Shannon is loving her Team Spirit placement

UCLan Event Management has had very strong links with Oldham based Team Spirit for a number of years. This year we have four Events students currently on placement in various departments at Team Spirit and they are all loving the experience. Shannon Noone is in the Events Team. Her role is to: send out digital pictures post-event, collate feedback, deal with wages and expenses and of course work on the events themselves. Her tutors recently visited her to find out how she is enjoying her placement. Shannon explains:
"I have loved being here; it’s like a family and it’s relaxed but at the same time very professional. I have my own project promoting Event Management as a career in schools and I am enjoying that.

I enjoy the theming side of events and one of my favourites was a masquerade ball at The Monastery in Manchester. The theme was a Venetian Ball and we themed the whole journey including ‘airport check in’, ‘flight’ and arrival. The venue is spectacular and it made the event extra special."

Shannon is looking forward to learning more about events and getting more first-hand practical experience before her return to UCLan in September for the final year of her Event Management degree.

The Lion King and snow fairies; Gabby’s Disney adventure

Our students have the opportunity to do a year’s placement in industry after the second year, to help them gain practical skills and experience to help their future employment prospects. Events student Gabby Roberts spent a year working in the Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida.Gabby takes up the story:

‘I spent the first three months working in merchandising which meant meeting the public and selling Disney souvenirs. After that, I spent the remainder of the placement working in the Lion King Theatre. I was responsible for crowd control, and this was a huge job because the theatre
accommodated 1700 people and the audience changed hourly. I was also responsible for health and safety, customer service and looking after guests with special needs.

‘I learned a lot about crowd management and customer service and I was given special training on working with disabled children. This was an area that I particularly enjoyed, and I would like to work with disabled people in the future. I also volunteered for Disney’s ‘Give Kids the World’ programme which I found very rewarding.

Bernice's Premier (Inn) Placement

We encourage our students to gain practical work experience to complement their academic work, and Events student Bernice Jones-Sullivan is currently on a work placement at the Premier Inn, Albert Dock, Liverpool. Bernice is gaining an all-round experience of the different departments in the hotel starting with housekeeping before moving on to the restaurant, and she is currently working on Reception. The final department is the Kitchen and she is looking forward to her time in there before she returns to UCLan to start her final year of study.

Bernice has also been chosen to participate in a project group which is looking at how to coordinate the room booking systems of the 5 Premier Inns in Liverpool to accommodate large bookings. She is enjoying her work experience:

"It is a good environment to work in, and you have a ‘buddy’ when you move into different departments which helps you settle. Working at Premier Inn has given me an insight into the Tourism, Hospitality and Events industries. It is interesting to see from the front line how they all impact on each other and that will help me in my studies."

Upon graduation in 2017, Bernice is hoping to join the company’s Graduate Programme.

Natalia’s cooking makes a big impression in Hanover

When the Preston-based Piccolo Group approached T.H.E for a chef for an exhibition they were attending, second year Events student Natalia Sliwinska was quick to grasp the opportunity. Although studying for a degree in Event Management, Natalia is an experienced and qualified chef so this was a good chance to combine her culinary skills with her Events studies.

Piccolo Group Director, Rachel Coleridge-Smith graduated from UCLan with an Event Management degree in 2011 and although she is very busy travelling the world to promote the company’ products she remains very supportive of UCLan Event Management, giving an annual guest lecture about Corporate Events and offering placement and job opportunities. Events graduate, Lauren Davies is currently working for the company part-time to gain more experience.

Graduate Jack inspires third year Event students

We always enjoy seeing our graduates and hearing about their success, and last week it was good to catch up with Events graduate Jack Barron. Jack was the guest speaker at our Events Alumni Day; this is an annual event for third year students when graduates return to UCLan to share their experiences of study and of leaving University and finding a job.

Jack, who graduated in 2014 with a First Class Honours Degree in Event Management, is now Marketing and Business Development Director of Shush Media Ltd, a digital marketing company based in Manchester. In his very entertaining and inspiring presentation, he talked about how he changed from being a serving member of the Armed Forces in Afghanistan to studying Event Management at UCLan, sharing some of his own tips for surviving the pressures of the 3rd Year.

He went on to give some useful tips on how to approach job searching, and networking especially using social media tools such as LinkedIn. Jack explained how much his studies had helped him in his current job, from his Consultancy Project which he took along to his job interview, and which he still shows to prospective clients, to Strategic Management which he says he uses every day. He finished his presentation with an insight into his job and the new technology that is now available for marketing.