The Event Troubleshooter

About

The Event Troubleshooter is a board game developed for students and educators on Event, Tourism, Hospitality and other Leisure and Management programmes. The educational game is based on real life scenarios of typical event management issues co-created with industry experts. Players need to address these problems by providing solutions that are realistic and sustainable (financially, environmentally and socio-culturally) in less than five minutes. The game is adaptable to one of four client briefs for contexts ranging in themes of hospitality, events and tourism and degree of difficulty. Players rate solutions and gain points through peer learning, and the winner is the player who scores the highest points. The game was tested in different modules targeting over 190 students and students’ feedback report how it promotes sustainability mindset and transferable employability skills. Using our supporting materials, educators can also improve their pedagogical skills and reflect on playful learning methodologies.

Top 3 learnings 

1. We discovered that our game fosters sustainability mindset and creativity through playful learning.

2. We found out that our game promotes sustainable transferable employability skills development and reflective practice.

3. We learned student engagement improves when sustainability theories are applied through realistic problem-solving activities.

What it would mean to win

Winning a Green Gown Award would provide recognition for Oxford Brookes University’s commitment to sustainability in education and innovative pedagogical practice. The Event Troubleshooter is just one example of the University's ambition to embed sustainability and employability across the curriculum, empowering students to develop the skills and mindsets needed to address complex global challenges. The project directly contributes to the University's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through its emphasis on sustainable event management and broader industry collaboration. Recognition through the Green Gown Awards would further strengthen Oxford Brookes University's position as a leader in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It would also help amplify the reach of The Event Troubleshooter, encouraging wider adoption of sustainability focused learning across higher education.

SDGs

4. Quality education