Events and Experience Management (MSc)

The course has been designed to develop a deeper understanding of management within a broad number of events and experience industries, including the arts, heritage, music, entertainment, corporate events such as conferences and exhibitions, and many other cultural and creative businesses.

At Coventry University, we continuously review the courses we offer to ensure we reflect industry-relevant emerging best practice and technology. As a result, this course is undergoing continuous improvement assessment and will be launched with a renewed curriculum starting in September 2025. Module content and titles will be updated. Course title, learning outcomes and assessments may also change. We expect our new curriculum to be fully updated by January 2025. Please return to this page to see the final course details.

The course has a strong problem-based teaching approach, grounding theories and assignments in real world event and experience scenarios.

The course has a strong problem-based teaching approach, grounding theories and assignments in real world event and experience scenarios.The course addresses the principles employed in making strategic decisions and the more immediate, dynamic operational decision making, offering insight on leading and managing within these sectors.You will develop, upon successful completion, a set of highly transferable management and creative skills which should enable you to excel across international boundaries and cultures.

Why you should study this course

• Each semester you will complete a project which allows you to adapt and focus your learning from other modules. This project should enable you to uniquely shape the direction of your studies while preparing for your final project and give you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and deliver live event.Our guest lecture week, which runs every year (subject to change) provides an opportunity for you to engage with a range of industry and academic speakers, many of whom are former students who have now established themselves as event leaders. This event, on average, has between 35-40 guest speakers participating each year. They not only share their insights into industry trends and issues but can also offer opportunities for internships or short-term work experience2.You will have the option to apply for a ‘professional experience’ opportunity2, designed to further develop your skills and knowledge with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. See modules for more information.Selected students will get the opportunity to take part in the NEC EventsWeek Live, with the NEC offering a 12-month mentoring programme to the best performing students2.The university has links with a range of events and experience organisations such as the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) group and CBS Arena.

What you'll study

• This new course has been designed to develop and prepare you for working in the varied and dynamic global event and experiential industry sectors. They are sectors which are vital economically, create numerous employment opportunities, and contribute significantly to people's quality of life. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, it is a sector which has returned with vigour and excitement, creating extensive opportunities for established event and experiential businesses and new entrepreneurs.

Modules

• Understanding the Events and Experience Industries – 15 credits
• Experience Design – 15 credits
• Marketing and Funding – 15 credits
• Leadership and Relationship Management – 15 credits
• Health and Safety, Risk, and Crisis Management – 15 credits
• Managing Experiential Projects – 15 credits
• Managing Resources and Self-Employment – 15 credits
• Sustainable Development and Legacy – 15 credits
• Entrepreneurial Practice – 10 credits
• Project – 50 credits

With professional experience option

• The professional experience opportunity2 enables you the opportunity to apply for optional professional experience in semester 1, which, upon successfully securing an opportunity, will extend the duration of your master’s to either 16, 20 or 24 months. The professional experience provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability.

How you'll learn

• Teaching and learning is delivered through a mix of classroom and lab-based activity with a series of lectures, associated seminars, practical workshop classes and personal tutorials. These sessions may be delivered through a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials and online classes and tutorials.

Teaching contact hours

• The number of contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the taught semesters. Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 35 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
• Your project-based semester will be supervisor supported, self-directed study in the region of 45 hours per week as well as supervisor meetings of up to 2 hours per week.
• Contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
• As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
• Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

• A variety of assessment methods aim to help develop both your practical skills and subject knowledge, which in turn allows the practical application of theory to real-world settings.

Assessment methods include:

• Individual and group presentations
• Individual essays
• Individual portfolios
• Formal examinations
• Individual and group proposals.
• Risk management assessment
• Live crisis event management scenarios 

Careers and opportunities
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Design and conduct research in events business management contexts using appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies.
• Critically assess the business and economic environment of event industry/sectors and make practical judgments in the application of relevant core management principles.
• Extract, interpret and synthesise relevant event management data and develop reasoned conclusions.
• Evaluate event management strategies and policies within the context of practical organisational management skills and knowledge.
• Evaluate within a conceptual framework current research in Event management.
• Investigate and apply knowledge which supports decision making in managing an events business.
• Develop events business strategies and policies that relate to the issues of event business management.

Careers in event management are diverse, and upon successful completion, you could work in jobs such as:

• Establishing your own event company
• Event organiser
• Conference centre manager
• Event marketing executive
• Event media and PR executive
• Event sales executive
• Risk and security manager

The course is also designed to help encourage and nurture entrepreneurial ideas, which is vital in both ensuring successful and viable event businesses, or for helping you set up your own, new business venture.

The broad set of skills you should develop in the areas of business, management, marketing and finance, means you should graduate with an invaluable skill set which can be transferred to many other areas of business management, whether this relates to general management, project management or marketing within the private, public and voluntary sectors.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The university’s Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Where our graduates work

• Our previous graduates have gone on to occupy positions in the event industry within a variety of national and international companies, including The Royal Opera House, Live Buzz Events, Ricoh Arena, Chelsea Football Club Events Team, Gordon Ramsey Events, Pandora Events, Conference Care and Virgin Media Pioneers.