International Events and Conference Management MSc

This course prepares you to enter an exciting and vibrant industry encompassing conferences and exhibitions, cultural and sporting events, festivals and personal events. You study how these are planned, managed and evaluated.

The focus of the course is on the strategic role events play in a modern society, and how they contribute to organisational and community objectives. The most recent evolutions in event strategy are at the core of the course, based on the research of our 25-strong academic research team.

Sheffield Hallam University is one of the top providers of events courses in the UK. As a founder member of the Association of Event Management Educators (AEME), we are involved in establishing academic benchmarks in events education. This innovative course has an innovative format based on a new learning and assessment strategy that puts you at its centre.

You take three core modules designed to replicate the real world, where problems are solved in an integrated way. Instead of studying topics such as events marketing, finance or operations separately, you learn how strategic decisions involve multiple business areas at once. You gain experience problem-solving real or simulated case studies, working with live projects and real clients.

You also choose an option module and complete a work-based-learning module focusing on the event sector of your interest. You are supported by our teaching team, who have a variety of professional backgrounds.

Every year 300 large events take place in Yorkshire, including sporting, cultural, arts, and festival events. We have strong relationships with event organisers, so you have the chance to gain experience behind the scenes at many of these events. Our students were recently involved in • the Grand Depart for the Tour De France • the Children's Media Conference • Sheffield Doc/Fest • Sheffield's Chinese New Year celebrations.

We have strong links with the events community and are founders of the Events Hub, an informal and friendly community where practitioners come together to share experiences and ideas.

The placement option offers you an additional opportunity to develop your practical skills, either in the UK or abroad. We help you gain a placement by running employability workshops and have dedicated placement team to support you. Placement opportunities exist in organisations such as • the Ritz-Carlton Hotel • Martins Food Ltd • Gleneagles Hotel and Resort • Wanlin Dance School • the World Duty Free Group.

The course is based on the following principles

• excellent student experience
• business engagement and employability – through the work-related learning module and the industry mentor scheme
• flexibility – through option modules and the bespoke work-related learning module

Course structure

Full-time

September start – typically 12 months or 18 to 24 months with optional work experience

January start – typically 15 months

Part-time

typically three years

Core modules

• Business and management strategy (30 credits)
• Strategic events creation (30 credits)
• Delivering successful business events (30 credits)
• Work-related learning (15 credits)
• Research methods (15 credits)
• Dissertation (45 credits)

Options

You also choose one module from

September start modules*

• international cultural events
• major events policy and planning
• outdoor experiential events.

January start modules*

• international cultural events
• major events policy and planning
• outdoor experiential events.

* To be confirmed

Assessment

• essays
• management projects
• problem solving exercises
• group work
• dissertation

Employability

The events industry is an increasingly competitive marketplace. This makes a postgraduate qualification a valuable asset for employees as it demonstrates their ability and specialised skills and knowledge.

Opportunities for industry-qualified professionals are extensive in private, voluntary or government organisations. These range from large multinationals to small family businesses and public authorities.

There are excellent career opportunities in organisations including • conference and exhibition centres • hotels • events agencies • government agencies • associations and other third sector organisations • corporate businesses.

You can also continue with further study by completing a PhD or Doctorate in Business Administration.

Visit the International Events and Conference Management MSc page on the Sheffield Hallam University website for more details!