BA Events Management

Kick start your exciting career in events planning with a unique Events Management degree from the University of Essex. Graduates of this programme could go onto careers working on weddings, sporting events, festivals, fashion shows, corporate events or conferences.

With a student experience unlike any other, it may come as no surprise that 95% of Edge Hotel School graduates are in employment or further education (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024)

You will develop your industry knowledge and professional skills by working within Wivenhoe House, our luxury hotel on campus, alongside your studies. You will gain experience in the different departments of the hotel including the kitchen, front office, restaurant as well as an extended period of time in the events department. These shifts may involve some late finishes on occasion, as well as weekend work, so that you get to see all aspects of the different events the hotel offers such as weddings, meetings, tribute acts, baby showers, conferences and more.

As well as spending time in the luxury Wivenhoe House Hotel, some of our high performing Events Management students have in past had the unforgettable opportunity to work at big name events and venues like the BRIT awards, the O2 arena and the Royal Ascot.

The Events Management degree prepares you for the fast-paced world of planning and managing events. You will learn alongside lecturers who have worked on worldwide and high profile events while gaining experience of real weddings, conferences and private functions alongside your studies. Throughout the course you will study topics including:

• Event planning and logistics
• Winning an event contract and proposal design
• Business innovation
• Contemporary management practice
• Cultural events, festivals and weddings
• Human resources management
• Digital marketing

The Edge Hotel School experience is unlike any other student experience. Based on the University of Essex Colchester campus, not only will you graduate from a leading university; you will also develop your industry knowledge and professional skills by working within it.

Final Year Entry

For those who already have a level 5 qualification or sufficient experience within the industry, there is also the option to join us for just the final year of the BA degree. Joining the existing cohort of final year Events Management students, you will have a few weeks of placement in the Wivenhoe House hotel, with the majority of the year will be spent on the live consultancy project, working on preparing and delivering an event for one of our industry partners.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the Institute of Hospitality that academic, vocational and professional standards achieved are appropriate and programme content and delivery meet international Institute of Hospitality benchmark standards.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year studying or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to the host university in the country you will be studying in.

Placement year

Students that wish to broaden their experience in different types of events will also be given the option to swap a rotation in our Events and Conference team for an external work experience during Level 5 (Year 2) of this course. This experience will last 4 weeks, and needs to be instigated by you. The Placement team at the University of Essex and staff of the Edge Hotel School will assist you in sourcing opportunities as well as improving your interview and CV-writing skills. This external work experience will be assessed in the same as your rotations in Wivenhoe House hotel and is a chance for you to experience a broad set of events that you might wish to pursue within your career.

Our expert staff

Our staff includes lecturers with both professional as well as academic backgrounds to ensure you are taught by people with industry-relevant experience themselves. Among our academic staff are published authors including a former hotel General Manager, an organiser of the BRIT Awards and London Fashion Week and academic Doctors with international research experience.

Specialist facilities

• In Wivenhoe House you can gain experience in our 40-bedroom country house hotel on the university campus with a brasserie restaurant and a busy conference and events function that hosts over 300 events and 50 weddings annually. If for any reason the hotel is subject to closures during rotations, we have developed a comprehensive platform of online skills and experience workshops to replicate the practical experience offer as closely as possible.
• The Edge Hotel School has connections with a range of organisations across the hospitality and events industries – throughout your studies you can expect guest lectures, masterclasses and an annual careers fair to help further your career prospects. Supporters of the Edge Hotel School include:
  • The o2
  • Allianz Stadium Twickenham
  • Kia Oval
  • BRIT Awards
  • Royal Lancaster London
  and many others.
• The Edge Hotel Society hosts student-organised events including industry speakers, student social events and an annual ball.
• As an Edge Hotel School student you will be issued with a uniform to wear for your shifts in Wivenhoe House and when representing the School externally. You will need to provide your own white shirts and black shoes.

Your future

The Events Management degree at the Edge Hotel School combines both events experience and industry knowledge to provide you with the skills for an exciting career in many aspects of events management.

The event and hospitality industry are excited by the calibre of our graduates and there are opportunities throughout the course to meet recruitment managers and network.

Graduates of this programme can go onto careers, in the UK or internationally, in areas such as:

• Events management
• Wedding planning
• Venue management
• Festival planning and management
• Food and beverage management
• Marketing and sales
• Cruise ships and airlines

“Events management graduates need to lead by example at events. Here you will combine management and practical skills to enable you to do the job of planning and running great events to a professional standard– that’s why our graduates are so employable. Working in events management presents exciting opportunities internationally as well as across the UK.”

Philip Berners, Lecturer and Course Coordinator

Clearing entry requirements

We currently have places available in Clearing across a range of courses, with most offers at BBC–CCD (112–88 UCAS tariff points) or equivalent. Grade requirements may be lower in some cases, and some courses may also have subject specific requirements. We consider each application individually so get in touch if your grades are below those outlined here. .

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

English language shelf-life

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

Pre-sessional English courses

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Pending English language qualifications

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk .

Requirements for second and final year entry

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

Additional Notes

If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College

Course structure

Below is a module list for the current academic year. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.

Teaching

• In the first and second years, each year consists of up to 21 weeks of teaching, 8 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
• In the final year, you will have up to 21 weeks of teaching, 5 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
• During a teaching week you would spend around 9 hours in lectures, or smaller seminars.
• During a hotel week you would spend 4 or 5 days on shift, Monday – Sunday, gaining experience and applying the academic theory from your lectures.
• Most of your experience at Wivenhoe House will be in the conference and events department, but you will also gain some experience in reception, the kitchens and restaurant. For your final year you will spend your 5 weeks of work experience in the hotel working on the Events Project, organising an event from start to finish for an external client.
• Term dates for this programme may differ from the standard termly timetable. For information regarding term dates, please contact the department at ehs@essex.ac.uk.

Assessment

Your Events Management degree has been designed to provide a mix of assessment approaches, including:

• Essays
• Exams
• Posters
• Presentations
• Reflective statements
• Reports
• Dissertation
• Events Project. The Events Project in Level 6 of the Events Management degree consists of an individual report, a presentation and a group report focusing on a real-life event with an external client. This is your opportunity to organise a live event for an external client from start to finish during the final level of your course.
• The Professional Performance Assessment (PPA) which takes the form of an interview is used throughout our courses to allow you to reflect, practise and improve your interview skills before embarking on interviews for your first graduate role.
• The Professional Code of Conduct is an important part of your assessment. It focuses on areas that are important for future managers such as attendance, punctuality and team working. The Professional Code of Conduct is available in your Student Handbook.