Identifying and analysing existing research undertaken in ... · PDF fileIdentifying and analysing existing research undertaken in the events industry III indeed other sector skills

AEME c/o Glenn Bowdin UK Centre for Events Management Leeds Metropolitan University Civic Quarter Leeds LS1 3HE Tel: 0113 283 3484 Fax: 0113 283 3111 Email: [email protected]

Identifying and analysing existing research undertaken in the events industry: a literature review for People1st

Undertaken on behalf of the Association for Events Management Education (AEME) by: Glenn A J Bowdin UK Centre for Events Management, Leeds Metropolitan University Dr Gayle McPherson Jenny Flinn Caledonian Business School, Glasgow Caledonian University

March 2006 The copyright and content in this research document is owned by or licensed to People 1st and may not be reproduced by any means without prior permission from People 1st.

Identifying and analysing existing research undertaken in the events industry

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Executive Summary

The term event or events industry is used by a number of people in a number of

different ways, with continued discussion about the development of the events

industry, however, there is only limited data to support this. If the events industry is to

be fully explored, researched and understood, alongside education, training and skills

development, further work is required. It is within this context that AEME

(Association for Events Management Education) has been commissioned by

People1st to undertake the current research. This project involved the collection,

collation, synthesis and review of literature, predominantly through desk research. Its

purpose was to identify and evaluate key research already undertaken relating

specifically to the definition, size and scope of the events industry, skills and skills

development. The literature review also identified gaps in the current research base

in order to make recommendations for future research requirements.

Many authors have discussed the definition of events and the various terms used to

describe these, however, there is only limited agreement on standardised terms,

definitions or categories to use. Various terms are used to describe sectors or

industries which may fall under the umbrella of the events industry, including:

• business events/business tourism (conferences/meetings, exhibitions,

incentive travel, corporate events/corporate hospitality)

• festivals/fairs/cultural events

• community events

• outdoor events

• entertainment/live music events/concerts/theatre/shows

• sports events/spectator sports

• charity events/fundraising/voluntary sector

• party planning/wedding planning/social life-cycle events/special events.

These events originate from government, corporate and community sectors, together

with serving individual private needs.


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The late twentieth century saw an events industry emerge, with various sectors,

particularly those focussed on business related events, pushing forward the claim for

an industry to be recognised, supported by dialogue with government, an increase in

training, increasing support for industry related qualifications, an increasing body of

knowledge, job opportunities and emerging career paths. Further indications of the

emergence of an events industry are the formation and continued development of

industry associations and the establishment of training courses, formal education

programmes and accreditation schemes. In a skills context, the events industry was

previously served by the Travel, Tourism Services and Events National Training

Organisation and more recently by People1st, the new Sector Skills Council.

The events industry has a range of stakeholders, including the host organisation,

customer/participants/spectators/delegates/attendees, host community, industry

practitioners/professionals, sponsors, media, associations/federations/alliances, and

educators/academia/students. Further, a number of key components are identified,

including event organizations, event management companies, event industry

suppliers or contractors, venues and industry associations.

One of the challenges in defining an industry is that, no matter what authors,

researchers, industry stakeholders, or other bodies believe should be included within

the definition, if this is not reflected in National, European and International

conventions for classifying data, then data will not be collected in an identifiable form.

For example, the events industry is one of only two industries within the People1st

footprint without a four digit SIC code. However, the importance of events as an

industry is beginning to be recognised, with the WTO (World Tourism Organisation)

now recognising the meetings and exhibitions industry as an official category in its

Tourism Satellite Account.

Problems encountered with attempting to devise adequate definitions for gathering

data and reliable statistical analysis are not unique to the UK or Europe.

Internationally, the coding systems for industries are under review in order to revise

them to more closely reflect modern industry and economies. Although this process

is still in progress, early indications are that a number of event-related classifications

are included in the revised SIC, which may form the basis for data gathering. There

will be some cross over with other sectors within the footprint of People1st, and


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indeed other sector skills councils, however, it may be useful to include reference to

such data in events-related studies, depending on the purpose for which it is being

gathered and reported.

The events industry has seen a shift in the last 10 years. While it was previously

seen to form a part of the wider hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sectors this

role has diminished and events has flourished as an industry in its own right.

However, the events industry covers a broad spectrum of sectors, making it almost

impossible to estimate the size or worth of the industry without further detailed

research to gather labour market intelligence and establish a database for the

industry. It is difficult to measure the number of events businesses as many different

types of organisations offer events services, with many organisations which could be

classified as ‘events’ organisations classifying themselves in a different way.

Events work is generally seen to form a part of other sectors, rather than as an

industry in its own right, making it almost impossible to gain an accurate view of how

many people are employed in the events industry or their characteristics in terms of

gender, ethnicity, training, qualifications, salary or full-time/part-time employment

status. As a profession, as discussed earlier, events work is only just beginning to be

recognised, resulting in a great deal of crossover with other sectors. It is often the

case that although people are working in events related jobs they are not officially

classed in such a way, for example, the main concern of music promoters is events

management yet they are classified under music occupations, making it difficult to

establish set event jobs. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is

currently no official classification for events jobs. Within the UK, Standard

Occupation Codes are available which may provide the basis for gathering

occupation related data, particularly when using a broader definition of the events

industry.

The organisation of events may entail the use of many different companies and thus

involves a large number of people in different occupations. In addition, due to the

emerging nature of the profession and consequent cross over with other sectors,

many of the people currently employed in events occupations have developed their

skills elsewhere, but the recent growth in the events industry has led to a rise in the

demand for sector specific skills. The type of work in which events staff specialise is


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likely to be dependent upon the type of organisation that they work for. Although

most people employed in events related jobs tend to specialise in a certain area, for

example, event manager, conference organiser and exhibition co-ordinator, it is

possible to identify core event occupations which are visible across these sub

sectors, for example, event manager, event producer, event coordinator, event

marketer and event sales,

Identifying appropriate knowledge and skills categories for the events management

field presents a challenge, given the range of alternatives available. Some research

considers it appropriate to use a traditional management approach, focusing on

traditional disciplines, for example, management, finance, human resources and

marketing. Others may consider an event-specific approach more suitable,

incorporating health and safety, production and logistics. Although either approach is

appropriate, research suggests that neither approach would currently provide a

comprehensive framework. This report presents an examination of previous studies

which provides a useful basis for further discussion, including the recently identified

International Event Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK).

The attractiveness of the events industry makes the events profession highly

competitive - it is therefore no surprise that a number of college and university

courses are beginning to emerge in this area. No comprehensive studies have yet

taken place to establish the number and content of event courses nationally and

internationally. However, through a scan of university, college, association and

associated industry course materials, together with event-related textbooks and

journal articles, a picture begins to emerge of an increasing range and volume of

courses at further education, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. For example,

there are currently approximately 44 colleges and universities offering

undergraduate, and seven offering postgraduate, events courses in the UK. In

addition, competency-based qualifications in events-related areas have been

developed in a number of countries, including National Vocational Qualifications

(NVQs) in the UK. Finally, there are an increasing range of courses, including self-

study and training courses.

What has become apparent in writing this report is that there are pockets of research

available in the public domain that can inform policy and development in the events


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industry. However, although there are a number of people who refer to the events

industry, including increasingly the education sector given the growth in provision in

this area, this is not always reflected in research, in categorisation or in official

publications. It could be observed that the events industry has not been taken

seriously as an industry. This may be due to the range of activities covered and the

problems in defining it, together with the crossover of business into other industries

and sectors.

It is clear from this study that there are gaps in research. Although some evidence of

skills, employment, occupations and education research are evident, the events

industry requires a significant amount of research to be undertaken to fill the gaps

identified and bring it into line with other industries, including those within the

People1st footprint.

This report has provided a snapshot of the events industry, the issues affecting it and

as a result, a number of research requirements have been identified and

recommendations for further work. It is not presented as the end of the research

process, rather a starting point for the next stage in development of the events

industry. Hopefully, it will prompt discussion and debate, it will raise questions and

gaps will be identified in the literature and research referred to, and the research

gaps identified. By drawing material together and making recommendations for

further studies, it serves as a baseline for the future.


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Contents

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………..i 1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Project Aim ........................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Project Scope ....................................................................................................... 3

1.2.1 Primary Level ................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1.1 Definition ................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1.2 Occupations ............................................................................................ 3

1.2.1 Size ................................................................................................................ 3 1.2.1.4 Influences ................................................................................................ 3

1.2.2 Secondary Level ............................................................................................ 4 1.2.2.1 Current and future skill needs............................................................ 4 1.2.2.2 Employment practices ....................................................................... 4 1.2.2.3 Training and development ................................................................. 4 1.2.2.4 Recruitment and retention ................................................................. 4 1.3 Project Methodology...................................................................................... 5

2.0 Overview of the Events Industry……………………………………………………….6 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Historical Context ................................................................................................. 6

2.2.1 Development of an events industry ............................................................ 8 2.3 Defining Events ...................................................................................................13

2.3.1 Defining the Events Industry .........................................................................14 2.3.1.1 Industry Dynamics ..................................................................................17

2.3.2 Business Events/Business Tourism ..............................................................18 2.3.2.1 Conferences/Meetings............................................................................20 2.3.2.2 Exhibitions ..............................................................................................21 2.3.2.3 Incentive Travel ......................................................................................23 2.3.2.4 Corporate events/corporate hospitality ...................................................23

2.3.3 Festivals/Fairs/Cultural Events......................................................................24 2.3.4 Community Events ........................................................................................25 2.3.5 Outdoor Events .............................................................................................26 2.3.6 Entertainment/Live Music Events/Concerts/Theatre/Shows..........................26 2.3.7 Sports Events/Spectator Sports ....................................................................27 2.3.8 Charity Events/Fundraising/Voluntary Sector................................................28 2.3.9 Party Planning/Wedding Planning/Social Life-Cycle Events/Special Events.28

2.4 Standard Industry Classifications (SIC) ...............................................................28 2.4.1 New Classifications 2007 ..............................................................................34

2.5 Size......................................................................................................................35 2.5.1 The Growth Of The Events Industry..............................................................35 2.5.2 Economic Value of the Events Industry.........................................................36

2.5.3 Employment......................................................................................................38 2.5.4 Events Businesses........................................................................................39

2.6 Characteristics of workforce ................................................................................41 2.6.1 Occupations ..................................................................................................41

2.6.1.1 Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC)....................................44 2.6.2 Full time/part time/casual ..............................................................................47 2.6.3 Gender ..........................................................................................................48 2.6.4 Ethnicity ........................................................................................................48


VII

2.6.5 Salary............................................................................................................48 2.7 Environmental Influences ....................................................................................49

2.7.1 Environmental Scanning ...............................................................................54 2.7.1.1 Political/legal...........................................................................................55 2.7.1.2 Economic................................................................................................58 2.7.1.3 Social/cultural .........................................................................................59 2.7.1.4 Technological .........................................................................................59

2.8 Workforce development and skill needs ..............................................................60 2.8.1 Knowledge and Skills Development ..............................................................60 2.8.2 International Event Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK) ..................65

2.9 Education and Training........................................................................................68 3. 0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................72

3.1 Research Gaps and Recommendations for Further Work ...............................73 Bibliography and References……………………………………………………………...77 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………….84


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1.0 Introduction

Events vary in their size and impacts, with terms such as special events, mega

events, hallmark events and major events used to describe and categorise them

internationally. Events are also categorised according to their type or sector, such as

public/private, government, association, cultural, festivals, sporting, music related,

tourism and business/corporate events (including meetings, incentives, corporate

hospitality, conferences/conventions and exhibitions).

