Gina Sinclair shares her T.H.E Experience

Gina Sinclair, a fourth year Event Management student who is due to graduate in July 2016, shares her stories and experiences about T.H.E at UCLan, detailing what she has gained and learned from the course and how it has helped her prepare for the real world.

      What were the main contributing factors for you deciding to study T.H.E at UCLan?

When looking for a degree course, I wanted to study something that had features that included utilising my creativity, business skill development and working with people. I considered journalism, psychology and English but stumbled upon Event Management. Once I had done some research into this industry, I realised it had everything I was looking for in a degree. After that, I looked at The Guardian league table for universities in relation to Event Management and I came across UCLan. At the time it was the second on the league table for event management as a course and the first in the league table was located in the South and I wanted to stay in the North of England. I liked the practical aspect of the course as well as the opportunities that it presented in regards to potential career paths.

What would you say to future and potential students about T.H.E?

Event Management (or T.H.E) covers a wide range of industries and what you learn on the course is very transferable to many businesses and careers. It’s not just events, hospitality and tourism, you learn about:

• Understanding consumer needs
• Strategic Planning
• Creativity
• Developing business concepts
• Finance
• Management development
• Marketing and promotion
• Food and beverage
• Legal requirements
• Risk assessments

You get involved with some really interesting sociological and psychological discussions about the industries and the theory behind it all. The lecturers on the course are very approachable, and will guide you throughout your degree whenever you need help. If you are willing to work hard and put in the effort, you will find it very rewarding. If you are able to, I would highly recommend completing a 12 month internship (3^rd year) to gain invaluable industry experience, this will make you a lot more desirable to future employers once you have graduated.

How supportive were staff?

If you need support or guidance, you must not suffer in silence. Ultimately, no one is a mind reader therefore if you need help or you feel you are slipping behind or aren’t quite grasping a topic or assignment all the lecturers on T.H.E are always willing to help you. Normally it would be over a coffee in an informal environment where you feel at ease to have a good chat with a lecturer to help you on your way. This can be organised before and after a lecture or over email. In addition, Greenbank Hub located on campus provides guidance on internships and employment after graduation, another useful tool! During my degree I booked numerous meetings with lecturers to discuss assignments, internship opportunities, how to get involved with voluntary opportunities at UCLan and what jobs to apply for after I graduated.

What has the T.H.E experience taught you?

It has taught me that there is a lot more to event management than festivals, parties and wedding planning! You learn a lot about business strategy, personal development, management skills, how to present to an audience and publicly speak, how to act professionally both individually and in a group and that in order to succeed you must put yourself out there and work hard for what you want to achieve out of your degree and future.

What will you be doing once you graduate?

In my third year I did a 13 month internship. I wanted an internship that has a competitive annual salary as I’m money driven, but also something that would challenge me. I was drawn to the corporate side of the course and I wanted to be taken seriously. That’s when I came across Recruitment; for my internship I worked at Hays Recruitment in Liverpool where I was in charge of my own desk (specific geographical area with my own clients), and my job here was to headhunt and resource candidates for clients. However there was a lot more to it than that, I wasn’t simply finding an employee and giving them a job that was given to me by a client. I had to use my communication and interpersonal skills to gain clients trust. It was a very demanding job but also really fun with lots of financial and personal rewards.

Now that I have completed my degree, I wanted to go back to recruitment but in a different industry. I have been accepted into Marshall Moore, an independent recruitment firm specialising in three disciplines: Accountancy and Finance, Financial Services and Maritime and Logistics. This is a very exciting time for Marshall Moore, they started up in 1996 and this year is their 20^th birthday where they want me to be heavily involved in their events and charity work in the community (Liverpool). I will be working specifically in the Accountancy Support division within the business, finding high calibre staff for businesses nationally.

How did T.H.E help you prepare for the real word?

T.H.E as a course has prepared me for the real world by giving me ambition, confidence, people skills and business skills. As mentioned previously, what you learn on this course is very transferable to many industries. My university peers have completed varied internships from Bentley Motors to Liverpool Culture to Disneyland and much more. That’s the beauty of the course, you aren’t restricted to any one industry, and you paint your own path depending on your interests. What I would stress and the university encourages, is that you should get involved with practical work as much as possible. Whether its part time employment related to your degree, voluntary work or an internship. That’s what really helps you prepare for the real world. Aim high!