Cardiff School of Management>Courses>Events Management - BA (Hons) Degree

Events Management - BA (Hons) Degree

Entry Year

Pathways available:

BA (Hons) Events Management

BA (Hons) Events Management with Internship

The BA (Hons) Events Management and BA (Hons) Event Management with Internship degrees at Cardiff Met will provide you with the skills and knowledge to take advantage of the diverse and exciting opportunities in the events industry, which is worth £42.3 billion in the UK. Whether you are interested in festivals, sports, conferences, exhibitions, fundraising events, party planning, life-stage celebrations, or another area, this degree will leave you equipped to flourish.  

As one  of the longest running Events Management degrees in the country, with experienced staff, extensive alumni and industry links across the UK the Events Management degree at Cardiff Met recently received an overall student satisfaction rating of 92%. We are also one of a handful of UK Events courses accredited by the Institute of Hospitality demonstrating we meet recognised levels and standards of professional knowledge, skills and understanding, relevant to the needs of the industry and accepted international benchmark standards.

This course combines business management skills with key concepts of events management and engagement with industry. You will learn the techniques, specialisms and issues involved in staging events, from creative aspects of event design and theming, to staging and production, marketing and promotion, project management, safety and licensing, impact evaluation and sustainability, strategic management, finances and other critical industry issues. 

As an Events City, with both internationally recognised venues and a plethora of smaller arts and cultural venues, Cardiff is an ideal location for those studying Events Management.  With the Principality Stadium, Motorpoint Arena, Wales Millennium Centre, SWALEC Stadium and Cardiff City Stadium attracting major artists like Ed Sheeran, the Rolling Stones, Cold Play, Beyoncé and Jay Z, in addition to major sports events and global political summits such as the NATO Summit, the Champions League Finals, The Ashes, The Rugby World Cup and Volvo Ocean Race, Cardiff truly is a world class Events City.

100% of graduates in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023)


Foundation Year

​This degree can be studied as a three-year full-time degree or a four-year degree that includes a year of foundational study. Our foundation year is intended to prepare you for your subsequent years of studying, offering you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence.

The foundation year will be relevant to:

  1. Students who have not achieved the required A-level points (or equivalent) score to enter the first year of the degree programme.
  2. Mature students who have been out of the formal education system for some time.


Find out more about the foundation year.

Please note: You will need to apply using a specific UCAS code if you wish to undertake the 4 years including foundation. Please refer to Key Course Information at the bottom of this page.

​Course Content​

Degree:

Year One:

The first year will introduce you to the key concepts in business and events management.

All compulsory modules:

  • Event Experience and Design (20 credits)
  • Events in Society (20 credits)
  • Professional Practice for Events (20 credits)
  • People Development Within Organisations (20 credits)*
  • Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality and Events (20 credits)*
  • Revenue, Costing and Budgetary Controls (20 credits)

*Module available through the medium of Welsh

Year Two:

The second year builds on your existing knowledge base and progress into more specialist areas of events management.

Compulsory modules:

  • Live Event Management (20 credits)
  • Large-Scale Event Planning  (20 credits)
  • Research Design in Practice (20 credits)*
Compulsory optional modules (pick at least one):
  • Consumer Behaviour for Tourism, Hospitality and Events (20 credits)*
  • People Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Events (20 credits)
  • Business Start-Up and Entrepreneurship (20 credits)
    • Optional Modules:
      • Summer Work Placement (20 credits)
      • Social Change and (In)Equalities (20 credits)
      • Technologies for Tourism, Hospitality and Events (20 credits)

      *Can be studied through the medium of Welsh

      Year Three:

      The third year enables students to tailor their degree based on their interests and career aspirations.

