Event Design and Management (MA)

This course explores the strategic development, design and logistical organisation of many different types of event. You'll also learn how events and conferences contribute to enriching the lives of communities and improve communications in business, politics and professional life. 

The dissertation will give you further opportunity to research a conference or events topic in depth. The course is taught by experienced academics and industry practitioners, providing valuable insight into this exciting industry sector.

Events play an essential role in the business, cultural and sporting life of all countries. In recent years an exciting new profession has emerged with event planners designing and organising a diverse range of events, and marketing the great variety of destinations and venues in which they take place.

This course is specifically designed for people who want to enter or make further progress in management-level careers in the fast-expanding field of event management. London is an ideal place in which to study events, with many venues on the doorstep. As a regular host of world-class sports and culture events such as Wimbledon, the London Marathon, Notting Hill Carnival and the London Fashion Week, as well as one-off mega events such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games and the 2015 Rugby World Cup, London is widely recognised as a world events capital. With several hundred venues and an abundance of international business and leisure events, London is a world leader in this dynamic industry.

Top reasons to study with us

• Industry links – We have a network of local professionals and international connections to help prepare you for a career managing tourism experiences and events across all sectors
• Central London location – You’ll study in the heart of London, one of the world’s leading events destinations, with an abundance of venues on our doorstep
• Study visits and field trips – We take full advantage of our superb location to make visits to London event venues, visitor attractions and cultural sites, as well as a residential field trip to a UK destination to enhance your learning experience and knowledge of the industry

Course climate action statement

• This course will promote understanding essential to accelerate climate action in the tourism and events sector. We will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and practical responses to help mitigate the risks of ecological and social disruptions, and to share your learning when entering employment.  

Course structure
The following modules are indicative of what you'll study on this course.

Core modules

• Dissertation
• Event Concept and Design
• Event Planning and Management
• Event Strategy
• Research and Communication Skills

Option modules

• Airline and Airport Management
• Delivering the Event Experience
• Global Festivals and Events
• Professional Practice
• Responsible Management for Tourism and Events

Careers

• Graduates from this course have gone on to work in a diverse range of event management careers in Britain and internationally. Upon successful completion, this course will equip you with the skills and knowledge to work in corporate events, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows and related event spaces within venues or hotel destinations for business. 

Industry links

• We have a network of local professionals and international connections to help you prepare for a career managing tourism experiences and events.

Excellent career prospects

• This course will prepare you for a wide range of careers, such as roles in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions space (also known as MICE), large-scale events, music festivals, community events, live shows and other public gatherings. 

Employers around the world

• The University’s Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.

Guest speakers
You'll also learn from guest speakers who bring additional expertise and industry experience to the course. Previous speakers have come from the following organisations:

• Sport England
• Great Run Company
• IMG (who have delivered events such as Winter Wonderland and Active Training World)
• Nirvana Europe

Affiliations
We are affiliated with the following education and research associations: 

• Association of Event Management Education (AEME)
• Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE)
• Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research (ATLAS)
• British Arts Festivals Association
• Geographies of Leisure and Tourism Research Group (GLTRG)
• National Outdoor Events Association
• Tourism Management Institute (TMI)

Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles such as:

• Conference centre manager
• Event business owner
• Event destination manager
• Event marketing executive
• Event media/PR executive
• Event organiser
• Event project manager
• Event risk manager
• Event sales manager

Graduate employers

• The business sector is one of the largest areas of the industry. Many of our graduates have gone on to work in corporate events, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, and association events or within venues or hotel destinations for business, leisure and tourism.
• Graduates have also gone on to work in the public and third sector, engaging in freelance work or starting up their own businesses.

Westminster Employability Award

• Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
• The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, allowing you to choose from a set of extracurricular activities. 
• Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.

Teaching and Assessment

• Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.

How you’ll be taught

Teaching methods across all our postgraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into two broad categories:

• Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
• Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, dissertation/final project research, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision

How you’ll be assessed
Our postgraduate courses include a variety of assessments, which typically fall into two broad categories:

• Practical: examples include presentations, podcasts, blogs
• Coursework: examples include essays, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation