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The purpose of this paper is to describe experiences of high school graduates attending a significant annual celebratory event (Schoolies) on the Gold Coast, Australia.

An interpretive, qualitative paradigm informed by social construction ideologies was adopted. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Key findings relate to attendees’ notion of excitement and perception of social identity, which was found to encompass both a rite of passage and event exclusivity. Attendees’ sense of identity developed from the unique nature of the event as well as the anticipation of excitement and the actual experience.

This study makes a novel contribution in that it takes an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together the sociological, social psychological, and marketing disciplines in an event management context.

The case study on Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, examines a local-level example of governance. Surfers Paradise is the literal and metaphorical heart of the Gold Coast and one of Queensland’s most visited tourist precincts. Surfers Paradise has evolved through many iterations of the market from Australian surfers in the 1960s, to high-end Japanese tourists in the 1980s and to an affordable family-friendly destination today. There has also been an evolution of the Schoolies Week festival, an end of high school celebration, which has at times tarnished the reputation of the precinct. Surfers Paradise presents a case of destination management that caters to numerous stakeholders including at times highly disparate tourist segments.

The research focusing on the social impacts of events on communities has reached a level of critical mass and this paper aims to synthesise the literature, including the research methods used and analytical techniques that have been employed in order to provide a platform for future research in this important area.

The key method used is a literature review of all the available academic research into the social impacts of events on communities and the development of a model for future research.

After reviewing the social impact literature, the paper finds that one negative social impact, in particular, has the potential to undermine the key positive impacts that events can deliver for a host community. This impact, which is collectively known as anti‐social behaviour (ASB) incorporates behaviour such as drunken, rowdy and potentially life and property threatening behaviour.

The consequences of the impact of ASB are so serious, partly because it is an impact which the media often highlight, can seriously tarnish the image of an event in the eyes of the local community and reduce their pride in the destination. Community tourism leaders need to manage this impact in order to maintain resident support. The paper concludes with a model for future research into the social impacts of events on communities, focusing on the role that ASB plays in residents' perceptions of events.

This paper provides a review of the literature on social impacts to date and is a resource for researchers in the area. In addition, the paper highlights the role that ASB plays in aggravating negative perceptions of tourism in communities and the need for a more in‐depth understanding of ASB.

This paper aims to show that identification of expectations and software functional requirements via consultation with potential users is an integral component of the development of an emergency department patient admissions prediction tool.

Thematic analysis of semi‐structured interviews with 14 key health staff delivered rich data regarding existing practice and future needs. Participants included emergency department staff, bed managers, nurse unit managers, directors of nursing, and personnel from health administration.

Participants contributed contextual insights on the current system of admissions, revealing a culture of crisis, imbued with misplayed communication. Their expectations and requirements of a potential predictive tool provided strategic data that moderated the development of the Emergency Department Patient Admissions Prediction Tool, based on their insistence that it feature availability, reliability and relevance. In order to deliver these stipulations, participants stressed that it should be incorporated, validated, defined and timely.

Participants were envisaging a concept and use of a tool that was somewhat hypothetical. However, further research will evaluate the tool in practice.

Participants' unsolicited recommendations regarding implementation will not only inform a subsequent phase of the tool evaluation, but are eminently applicable to any process of implementation in a healthcare setting.

The consultative process engaged clinicians and the paper delivers an insider view of an overburdened system, rather than an outsider's observations.