Tourism and Events Management

MSc Tourism and Events Management
Mode: full-time (September start)

Events-related tourism (festivals, conferences, sporting events) is one of the fastest growing global industry sectors with the demand for high-level management skills rising to meet the rapid increase of the types and frequency of international events and festivals.

The MSc Tourism and Events Management is made for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences Exhibitions/Events) Industry, following consultation with leading professionals in the field. The course profiles stakeholders within the industry (corporate, government and association clients, venues and event services and destinations) and follows market trends.

This course builds on units from the Division of Tourism, Leisure and Sport Management, in conference and event management, hospitality and sport activities and events.

The course has a focus on leisure events, including recreation and sporting events at a variety of scales, including local and regional sporting competitions, as well as global-scale events such as the Olympic Games; secondly conferences and organisational events, such as commercial exhibitions; and thirdly cultural events, with a strong tourism dimension such as festivals, music events and religious events.

The course is underpinned by academic theory in the fields of tourism, leisure and events and will involve you in the application of concepts in industry-related scenarios and realistic simulations.

The curriculum covers the wide range of areas that together make up “Tourism and Events Management”.

The curriculum has a multi-disciplinary approach, but one that focuses on the key issues of problem solving and decision making.

The approach will be not just multi-disciplinary but also international, and will enable critical thinking and creativity in analysis, synthesis and appraisal.

Why choose this course?

The number of high profile events in the near future is expected to rise exponentially, attracting and requiring resources, skills and expertise. Moreover, preparation for the 2012 London Olympics has become one of the key driving forces in the UK behind this growing demand for expertise in this profitable and popular sector.

Certainly the 2008 Beijing Olympics ensured events management qualifications have become highly desirable in a rapidly expanding International postgraduate marketplace.

There are also some special events that have international significance (e.g. at the continental level in Europe or Africa) and even global significance.

Many special events are of a sporting nature, e.g. the Commonwealth Games, the European Football Championship, and at the global international level: the Olympic Games (especially with London 2012 on the horizon) and the Football World Cup.

Consideration of these larger globally significant events indicates that there is an ‘events industry’ which helps to create, promote, organise and run the specific activities. Within the events industry the management of events is a key activity.

However, it is not just for such major events as the Olympic Games that an effective management structure and highly skilled and knowledgeable staff are required, small-scale local events such as folk festivals, amateur sporting competitions, art exhibitions, horticultural shows and even weddings are likely to require a good deal of critical thinking and organisational ability.

The University of Bedfordshire owns three different venues, based on its campuses, providing for personal, professional and academic events.

The course is delivered by practitioners and academics in the field. It deploys current staff’s extensive research expertise in the tourism and leisure fields to create a course which focuses on numerous dimensions of the events industry.

Career Opportunities

According to the WTTC (2008) estimates, the events and meetings management industry has been growing steadily over the last decade and is worth more than US$672 billion a year.

This course responds to a marked shortage in skilled professionals, as identified by the sector’s foremost associations (MPI, ICCA, SITE).

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The course is varied, both in content and delivery methods.

Lectures, seminars and tutorials will be used extensively, but, in addition, a great deal of your time will be spent in small groups, involving, for example, discussion of case studies, simulation exercises, preparation for assessments, and work on presentations.

The teaching and learning approach is through 'blended learning'. This means a combination of pedagogic approaches, including the latest approaches to technology, action learning and independent learning.

Course materials will be available via the University's Virtual Learning Environment (BREO).

Formal lectures are an important component of Masters’ courses, and these will be used on most units. In general, however, the lecture will be limited to one hour in length, and will be followed by small group work, with or without direct lecturer supervision.

As with any post-experience course much of the learning of students will be from each other, and this process will be facilitated by the style of delivery, and the assessment methods.

Cognitive, subject specific and transferable skills are built-in to facilitate easy progression into employment and further study.

Assessment

A range of assessment methods are used throughout the course. You will be required to undertake a variety of group and individually based assessments. These assessments include individual essays, reports presentations and examinations, and group based reports and presentations. The assessments are designed to test knowledge and understanding of the appropriate subject matter, but also to demonstrate a range of skills.

The assessment strategy underlines the programmes concern with research and independent thinking, critical knowledge of marketing theory and practice, the ability to make information decisions and communicate these under time pressure and, finally, the all-important skills of teamwork and oral communication of ideas.

The written assignments and group reports contribute to the learning outcomes focusing on your ability to research and critically evaluate elements of the curriculum in depth. They generally allow you to use a variety of named sources to support your viewpoints

The end-of-unit examinations focus primarily on critical discussion of theory and current practice and provide the reassurance of guaranteed student authorship, and a true measure of your own ability and understanding.

The time-constrained tests will be more cursory in nature, generally assessing awareness, understanding and application of elements of the curriculum.

The significant weighting given to individual and group presentations stresses the primacy of team work and of effective oral communication based on research and creative, ‘holistic’ thinking about organisational, media and stakeholder issues.

Dissertation/project and research

You will undertake a range of research tasks either within the context of developing your academic or your practical knowledge.

The research tasks will vary according to the type of work being undertaking and you will need, therefore, to be adept at understanding the skills involved in sourcing, selecting and utilizing appropriate material.

In every practical process you embark upon, you will be expected to plan and execute a methodical research process in order to develop your practical skills, but also your skills to critically evaluate.

You will be introduced to a range of research skills including literature searches and critical reading, practical field based activities including questionnaire and interview design and conduct, as well as the analysis of findings from the use of such techniques in the field.

You will complete a 20,000 word dissertation.

Recommended reading

• Clarke A. and Wei Chen (2007) International Hospitality Management: concepts and cases Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Lindsey, Karen (2009) Happiness is a Ticked Off List! The comprehensive guide on how to organize and manage a perfect corporate event Matador
• Tum J., Norton P., Wright J. N. (2005) Management of Event Operations Elsevier

Entry requirements

UK Students:
Students from the UK will normally need at least a Second Class Honours degree (above 2:2), or equivalent.

Students from the European Union and International students:
Students whose previous education has not been delivered through the medium of the English language are required to demonstrate proficiency in English by the presentation of original certificates as follows:

Overall score of 6.5 in IELTS with a minimum score of 6 in each of the components of speaking, listening, writing and reading. Therefore overall scores will be:

• IELTS 6.5
• TOEFL 580 [paper] OEFL 235 [computer]
• Cambridge CPE C, Cambridge CAE C
• or University of Bedfordshire test (TELAS) grade 2

Attendance

Full time – 2 days per week (4hours x 2 days – 8 hours per week)