      Compulsory modules:

      • Sustainability and Ethics in Events (20 credits)
      • Innovations in Live Events (20 credits)
      • Strategic Leadership and Change Management (20 credits)
      • Dissertation* / Enterprise Project* / Consultancy Project (40 credits) or Independent Study (20 credits)


      Optional modules:

      • Marketing Communications in the Digital Age (20 credits)
      • Employee Resourcing and Volunteer Management (20 credits)
      • Leadership and Professional Development with Mentoring (20 credits)
      • Resort and Stadia Management (20 credits)
      • Gastronomic Tourism (20 credits)

      *Can be studied through the medium of Welsh

Learning & Teaching

The course will be delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical exercises and supported by our online platform Moodle.

In addition, you have the opportunity to partake in:

  • Live events projects in years 1 and 2
  • Work experience
  • Field trips
  • Group projects
  • Case studies
  • Group presentations
  • Directed research and reading
  • Guest lectures
  • Externally validated certificates

On any one 20 credit module, you will receive up to 48 hours contact time and will be expected to undertake 152 hours of independent self-study time.In terms of staff, you will be taught by a range of events, tourism, hospitality and business management experts from both academic and industry practitioner backgrounds.  You can find out more about the staff in the Tourism, Hospitality and Events Department through the staff profiles area of the website. The lecturers not only take part in teaching and learning activities but act as a support, providing Personal Tutor services throughout your time at university, alongside Student Services.

As we place 'real world' experience at the heart of our programme, in the first year you will design and deliver your own event project, within the controlled environment of the university.

On the second year we work with a range of charities raising funds and awareness. You will be required to research, develop, pitch, plan, deliver and evaluate your own live event project in a venue of your choice (Event Project Management module).  This could be anything from a music event, to a fashion show, a comedy night, or a talent show. You can see some of the past events on the Events Management Facebook page.

All our students have the opportunity and are encouraged to do the Events Management with Internship degree where you will spend a year in industry as part of the course. Recent students have spent this time with organisations such as Hewlett Packard, Disney, the Greenwich Country Club and various international hotel chains.

Our industry links mean that opportunities for gaining experience also go far beyond our official work placement modules and we actively encourage our students to undertake paid and volunteer work throughout the duration of their studies.

Assessment

Course assessments are wide-ranging and linked to the learning  outcomes of individual modules and the industry and academic skills they are intended to develop. Thus assessments include research projects, event proposals, plans and other documentation, live events, essays, reports, presentations, portfolios, case studies and everyone's favourite, exams.

Our assessments are also designed to develop and promote transferrable skills and be of practical use when working within the events industry. This involves team working, problem solving, presentation skills, digital skills, communication and working under pressure.

Students will receive a wide range of feedback on their work via both formative and summative assessment, verbally and in written format.

All students will benefit from their own individual Personal Tutor who will remain with you throughout your studies. The Personal Tutors work closely with the Programme Directors, Year Tutors and Student Services to ensure that your needs are effectively met and that your time at Cardiff Met is both a pleasant and successful experience.

Employability & Careers

Having a long history of successful alumni and being placed in Cardiff as an events city, we are uniquely placed to provide our students with opportunities to gain experience across all sectors of the industry. From the moment you arrive our academic team and careers service will do their utmost to provide you with opportunities to enhance your employability and achieve your career ambitions.

We have a dedicated employability lead within the Department who brings in employers offering placement schemes to students and assists students seeking internships and placements. We also have a Careers consultant for the School of Management as part of the wider Careers Service, which is open to both existing students and recent graduates. This team combined provide a range of careers events including careers fairs and forums and support including employability talks and workshops. Cardiff School of Management is also home to the Centre for Entrepreneurship Cardiff Metropolitan University's dedicated department for supporting and encouraging entrepreneurship amongst students and graduates.

Graduating from our Events Management course you should have a management qualification and outstanding CV that will provide excellent career and employment prospects in all areas of the events industry, including festivals, conferences, exhibitions, corporate hospitality, sports, fundraising, sponsorship, experiential marketing and more.

Our Events Management graduates have secured employment in a range of organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors from international venues and events companies, to hotel chains and tour operators, major sponsors and sporting events, to local authorities, charities and private sector organisations too.

