Overview
Inspirational events which create lasting memories, need careful management and preparation, in order to ensure they are delivered efficiently, effectively and safely. This course will not only give you the skills and knowledge necessary for organising successful, memorable and safe events, but will also develop a broad range of highly transferable management skills, particularly in the area of leadership and project management.
From sporting championships to music festivals, conferences and corporate events to wedding planning and charity fundraisers, the events industry is big business. It contributes almost £40 billion to the UK’s economy, accounting for 35% of the UK’s visitor economy.
Events play a critical role in entertainment, cultural appreciation, tourism, destination marketing, civic or national pride and community cohesion. As members of the Association of Event Management Education (AEME), we follow industry trends closely to ensure your skills and knowledge match employer needs. You’ll undertake multiple industry visits and field trips, at home and abroad, as well as hands-on experience of managing real-life events.
If you have a passion for events and want to work in the event sector, our course will help you realise your ambition .
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedTeaching Excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their fieldCourse essentials
A degree which offers you more, at no extra costAccreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following bodies:
Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) offering you the option to register and gain a Level 5 Certificate, which can help to enhance your employability skills with a professional qualification (fees apply to become a registered CMI student).
Association of Event Management Education (AEME)
We are members of the Association of Event Management Education (AEME), which leads the development of event management education. Additional costs may apply. Please check with the membership body for details.
European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD)
As a mark of our quality and international perspective, Coventry Business School is an active member of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS)
We are a member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), as well as being signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME) initiative. Our experiences and involvement with these organisations will enhance the quality of your educational experience.
Our Facilities
DigiComm Lab
Designed to build creative minds, the DigiComm Lab is equipped with the latest industry-standard marketing and advertising software and devices to support your creative development.
Business Simulation Suite
Coventry Business School's Business Simulation Suite utilises the latest business simulation software to give students the opportunity to improve their business skills.
Trading Floor
Students have opportunities to practice simulated trading and other finance-related activities using the various types of demo software available in the Trading Floor.
What our alumni say
The Event Management course provided a gateway to my chosen field of work. It did this through an ‘anything is possible’ attitude along with the support needed to succeed. In my third year on the course, I opted to study in Spain at the University of Valencia as part of the Erasmus scheme. The experience of living and studying in a foreign country not only provided me with an international perspective of event management, but also increased my level of fluency in Spanish.”
Course information
This dynamic course is designed to prepare you for the fast-paced and exciting events industry, with the course having a strong practitioner focus based on real world working problems.
We combine the study of events with management theory, providing a broad-based business education in the context of event industry. You’ll learn how to apply business principles, such as financial management, marking theory and strategic management to the solution of event management problems. You’ll also study the concepts, characteristics and operations of events and festivals, particularly from a commercial perspective.
Course Specification
Download PDF
Modules
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
In more detail...
Our links with industry could allow you to engage directly with companies like the Ricoh Arena, Coventry Blaze, the British Council, Bosch and SeaPines resort in South Carolina. You’ll have the opportunity to organise and attend real-life events, experiencing each stage and progress from the bidding process, design and costing to logistics, marketing, implementation and feedback with the client. Our students have run overseas activities for the British Council and have worked on major music concerts at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), National Indoor Arena (NIA) and the Ricoh Arena. They’ve supported the World Cup Rugby Sevens and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd. (LOCOG).
- Collaboration with the Students’ Union to promote and manage events on behalf of its many clubs and societies.
- Links with local, national and international event management companies, such as Eventsforce, Fargo and N200, providing opportunities for direct work experience, both paid and voluntary.
- Membership of the Association of Event Management Education (AEME), Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).
- Accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) this course gives you the option of registering and gaining a Level 5 Certificate, which can enhance your employability skills (registration fees apply).
- Access to a range of industry visits and fieldtrips, which has previously included visits to well-known event venues and talks from events professionals at the Echo Arena, Cavern Club and St. Georges Hall in Liverpool, and Aviva Stadium and Croke Park in Dublin.
- Experienced teaching staff, with mix of academic and industry experience, including staff who have worked as operations managers in conference venues and luxury hotels, sports marketing companies and managing sport venues, as well as a committee member of the Association of Event Management Education (AEME).
