EVENTS AND FESTIVALS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK (EF-PDF)

For the first time, CEF is bringing together stakeholders representing all event and festival sectors around the world to create a unified professional development framework for our industry. The aim of doing this is to distil and then articulate the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and values of an event and festival professional, across all event phases, and the outcomes that we should place at the heart of everything we do (e.g. sustainable development, accessibility, transformational experiences etc).

CEF, with the support of members of the Practitioner and Professor Board, have conducted a systematic review of existing resources and frameworks to develop a simple set of headings to frame the EF-PDF (see graphic) and a complex set of items under each heading, which will form the backbone of the framework.

Current stage of development

We are seeking industry and academy input through an open consultation process to help shape the EF-PDF, which will be launched on the 12 January 2026.