BA/BA (Hons)
Events and Festival
Management
Could you plan, deliver and
orchestrate an event such as a
music festival? Where would you
start? What would you need to
consider? You’ll know all this by
Year Two of this course. By Year
Three you will understand who
your audience is and what makes
them return and promote your
event for you.
The events business has grown
exponentially in the last 20 years, from
pop-up food fairs to corporate events,
fashion shows to festivals like
Glastonbury, school sports days to the
London Olympics. Events help drive the
strategies of businesses, charities and
public bodies, and there is now a growing
cadre of supremely capable events
professionals. They know all about
planning, management, legal issues,
budgeting, staging, marketing,
promotions, evaluation and social
responsibility. This course will teach you
those skills and give you that experience
and more.
You’ll also learn how to think critically
about issues such as sustainability, crime,
social justice, inclusion and what happens
when the party is over. There are political
considerations too, as many events and
festivals are used to encourage tourism,
regenerate communities and stimulate
local economies such as our own
world-famous Edinburgh festivals.
Leading industry figures will bring your
learning to life in guest lectures.
In Years One and Two you will focus on
the specifics of events management, plus
general management skills such as
marketing, accounting and human
resources. In Year Two you will put theory
into action when you plan and deliver a
live event. Our students have organised
unforgettable fashion shows, music
nights, charity dinners and sports days,
often raising thousands of pounds for
charities in the process.
An event is like an iceberg, and the
performance that the audience sees
on stage is just the tip. Behind that
lies the 90% of unseen hard work
done by the events manager and
their team. On this course you’ll
learn about the nature of events and
how to design, manage and deliver
them. You’ll gain invaluable practical
skills on a placement and have the
opportunity to study abroad*.
Years Three and Four will deepen your
understanding of how events and festivals
relate to national and international
strategic issues, such as how cities use
events for image development and
investment purposes. You will also look at
audience development and engagement
– why do some ideas catch on instantly
while others fade into obscurity? This is
when you will refine the focus of your
learning, choosing the elective modules
that you are most passionate about. If you
continue to honours, you will also
undertake a dissertation in an area of your
choice.
Finally, you’ll be learning all of this on a
campus just six minutes by train from the
heart of the city with the biggest arts
festival on earth.
The really big event of your life – your
career – starts here!
Structure
You can opt to study for an honours
degree over four years or an ordinary
degree over three years. You will complete
a range of modules each year as outlined.
Teaching, learning and assessment
You will be taught in lectures, seminars
and practical sessions. Outside these
timetabled sessions you will be expected
to continue learning through self-study.
You will be assessed by various forms of
assessment: essays, reports, group sales
pitch, investigative presentations and
online portfolios. For more details see the
course entry on our website.
120
Modules
Year One
Introduction to Marketing/ Introduction to
Events Management/ Introduction to
Tourism/ Introduction to Finance and
Accounting/ Events Destination
Development
Year Two
Events Project Management, Design and
Operation/ Business Law/ Marketing in
Practice/ Human Resource Management/
Digital Business & E-Commerce
Management/ Live Event: Production and
Evaluation
Year Three
Research Methods and Skills/ New
Enterprise Creation/ Events and Urban
Regeneration/ Consumer Decision
Making and the Event Experience/ Plus 2
elective modules (Attractions
Management/ Advertising and Marketing
Communications/ Contemporary Food
and Drink/ Sustainable Development)
Year Four
Strategy as Practice/ Business and
Events Management Placement/ Critical
Issues in International Management/
International Events Leadership and
Social Justice/ Dissertation/ Business
Project
The modules listed here are correct at
time of print (Feb 2019) but may differ
slightly to those offered in 2020. Please
check the website for any updates.