Opportunities for work placements with local, national and international event management companies including Eventsforce, Fargo and N200.
Our main study themes are:
- Live Event Management: You will undertake real project management and event management experiences, focusing on group work, planning and execution of an innovative, creative or cultural event, as well as closure and evaluation of the project. You will put your event management knowledge and skills into action, taking appropriate decisions when choosing a viable event to execute, selecting an appropriate venue and promoting the event.
- Event Business Management: We cover the core principles and practices of management, but in the context of organising events. You gain a solid understanding of strategy, human resource management (HRM), economics and finance, all critically important when managing professional events.
- Event Marketing: Covers the principles of event marketing and specifically the application of service sector marketing to the event industry. You will gain an appreciation of the importance of customer satisfaction as a key feature of the marketing process, as well as critical success factors for success, such as market segmentation, the marketing mix and promotional strategies.
This course is available on a three-year full-time basis or a four-year sandwich basis, where between Years Two and Three there is one year of work experience or study abroad at a partner Institution.
You can choose to undertake your placement year should in a sport, event, or hospitality related position in a private, public or charitable organisation. Placements have varied from conference and banqueting venues to entertainment complexes and music stadiums, like SkyDome and the Ricoh Arena.
We will often discuss current issues in event management and regularly invite people currently working in the events industry to share their experiences and views. Recent guest speakers have included luxury wedding planners and event designers, health and safety experts responsible for festivals, professionals from the Royal Opera House, National Events and Intelligence Unit, Pandora Events and Eventsforce. This also enables you to build your professional networks with a view to future placements or employment.
In your final year, you will be required to research and write a dissertation, which can be tailored to your interests and ideally the area of event management you wish to work in.
In addition, as a student of Coventry Business School, you will have access to a Progress Coach, who will be able to support your academic progress through drop-in sessions or one-to-one meetings.
Teaching methods include: lectures and workshops, typically breaking off into smaller seminar groups to discuss and debate a particular theme or subject area.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include formal examinations, coursework, reports, group work and presentations.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
On successful completion, you should be equipped with the skills to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the holistic nature of a business organisation and how to apply business principles associated with the operational and strategic management of financial, marketing, human and physical resources to events.
- Analyse and produce event management solutions to appropriate business decisions. Students will be required to plan and deliver a live event in year two of their studies.
We set out below the typical teaching contact hours that you will receive on this course. Teaching contact hours will vary in different semesters and years of study and may vary due to module selection. In addition to the contact hours below, we offer the opportunity to attend additional optional sessions, including sessions with the Faculty’s progress coaches, meeting staff during their advice and feedback hours, or attending field visits and industry talks.
Within your first and second year, you will have 12 contact hours of teaching a week which includes:
- Medium group teaching such as seminars and workshops per week
- Large group teaching such as lectures each week
In your final year, if you are undertaking a project/dissertation, there is a greater emphasis placed on independent study and therefore total contact hours may be reduced.
In addition, you will be expected to undertake a significant amount of self-directed studying in your own time, including some guided study using handouts and online activities.
The events sector is worth over £19 billion each year in venue and destination direct spend, according to the UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2016 (UKCAMS), now in its 23rd year. It offers opportunities for exciting careers throughout the world – whether you are based in a company overseas or simply organising an event for international audiences.
We fully appreciate that our students need a global outlook and throughout the course you will be exposed to the events industry in different countries and cultures. We have a number of global partners focusing on the events industry in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Europe, Dubai, Qatar, China and Australia. These links open up exciting opportunities for volunteering abroad; the British Council has taken students to conferences in Dubai, Miami and Cape Town in recent years, while other students have visited Qatar, Berlin and Washington DC to provide support at high profile conferences.
We are looking to develop Online International Learning (OIL) projects, where you will work with international students on projects together. In the past, students have worked alongside EU students as part of a week-long case study in Groningen (Holland).
