During a recent study tour to Dark Mofo in Hobart, Collarts students explored festival branding, audience experience, logistics, and event design in a real-world learning environment. The experience offered valuable insights into how major events are conceptualised, produced, and delivered at scale.
Presented by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Dark Mofo is known for its immersive programming, bold creative direction, and city-wide activation, Dark Mofo became a live case study in large-scale festival management.
We spoke with Event Management students Tahlia, Jamie, and Jacquie about their key learnings from Dark Mofo and how the experience connects to their event management studies and future careers.
I have been reminded of my love of logistics and event design, and how my strengths in these areas are why I am studying Event Management at Collarts.
What Event Management Students Didn’t Expect to Learn
Event Management students are taught the importance of branding, audience engagement, and event design but seeing these principles applied at a large-scale festival brought new insights.
Jamie:
I learned how crucial colour themes are for audience experience at a festival. The consistent use of red across Dark Mofo and Hobart, from lighting installations to the bridge lighting and even social media branding, created a fully immersive festival environment. It showed me how powerful event branding can extend beyond a venue and into an entire city, shaping audience emotion and engagement.
Key Insights from Dark Mofo
Understanding audience expectations and operational design is central to studying Event Management. At Dark Mofo, students observed how branding and audience perception influence behaviour at large-scale events.
Tahlia:
Audience expectations determine what people are willing to tolerate at a festival. Visitors accepted long walks, queues, cold weather and experimental programming because it aligned with the Dark Mofo brand. It demonstrated that audience satisfaction is not always about comfort, but about whether the event delivers on its identity and promise.
Jacquie:
Not all audiences engage with large-scale or public festivals in the way organisers expect. Many attendees experience events differently, which can affect how they interpret and connect with the overall festival experience.
Event Management Study Tour Experience: Student Reflections
A key part of studying Event Management at Collarts is learning through real-world festival experiences. The Dark Mofo study tour gave students the opportunity to reflect on event design, logistics, and audience experience alongside peers.
Jamie:
“The most valuable part of the study tour was experiencing a unique festival alongside other Event Management students and discussing different perspectives on how the event was designed and delivered.”
Tahlia:
“The most valuable part was seeing how strongly festival branding influences audience behaviour and loyalty, and how much trust audiences place in a well-executed event concept.”
Jacquie:
“Being able to experience Dark Mofo through a learning lens and critically discuss it with other event students was the most valuable part of the experience.”