MSc (Events Management)

By studying our MSc Events Management, you'll be equipped with in-depth knowledge and understanding of this diverse industry. You'll gain practical experience in designing, planning, marketing, managing, and evaluating sustainable events to generate a return on objectives. 

• Open to graduates from any discipline, this A Greener Future accredited course provides you with the critical understanding required to operate as a responsible, strategic events practitioner. You'll gain teamwork skills and hands-on experience through organising live and virtual sustainable events.
• Getting hands-on practical experience will help you to develop the core values, attributes and skills required to be a strategic, responsible, and reflective events practitioner, team player, and leader. 
• Develop wide-ranging expertise
• Events management is coming of age as a discipline. Academic research and industry practice mutually inform each other to further the development of the industry and event studies. Our team of lecturers comprise both PhDs and lecturers with industry experience to offer you the latest insight. 
• Our MSc in Events Management brings together our established and internationally recognised expertise in event studies and business and management. This blend will give you solid grounding in the various concepts and issues, research techniques and examples of best and distinctive practice across this diverse field.

Gain relevant industry experience

• The international events industry encompasses live and technologically produced and enhanced events and experiences, such as virtual and hybrid events and augmented and virtual reality experiences.
• Events span a range of industry sectors including music, festivals, arts and entertainment, sports, and business. These range from small meetings and parties through to mega-events like World Expos, the Olympic Games, and the FIFA World Cup.
• Throughout the course, you'll have opportunities to volunteer at a variety of events, allowing you to gain experience of working on different types of events within a variety of sectors of the industry. Previous students have volunteered at events such as St. Paul's Carnival, Bristol Light Festival, MEET South West, and the Commonwealth Games.
• Any industry volunteering you engage in will count towards your required 40 hours of work experience. Our extensive network of industry connections may also present unique opportunities to learn about particular events or sectors you'd like to gain experience in.

Structure
Content

• The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.
• You'll study the theories and practice of events management, which is an inter-disciplinary subject area underpinned by a variety of disciplines including economics, management, and psychology.
• Develop knowledge of contemporary issues within events management and the expertise required to strategically plan, manage and evaluate responsible events to generate positive impacts and legacies. You'll also have the opportunity to personalise your studies to suit your interests and professional aspirations.

You'll study:

• Contemporary Issues in Events - introduces you to the core concepts that underpin event studies within the context of contemporary issues in events. You'll have the opportunity to explore the influence of one of the foundational disciplines of events management in practice and evaluate a live event. 
• Strategic Event Creation - contributes to your development as a reflective events practitioner. You'll develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to work as part of a team to strategically design, plan, stage and evaluate an ethical and accessible event.
• Event Marketing - prepares you to conduct market analysis, identify your target market, and develop your marketing communications plan and materials for your own live event.
• Managing Risk in Events - builds on the knowledge, understanding and skills you develop in Strategic Event Creation to broaden and deepen your knowledge and understanding of managing risk in events. 
• 21st Century Experiences - focuses on technologically produced and enhanced experiences. Building on your knowledge from Strategic Event Creation, you'll work as part of a team to design, plan, market, stage and evaluate a virtual event.
• Events Professional Practice - provides you with an opportunity to develop your skills, professional network, and employability through gaining experience within the events industry.

Plus:

• Developing Thought Leadership in Events - allows you to conduct a sustained enquiry on an events topic of your choice to develop thought leadership within the field of events.

Or

Enterprise Project New Business Plan - provides you with the opportunity to conceptualise, research, and develop a business plan for a new or existing business.
Plus, one of the following optional modules (subject to availability or change):

• Corporate Communications - is an important tool for communicating to internal and external stakeholders to manage relationships and an organisation's image. This module equips you with the knowledge and skills required to develop a corporate communications marketing campaign and associated materials for a real-world organisation.
• Customer Relationship Marketing - explores the contribution of changes in marketing theory to a more relationship-based approach to dealing with customers in business-to-business and consumer contexts. There's a focus on the processes of strategy development and the design of customer relationship management programmes that reflect customer behaviour.
• Digital Marketing - is integral to the marketing of events. This module focuses on the planning and execution of digital marketing campaigns, developing the practical skills needed to maximise the benefit of digital marketing channels.
• International Project Management - these tools are frequently used within events management. This module will provide you with in-depth insight into project management through applying your knowledge of the critical success factors required for the successful management of projects.
• Marketing and Sustainability - equips you with critical understanding of how private, public, and not-for-profit organisations use marketing principles and techniques to influence behaviours for social and environmental good. You'll also learn how to apply these techniques in the real world.
• Marketing Events and Tourism Destinations - focuses on the role of events within destination marketing, where you'll apply your learning to the development of a destination marketing campaign.
• Social Marketing - is increasingly adopted by values-led events organisations to encourage positive social change. This module provides you with the opportunity to create a proposal for a social marketing campaign designed to influence behaviour change.
• The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.

Learning and Teaching

• Teaching is informed by research and practice, based on international published literature and the academic and professional knowledge and experience of specialist staff who are thought leaders in their field.
• You'll learn through a combination of lectorials and coaching style seminars, as well as through authentic and experiential learning, teamwork, and independent study.
• The work will include discussion, case studies, designing, planning, marketing, staging and evaluating a live and virtual event, conducting a skills audit and producing a personal development plan, and a variety of other evaluative and applied activities.

Full-time

• For the full-time course, you'll attend the University for 12 months with scheduled classes taking place for an average of 12 hours per week during term time.

Assessment

• To allow you to learn from your own and others' experiences, your learning will be assessed through a range of evaluative, reflective and applied methods. These include case study evaluations of events, oral examinations, your event planning and evaluation, and your critical reflections and evaluations of your performance as a team player.

Professional accreditation

• This course is accredited by the international association A Greener Future (AGF), pioneers in advancing the sustainability of the events industry.

Placements

• Gaining experience within the events industry is crucial to your success in gaining employment after graduating from MSc Event Management. You're therefore required to undertake a minimum of 40 hours of work experience within the events industry as part of your Events Professional Practice module.
• Throughout your studies, there'll be a number of opportunities to gain industry experience through volunteering/internships with our extensive network of industry connections. This experience will contribute towards the 40 hours of industry experience you're required to gain for your Events Professional Practice module.
• If there's a particular sector or organisation you want to gain experience within, we can support you to try to secure a placement. Some examples of the many organisations who have provided volunteering opportunities and placements for our students include St. Paul's Carnival, Bray Leino, Destination Bristol, and MEET South West.

Industry Mentoring

• You'll have the opportunity to develop your professional network, gain industry insight, build your confidence, and enhance your employability through mentoring from an allocated industry professional*.
• A few of the many organisations who have supported this initiative include Richmond Events Management, The Event Safety Shop, and the International Conference and Convention Centre Wales.

Careers / Further study

• Careers in event management are diverse, and roles include working as an event organiser, conference centre manager or event marketing executive. There are opportunities to specialise in particular events and event types, including meetings and exhibitions, and sporting and cultural events.
• The MSc in Events Management will give you the broad-based skills and insights needed for a successful career within the industry. Networking with event organisers and other employers, and gaining hands-on experience, will stand you in good stead for shaping a successful events career.