesson we delve into the detail behind a robust economic impact assessment.

    It will provide you with the knowledge and tools required to calculate the economic impact of an event in a way that aligns with the methodologies used by state-based Destination Marketing Organisations.

    Lesson 5: Social and strategic impact evaluation

    This week we look into measuring the community and cultural benefits that often go uncaptured in traditional impact assessments.

    We’ll provide you with a two key metrics that can be used across all communities. One that indicates the social impact of an event retrospectively, and another that is key to the events ongoing sustainability.

  • Lesson 6: Return on investment calculation and compelling reporting

    You’ve collected all your data, cleaned it, analysed it, and now its time to put it into a format that facilitates the decision making its designed to facilitate.

    In this final week we walk through how to: 1. benchmark the ROI delivered by events against each other, 2. identify storylines within datasets, and 3. write compelling reports for colleagues and stakeholders.

Course FAQs

  • Bright and early every Tuesday morning you’ll recieve an email in your inbox with that week’s course content, further reading and resources

  • The six weeks are priced at $700+GST for a single registrant and $1,200+GST for a subscription to cover upto 5 staff. Costs include ongoing support as you make your way through the course.

  • By the end of the six weeks, you'll be able to:

    • Develop measurement frameworks aligned with both your council's strategic priorities and state-level Destination Marketing Organisations

    • Accurately estimate and report on event attendance and participation

    • Calculate defensible economic impact figures for various event types

    • Measure and effectively communicate social and community benefits

    • Create compelling reports that justify event investments to council and community

    • Make data-driven decisions about the level of support each event on your calendar merits

  • Unlike generic event measurement approaches, this course:

    • Delivers templates and frameworks that have been used across Australia that you can implement immediately

    • Is specifically tailored to Australian local government contexts and constraints

    • Provides practical, cost-effective methodologies that don't require expensive sampling, market research or software

    • Focuses on metrics that resonate with council decision-makers and community stakeholders

  • Our Director Stu Speirs will be on hand at any time throughout your course to answer any questions, hear your feedback or chat through how the learnings from this course can be applied to your specific circumstances

* Meet your course guide

* Meet your course guide

Meet Stu Speirs, Silver Lining Strategy’s Founder and Director.

A market research specialist with over 20 years of experience in event impact measurement and evaluation.

Stu's expertise includes:

  • Co-developing the economic impact evaluation framework used by Destination NSW,

  • Leading the evaluation team at Events NSW (now Destination NSW) between 2008-2012,

  • Creating methodologies and investment frameworks now adopted by federal tourism bodies, destination agencies and councils across Australasia,

  • Being a leading practitioner of social impact measurement of events and cultural organisations in line with Standards Australia’s Measuring and valuing social impact

This course distils his extensive experience and professional qualifications into practical tools that work specifically for local government contexts and budgets.