BA (Hons) Event Management

The first Creative Industries module will introduce you to the strategies and tools to set you on the right path toward pursuing a successful career. Whether focused on a particular career goal or considering several future possibilities, you will broaden your knowledge of the opportunities available to you as a future creative industry professional.

From Glastonbury to church fairs, all events have concepts. This is the initial idea, the spark of imagination, the spectacle that you envisage. This module will allow you to explore the tools required to transform this imagined event into actualisation.

You will be encouraged to be creative and analytical in your thinking. Event concepts will give you the opportunity to think as creatively as possible as budget will not be the focus, it is all about you, and your ideas. Event Concept and Design will allow you to discover what excites you and what events you might create.

This module sets the foundation of the wider event management industry and examines the framework of events management. From weddings, festivals, sports, corporate and carnival events, you will focus on the diversity and global scope of the industry. You will also gain an in-depth understanding of the history, process, planning and evaluation of this fast-moving industry.

Basic site design and the provisions required to build an event will be covered so that you are aware of the framework of event management as an academic discipline. You will also examine areas of culture and the importance of social interactions at events around the world.

Summary

A carefully planned strategy can make or break events in a fast-evolving music industry. Additionally, understanding the roles and responsibilities of key personnel or stakeholders can help event managers ensure that everyone involved in the event is working towards a common goal and that all tasks are completed on time and to a high standard.

Module Aims

In this module, you will learn how to organise your own music events; from sourcing venues and artist negotiations, to ticketing and budgeting. You will explore the key roles and responsibilities involved in the process, such as booking agents, venue managers, and production teams. By doing this, you will understand the interconnecting relationships between these roles, and how crucial it is for them to work together effectively to ensure the successful delivery of music events. You will work collaboratively in small teams to produce an event plan. Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Entrepreneurism
• Resilience
• Creativity and Collaboration

In this module, you will further develop your investigative skills, exploring relevant underlying concepts and principles and interpreting these within the context of your area of study. You will explore the nature of creativity, the wider context of the industry and practice reflective techniques.

You will also evaluate sources and consider issues such as potential biases and cultural diversity. This evaluation will contribute to developing an enhanced awareness of your creative identity and greater insight into the topics that inspire and motivate you. In addition, you will improve your understanding of how your area of interest intersects with the wider creative industry.

Using academic enquiry, you will develop a reflective journal to evaluate your strengths and areas for self-development in relation to your studies, careers and personal aspirations. This investigative work will help establish a connection between the skills you have identified concerning specific careers and areas of the industry, enhancing your understanding of what is required to be a successful professional practitioner.

Safety underpins all successful events; no matter their scale or format. Many well-documented cases of audience injuries or deaths at events could have been avoided with more thorough planning. In this module, you will explore the key health & safety tools and strategies you will need in the events and business world. You will look at famous cases of when it went wrong, why it went wrong, and how to avoid similar incidents happening at your events.

Through considering the hierarchy of safety management and the associated roles and responsibilities, you will explore a range of relevant legislation and guidance to be applied across a variety of event types. You will evaluate event risks and develop expertise and experience in proposing solutions to health & safety concerns through proper planning, strategy and management.

Summary

Evaluating events is crucial to understanding what could be improved for future planning. By analysing the success and impact of an event, event professionals can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to better meet the needs and expectations of attendees. This evaluation process can also help professionals identify what elements of the event were particularly successful and should be repeated in the future, whether that means planning a series of events, a live tour, or a similar event in a different location. By building on the success of previous events, event professionals can create a strong brand identity and reputation for their events, attracting repeat attendees and building a loyal following. Additionally, evaluating events can help event professionals identify any legal, ethical or safety concerns that may have arisen during the event, and take steps to address them in future events.

Module Aims

This module will give you the knowledge and skills to progress from delivering a real-world music event, through to planning a live music tour or series of events. You will organise, promote and deliver a live music event as part of a small team, and reflect on the process. You will also learn how to plan the logistics of a tour across multiple roles, such as tour managers and production teams. You will explore key industry documentation such as tour advances and technical riders, to ensure the events are delivered effectively and on schedule. Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Entrepreneurism
• Social responsibility
• Professionalism

Summary

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, an effective and creative marketing campaign can make any brand stand out from the crowd and achieve its goals. Whether it is the discovery of a new artist, buying tickets for an event or festival, or the everyday products and services we consume, marketing continues to influence us across every part of our lives. Developing a personal brand enables individuals to effectively communicate their unique value and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Module Aims

In this module, you will explore contemporary music and events brands, their audiences, branding, and communications. You will learn about emerging trends and technologies in social media, and how human psychology impacts our decision making. Whether you want to work in a marketing role directly, run your own events or manage an artist; marketing will undoubtedly play a crucial role in your future career success.