It could be argued that events within the UK have always had a high profile, with the

successful summer calendar of sporting events, such as Wimbledon Tennis, Henley

Regatta, high profile festivals such as the Edinburgh International Festival and

Glastonbury Festival and consumer shows such as the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show

and British International Motor Show gaining mass media coverage. However, the

prominence of events within the United Kingdom has increased further over recent

years, with major events such as the Millennium Festival, 2002 Manchester

Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Live 8 concerts, the G8

Summit and the recent success of the bid to host the London 2012 Olympic Games

keeping events in the mainstream media. This growth in interest has placed the

spotlight on the role of the organisations behind these involved in planning and

managing them.

The late twentieth century saw an events industry emerge, with various sectors,

particularly those focussed on business related events, pushing forward the claim for

an industry to be recognised, supported by dialogue with government, an increase in

training, increasing support for industry related qualifications, an increasing body of

knowledge, job opportunities and emerging career paths. Further indications of the

emergence of an events industry are the formation and continued development of

industry associations and the establishment of training courses, formal education

programmes and accreditation schemes. In a skills context, the events industry was

served by the Travel, Tourism Services and Events National Training Organisation

and more recently by People1st, the new Sector Skills Council.


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The business events sector is one of the fastest growing areas of the events industry

and makes a significant contribution to business related tourism which is increasingly

acknowledged, particularly through the work of the Business Tourism Partnership

and member associations. With increased regulation and the growth of government

and corporate involvement in events, the environment has become much more

complex. Event managers are now required to identify and service a wide range of

stakeholders and to balance their needs and objectives, while also ensuring safe and

professionally managed events.

It is within this context that AEME (Association for Events Management Education)

has been commissioned by People1st to undertake the current project in order to

provide the basis for future development. Although the term event or events industry

is used by a number of people in a number of different ways, and there is continued

discussion of the development of the events industry, there is only limited data to

support this. If the events industry is to be fully explored, researched and understood,

alongside education, training and skills development, further work is required. This

research seeks to address some of these issues. This study will only scratch the

surface, or provide a snapshot, of what data and information already exist about the

industry, based on literature available in the area. It will identify further work that is

required to address the shortfalls in data and begin to address the imbalance in

information that is available for other sectors within the People1st footprint of

industries.

1.1 Project Aim

The project aim identified by People 1st is:

• To undertake a thorough literature review of existing research into the events

industry.

Specifically, the two main areas to be covered are:

• The definition, size and scope of the events industry.

• Skills and skills development.

As a result of the literature review, recommendations will be made identifying further

research required to address the needs of the events industry from a skills

perspective.


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1.2 Project Scope

The project scope was identified in the People1st specification. The project is

required to identify existing research undertaken in the events industry in the

following areas:

1.2.1 Primary Level

On a primary level, the literature review should cover the following areas:

1.2.1.1 Definition

Identify and assess how the industry is defined (including relevant sub-industries),

the consistency of these definitions, and the support they have received from

industry. The literature review should also include the possible duplication and

overlap these definitions have with other industries within the People1st footprint.

Specifically, it needs to address issues around the definition of both ‘temporary

structures’ and ‘business tourism’.

1.2.1.2 Occupations

Identify which occupations are commonly found in the industry and the extent to

which these occupations are commonly found across different businesses and sub-

industries. It should also identify the degree to which these occupations can be said

to be unique to the industry, or require particular skills requirements that are specific

to it. The literature review should also assess the extent of self-employed, full-time

and part-time job roles, and their occupational mix.

1.2.1.3 Size Identify what figures are provided for total employment and establishments for the

events industry as a whole and its sub-industries, bringing out any geographic and

size factors that may be available. Assess to what extent these figures are

consistent, how they have changed, and are forecast to change.

1.2.1.4 Influences

Identify and assess the factors that have been identified that can be said to be

influencing the industry and the demand for skills and labour. These factors can be

external such as political (such as regulation etc.), economic (looking at the demand


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for events), social (changing consumer expectations etc.) and technological factors. It

should also include internal factors, such as the changing ownership of the industry.

1.2.2 Secondary Level Identify key research that provides an insight into the following areas:

1.2.2.1 Current and future skill needs

• What are the current and future skill needs of the industry?

• What are the specific skills issues for sub-industries and occupations?

• How does the industry compare with other countries or industries when

looking at its productivity and competitiveness?

1.2.2.2 Employment practices

• How do events employers approach employment practices, such as

use of appraisals and wider human resource practices?

• What impact do factors such as seasonality have on employers’

employment practices?

• To what extent do these approaches have on their attitude to skills and

skills development?

1.2.2.3 Training and development

• What evidence exists as to how employers approach training and

development?

• How do these approaches change when looking at occupations and

sub-industries?

• What type of training is carried out in the industry (on the job, off the

job, formal qualifications etc)

• What factors influence the extent to which employers train their staff?

1.2.2.4 Recruitment and retention

• How do employers approach recruitment and retention?

• Do these approaches change when looking at occupations and sub-

industries?

• What factors influence the extent to which employers recruit and retain

their staff?


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1.3 Project Methodology This project has involved the collection, collation, synthesis and review of literature,

predominantly through desk research. Its purpose was to identify and evaluate key

research already undertaken in order to achieve the project aim. The literature review

also identified gaps in the current research base in order to make recommendations

for future research requirements.


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2.0 Overview of the Events Industry

2.1 Introduction When beginning a study of this type, a traditional starting point is the definition of

terms that will be used throughout the research. However, as one of the main

purposes of the research is to define the terms, this is somewhat problematic. As

discussed earlier, this study attempts to define the events industry and the sectors

within it. However, is there an events industry?

In order to answer this question, a literature review was undertaken of contemporary

literature, industry reports, research journals and conference papers. What emerged

is presented and discussed in the sections below. This section of the report explores

the events industry, its history, definition and scope, occupations, size and

influencing factors.

2.2 Historical Context The UK has a history of local and national events, traditions and ceremonies

spanning thousands of years that has influenced the development of events. Palmer

and Lloyd (1972) highlighted that Britain has many customs and traditions that are

tied in with the changing seasons and country life, while with developing immigration,

particularly after the war, settlers, including migrants from overseas, brought their

own customs and traditions that have now become part of Britain’s heritage.

However, many events have taken place in one form or another for hundreds of

years, including fairs, festivals, sporting events, exhibitions and other public

celebrations (Bowdin, Allen, O’Toole, Harris and McDonnell, 2006).

Britannica.com (2005) notes that the term ‘festival’, as commonly understood today,

was first used in England in 1655, when the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy was

first delivered at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Established as an annual charity

sermon, it assumed a musical character in 1698. Other examples of early festivals

include the Three Choirs Festival (1713), the Norfolk and Norwich Festival (1789)

and the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales (revived in 1880 although it originates

from 1176) (PSI, 1992). Festivals of secular music started in the eighteenth century –


7

the first devoted to Handel took place in Westminster Abbey in 1784 – with many of

these continuing well into the twentieth century (Britannica.com, 2005).

Exhibitions, consumer and trade shows have taken over much of the traditional

purpose of the fairs. The Exhibition Liaison Committee (1995, pp. 2–3) noted:

Since pre-Biblical times producers and merchants have displayed their wares at fairs. However the present UK exhibition industry can trace its origin back to the first industrial exhibitions held in London in 1760 and 1791. These were organised by the Royal Society of Arts and culminated . . . in the Great Exhibition of 1851 which was housed in the impressive ‘Crystal Palace’ erected in Hyde Park.

Dale (1995) highlights that the Great Exhibition was a triumphant success, with over

6 million visitors – around 25 per cent of the population. It proved to be an excellent

promotional tool for Britain, British industry and related trades, and was the first

international trade show (Cartwright, 1995). The exhibition generated profits of over

£180 000 (Exhibition Liaison Committee, 1995). The following years saw the

development of many exhibition facilities that are in existence today, including

Alexandra Palace and the Royal Agricultural Hall (1862), Olympia (1886) and Earls

Court (originally opened 1887, current structure from 1936).

Britain has an international reputation for sport and stages many international world-

class events each year, drawing in large visitor numbers and generating major

benefits for local economies (English Tourism, 1999). Many famous UK sporting

events have their origins in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including

equestrian events such as Royal Ascot (1711), the Epsom Derby (1780) and the

Aintree Grand National (1839, name adopted 1847), water-based events such as the

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (1829), Cowes Week (1826), Henley Royal

Regatta (established 1839, named Henley Royal Regatta from 1851) and the first

Americas Cup race off the Solent, Isle of Wight (1851). Other major events from this

period include The Open Championship (Golf) (1860), the FA Cup (1872), The

Championship (Wimbledon) (1877) and Test cricket (England vs. Australia, 1882)

(Bowdin et al, 2006).

Wood (1982) noted that due to the dual forces of industrialization and Christianity in

the mid-nineteenth century, many of the traditional festivities that developed

alongside folklore were lost. With industrialization, working classes had little time for

traditional celebrations, with the new National Police Force criminalizing many of the


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traditional festivities. The middle of the nineteenth century saw at least forty saint

days per year, although not all were public holidays in all areas. However, the

Victorians believed that it was uneconomical for workers to have so much free time

and, as a result, they abolished a number of festivals and tidied up the public

holidays to control this. Later, they introduced a week’s paid holiday to replace the

lost Bank holidays (Harrowven, 1980). Palmer and Lloyd (1972) acknowledge that

weakening community life and the increasing pace of progress lead to established

folk festivities being changed or completely disappearing, though they highlight that

with many being deep-rooted in communities, the complete extinction of these

celebrations has been avoided.

2.2.1 Development of an events industry

Wood (1982) highlighted the birth of what is now becoming known as the events

industry. She identified that commercializing popular celebrations required wealth for

people to participate and therefore meant selecting suitable elements of the

traditional festivities and adapting them. The purpose of fairs has changed over time

to what are seen today as events that mainly operate for enjoyment, with rides,

sideshows and stalls (Toulmin, 1995).

