Events, experiences and culture-based industries

Arrangement om vinteren

We study how various stakeholders, companies, and industries such as events, culture, and tourism contribute to sustainable local business development.

Our ambitions are closely linked with USN's goal of imparting knowledge and at the same time contributing to competence development from a lifelong learning perspective.

Our research

Cooperation between the public and voluntary sectors is essential, and research into the interaction with the third sector (e.g., sports, cultural institutions) is necessary to contribute to new creative solutions. Our research focus is related to:

  • Sports
  • Media's role and interaction with event stakeholders
  • Cultural institutions
  • Stakeholder management
  • Tourism
  • Temporary organizations
  • Project management and financial management
  • Volunteering - management of "learning volunteers"
  •  Branding
  • Sponsorships
  • Organization and knowledge transfer
  • Digital aspects
  • Competence development

The group's main aim is to stimulate more industry-oriented research, publication, and communication - particularly aimed at events, experiences, and culture-based industries.

Research methods

The research group analyzes the interaction between different stakeholders (English stakeholder), which can be anything from different service industries, municipalities, county councils, host regions, organizations, media, sponsors, the public, participants, volunteers, or organizers.

An interdisciplinary research area also requires the use of interdisciplinary methods (MMR; mixed methods research), thus different quantitative and qualitative methods are used, depending on the discipline and research question.

Research disciplines

  • event management
  • sports and preparedness
  • organization and management
  • history
  • marketing management

Projects and activities

  • Sports events (broad and elite sports)
  • Cultural heritage
  • Music festivals
  • Cultural events at museums, schools, and in connection with other events (sports) in cities in the region of USN
  • Audience experience
  • Tourism
  • Motivation, development, and performance management

Leader of the research group

Elsa Kristiansen, Professor 

Members

Ph.d. Research Fellows

Research partners and network

  • Nordic Centre of Heritage Learning and Creativity AB
  • European Museum Academy
  • Centre for Research & Development in Adult Education and Learning