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2016/17, we were able to provide a total of 3,482 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
1st for
international experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni (HESA 2016/17)
3,482
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2016/17
21,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally so far
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
What our alumni say
Excelling at University is down to the attitude you have, but my personal success would not have been possible without the support from my lecturers. With a really strong support network, there really is someone willing to help you 24/7. The staff are incredibly supportive of those who wish to take on voluntary events-based work.
I often travelled down to London at the weekend to work on various types events. The hardworking attitude you have is reflected by even more opportunities such as working for the British Council at their international ‘Going Global’ conferences (I went to Dubai!). I was offered a job a week after my last exam and am now an event manager at The Royal Opera House. I organise the catering for gala dinners, private receptions, the Wimbledon Champions dinner, GQ Man of the Year and even the BAFTA Awards just to name a few.”
Entry Requirements
What our alumni say
Coventry University’s Event Management degree course has given me phenomenal opportunities both nationally and internationally. These opportunities are what I like best about the course, and sets it apart from other institutions. With many professional connections, there are always fantastic opportunities being offered to students to enable you to explore the industry. These experiences are for a range of industry sectors including conferences, corporate events, charity fundraisers and sporting events.”
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
For more information, please visit our Finance pages.
Course essentials at no extra cost
We're committed to communicating study costs clearly to make sure you're not faced with having to make any unexpected payments.
This is why our ‘Flying Start’ package provides you with a few course essentials. Your full-time fee for an undergraduate degree will cover the following:
UK field trips
Any mandatory site visits and trips within the United Kingdom.Key material
This can include core textbooks, software and equipment.Laser prints
1,000 A4 sides of black and white laser printing credits per year.Optional year
Pay no tuition fees for optional work placements or study abroad trips.The following are additional costs not included in the fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
EU student fees
EU nationals and their family members starting in the 2019/20 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
What our alumni say
The Event Management course provided a gateway to my chosen field of work. It did this through an ‘anything is possible’ attitude along with the support needed to succeed. In my third year on the course, I opted to study in Spain at the University of Valencia as part of the Erasmus scheme. The experience of living and studying in a foreign country not only provided me with an international perspective of event management, but also increased my level of fluency in Spanish.”
Career prospects
With a whole host of high profile sporting events in the UK in recent years, including the Olympics and Rugby World Cup, events companies and organisations are now actively seeking graduates with specialist degrees.
As well as helping you learn the unique characteristics of the events industry, this course also provides an excellent foundation for careers in marketing, hospitality management, business, administration and general management.
From day one, you’ll be exposed to the events industry and encouraged to enhance and build your CV with practical work experience through placements.
We provide volunteering opportunities at a number of local events organisations, which have previously included Fashion Live Events, Live Buzz Events, Ricoh Arena, Pandora Events, NEC, Barclaycard Arena, Local wedding venues, Coventry Blaze, Warwick Racecourse, Conference Care, as well as various charities, including Bethany’s Wish.
You will have the support of dedicated Personal Employment Tutors through our employability unit, Business Futures, who can call on an extensive network of employers offering a wide range of internship possibilities. Business Futures can also support you with workshops and guidance on the various aspects of the employment process such as preparing your CV, interview practice and mock assessment centres. They also run employer events throughout the year, allowing you to network with employers offering placements, internships and graduate roles within the sport sector.
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 Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
Where our graduates work
Our 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, Virgin Media Pioneers.
What our alumni say
Throughout my studies the staff placed emphasis on gaining applicable sport and event experiences, alongside academic studies. Their partnerships allowed me to work with businesses including Vauxhall Motors, Compass, British Council, World Rugby and Coventry Blaze.
The main highlights of my experience include the copious industry visits, trips and international opportunities I was fortunate enough to participate within. This ranged from cultural exchanges in China and Holland, volunteering experiences in Dubai, Moscow and South Africa and team-bonding opportunities in Dublin and Newquay.”
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the University. A copy of the 19/20 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the University will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the University.
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase for UK and EU Students is expected to be in line with inflation. For international students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
*2020/2021 course fees have not yet been determined by the University or government legislation. Once the course fees have been determined, the course web page will be updated to reflect your first year course fee. Please continue to revisit the course web page to identify the fee before you accept an offer of a place on the course and/or before you enrol at the University.
