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Coventry University students to benefit from hands-on live event experience
The collaboration has been launched in memory of Phil Watton, TFI Lodestar’s co-founder, on the first anniversary of his death.
University news / Alumni news
Thursday 12 June 2025
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Events management and marketing students will gain valuable industry experience thanks to a collaboration created in memory of a Coventry University alumnus.
Live events and business communication agency TFI Lodestar will give students access to its experts, projects and programmes, alongside one-to-one mentoring and on-site work placements.
The collaboration, which will also see students offered practical training in creative processes and event management software, has been launched in memory of Phil Watton, TFI Lodestar’s co-founder, on the first anniversary of his death.
Phil studied design at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University) and remained a Coventrian at heart often speaking proudly of his involvement in the city’s thriving music and art scene on the late 1970s and early 1980s.
I’m thrilled that we have been able to establish this relationship with the team at Coventry University. Phil was a man of passion and integrity, and he’d be delighted to know that his life’s work had come full circle, and that the fruits of what he achieved in business – particularly his wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise – will now be shared amongst future generations entering the live events industry, in the place where it all began: Coventry.
Jason Worsley, Co-founder and Director, TFI Lodestar
TFI Lodestar offering our students concrete, hands-on, real-life experiences in live events fits perfectly with our aim of preparing graduates to be job ready when they leave us.
The agency’s background in both corporate and associations events, and its willingness to share its knowledge and projects with us, will add enormous value to the curriculum.
Sarah Horton-Walsh, Head of School of Management at Coventry University
To find out more about studying events management at Coventry University, visit our Event Management BA (Hons) course page.
