BSc (Honours) Events Management

On this course, you’ll learn about event design, technology, marketing, operations, safety and successful business management. You’ll design a range of events – from festivals and concerts to fashion shows, brand launches, sports and Esports, conferences, exhibitions and luxury weddings. By collaborating with events professionals, you’ll gain valuable skills to help you develop your career. 

Learn to create unforgettable experiences and shape the events industry’s future - from music, sports and business events to fundraisers and luxury weddings.

Sheffield Business School accreditation

• Sheffield Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has been awarded the Business School Impact System label by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).

Course summary

• Study all aspects of events management.
• Creatively design and deliver different types of events.
• Develop skills in leadership, people and project management.
• Collaborate with venues, entertainment, caterers and authorities.
• Gain industry accredited qualifications in Licensing (BIIAB) and Health and Safety (IOSH).

How you learn

• All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world of events, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.
• Our award-winning lecturers have years of professional experience in different sectors of the events industry. They’re actively involved in applied and impactful research. So you’ll be able to understand the latest trends in events management and apply your knowledge to the design and delivery of live events – all making you stand out to employers.
• You can learn more about our students’ work and experiences on our Instagram account.

You learn through

• Lectures, seminars and workshops
• Planning and producing your own live event
• Live projects with external organisations
• Industry guest speakers, field trips and site visits
• Attending or volunteering at live events and festivals
• Independent study and group work

You’ll develop an in-depth knowledge of the events industry – experiencing design, safe events operations and the latest trends and issues in events management. You’ll gain strong foundations in core business management skills – such as marketing, talent management and finance. With these you’ll develop into a career-ready and well-rounded events professional. 

We believe you learn best when you engage with the industry and sector first-hand. You’ll gain a rich and well-developed understanding of the complexities, challenges and rewards of operating in the global events industry. This will culminate with your own live event where you showcase the knowledge and skills gained throughout your course.

The course also includes two externally accredited (industry recognised) qualifications to add to your CV – the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders and the IOSH Managing Events Safely award. Both enhance your career options (and are included for free).

You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through

• Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development.
• Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars, and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.
• Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects and networking opportunities.

Applied learning
Work placements

• At every level of the course, you’ll put knowledge into practice through live projects and professional work opportunities. You can access placements, volunteering opportunities and work experience through our relationships with industry professionals and leading events management companies, such as Festival Republic.
• You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a year-long work placement in between your second and final year. This gives you industry experience to prepare you for your future career – and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV. For example, in the past, students have undertaken placements with Olympia London, Walt Disney Florida, Mini UK, Ashfield Meeting Experiences, Hotvox, Coombe Abbey, Warner Bros UK, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Emu Events, TRO Experiential Marketing Agency, Hall & Co Event Design, Visit Britain, and Porsche UK.

Live projects

• Live projects are embedded within every level of your course – culminating in the final year where you’ll design, plan, market and deliver an event. This could be for a charity or a business client, using all of the skills, knowledge and experience you’ve gained on the course.
• Plus our links with local and national event organisers mean you’ll be able to undertake work experience in a variety of settings. Previous work experience has been offered by Conference Collective, Glastonbury Festival, Business Design Centre, The Village Screen, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Tramlines Festival, The Great North Run, Leeds and Reading festivals, Cancer Research UK, Festival Republic, BBC, Iron Man UK, Children’s Media Conference, Boomtown, English Heritage, and Global Brands UK.

Networking opportunities

• Our links with industry mean you’ll be able to engage with a wide range of guest speakers from across the events industry. Guest speakers have included Martin Green of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Hull City of Culture 2017, London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG), and Eurovision 2023, Simon Graveling of Athens 2004, London 2012 and Sochi 2014, Arther Forbes-Whitmore from Ticketmaster, Lucy Kinsella from Festival Republic, Simon Read (Event Producer) from Ashfield Meetings Experiences and Jon Hughes from KPMG.
• You’ll also benefit from our membership with the Association of Events Management Educators and National Outdoor Events Association. Since 2002 we’ve developed an impressive track record of forming tomorrow’s leaders in Events Management – with successful alumni working across the globe. Our graduates regularly return to share their career stories and events expertise.

Future careers

• The business event industry is forecast to grow by 43% and be worth £27.6 billion by 2026 (BVEP, 2021).
• Our graduates have successful events careers in many sectors – including event agencies, food and drinks companies, law firms, telecommunications companies, technology providers, marketing agencies, healthcare providers, travel companies, education institutions, museums, galleries and hotels.

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Events agencies
• Outdoor and sport events management
• Wedding and luxury events management
• Business event management, exhibitions and conferences
• Fundraising events
• Venue finding and management
• Festivals and music events
• Events client management
• Event project management
• Experience design
• Experiential marketing

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:

• Ashfield Event Experiences
• Banks Sadler
• Chatsworth House
• Sephora
• Reuters Events
• Jaguar Land Rover
• Festival Republic
• Google
• Hilton Hotels
• LEGO
• Red Bull
• The Olympics Games
• Twickenham Stadium
• The Science Museum, London
• Top Banana Events
• Walt Disney World
• Warner Bros
• Charlotte Tilbury
• NEC group

We're proud to welcome back many of our award-winning alumni every year, to give you their insights into working in our exciting industry.

Where will I study?

• You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Equipment and facilities

• Our students learn and develop their events management skills in our events spaces and specialist facilities on campus and deliver their live events directly in the community through a wealth of partner venues in Sheffield and the surrounding area. Additionally, our students develop their digital skills using industry specialist events management software to plan and manage events.
• We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.