Overview
Kick start your exciting career in events planning with a unique Events Management degree from the University of Essex. Graduates of this programme could go onto careers working on weddings, sporting events, festivals, fashion shows, corporate events or conferences.
With a student experience unlike any other, it may come as no surprise that the Edge Hotel School is ranked 3rd in the UK for overall student satisfaction for Tourism, Transport and Travel in the National Student Survey 2021. This result follows the previous ranking of 1st in the UK in the NSS2020, demonstrating a consistent level of excellence in delivering an exceptional student experience.
The Events Management degree prepares you for the fast-paced world of planning and managing events. You will learn alongside lecturers who have worked on worldwide and high profile events while gaining experience of real weddings, conferences and private functions alongside your studies. Throughout the course you will study topics including:
- Event planning and logistics
- Winning an event contract and proposal design
- Business innovation
- Contemporary management practice
- Cultural events, festivals and weddings
- Human resources management
- Digital marketing
The Edge Hotel School experience is unlike any other student experience. Based on the University of Essex Colchester campus, you will have the best of both worlds. Not only will you graduate from a leading university – you will develop your industry knowledge and professional skills by working within Wivenhoe House, a fully-commercial 4* hotel, alongside your studies.
Study abroad
Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.
Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised.
If you spend a full year abroad you’ll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won’t pay any tuition fees to your host university.
Placement year
Students that wish to broaden their experience in different types of events will also be given the option to swap a rotation in our Events and Conference team for an external work experience during Level 5 (Year 2) of this course. This experience will last 4 weeks, and needs to be instigated by you. The Placement team at the University of Essex and staff of the Edge Hotel School will assist you in sourcing opportunities as well as improving your interview and CV-writing skills. This external work experience will be assessed in the same as your rotations in Wivenhoe House hotel and is a chance for you to experience a broad set of events that you might wish to pursue within your career.
Our expert staff
Our staff includes lecturers with both professional as well as academic backgrounds to ensure you are taught by people with industry-relevant experience themselves. Among our academic staff are a former organiser of the BRIT Awards, London Fashion Week and events for Her Majesty The Queen, a former hotel General Manager, a former Food and Beverage Manager for award-winning cruise lines and a Dr. (PhD) with international research experience.
Specialist facilities
- Wivenhoe House, where you can gain experience, is a 40-bedroom country house hotel on the university campus with a brasserie restaurant and a busy conference and events function that hosts over 300 events and 50 weddings annually. If for any reason the hotel is subject to closures during rotations, we have developed a comprehensive platform of online skills and experience workshops to replicate the practical experience offer as closely as possible.
- The Edge Hotel School has connections with a range of organisations across the hospitality and events industries – throughout your studies you can expect guest lectures, masterclasses and an annual careers fair to help further your career prospects. Supporters of the Edge Hotel School include The O2, The Arora Group, BaxterStorey, Claridges, Dorchester Collection, EDITION Hotels, Exclusive Hotels and Venues, Georgian House Hotel, Hand Picked Hotels, The Landmark London, Levy UK and Ireland, Moet Hennessey, Milsoms Hotels and Restaurants, Royal Lancaster London, the Savoy Educational Trust, Sbe – among many others.
- The Edge Hotel Society hosts student-organised events including industry speakers, student social events and an annual ball.
- As an Edge Hotel School student you will be issued with a uniform to wear for your shifts in Wivenhoe House and when representing the School externally. You will just need to provide your own white shirts and black shoes.
Your future
The Events Management degree at the Edge Hotel School combines both events experience and industry knowledge to provide you with the skills for an exciting career in many aspects of events management.
The event and hospitality industry are excited by the calibre of our graduates and there are opportunities throughout the course to meet recruitment managers and network.
Graduates of this programme can go onto careers, in the UK or internationally, in areas such as:
- Events management
- Wedding planning
- Venue management
- Festival planning and management
- Food and beverage management
- Marketing and sales
- Cruise ships and airlines
- Our lecturers have international industry experience to support your learning and development
- Edge Hotel School graduates go onto careers all over the world
- You will gain experience alongside your studies in a real 4* hotel to boost your employability
Structure
Course structure
Below is just a module list from the current academic year. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.
Teaching and learning disclaimer
Following the impact of the pandemic, we made changes to our teaching and assessment to ensure our current students could continue with their studies uninterrupted and safely. These changes included courses being taught through blended delivery, normally including some face-to-face teaching, online provision, or a combination of both across the year.
The teaching and assessment methods listed show what is currently approved for 2022 entry; changes may be necessary if, by the beginning of this course, we need to adapt the way we’re delivering them due to the external environment, and to allow you to continue to receive the best education possible safely and seamlessly.
Teaching
- In the first and second years, each year consists of up to 21 weeks of teaching, 8 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
- In the final year, you will have up to 21 weeks of teaching, 5 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
- During a teaching week you would spend around 9 hours in lectures, or smaller seminars.
- During a hotel week you would spend 4 or 5 days on shift, Monday – Sunday, gaining experience and applying the academic theory from your lectures.
- Most of your experience at Wivenhoe House will be in the conference and events department, but you will also gain some experience in reception, the kitchens and restaurant. For your final year you will spend your 5 weeks of work experience in the hotel working on the Events Project, organising an event from start to finish for an external client.
- Term dates for this programme may differ from the standard termly timetable. For information regarding term dates, please contact the department at ehs@essex.ac.uk.
Assessment
Your Events Management degree has been designed to provide a mix of assessment approaches, including:
- Essays
- Exams
- Posters
- Presentations
- Reflective statements
- Reports
- Dissertation
- Events Project. The Events Project in Level 6 of the Events Management degree consists of an individual report, a presentation and a group report focusing on a real-life event with an external client. This is your opportunity to organise a live event for an external client from start to finish during the final level of your course.
- The Professional Performance Assessment (PPA) which takes the form of an interview is used throughout our courses to allow you to reflect, practise and improve your interview skills before embarking on interviews for your first graduate role.
- The Professional Code of Conduct is an important part of your assessment. It focuses on areas that are important for future managers such as attendance, punctuality and team working. The Professional Code of Conduct is available in your Student Handbook.