For those seeking further studies beyond a degree we also offer a Masters programme in Event Project Management alongside courses in various other areas, which our Events Management graduates can progress onto.

Come to one of our open days and we can tell you more about these exciting opportunities.

Entry Requirements​ & How to Apply

Typical Offers

​The following requirements are based on typical offers relevant to entering year 1 of the degree.

If you do not meet these entry requirements, we also offer a Foundation Year which allows progression to Year 1 upon successful completion.​

  • Tariff points: 96-112
  • Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
  • English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
  • A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include Grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as a third subject.
  • BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM-DMM
  • T Level: Pass (C+) – Merit.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 2 x H5. No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2 grades. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
  • Scottish Advanced Highers: Grades DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.


How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

Contact Us

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the programme leader, Karen Davies:
Email: Kardavies@cardiffmet.ac.uk

We endeavour to deliver courses as described and will not normally make changes to courses, such as course title, content, delivery, and teaching provision. However, it may be necessary for the university to make changes in the course provision before or after enrolment. It reserves the right to make variations to content or delivery methods, including discontinuation or merging courses if such action is considered necessary. Please read our Terms and Conditions for the full information.

Key Course Information

UCAS Codes:
N820 - 3 year degree
N82F - 4 year degree (including foundation year)

Place of Study:
Llandaff Campus

School:
Cardiff School of Management

Course Length:
​Three years full-time.
Four years full-time if undertaking year-long industry placement.
Four years full-time if undertaking foundation year.
Five years full-time if undertaking foundation year and year-long industry​ placement.​

Also available part-time and can take up to six years. Generally we find most students will complete 60 credits per year.

Part-time fees:
Charges are per single module unless specified: undergraduate = 10 credits. Please contact the programme leader for further information on modules to be studied part-time and how this will affect fees.

STAFF PROFILE

“I’m Dr Karen Davies, Programme Director of BA (Hons) Events Management. My background is in public sector events where I have helped organise a variety of different types such as concerts, running races, airshows, carnivals, Christmas Parades, and the National Eisteddfod. I am currently Vice Chair for the Association for Events Management Education and I completed my PhD on the case study of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 2017. We have a huge range of experience and knowledge here on the team and invite you to come and study in one of the most ‘eventful’ cities in the UK!”

Dr Karen Davies
Programme Director

COURSE OVERVIEW | DEGREE HIGHLIGHTS
Degree Highlights

Senior Lecturer Dr Dewi Jaimangal-Jones explains what studying Events Management at Cardiff School of Management has to offer.

EXPLORE OUR FACILITIES | VIRTUAL TOUR
Take the tour

Take a virtual walkthrough of our Hospitality Suite and adjoining industry kitchens at Cardiff School of Management.

STUDENT & GRADUATE EXPERIENCE
Celine Orgill
From studying Events Management at Cardiff Met to managing high profile events featuring Years & Years, Ella Eyre and Victoria Beckham

Events Management graduate, Celine, blogs about her career highlights since graduating from Cardiff Met including managing star studded events!
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Meg Spiers
My incredible experience working at Glastonbury and Formula One Silverstone as an Events Management Graduate

Events Management graduate, Meg, tells us how studying Events Management at Cardiff Met gave her the foundations needed to build on to be in the position she is now.
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Ellie Devine
My experience leading a successful live charity event as an Events Management student at Cardiff Met

Second year Events Management student, Ellie, blogs about her experience planning and hosting a successful live charity event.
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Max Beizsley
How studying Events Management at Cardiff Met kick-started my career in sport stadium events

Events Management graduate, Max, tells us how studying Events Management at Cardiff Met has kick-started his career in sports stadium events.
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Meg March
Finding my love for the charity events sector at Cardiff Met

Meg shares how she found her love for the charity events sector whilst studying Events Management at Cardiff Met.
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Cerian Swain
My unforgettable experience coordinating a Wedding as an Events Management student at Cardiff Met

Cerian shares her unforgettable experience coordinating a wedding as an Events Management student at Cardiff Met.
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