Summary

This module will build on the skills you developed in your first year. In The Creative Industries and You module, you utilised concepts and principles to explore the nature of creativity, developing a short and longer-term plan for your personal and professional practice.

In this module you will carry out an individual investigation, utilising secondary research to investigate the lineage of your creative practice. You will directly apply ideas to your own discipline and development, selecting an area of investigation relevant to your own practice, and communicating your argument in writing or via a narrated slide presentation. The concepts you explore in this module, including your positionality and identity, are themes you will encounter frequently as a creative professional.

Module Aims

By examining existing case studies and undertaking a research case study you will further develop secondary research skills and contextualise your professional identity. The research methods and study skills you develop throughout this module will prepare you for next year’s Final Project, in which you will self-direct a significant piece of academic, creative and/or professional practice. Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Global Awareness
• Self-awareness
• Intellectual curiosity
• Professionalism

Sound Financial Management being critical to the success of any event, this module explores the techniques and tools used in the planning and delivery of events. Not-for-profit versus profit. Sponsorship versus Crowdfunding. Grant Funding versus Philanthropy.

The module will follow two strands:

1. Accounting techniques such as balance sheet, budgeting, break-even projection, cash flow and projections
2. Funding sources such as Sponsorship, Grant Funding, Crowdfunding and Philanthropy

The module is designed to be supportive of future modules where funding for an event will be critical to success.

“Content is king” – Bill Gates

In this developing digital world, businesses of all types and sizes around the world continue to prioritise social media and online promotion at the heart of their marketing strategy. Digital literacy is increasingly seen as a must-have skill by potential employers. This module will give you the key practical skills in a variety of social media and digital communication platforms.

From Facebook to Instagram, from Social Influencers to Search Engine Optimisation, you will explore how to maximise the effectiveness of these digital strategies, using data analytics to enhance and evolve creative content-driven campaigns. Contemporary issues and trends in the digital world will underpin the module, as well as discussions on ethical concerns.

Summary

In the Defining Your Practice in Context module, you evaluated the lineage and traditions of your creative practice, investigating how it connects to artistic and industry practices. This module will require you to utilise your acquired knowledge to plan and create, collaboratively, a piece of work that links to your practice. Collaborating with others can help you develop new and innovative ideas and can also help you develop confidence as a creative practitioner whilst practising your communication, project management, reflection and feedback skills.

Module Aims

• To develop collaborative working practices.
• To plan and execute a creative project.
• To document your creative process including the nature of your collaboration.
• Seek and use developmental feedback.
• Evaluate the nature of teamwork, communication and collaboration.
• Appraise your professional values, ethics and goals.

Additionally, this module will help you develop the following graduate attributes:

• Employable and Entrepreneurial.
• Creative, Collaborative and Connected.
• Socially Responsible.
• Self-awareness.
• Professionalism.

Students will gain a comprehensive insight into the inner workings of the outdoor events industry with a detailed and definitive overview of on-site operations, as well as the pre-event logistics planning required to ensure operational success.

The first part examines the tools and techniques underpinning operations planning, including a site production schedule, management and command structures and a detailed site plan, taking into consideration the relevant regulations supporting safe event design.

The second part explores on-site operations and considers what happens when functions are disrupted by unplanned events. You will study how to identify and tackle potential hazards, as well as leadership and decision-making, thereby learning the importance of establishing and observing correct procedures, and how to deploy the right resources.

In this module, you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree.

This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into the industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors.

Sustainability is currently at the forefront of people’s minds. This module assesses the sustainability impact of an event and explores the influence that events have to mobilise positive change.

The International Standard for Event Sustainability is used as a framework by which to evaluate significant event-related risks and opportunities, including the need for sustainability processes and practices to be embedded in the event management cycle.

Contemporary perspectives and trends in event sustainability will be a central theme. Using appropriate tools and templates, you will learn how to apply the requirements of the International Standard and create an event sustainability policy and action plan to increase the sustainability of an event.

In this module, you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree.

This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into the industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors.

This module is the final step in your journey and will support you as you look to enter your chosen field as a creative professional. Drawing on evidence from throughout your time here. you will critically self-evaluate your personal learning journey and industry engagements to date. You will explore concepts and theories of personal and professional development to support, challenge and test your assumptions, to determine your readiness for work in the creative industries. You will have the opportunity to discuss this with your peers and learn from your collective experiences in both small degree path groups and large mixed discipline sessions.

With this position in mind, you will then be challenged to create and consolidate creative assets to give you the edge over the competition in your chosen field. Specialist workshops will be offered throughout the module, informed and delivered by our wide-reaching connections and specialist lecturers in the creative industries. This culminates in the creation of a portfolio which tells the story of your personal and professional journey so far, communicating your unique professional identity and future career plans in the creative industries.