Mitchell's Staying Social at UCLan

I wanted to study Event Management because of the originality of the course. I wanted to do a course that had a hands on approach and constantly tested my skills and knowledge of the industry. Upon my interview for the course I automatically got a warm welcome from the head of the course Rod Train and I made my mind up there and then that this is the course I would like to study at UCLan.

I chose to study at UCLan do to the accessibility of the university. With most universities everything is segregated, meaning that the accommodation and university buildings aren’t in close proximity to each other. This isn’t the case at UCLan, my halls of residence was only a 5 minute walk to most of the buildings. It was extremely close to the train station. The variety of onsite services available were also a deciding factor for me. There is a campus doctors, dentist, 24 hour library, gym and even a Starbucks which is always handy. 

I managed to secure a job a month prior to graduating, working for UCLan themselves. Initially I started out on the Events Team assisting them with the DS16 degree shows and the Lancashire Science Festival. A month into the role a position opened up within the marketing team which I applied for and managed to secure the job.

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.

Sammi has Team Spirit!

Events student Sammi Churchill-Ellwood is currently on a 48 week placement with leading events company Team Spirit. She is working in the Sales Office where she has responsibility for: taking and recording customer enquiries, event proposals, supplier briefs and liaising with agents to secure acts for events. She also has the opportunity to gain hands on practical experience of live events. We caught up with Sammi at Team Spirit to find out how she is enjoying her placement:

"I love my placement. I love coming to work every day because every day is so different. I love speaking to people on the phone and building a rapport with them. It has helped me gain confidence and this will be good when I go back to University.

Thinking ‘outside the box’ finds Jasmine her perfect placement

An engineering company might not initially appear to be the ideal place for an Events student to be on a 48 week placement, but Jasmine Moore has proved that it sometimes pays to think ‘outside the box’.

She is currently working alongside the Global Head of Marketing at AESSEAL which is based in Rotherham. Multi award-winning AESSEAL is one of the world's leading specialists in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals and support systems which are used in a wide range of pumps and rotating equipment worldwide to prevent liquids and gases escaping into the environment.