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Ten years ago, in 2012, the United Nations announced a global waste crisis. The festival industry produces a significant amount of waste; however, management practices and policies across locational contexts can help address sustainability goals. This study used Mair and Jago's model to understand the drivers and barriers experienced by festival organizers in Canada and New Zealand. Five key findings emerged from this study: (1) similarities in context, drivers, barriers, and catalysts exist across these two countries; (2) internal forces were generally more significant drivers than external forces; (3) waste management companies hold the potential to be a significant catalyst; (4) the most prominent barriers were a lack of resources and a lack of knowledge/awareness/skill; (5) political leadership as a contextual factor can support the adoption of festival waste management practices. Recommendations are put forth to leverage drivers and fill management and policy gaps in support of the United Nations SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste minimization practices at New Zealand festivals are unregulated, and local authority guidance with regard to waste minimization varies. Despite the absence of regulation, some festivals are choosing to incorporate waste minimization practices into their operations. This study investigates the primary barriers associated with minimizing festival waste and explores solutions to overcome them. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with sixteen festival organizers representing fourteen festivals were undertaken in order to analyze the inclusion of waste minimization practices in their operations, and to determine perceptions of both facilitators and barriers toward influencing and implementing such practices. Dominant barriers related to waste management service providers, volunteers, the time and resources required to implement a waste minimization system, specialist knowledge about packaging, regional recycling capacity, and local authorities. The study found that many of the barriers and challenges identified are aligned with the recommended model of minimizing festival waste in New Zealand, which focuses heavily on recycling. There is scope to urgently re-think this model, the effectiveness of which has deteriorated in light of the global recycling crisis triggered by China's National Sword initiative. While there is no "one size fits all" solution to minimizing festival waste, focusing less on recyclable, and more on edible, reusable, and compostable packaging could not only reduce waste, but also reduce the necessary infrastructure on festival sites. A revised model could facilitate a decrease in the obstacles relating to waste minimization found in this study. Opportunities for innovation within the New Zealand event waste service provision market exist, including the expansion of the range of products and services available. There are also opportunities for local authorities to more actively engage with the festival waste minimization agenda through the implementation of regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As tertiary event management qualifications in New Zealand thrive, so too does the relationship between the local events industry and institutions delivering such programs. The Graduate Diploma in Event Management (GDEM) is a recent addition to the portfolio of programs offered at Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec). The GDEM includes a significant practicum component. This article reports on an exploratory research project of practicum host organizations and their experiences of hosting a GDEM student. Using the results of an online questionnaire, the article identifies the impact of the student placement on the host and the skills, knowledge, and personal qualities required by students to be successful in completing their practicum. It also identifies the willingness of hosts to continue with or recommend practicum placements and determines how the practicum may influence future recruitment at host organizations. Findings indicate the majority of practicum hosts found the experience to be positive, with students matched appropriately to the event environment. Recommendations are made for further research into the effectiveness of event management training, including greater collaboration between tertiary institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sleep disturbance and fatigue are highly prevalent after acquired brain injury. • Cognitive behavioural therapy improves sleep disturbance and fatigue after injury. • This 8-week treatment is adapted to support individuals with cognitive impairments. • Benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy extend over and above health education. • Additional treatment benefits include improved self-efficacy and quality of life. Sleep disturbance and fatigue are highly prevalent after acquired brain injury (ABI) and are associated with poor functional outcomes. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a promising treatment for sleep and fatigue problems after ABI, although comparison with an active control is needed to establish efficacy. We compared CBT for sleep disturbance and fatigue (CBT-SF) with a health education (HE) intervention to control for non-specific therapy effects. In a parallel-group, pilot randomised controlled trial, 51 individuals with traumatic brain injury (n = 22) and stroke (n = 29) and clinically significant sleep and/or fatigue problems were randomised 2:1 to 8 weeks of a CBT-SF (n = 34) or HE intervention (n = 17), both adapted for cognitive impairments. Participants were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 2 and 4 months post-treatment. The primary outcome was the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; secondary outcomes included measures of fatigue, sleepiness, mood, quality of life, activity levels, self-efficacy and actigraphy sleep measures. The CBT-SF led to significantly greater improvements in sleep quality as compared with HE, during treatment and at 2 months [95% confidence interval (CI) -24.83; -7.71], as well as significant reductions in fatigue maintained at all time points, which were not evident with HE (95% CI -1.86; 0.23). HE led to delayed improvement in sleep quality at 4 months post-treatment and in depression (95% CI -1.37; -0.09) at 2 months post-treatment. CBT-SF led to significant gains in self-efficacy (95% CI 0.15; 0.53) and mental health (95% CI 1.82; 65.06). CBT-SF can be an effective treatment option for sleep disturbance and fatigue after ABI, over and above HE. HE may provide delayed benefit for sleep, possibly by improving mood. Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12617000879369 (registered 15/06/2017) and ACTRN12617000878370 (registered 15/06/2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]