With the increase in work through industrialization, the practicalities of celebration

meant that people were too tired to celebrate as they had done previously. Thus,

celebration, and commercial celebration, provided the opportunity to relax from

working life and, from a government perspective, it provided the basis for ensuring

that celebration and traditional pleasure culture did not interfere with work (Bowdin et

al, 2006). In 1871 bank holidays were made lawful, with the days dictated by the

government and the monarch. Since that time, the monarch has retained the power

to proclaim additional holidays, with the approval of Parliament, as illustrated by the

extra bank holidays given for the 1977 Silver Jubilee and the 2002 Golden Jubilee

celebrations (Harrowven, 1980).

Rogers (2003) highlights that the origins of the UK conference industry lie in political

and religious congresses, and trade and professional association conventions in

America in the late nineteenth century, though recognition of an industry itself is more

recent, dating from the middle to latter half of the twentieth century. Shone (1998)

supports this and notes that although the emergence of the conference industry

dates from the last thirty years, and to some extent, the past 250 years, this would


9

ignore the development that took place during the preceding thousands of years. He

goes on to discuss the development of meeting places for trade, supported by the

growth in appropriate facilities. These developments commenced with public halls

(first century AD), churches (tenth and eleventh centuries), market towns (thirteenth

century), and guildhalls (fourteenth century). In later times, inns and coffee houses

(seventeenth century), assembly rooms, town halls and universities (eighteenth

century) were developed. Finally, there was a growth in specialist banqueting and

assembly facilities such as the Café Royal and Connaught Rooms in London, and

meeting rooms within hotels (nineteenth century) (Bowdin et al., 2006).

Bowdin et al. (2006) note that some of the leading exhibitions originate from the early

part of the twentieth century. For example, the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show,

launched in 1908, has adapted to reflect social and lifestyle trends.

The British government realized the value of exhibitions to the country in 1915 and

held the first British Industries Fair at the Royal Agricultural Hall (now the Business

Design Centre), London. The event was a great success and grew rapidly over the

following years, to the stage where it ran in Earls Court, Olympia and Castle

Bromwich (Birmingham) simultaneously. However, due to the increasing demand for

more specialized events from trade associations and exhibitors, the final British

Industries Fair took place in 1957 (Cartwright, 1995).

Following the world wars, the promotion of popular celebration became a thriving

sector of the new industrial economy (Bowdin et al., 2006). The Policy Studies

Institute (PSI, 1992) notes that arts festivals have become a prominent feature in the

UK since 1945, including Cheltenham (1945), the Edinburgh International Festival

(1947) and the Bath Festival (1948). It adds that over 500 festivals now take place

each year, plus hundreds of one-day community festivals and carnivals.

The 1951 Festival of Britain (South Bank Centre, London) celebrated the centenary

of the Great Exhibition and provided a symbol for Britain’s emergence from the

Second World War, yet although a success, it underlined the fact that Britain had lost

its early lead in staging international exhibitions (Cartwright, 1995). As a result, in

1959 the Pollitzer Committee inquiry identified that the UK’s ability to compete in the

global marketplace was being damaged by a shortage of quality exhibition space.


10

Rogers (2003) notes that since the 1960s significant investment has taken place in

the infrastructure to support conferences, meetings and related events.

The 1950s and 1960s were also notable for other factors that shaped events as they

appear today. Firstly, the period witnessed the establishment of events to celebrate

cultures of the new communities from the West Indies and South Asia, for example,

the Notting Hill Carnival was established in 1964. Secondly, a festival culture

emerged - this period also saw the introduction of a number of popular music

festivals, including the Bath Blues Festival (1969), the Pilton Festival (1970, now

Glastonbury Festival), and the Isle of Wight Festival (1968, 1969, 1970) (Bowdin et

al., 2006).

The 1970s and 1980s saw the construction of a range of multipurpose venues

funded mainly by local authorities, including the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in

Birmingham (1976) and the Wembley Exhibition Centre (1977) (Exhibition Liaison

Committee, 1995). Since then, the pace of development has continued, with event

space developed within football stadia, multipurpose indoor arenas, additional

exhibition space at the NEC and Earls Court (Greaves, 1999), plus the launch of

Excel in London (2000). New developments, together with redevelopments, are

continuing to take place, reflected in the BACD Investment Register (BACD, 2005).

Corporate entertainment and hospitality, or corporate events, is another area that has

seen significant development, due in part to the concentrated summer social season.

Peter Selby noted that corporate hospitality in the UK is believed to originate from the

early 1970s, when Gus Payne erected a catering tent at the Open Golf

Championship. Other events saw this as a means of limiting their reliance on

sponsors, generating revenue and keeping control of their events. Keith Prowse

Hospitality, established in the mid to late 1970s, initially began selling incentive

packages, however, clients asked to use the facilities for entertaining their customers

as well. At this point a new industry is believed to have been born (Crofts, 2001). The

1980s saw a rapid increase in the use of spectator sports for corporate hospitality,

with international sporting events such as the Open Golf Championship, Wimbledon,

Royal Ascot, the British Grand Prix and rugby events at Twickenham still popular

today. Roger de Pilkyngton, marketing director of Payne & Gunter, noted that the

focus changed from entertaining for the sake of it, to a more strategic use of


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hospitality. The mid to late 1980s saw an expansion of teambuilding and multiactivity

events (Greaves, 1996), the market growth continuing into the twenty-first century.

The Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 demonstrated that large scale events

could be viable, with the media mastery of Hollywood blended with sport and events

and the production and marketing skills of the television industry bringing the

Olympics to a wider audience. The Games demonstrated the power of a major

sporting event to bring increased profile and economic benefits (Bowdin et al., 2006).

The UK enjoyed success throughout the twentieth century, hosting some of the

world’s major international sporting events, including the UEFA European Football

Championships (1996), the Rugby Union World Cup (1999), the Cricket World Cup

(1999), the Rugby League World Cup (2000), Ryder Cup (2002), the Commonwealth

Games (2002) and the World Indoor Athletics Championships (2003). Bowdin et al.

(2006) note that these have become more than the actual sport – many have blurred

the edges between sport, leisure, festivals and public events and become ‘festivals of

sport’, encouraging community involvement and festive spirit and enhancing the

image of the host community. The pursuit of major events such as these forms part

of government strategy implemented through UK Sport and also pursued by regional

agencies or local authorities, for example North West Development Agency and

Sheffield City Council Major Events Unit and national event agencies such as

Northern Ireland Events Company and EventScotland.

Festivals are attractive to local authorities as they provide visitors/tourists, encourage

commercial sponsorship, present cultural experiences for residents by taking arts to

a wider audience, give staff a focus and can motivate involvement from the local

performing arts community (New Leisure Markets, 1995). The trend in local authority

funding for arts festivals continues into the twenty-first century, with the British Arts

Festivals Association discovering that, 82 per cent (of 137 festivals responding to

their study) received funding in 1998/9 from local authorities, 51 per cent grants from

arts councils and 42 per cent from English Regional Arts Boards (Allen and Shaw,

2001).

Across the UK, the millennium brought an unprecedented level of funding for

community projects, with £100 million from the National Lottery Millennium

Commission funding the year-long Millennium Festival which included an estimated


12

2000 events across the UK (Bowdin et al., 2006). One of the largest events was the

Beacon Millennium Project, where 1400 beacons were lit across the UK on 31

December 1999, providing the focus for community celebrations. Further initiatives

included investment of over £1.3 billion in around 200 new buildings, environmental

projects, visitor attractions, and a total of £200 million provided as 40,000 grants, or

‘Millennium Awards’ for individuals to put their ideas into action for their communities

(Millennium Commission, 2000).

Major events are continuing into the 21st century. There is increasing recognition of

the role that events can play beyond entertainment, linking in to cultural, arts,

regeneration, education, tourism and other strategies (Bowdin et al., 2006). A series

of festivals and events have taken place during the SeaBritain Festival 2005,

coordinated by the National Maritime Museum, to celebrate the role of the sea in UK

history, with the Trafalgar Weekend in October as the centrepiece (National Maritime

Museum, 2005). Liverpool were successful in securing the European Capital of

Culture 2008. This has prompted a series of events before, during and after 2008

and significant investment in cultural infrastructure, revitalising the city (Liverpool

Culture Company, 2005a). The unsuccessful bidding cities, including Newcastle

Gateshead and Bradford have capitalised on their bids to take forward cultural

programmes in their cities. For example, Newcastle Gateshead Initiative have begun

an ambitious programme of events, festivals and initiatives under the culture10 project

(Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, 2005).

Businesses have discovered the power of events in the marketing mix, either running

their own events or working with existing events, perhaps through sponsorship, for

example, Microsoft and Adecco’s involvement in the 2002 Manchester

Commonwealth Games. Other companies have developed events as vehicles for

marketing purposes — for example, Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream developed Sundae on

the Common (August 2005). Early this decade, corporate involvement in events has

become the norm, with sponsorship integral to the staging of major events.

Companies have become aware of the role that events can play in increasing their

market share and promoting their image, but also have became more focused on

event outcomes and return on investment.

This brief overview of the history of modern events reflects developments within the


13

UK. However, a similar pattern is repeated in most post-industrial societies. The

balance between more traditional festivals and contemporary corporate events

changes according to the nature of the society in a given geographic area. Events

also now play a significant role in businesses and are beginning to provide a viable

career with employment opportunities and career paths (Bowdin et al., 2006).

2.3 Defining Events Many authors (for example, Allen, O’Toole, McDonnell and Harris, 2005; Bowdin et

al., 2006; Getz, 2005; Goldblatt, 2005; Shone and Parry 2004) have discussed the

definition of events and the various terms used to describe these, however, there is

only limited agreement on standardised terms, definitions or categories to use. The

Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) Industry Glossary of terms (CIC, 2003)

defines an event as, ‘An organized occasion such as a meeting, convention,

exhibition, special event, gala dinner, etc. An event is often composed of several

different yet related functions.’

In the US and elsewhere, the term ‘special events’ is more prevalent than in the UK

to describe the industry, however, it is still in common use within the literature. US

based Dr Joe Goldblatt (2005, p. 6), acknowledged as one of the pioneers in events

literature, focuses on special events as ‘a unique moment in time, celebrated with

ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs.’ Professor Donald Getz (2005, p. 16),

based in Canada and a recognised expert in the field, suggests two definitions, from

the event organizer and customer/guest perspectives:

1. A special event is a one-time or infrequently occurring event outside normal

programmes or activities of the sponsoring or organizing body.

2. To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or

cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday

experience.

Getz notes that among the attributes creating ‘specialness’ are festive spirit,

uniqueness, quality, authenticity, tradition, hospitality, theme and symbolism.

Bowdin et al. (2006), drawing together UK and Australian perspectives, note that the

term has been used ‘to describe specific rituals, presentations, performances or

celebrations that are consciously planned and created to mark special occasions

and/or to achieve particular social, cultural or corporate goals and objectives’.


14

Further, drawing on a review of research and the literature, Jago and Shaw (1998, p.

28), based in Australia, express another view from a tourism context, suggesting six

core attributes of special events. These were: special events should attract tourists or

tourism development; be of limited duration; be one-off or infrequent occurrence;

raise the awareness, image, or profile of a region; offer a social experience; and, be

out of the ordinary. Summarising the definition of a special event, they note it as: ‘A

one-time or infrequently occurring event of limited duration that provides the

consumer with a leisure and social opportunity beyond everyday experience. Such

events, which attract, or have the potential to attract, tourists, are often held to raise

the profile, image or awareness of a region’ (Jago and Shaw, 1998, p. 29).

2.3.1 Defining the Events Industry If the above discussion outlines how an event or special event could be defined, then

what activity and sectors could be included in an events industry? The draft sector

workforce development plan (Questions Answered Ltd, 2001, p. 5) noted:

This sub sector (of Tourism, Travel Services and Events), is made up of Event Organisers, including companies that organise conferences, outdoor events, and those that organise incentive travel and motivational events. Venue Providers ranging from specialist exhibition and conference facilities to agricultural sites. Exhibitors, including professional exhibition companies, and the members of staff in organisations who organise and attend events on behalf of their company. Event Suppliers, ranging from provision of sound and lights, to conference registration, and Temporary structures, such as the hire of marquees, and temporary stages.

This provides a useful starting point as it highlights some of the aspects of the

industry, however, the following section expands on this to explore the wider scope of

the events industry. A picture is beginning to emerge from the literature, with the

events industry slowly beginning to take shape. Public events, festivals and other

forms of entertainment have gained increasing prominence over recent years due to

increases in leisure time and discretionary spending. The local, city and national

governments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have recognised

their role in regeneration, economic development and the achievement of tourism,

community development and other strategies (for example, Belfast City Council,

2000a, 2000b; Scottish Executive. 2002; UK Sport, 1999). Companies and

businesses are increasingly using events in their marketing strategies alongside

other promotional and marketing tools. Further, community groups and individuals


15

are actively participating in events in order to bring entertainment to their areas or to

celebrate their community. Finally, there has been a significant increase in media

coverage of events through newspapers, television and radio. It is within this context

that an event industry has begun to emerge in its own right (Bowdin et al., 2006).

This emergence has been supported by an expanding body of knowledge, including

Bowdin, Allen, O’Toole, Harris and McDonnell (2006), Davidson and Cope (2003),

Getz (2005), Goldblatt (2005) Rogers (2003), Shone and Parry (2004), Van Der

Wagen and Carlos (2005) and Watt (1998). Of note in the UK context, Bowdin et al.

(2006) and Shone and Parry (2004) explore the events industry, while Davidson and

Cope (2003) and Rogers (2003) focus specifically on the business tourism/business

events. Collectively, these books provide a useful insight of the growth, development

and structure of the events industry and the trends and issues for the future.

Bowdin, et al. (2006) provide a useful breakdown of where events originate from,

dividing the market into the government, corporate and community sectors:

Government sector - Governments create events for a range of reasons, including

the social, cultural, tourism and economic benefits generated by events. Some

government departments have an events brief as part of their delivery of services, for

example, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Others, including ‘arms-

length’ government organisations which generate events as a means to achieve

other objectives – for example, VisitBritain aim to increase and extend tourist visits,

the arts councils to preserve cultures and encourage tolerance and diversity, and

Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) to assist industry and generate jobs.

Government sector events aimed at the general public are often characterized by

free entry and wide accessibility, and form part of the public culture.

Corporate sector - The corporate sector is involved in events at a number of levels.

Companies and corporations may sponsor events in order to promote their goods

and services in the marketplace. They may partner government departments in the

presentation of events. On other occasions, companies may create their own events

in order to launch new products, increase sales or enhance their corporate image.

These events, although they may still be characterised by free entry, may be targeted

at specific market segments rather than at the general public. Within the corporate

sector there are also entrepreneurs whose business is the staging or selling of


16

events. These include sports or concert promoters who present ticketed events for

profit, and conference organisers/event management companies or industry

associations mounting conferences or exhibitions for the trade or public. Media

organizations often become partners in other people’s events, but also stage events

for their own promotional purposes or to create programme content. Examples are

radio stations promoting their identity through concerts, newspapers promoting fun

runs, or television networks presenting New Year celebrations live to air.

Community sector - Other events emanate from the community sector, serving a

wide variety of needs and interests. These may include local sporting events,

fundraisers, car club meets, local arts and craft shows, the list is only limited by

space.

From a US perspective, Silvers (2004) divides the events industry into what she

identifies as ten genres, as illustrated in Table 1. These definitions are quite succinct

and could form the basis for a definitional framework.

Table 1: Silvers’ Event Management Genre Genre Description Business & Corporate Events

Any event that supports business objectives, including management functions, corporate communications, training, marketing, incentives, employee relations, and customer relations, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Cause-Related & Fundraising Events

An event created by or for a charitable or cause-related group for the purpose of attracting revenue, support, and/or awareness, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Exhibitions, Expositions & Fairs

An event bringing buyers and sellers and interested persons together to view and/or sell products, services, and other resources to a specific industry or the general public, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Entertainment & Leisure Events

A one-time or periodic, free or ticketed performance or exhibition event created for entertainment purposes, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Festivals A cultural celebration, either secular or religious, created by and/or for the public, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events. (Many festivals include bringing buyer and seller together in a festive atmosphere.)

Government & Civic Events

An event comprised of or created by or for political parties, communities, or municipal or national government entities, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Marketing Events A commerce-oriented event to facilitate bringing buyer and seller together or to create awareness of a commercial product or service, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Meeting & Convention Events

The assembly of people for the purpose of exchanging information, debate or discussion, consensus or decisions, education, and relationship building, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Social/Life-Cycle Events

A private event, by invitation only, celebrating or commemorating a cultural, religious, communal, societal, or life-cycle occasion, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Sports Events A spectator or participatory event involving recreational or competitive sport activities, scheduled alone or in conjunction with other events.

Source: Silvers (2004a)


17

However, there are other means of classifying the events industry, with some areas

clearly defined sectors (such as conference industry, exhibitions industry, festivals,

corporate hospitality) or categories of events. These are discussed further below.

��

The events industry has a range of stakeholders, including the community where the

event takes place. Figure 1 illustrates some of these relationships:

Figure 1: Stakeholder Relationship in Events

Source: Bowdin (2005) adapted from Bowdin et al. (2001).

Bowdin et al. (2006) note that there has been a rapid development of an events

industry, particularly over the past ten years or so, with clearly identifiable

practitioners, suppliers and professional associations. The events industry includes a

number of key components, including:

1. Event organisations – Events may be hosted or staged by organisations set up for

that specific purpose or by a team within an organisation.

2. Event management companies – professional groups or individuals who organise

events on behalf of clients on a contract basis.


18

3. Event industry suppliers or contractors – There are a wide range of specialist

suppliers to the events industry, including those providing staging, light and

production, through transport and security, to catering and parking.

4. Venues – Indoor and outdoor venues are required for organising many events,

including hotels, conference centres, exhibition centres, show grounds.

5. Industry associations – The events industry is served by a wide range of trade

and professional associations, based on organisation or individual membership.

Associations have played a key role in the development of professionalism,

standards and best practice within the events industry individually and

collectively, through for example Business Tourism Partnership. Examples of

these associations are indicated when discussing sectors and classifications. It

should be noted that although these may be indicated against a particular sector,

for example, conference and meetings, in reality many associations span different

industries/sectors and serve the needs of the wider industry.

The industry also draws on a wide range of employees, including a large temporary/

casual/part-time workforce particularly during the period around the events, with a

number also drawing on volunteers (particularly festivals and sport events).

2.3.2 Business Events/Business Tourism Business events include conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel and corporate

events. These industries are sometimes grouped as discretionary business tourism

(generally referred to as business tourism), MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions

and exhibitions/events) or a variety of other terms. The Business Tourism

Partnership (BTP) suggests that conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel, corporate

hospitality and business travel combined account for 28 per cent of overseas visitors

in the UK and 29 per cent of all inbound tourism earnings. This equates to an

estimated tourism income worth £20 billion, not including business transacted at the

events estimated to be worth £100 billion (BTP, 2005).

BTP (2005, p. 2) note that the principal characteristics of business tourism are that:

• it is at the high quality, high yield end of the tourism spectrum

• it is resilient, sustainable and complements the leisure tourism sector


19

• it creates quality, year-round employment opportunities, accounting for some

530,000 jobs directly and indirectly

• investments in business tourism facilities lead to the regeneration of urban and

inner city areas

• business tourism stimulates future inward investment as business people see the

attractions of a destination while travelling on business or to attend a conference,

exhibition or incentive, and then return to establish business operations there

• research suggests that approximately 40% of business travellers will return with

their families or colleagues as leisure visitors to destinations they have enjoyed

visiting on business.

In the UK, as discussed earlier, there is some debate as to whether business tourism

should be used as the umbrella term. It is notable that within the Business Tourism

Partnership’s latest document (BTP, 2005), business events is being used. The

Business Tourism Partnership have developed an effective approach to lobbying,

have generated a great deal of information about the industry (see, for example,

Davidson, 2002; Rogers, 2003; BTP, 2005) and raised the profile of business tourism

and events industry in general. One thing to note, though, as discussed earlier, is

that the focus on business tourism perhaps does not fully do justice to other events

industry activities, particularly on the leisure side, though it is acknowledged that the

business side generates a high proportion of tourism spend. It would duplicate efforts

if an ‘event tourism’ or other group was also formed, as a result, the future may see

other sectors included within the BTP umbrella (as outdoor events are currently),

pushed forward by their respective industry associations.

Internationally, in April 2005 the Joint Meetings Industry Council recommended

adopting the term ‘The Meetings Industry’ as a unifying term at the launch of its

“Profile and Power” campaign, which seeks to distinguish the activities from tourism

and other industries (JMIC, 2005). However, although a number of associations

operating in the UK are members, this term has not been adopted yet within the UK,

with business tourism, business events or, in general, the industry names

(conference industry/exhibitions industry etc) in use.


20

2.3.2.1 Conferences/Meetings

Conferences can be very diverse, as revealed by the definition of the Convention

Industry Committee in the APEX Industry Glossary (CIC, 2003):

1. Participatory meeting designed for discussion, fact-finding, problem solving

and consultation.

2. An event used by any organisation to meet and exchange views, convey a

message, open a debate or give publicity to some area of opinion on a specific

issue. No tradition, continuity or periodicity is required to convene a

conference. Although not generally limited in time, conferences are usually of

short duration with specific objectives. Conferences are usually on a smaller

scale than congresses.

For the British Conference Venues Survey, a more succinct definition is used, ‘an

out-of-office meeting of at least four hours’ duration involving a minimum of eight

people’ (Rogers, 2003b, p. 19). Conferences can be categorised according to their

primary market focus, generally as corporate or national/international association.

The definitions for these three sectors are presented in Table 2.

Table: 2 Conference Segments Segment Description Corporate or for-profit segment (Rogers, 2003b, p. 9)

encompasses all the varied purposes for which meetings, conferences and events are held by companies or corporate organisations, including the following: sales, conferences, product launches, management meetings, training courses, business presentations, Annual General meetings.

National association conference segment (Rogers, 2003b, p. 9)

includes a wide range of not-for-profit organisations whose memberships and affiliations are primarily national rather than international. Such organisations include: professional associations and institutions, trade associations, trade unions, societies and educational bodies, as well as a plethora of voluntary bodies of which membership is more related to a hobby or interest rather than a person’s employment e.g. political parties, charities, voluntary associations, religious groups.

International association congress market (Rogers, 2003b, p. 11)

brings together members with common professional, scientific or social interests. The associations vary in size and membership, can be regional or international in scope and use meetings as one of the most important communication methods amongst members. The associations also use their meetings as a key revenue generator to support the headquarters and fund outreach activities such as specialized research and public health campaigns as well as programmes in developing countries.


21

This sector of the events industry is served by a range of trade and professional

associations, including the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers

(ABPCO), Association for Conferences and Events (ACE), British Association of

Conference Destinations (BACD), Eventia, International Congress and Convention

Association (ICCA), Meeting Industry Association (MIA), Meeting Professionals

International (MPI).

2.3.2.2 Exhibitions

The exhibitions industry, or exhibitions sector of the events industry, is clearly defined

and generally well understood. The Exhibition Liaison Council (1995) defined

exhibitions as:

‘…a presentation of products or services to an invited audience with the object of inducing a sale or informing the visitor. It is a form of three dimensional advertising where, in many instances, the product can be seen, handled, assessed by demonstration and in some cases even smelt and tasted.’

Exhibition Audience Audits Ltd (2005), who undertake the exhibition facts research

project for the exhibitions industry, succinctly define it as ‘an event that enables

buyers and sellers to meet together in a market situation’ (Exhibition Audience Audits

Ltd,, 2005). Further, Rogers (2003, p. 16), on behalf of the Business Tourism

Partnership, highlights, ‘An exhibition is ‘a professionally organised event that

facilitates the meeting of buyers and sellers in a cost-effective manner.’ He goes on

to note that exhibitions can be further discussed according to the market that they are

focusing on:

• Trade exhibitions are those exhibitions aimed primarily at those working within a

particular trade sector. Visitors are usually required to establish their bona fides

• Public (or Consumer) exhibitions are primarily organised to attract the consumer

and generally a charge is made for admission. These may attract a wide general

public, or tightly focused small groups

• Trade/Public exhibitions are a combination of trade and public exhibitions, which

are organised to attract both types of visitors, such as motor and boat shows

(Rogers, 2003, p. 16).


22

Morrow (2002) identifies a further category of show - one which combines trade and

consumer markets, known as a combined or mixed show, for example, the British

International Motor Show or the London Boat Show (Rogers, 2003). Finally, a new

term to emerge over recent years is the confex – an exhibition and conference

combined. These take one of two forms, either professional, scientific and medical

conferences that offset their overheads from income generated by an associated

trade show, or an exhibition that enhances visitor numbers by featuring linked

conferences in their show (Exhibition Audience Audits Ltd, 2005).

Exhibitions include a range of stakeholders, including the organisers, venues,

exhibitors, contractors and visitors, together with other related services. Figure 2

provides a useful illustration of this relationship.

Figure 2: Exhibition Stakeholders

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers (2001), p. 22

The exhibition industry has invested significant sums of money in Exhibitions Work, a

campaign promoting the benefits, and value, of exhibitions compared to other

marketing media, under the guidance of the Association of Exhibition Organisers

(AEO). Research published by the Exhibition Venues Association (EVA) suggests

that spend on exhibitions had reached an estimated £1.7 billion by 2003 (Exhibition

Audience Audits Ltd 2004), while a recent exhibition industry economic impact study


23

by KPMG, commissioned by the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) and

supported by the Association of Event Venues (AEV), indicated a contribution of £9.3

billion to the UK economy (Pitchfork, 2005).

This sector is served by a range of industry associations, including Association of

Exhibition Contractors (AEC), Association of Exhibition Organizers (AEO),

Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), British Exhibition

Contractors Association (BECA), Exhibition Venues Association (EVA), National

Exhibitors Association (NEA).

2.3.2.3 Incentive Travel

Another lucrative sector within the events industry is incentive travel. This is defined

by the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (1998, cited in Rogers, 2003a, p. 52) as

‘a global management tool that uses an exceptional travel experience to motivate

and/or recognise participants for increased levels of performance in support of

organisational goals’. In a similar vein, Rogers (2003b, 20) identifies it as ‘a tool

used by organisations to motivate their staff and/or external sales agents, with the

objective of improving performance at both individual and corporate levels. This tool

offers individuals or teams the chance to qualify for an exceptional travel experience,

subject to their attaining preset goals.’ Research on the size of the incentive travel

market is limited, with data quoted from 1996 (Rogers, 2003a, 2003b; BTP, 2003)

indicating that the inbound incentive travel market was worth around £165 million.

This sector is served by a number of associations, including Eventia, the UK chapter

of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE) together with many of the

associations covered in 2.3.2.1.

2.3.2.4 Corporate Events/Corporate Hospitality

Corporate events may include incentive travel, client entertainment, staff

entertainment, meetings and conferences (Rogers, 2003), which would lead to

crossover with other categories. However, generally it has also been a term used

interchangeably with corporate hospitality. The Corporate Event Association (CEA)

(now Eventia) define corporate hospitality as ‘an event for the benefit of an

organisation entertaining clients or staff, or prospective clients at the organisation’s

expense’. Corporate hospitality events include spectator sports, participating sports,

arts and culture and a range of other events. Research indicates that that the sector


24

was worth over £700 million in 2003 (Tambe, 2004) and could be as much as £1

billion (BTP, 2005).

This sector is served by a number of associations, including Eventia, Hotel, Catering

and International Management Association (HCIMA), International Special Events

Society (ISES), together with many of the associations covered in 2.3.2.1.

2.3.3 Festivals/Fairs/Cultural Events The area of festivals, sometimes referred to within the context of cultural events or

cultural tourism, is a major sector of the events industry, providing enjoyment to local

communities celebrating their area through to high profile events celebrating the arts

and culture. Getz (1997, p. 8) defines a festival as ‘a public themed celebration.’

Goldblatt (2005) notes that festivals provide the opportunity to celebrate culture, also

while providing meaning to those attending or participating. Arts festivals share a

number of characteristics, including intense artistic output, and a clear time-specific

programme delivered with a clear purpose and direction (Rolfe, 1992). South East

Arts (1998, p. 2) developed seven categories for festivals within their region based on

the overall purpose and size. This can usefully be applied to classify festivals in

other regions. These are:

1. High-profile general celebrations of the arts: these address an ambitious agenda

and a multitude of aims – to reach the highest standards, to achieve a high media

profile, to reach a broad audience, to generate high levels of income.

2. Festivals that celebrate a particular location: from small villages to large towns,

these festivals aim to bring people together to celebrate their local area, often

featuring a large number of local groups. These festivals subdivide into those run

by voluntary groups and those run by local authorities. Festivals run by voluntary

groups tend to be smaller.

3. Art-form festivals: focused on a specific art form, offering unique opportunities for

audiences to see particular kinds of work, and may address the development of

that art form by providing a focus for critical debate, master classes, commissions

of new work etc.

4. Celebration of work by a community of interest: these festivals highlight work by

specific groups of people, e.g. disabled people, young people or women and often

contain a large proportion of participatory workshops.


25

5. Calendar: cultural or religious festivals. Indigenous traditions of large-scale

assembly have largely died away in England, but the Asian and Caribbean

communities have brought carnival and melas to enhance the cultural mix of

festivals in the UK.

6. Amateur arts festivals: a large but low-profile sector that involves thousands of

people. Many of these festivals are competitive.

7. Commercial music festivals: a hugely popular phenomenon, some local

authorities also run outdoor pop music festivals that adopt a similar model.

AFO (2004) noted 350 folk festivals taking place in the UK, while other studies have

indicated figures from 350 to over 550 arts-related festivals. Carnivals, melas and

other cultural or multicultural events would also be included within this category.

This sector is served by a number of associations, including British Art Festivals

Association (BAFA), Association of Festival Organizers (AFO), British Federation of

Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech (BFF), International Festival and Events

Association (IFEA) Europe and National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA).

2.3.4 Community Events Most communities produce a range of festivals and events targeted mainly at local

audiences and staged primarily for their social, fun and entertainment value (Bowdin

et al., 2006). These events often produce a range of benefits, including creating a

sense of place, engendering pride in the community and strengthening a feeling of

belonging. They can also help to expose people to new ideas and experiences,

encourage participation in sports and arts activities and encourage tolerance and

diversity. For these reasons, local authorities often support such events as part of

their community and cultural development strategies (Bowdin et al., 2006).

Depending on the type of event, there is potential for cross-over from this category

with festivals and outdoor events. In addition, as many local events are organised by

community or not-for-profit groups and volunteers, or local authorities, then data is

not always readily available.


26

This category of events, rather than sector, is likely to be served by a number of

associations, including those mentioned under festivals and outdoor events.

2.3.5 Outdoor Events Rogers (2003, p. 25) notes that the outdoor events industry includes local authorities,

show organisers, event management companies, promoters, venue owners,

suppliers of equipment and services, entertainment agencies, consultants and

practitioners in general. He notes that outdoor events range from major music

festivals, agricultural shows, sporting and charity events through to small village and

craft events. As a result, there is some crossover with other segments identified

above, for example, local community events, sports and festivals. Within the context

of the Guide to industry best practice for organizing outdoor events (BSI, 2004),

event is defined as an, ‘organized gathering of persons outdoors and/or within a

temporary structure, not including purpose designed event venues.’

This sector is served by a number of associations, including the National Outdoor

Events Association (NOEA), Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM),

The Event Services Association (TESA) and other associations discussed elsewhere.

2.3.6 Entertainment/Live Music Events/Concerts/Theatre/Shows This category comprises theatre visits, attendance at concerts (particularly pop and

rock concerts), admissions to annual pantomimes and school shows. Research

suggests that this market could be worth in the region of £1.25 billion in 2003,

including concerts and live shows worth around £500 million and approximately £400

million (Fenn, 2004).

This sector is served by a number of associations, including Concert Promoters

Association (CPA), Production Services Association (PSA), Professional Light and

Sound Association (PLASA), United Kingdom Crowd Management Association

(UKCMA).


27

2.3.7 Sports Events/Spectator Sports Sports events bring benefits to their host governments and sports organisations, but

also benefit participants such as players, coaches and officials and bring

entertainment and enjoyment to spectators. Although sports per se are covered

within the SkillsActive footprint, as discussed earlier, sport events (in terms of the

organisation, planning and management of them for the enjoyment of spectators) and

venues are arguably one of the larger sectors of the events industry, with tourism

generated by sport (or sport tourism) a consideration for many locations bidding for

events. Deery, Jago and Fredline (2004) highlight sport tourism as an important area

for tourism and events, with definitions needing to be accurate if they are to be used

for segmentation purposes. They concluded that sport tourism is really sport event

tourism focused on competitive sports, with a key requirement that attending the

event must be the primary motivator/driver for travelling. However, further research

is required to profile the segments.

UK Sport classify the sporting calendar into four groups within the overall umbrella of

major events, including mega, calendar, one-off and showcase events. The

categories are included in order to illustrate the need to clarify terminology before

commencing a study into events or bidding, and provide a useful illustration of

potential objectives and means of attracting these types of events.

1. Mega events: awarded after competitive bidding. Includes the Summer

Olympics, the Paralympic Games, the FIFA World Cup and the IAAF World

Athletic Championships.

2. Calendar events: no bidding required, commercially successful events, play a

regular part in the international calendar for that sport, e.g. The

Championships (Wimbledon), the British Formula One Grand Prix, The Open

Championship, Test Series in cricket, Rugby Union Internationals.

3. One-off events: generally awarded after competitive bidding, substantial

television rights interest nationally and internationally, e.g. the Rugby League

and Union World Cups, the Cricket World Cup and European Football

Championships.


28

4. Showcase events: generally awarded after competitive bidding, these events

have the potential to boost sport development, provide the UK with a good

chance of winning medals and can improve the UK’s image overseas and/or

involve regions in UK, e.g. the World Judo Championships, the World

Disability Championships and the European Showjumping Championships

(UK Sport, 1999a; Bowdin et al., 2006).

2.3.8 Charity Events/Fundraising/Voluntary Sector Charities are increasingly using events to raise money or to raise awareness of the

issues for which they have been established, related to health, poverty alleviation,

education, welfare or a host of other purposes. However, as an area of the events

industry, there is a distinct lack of data available, as events are generally discussed

(and data collected) within the context of charities and charity fundraising overall,

rather than being identified separately.

2.3.9 Party Planning/Wedding Planning/Social Life-Cycle Events/ Special Events This area of the events industry is responsible for organising personal and social

occasions marking key periods within our lives, for example, weddings and other

events marking milestones, what Goldblatt (2005) refers to as social life-cycle events

(e.g. christenings, 18th , 21st, 50th 60th birthdays, weddings, wedding anniversaries,

bar mitzvahs, funerals, etc). It may also include organisations creating parties or

themed events serving the corporate market and special events (defined earlier).

Within this area, arguably party planning (planners and suppliers) and the wedding

industry (organisers and suppliers) could also identified as separate defined markets.

The area of functions taking place in hospitality premises may also fit within this

classification, highlighting a potential cross over with hospitality as discussed earlier.

This area is served by a number of associations, including International Special

Events Society (ISES).

2.4 Standard Industry Classifications (SIC)

One of the challenges in defining an industry is that, no matter what authors,

researchers, industry stakeholders, or other bodies believe should be included within

the definition of the industry, if this is not reflected in National, European and


29

International conventions for classifications, then data will not be collected effectively

or consistently (or indeed, at all).

In the context of conferences and exhibitions, Baxter (2004, P. 73) notes:

One of the problems is showing the size of the industry. At present, there is no separate standard industrial classification (SIC) code for activities concerned purely with conferences and exhibitions, which means that there is no way of accurately measuring the level of employment in the industry or monitoring its size. This situation will remain until 2007, when a review of SIC codes across Europe will be undertaken by the EU.

People 1st (2005) note that the sector footprint spans 14 separate industries, with

most industries defined using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.

However, events is one of only two industries without a four digit SIC code. The 14

industries and the SIC codes are reflected in Table 3 below.

Table 3: People1st Industries and SICs

Industry Official SIC SIC Used 1. Hotels 55.1 55.1 2. Restaurants 55.3 55.3 3. Pubs, bars and nightclubs 55.4, 92.34/1 55.4, 92.34 4. Contract Food Service providers 55.5 55.5 5. Hospitality services - - 6. Membership clubs 55.40/1 Included in 55.4 above 7. Events - - 8. Gambling 92.71 92.71 9. Travel services 63.30/1, 63.30/2 63.3 10. Tourist services 63.30/3, 63.30/9 63.3 11. Visitor attractions 92.33 92.33 12. Hostels 55.21 55.21 13. Holiday centres 55.23/1 55.23 14. Self catering accommodation 55.23/2 55.23 Source: People1st (2005)

The problems encountered with attempting to devise adequate definitions for

gathering data and reliable statistical analysis is not unique to the UK or Europe. The

Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC, 2005) note:

NAICS classification 56192, Convention and Trade Show Organizers, is currently included as an industry at the NAICS five-digit level in an industry classification that falls outside the tourism sector. The four-digit NAICS classification is ‘5619 – Other Support Services’ and it is large enough that 56192 is not sufficiently significant to be designated a tourism industry. Therefore, although conventions and trade shows make important contributions to tourism, the data attributed to this industry is unable to be included in this study.


30

They go on to reflect that although they have attempted to have the classifications

updated for the 2007 revision, they were unsuccessful. However, all may not be lost.

The North American Industry Classification System is mapped against the

International Standard Industry Classifications (ISIC), as are the UK Standard

Industry Codes. Internationally, the coding systems for industries are under review in

order to revise them to more closely reflect modern industry and economies.

Although this process is still in progress, early indications are that a number of event-

related classifications are included (ISIC, 2005; Eurostat, 2005).

Another source of classifications used within Europe, again matched to international

classifications developed at the United Nations, is the “Statistical Classification of

Products by Activity in the European Economic Community.” (Eurostat, 2002). These

product/service classes are based on activity within a given area of the economy and

are cross-referenced to the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) discussed earlier.

It should be noted that the classification presented below is the 2002 version – these

are currently being updated to bring them into line with the 2007 revisions to SIC

discussed later. The headings believed to be of relevance and interest to the events

industry are included in Table 4, with an expanded version in Appendix A.

Table 4: Statistical Classification of Products – Events Related Classes Group 74.8 Miscellaneous business services n.e.c. Class 74.87 Other business services 74.87.15 Exhibition, fair and congress organization services Group 92.3 Other entertainment services Class 92.32 Arts facilities operation services 92.32.10 Arts facilities operation services Class 92.34 Other entertainment services n.e.c. 92.34.1 Other entertainment services n.e.c. 92.34.13Miscellaneous entertainment services n.e.c. Group 92.6 Sporting services Class 92.61 Sports facilities operation services 92.61.1 Sports facilities operation services 92.61.10Sports facilities operation services Class 92.62 Other sporting services 92.62.1 Other sporting services 92.62.11Sports event promotion services 92.62.12Sports event organization services Source: Eurostat (2002) The process of establishing SICs in the UK is outlined in Standard Industrial

Classification of Economic Activities 2003 (Cuffe, 2002). Cuffe notes that ‘SIC

classifications are determined according to the principal activity of a unit. Ideally, this


31

is based on value added; in practice a proxy, such as turnover or employment, is

frequently needed. In general, SIC(80) classification rules on, for example, use of the

SIC, statistical units and how to assess the secondary and ancillary activities

continue to apply.’

Based on the earlier discussion about the various sectors within the events industry,

a number of appropriate classifications from SIC(2003) may be used to draw in data,

summarised in Table 4 (see Appendix B for further information). It should be noted

that use of these classes will depend on the accuracy of data required and the

availability of data recorded against these classes.

Table 5: UK SIC(2003) Relevant to the Events Industry

Class/ Subclass

Title

70.20 Letting of own property 70.20/1 Letting of conference and exhibition centres 74.81 Photographic activities 74.81/9 Photographic activities not elsewhere classified 74.87 Other business activities not elsewhere classified 74.87/3 Activities of exhibition and fair organizers 74.87/4 Activities of conference organizers 92.31 Artistic and literary creation and interpretation 92.31/1 Live theatrical presentations 92.32 Operation of arts facilities 92.34 Other entertainment activities not elsewhere classified 92.34/9 Other entertainment activities not elsewhere classified 92.61 Operation of sports arenas and stadiums 92.61/9 Operation of other sports arenas and stadiums not elsewhere classified 92.62 Other sporting activities 92.62/9 Other sporting activities not elsewhere classified Source: Cuffe (2002)

There are clearly many organisations operating in the events industry, but as noted

elsewhere, there are difficulties in reliably gathering data on these organisations as,

to date, an appropriate SIC code has not been available at the level at which data are

collected. However, official data is being collected on a regular basis (for example for

financial returns), therefore the question arose, how is it currently recorded? In order

to answer this question, a review was conducted of the relevant Key Note reports

(Baxter, 2004; Tambe, 2004) to ascertain which SIC codes organisations operating

within the events industry are using. This initial scan highlighted some interesting

results, summarised in Table 6.


32

Table 6: SIC Codes Used in Reporting Financial Results from Events Industry

Related Companies

Company SIC (2003) Reed Exhibitions 74843, Activities of exhibition and fair organisers NEC Group, Earls Court Olympia

70201, Letting of conference and exhibition centres. 92610, Operation of sports arenas and stadia.

Sodexho Prestige 55520, Catering.

Sportsworld 63302, Activities of travel organisers.

Source: Baxter (2004), Tambe (2004). What this initial scan illustrated is that events-related activity is being recorded within

a number of SIC codes, however, how prevalent is this and what other codes are in

use? In order to answer this question, a search was undertaken using FAME. FAME

is a database of companies operating in the UK and Ireland which holds information

on 2.8 million companies, including detailed information on 1.9 million of these.

Details include trading and financial information and, of importance to this study,

turnover, number of employees and SIC code. The database allows searching

according to a range of criteria, which when combined with Boolean terms (AND, OR,

NOT) allows comparisons and combinations of different results (Fame, 2005).

An initial search was conducted of key terms and searches with relevant SIC codes.

The results of this search are presented in Table 7 below.

Table 7: Selection of SIC Codes Used by Some Events-Related within FAME

SIC Code

Description Number

6330 Activities of travel agencies and tour operators; tourist assistance activities not elsewhere classified

907

70201 Letting of conference and exhibition centres 0 74873 Activities of exhibition and fair organisers 0 74874 Activities of conference organisers 0 7413 Market research and public opinion polling 282 7414 Business and management consultancy activities 2,651 7440 Advertising 1,109 7487 Other business activities not elsewhere classified 15,491 9232 Operation of arts facilities 141 9261 Operation of sports arenas stadiums 470 9305 Other service activities not elsewhere classified 4,931 Source: FAME (2005)

Although this is interesting, does it provide any useful data? At one level, this tells us

little about the events industry, apart from confirming what is already known – that


33

the industry is characterised by a range of organisations from a variety of industries.

However, it does confirm the diversity of the market and the potential size of the task

in gathering data, when organisations are self-selecting to submit data under a wide

range of categories. It may also indicate an opportunity to provide guidance to

businesses, through for example People1st, Business Tourism Partnership,

associations and other communication channels, in order to improve the recording of

data where the person completing the submission has a choice of categories

available to them.

In order to attempt to clarify this further, the next step involved a free-text search of

the description field and SIC codes using ‘conference’, ‘event’, ‘exhibition’, ‘festival’

and ‘marquee’. The results are presented in Table 8.

Table 8: FAME Results by Key Word

Key Word Number of Results conference 284 event 237 festival 6 exhibition 212 marquee 5 Source: FAME (2005).

By grouping the search terms together, 707 organisations were identified. From this,

it is clear that there are relatively few organisations included in the FAME database

that include events-related key words within their main business description. In

addition, it is known that these terms are sometimes used in other contexts outside

the events industry which may skew results. Further, some organisations may use

more than one of the key terms. Finally, there are many organisations that have

events-related activity as one aspect of their business, or do not recognise

themselves as being in the events-industry. As a result, if they haven’t included the

key words in their description, and there isn’t an obvious classification that they

would automatically be entered into, then their details cannot be analysed. In order to

attempt to minimise the impact of this, search terms were combined with each other

and the SIC codes identified earlier (using Boolean search logic – and/or) which

resulted in 386 organisations listed. Although some organisations did not provide

information on the number of employees, and others clearly have activities not

related to events, therefore requiring caution in any further interpretation, these

organisations employed 36 232 people.


34

Given the limitations to the above data, for example, only 6 festivals listed when there

are believed to be in the region of 550, is there value in this data? In terms of the

figure itself, possibly not, given the caveats and commentary that would have to be

indicated. However, this exercise has highlighted a potential route through to

additional data for the industry, it has highlighted additional SIC codes where

organisation data is being recorded and it provides the opportunity for further, in

depth, analysis in a future project.

2.4.1 New Classifications 2007 In their updated Business Tourism Prospectus, the Business Tourism Partnership

(BTP, 2005, p. 3) notes:

The lettings of conference and exhibition centres and the activities of exhibition, trade fair and conference organisers are currently subsumed within unrelated real estate and other unconnected business activities. The DTI and the Office for National Statistics are urged to raise the status of such a classification either by re-classifying the existing sub-codes or by pressing for a National Accounting Code from Eurostat, which is currently considering a classification to cover Convention and Trade Show Organisers.

The new 2007 International Standard Industry Classification of All Economic

Activities (United Nations Statistics Division, 2005), incorporated into the European

Classification of economic activities (Eurostat, 2005), propose a number of

classifications. These should enable data for the events industry to be collected

(Table 9, expanded definitions of classifications in Appendix C) and begin to address

some of the concern expressed by BTP and others.

There will be some cross over with other sectors within the footprint of People1st,

and indeed other sector skills councils such as SkillsActive, however, it may be

useful to include reference to such data in events-related studies, depending on the

purpose for which it is being gathered and reported. In addition, suitable caveats and

explanations, where required, will ensure that the interpretation of the data is clear.

For example, “5621- Event catering” within “562-Event catering and other food

service activities” will enable data to be collected on these service providers and

large revenue generators for the events industry, however, it is likely that they will

also be included in any analysis of contract food service providers. As a result, data

either will be included in “Events” or “Contract Food Service Providers,” or could

arguably be included in both with commentary signifying this, with this aspect of

catering /hospitality being clearly identified as being event-specific. The counter


35

argument could be that revenue and employment related to conference and

banqueting functions within hotels should also be extracted, however, as there is not

a classification for such, further work would be required to identify this. In a report for

the events or hospitality industry, issues may not arise as stakeholders in either

industry may agree that this particular category is within their industry. However,

caution would be required where any data is being collated for the People1st sector

skills overall to avoid double counting.

Table 9: International Standard Industry Classification (2007) Proposed Event-Related Classes SIC Code Description 562 Event catering and other food service activities 5621 Event catering 6810 Real estate activities with own or leased property 7920 Other reservation service activities 8230 Convention and trade show organizers 9000 Creative, arts and entertainment activities 931 Sports activities 9311 Operation of sports facilities 9319 Other sports activities 9329 Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.

Source: Eurostat, 2005

2.5 Size This section explores the size of the events industry.

2.5.1 The Growth Of The Events Industry

The new millennium has seen a vast increase in the funding given to community

projects and events, firmly focusing the spotlight on the events industry (Bowdin, et

al. 2006). The number of people involved in an event will vary depending on its

scale, however, it is clear that as an industry, events is expanding (Allen et al., 2005;

Bowdin et al. 2006; Goldblatt, 2005; Lloyd Jones, 2001; Shone and Parry 2004) with

the market seeing steady growth in recent years. The events industry is not only a

contributor to global and local economies but is increasingly becoming an integral

part of many organisations operations such as public entertainment, education,

charity, fundraising and as a marketing tool for raising awareness of company

products and services. Indeed, according to one of the representative bodies for the

meetings industry, Meeting Professionals International (MPI), 96% of corporate


36

marketing executives utilise events in their marketing mix. Events and festivals have

always played an important role in the functioning of society but since the 1970s this

role has changed, with people demanding a great deal more from events and their

organisation – spawning the growth of the events industry in the UK (Bowdin et al.,

2006; Lloyd-Jones, 2001). Although an events industry of sorts has been present in

the UK for over 30 years it is only now coming to be recognised as a profession in it's

own right.

In the past there were few barriers to entry and a poorly defined knowledge base.

However, the expansion in events activity and the consequent increase in specialist

events management companies and suppliers as demanded by the market, has led

to a move to classify and standardise the events industry. The diversity of the events

market and the fact that it is only just beginning to be recognised as an industry in its

own right makes it problematic to state the worth of the industry as a whole (Shone

and Parry 2004). There is currently only a minimal amount of data available

concerning the events industry, with the majority of information being gleaned from

sectors within it, such as the industries included in business tourism data (BTP, 2005;

Rogers, 2003a, 2003b) and corporate hospitality (Tambe, 2004). These cannot be

reliably combined due to the crossover between sections discussed earlier. This is

further exacerbated by the fact that events work is not currently covered by a specific

UK SIC code at the level where data are recorded and minimal data available for

analysis against the SOC (Sub Occupational Classification) groups.

2.5.2 Economic Value of the Events Industry

The events industry covers a broad spectrum of sectors, making it almost impossible

to estimate the size or worth of the industry without further detailed research to

gather labour market intelligence and establish a database for the industry. The

importance of events as an industry is beginning to be recognised, with the WTO

(World Tourism Organisation), a specialised agency of the United Nations, now

recognising the meetings and exhibitions industry as an official category in its

Tourism Satellite Account (ICCA, 2005) following agreement with the WTO, ICCA,

MPI and the tradeshow EIBTM. Although this does not encompass all types of

events, it is a positive move in the right direction. It should be remembered that the

events industry is highly complex and diverse - in many cases the aim of an event is

not to make money and often volunteers are used to help organise and run events.


37

As discussed earlier, events business takes place within hospitality, leisure, travel

and tourism sectors and the creative industries (more specifically entertainment).

Each of these sectors plays an important part in the UK economy with a DCMS

report (DCMS, 2004) estimating that the creative industries accounted for 8% of the

Gross Value Added in 2002. Further reports provide interesting insights into the

value of various sectors, for example, the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO)

research indicated that the exhibition industry injects nearly £9.3 billion into the UK

economy (Pitchfork, 2005), the Business Tourism Partnership quoted the conference

and meetings market to be worth £11.7 billion, outdoor events to be worth at least

£1billion (BTP, 2005) and Keynote (Tambe, 2004) valuing the corporate hospitality

industry at £912 million in 2003. Finally, Mintel (2004) notes that the music concert

and festival industry, which includes commercial music festivals, was estimated to be

worth £613 million in 2004. These sectors clearly play an important role in the UK

economy.

The UK is competing with international destinations for events, however, it is

achieving some success. As indicated in Table 10, the UK is third only behind the US

and France when it comes to holding large-scale international meetings over 300

delegates, however, when considering some of the major conferences with

thousands of delegates, the UK is claimed to be inhibited in some part by the lack of

an International Convention Centre in London. This is currently the subject of an

investigation.

Table 10: Top Ten Countries Hosting International Meetings of at Least 300 Participants (% of worldwide total), 2000 and 2002 2000 2002 US 10.3 12.5 France 5.8 6.2 UK 5.7 5.5 Germany 4.7 5.3 Spain 2.9 4.3 Italy 4.2 4.1 Belgium 3.2 3.4 Australia 2.9 3.1 Canada - 3.1 Netherlands 3.0 2.9 Source: Union of International Associations, 2002 Meeting Report


38

Events play an integral role in each of these sectors yet it is almost impossible to

assess the economic boost which they specifically provide overall. However, the

value of events is increasingly being calculated and their economic impact assessed

on a local, regional and national basis (see, for example, Bowdin et al., 2006, Getz,

2005; Rogers, 2003 or Shone and Parry, 2004 for examples). The crossover

between events and other sectors is not just a problem specific to the events

industry, with the Sector Skills Council for active leisure and learning, SkillsActive,

reporting similar difficulties – particularly with the use of SIC codes.

2.5.3 Employment

The fact that events work is generally seen to form a part of other sectors, rather than

as an industry in its own right, means that it is impossible to gain an accurate view of

how many people are employed in the events industry. It should also be noted that

many of the people involved in organising and running events are volunteers and

casual labour is often relied upon. There is, however, little doubt that the wider

service industries are continuing to grow in importance, with it being reported that in

both Wales and Scotland 76 per cent of their respective populations are employed in

these sectors (ELWA, 2005; Careers Scotland, 2005).

The Labour Market Review for�the Travel Services, Tourism Services and Events

Industry (HtF, 2003) states that there are 13,276 people employed in events as their

main job with a further 337 employed in events as their second job. While this

provides a figure for those people directly employed in events, it does not give any

estimation of those people who work in events indirectly (for example suppliers) or a

real total of those working in sectors which may also be defined under events. For

example, the same study suggests that of all events jobs, conference and events is

the largest employer with 13,771 employees – this figure is clearly not included in the

above figure for events. According to data extracted from the Labour Force Survey

2003/4, those included within the core occupation ‘conference and exhibition

managers’ have dropped by 1 per cent from 11,646 in 2001/2 to 11,504 in 2003/4

(People1st, 2005). It is perhaps worth noting that during that period, major external

forces have impacted on the industry including September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks,

the SARS outbreak, foot and mouth disease and others that led to some

organisations downsizing.


39

While it is difficult to assess the number of people actually employed in events work,

it is clear that growth in employment in this area and associated sectors is occurring.

The creative industries have seen a rise of 400,000 employees in an eight year

period (DCMS, 2004). The hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sectors among the

fastest growing in the UK, with average growth in the sector sitting at 7 per cent over

the last 5 years, compared with a 4 per cent growth rate across the economy as a

whole (People1st, 2005). Further to this, it is predicted that 15,000 new jobs will be

created in these sectors between 2002 and 2012, with this figure likely to increase

substantially, particularly in terms of events related jobs, thanks to the awarding of

the 2012 Olympics to London. The continued move towards a service based

economy has implications for occupational change, with an increase in the number of

people employed in managerial and professional occupations and a decline in low

level manual and non-manual occupations (Learning Skills Council, 2005). While

employment in events was often a secondary job in the past, the need for specialised

events staff is increasingly being recognised as the industry becomes more

professionalised.

The British Arts Festivals Association (Shaw and Allen, 2001) published a study

based on the responses of 137 arts festivals relating to the financial year 1998/9. The

study provides a useful insight into the festivals sector of the events industry. Of

those responding, 101 festivals spent £37.4 million, resulting in spending elsewhere

in the economy in excess of £90m. The 137 festivals employed 3,387 staff, excluding

thousands of self-employed artists and technicians who are involved in delivering the

programme. Festivals also offer the opportunity to employ volunteers – the study

found that arts festivals use on average 52 volunteers, though it should be noted that

these are generally for the duration of the festival itself rather than long term

employment.

2.5.4 Events Businesses It is also difficult to measure the number of events businesses as many different

types of organisations offer events services – from venues to suppliers of bunting.

Shone and Parry (2004, p. 39) suggest that the types of organisations capable of

providing complete packages for events are generally:

• Event management companies

• Production companies

• Event catering companies


40

• Party planners and professional events organisers

• Exhibition and theatrical contractors

• Technical service and multi-media companies

As the industry is not yet clearly defined, many organisations which could be

classified as ‘events’ organisations classify themselves in a different way, as

discussed further elsewhere. Once again this highlights the issue of crossover with

other sectors. There is no doubt that the number of events organisers is growing, for

example, with such organisations being among the highest number of members of

the Conference and Events Association, growing from 15 members (18%) in 2000 to

38 members (27%) in 2004.

TTENTO (2002) estimated that there were 909 event employers in the UK while the

Association of Exhibition Organisers states that there are around 550 exhibition

organisers. Caution is required when comparing data from different studies as the

basis for figures are not always known. Although exhibition employment may be the

most clearly defined among event-related work, there seems to be some disparity in

these two figures if compared directly, as this would imply around 350 events-

organisations servicing the remaining sectors within the events industry. Once again,

this highlights the need for further intelligence gathering in this area and the

development of a dedicated database.

A high proportion of events companies are based in the London and the South East

and major industrial cities elsewhere, with the sector characterised by micro

businesses. TTENTO (2001) noted 80 per cent of the employers within its remit to be

small to medium enterprises (SMEs). Though the research basis for this statistic is

not known, as it applied to the travel, tourism services and events sectors overall, it

seems that many event employers are particularly small by nature, with a recent

Event magazine survey of around 1800 readers of Event and RSVP magazines

finding that 71% of respondents across the event sectors have a team of 5 or fewer

(Bond, 2005b).

The National Survey of Small Tourism and Hospitality Firms: Special Issue: Small

Firms in the Events Sector (Wood et al., 2003) was based on the findings of a survey


41

distributed to 4000 events-related businesses including not-for-profit clubs and

associations through to full service events management companies. Of interest to

this study, the Business Database from Yell was used for sampling based on a

number of appropriate events-related business headings. The results from

approximately 600 small organisations, found that the principal activity of the

organisations in the sample was within the entertainment sector, with private/social

clubs and event planners the next largest group. The main types of event organised

by respondents were art/entertainment, business and trade events and cultural

celebrations.

One of the reasons for the prevalence of small firms within the events industry may

be due to the fact that events organisations tend to have a ‘pulsating’ organisation

structure. Effectively, the number of people employed by the organisation and/or

event swells as the event grows nearer and shrinks again after the event has

occurred (Hanlon and Cuskelly, 2002; Hanlon and Jago, 2000; Allen, O’Toole,

McDonnell and Harris, 2005). In many cases, casual labour or volunteers are used

in the actual running of events.

2.6 Characteristics of workforce This section explores characteristics of the workforce.

2.6.1 Occupations

The events industry has seen a shift in the last 10 years, while it was previously seen

to form a part of the wider hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sectors this role has

diminished and events has flourished as an industry in its own right. The growth of

the events industry and diversity of events has given rise to new business

opportunities, careers, tourism implications and professionalism (Getz, 2006).

Due to the emerging nature of the profession and consequent cross over with other

sectors, many of the people currently employed in events occupations have

developed their skills elsewhere (e.g. hospitality, tourism etc), but the recent growth

in the events industry has led to a rise in the demand for sector specific skills. Not

only has this led to a much greater level of clarification of the industry, its occupations

and skills, it has also led to a vast rise in the number of events related training,


42

education and specific qualifications. For example, Meeting Professionals

International’s Professional Pathways project, launched in January 2006, identifies

five levels of competence, covering college/university students, entry/novice level,

experienced level, senior level and executive/advanced. As part of the initiative, they

are defining standardised classification of competencies for meeting and event

professionals as well as identifying critical knowledge, skills and abilities (MPI, 2005).

The organisation of events may entail the use of many different companies and thus

involves a large number of people in different occupations. Van der Wagen (2005)

suggests that the core events team may work with a number of different contractors,

including:

• Venue managers

• Stage managers

• Lighting, audio and video companies

• Decorators and florists

• Entertainers

• Employment agencies

• Rental companies

• Public relations and marketing consultants

• Security companies

• Catering companies

• Cleaning companies

• Ticketing operations

• Printers

While people employed in such jobs may be heavily involved in the running and

organisation of events, this is not the core purpose of their job, thus it is possible to

identify a number of core event occupations. The Association of Exhibition

Organisers recognises three main roles within exhibition companies which may be

generalised to events as a whole: marketing, sales and operations. Event

occupations tend to be centred around a core event manager and although jobs may

be varied across the different sub groups, events staff tend to specialise in one or

two areas. Learn Direct, the national learning and training agency, suggest that this

may include:

• Exhibitions


43

• Conferences

• Product launches

• Fundraising events

• Festivals

• Weddings

• Parties

The type of work in which events staff specialise is likely to be dependent upon the

type of organisation that they work for. Event staff may be employed by event

management companies who specialise in certain types of events or provide an all

round service. Furthermore, they may be employed by organisations such as hotels,

conference centres, higher education establishments, local authorities or charities.

Professional organisations ranging from telecommunications and IT, to banking and

finance often have their own in house events teams and it is also possible for people

to work in a freelance capacity (CareersMatch Scotland, 2004). Although most

people employed in events related jobs tend to specialise in a certain area, for

example, event manager, conference organiser and exhibition co-ordinator, as

demonstrated by the inclusion of these three roles in official government services

such as Worktrain, it is possible to identify core event occupations which are visible

across these sub sectors. Such occupations may also be recognisable in events run

by volunteers such as local gala days, although this may not be so obvious. Event

occupations may include:

Event Manager

The event manager oversees the strategic organisation and running of the event and

is the key customer facing contact. They co-ordinate all aspects of the event

ensuring that it meets the clients requirements. As Lloyd Jones (Brand Republic)

states the core events team is built around this person to aid and support them.

Learn Direct provide a useful overview of this role and also for conference and

exhibition organisers (Appendices D to F).

Event Producer

The event producer deals with the practical and operational issues of staging the

event and how the strategic objectives will be met. They ensure that technical plans

are put into place and delivered and are likely to take up the site management

position during the duration of the event.


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Event Co-ordinator

The event co-ordinator assists the event manager in all aspects of the organisation

and running of the event. This is a highly varied role and it is likely that a large-scale

event will have a number of event co-ordinators working on different aspects of the

event from hospitality to logistics.

Event Marketer

The event marketer deals with the marketing and advertising of the event, not only to

consumers but also to organisations that may participate in the event. For example,

an events marketer working on a music event may have the job of trying to attract

musicians to work at the event. This job is closely related with event sales.

Event Sales

This role is generally found in the exhibition and conference and corporate hospitality

areas and entails ‘selling’ the event to organisations that may be interested in buying

floor space or providing sponsorship.

In a meetings industry context, the career guide produced by MPI (2002) provides a

useful overview of the range of services and roles within the meetings/conference

industry (Appendix G).

2.6.1.1 Standard Occupation Classification 2000 (SOC)

As a profession, as discussed earlier, events work is only just beginning to be

recognised resulting in a great deal of crossover with other sectors. It is often the

case that although people are working in events related jobs they are not officially

classed in such a way, for example, the main concern of music promoters is events

management yet they are classified under music occupations, making it difficult to

establish set event jobs. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is

currently no official classification for events jobs.

In an occupational context, CTHRC (2005) gather data based on National

Occupational Classification - Statistics (Statistics Canada, 2001), which apply across

America, Canada and Mexico. NOC-S 2001 defines the role of conference and event

planners (B316) is to:


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plan, organize and co-ordinate conferences, conventions, meetings,

seminars, exhibitions, trade shows, festivals and other events. They are

employed by tourism associations, trade and professional associations,

convention and conference centres, governments and by conference and

event planning companies.

The NOC-S also provides a useful overview of the types of job titles that would be

included in this classification. What is notable, as seen in other studies, is that although

the overall heading is conference and event planners, there are a wide range of job titles

for people undertaking this role.

Example Titles: conference and meeting planner; conference coordinator; conference organizer; conference planner; conference services officer; convention and special events planner; convention coordinator; convention planner; convention planning services officer; coordinator, conferences; co-ordinator, conventions; co-ordinator, social events; co-ordinator, special events; event co-ordinator; event planner; exhibition co-ordinator; festival organizer; meeting co-ordinator; meeting planner; organizer, special events; planner, conventions and special events; planner, special events; program planner, special events; social events co-ordinator; special events co-ordinator; special events organizer; special events planner; special events program planner; trade show organizer; trade show planner.

Within the UK Standard Occupation Codes (Office for National Statistics, 2000), data

relating to conferences and exhibitions is collected under unit code 1222 –

Conference and Exhibition Managers, within Minor Group 122 Managers and

Proprietors in Hospitality and Leisure Services. The role is defined as:

Conference and exhibition managers plan, organise, co-ordinate and direct the resources necessary for the staging of conferences, exhibitions and other similar events (ONS, 2000, p. 61).

The entry also identifies the entry requirements, tasks and related job titles,

presented in Table 11.

This SOC classification has formed the basis for data included in earlier studies for

HtF and TTENTO. However, using the broader definition of the events industry

discussed earlier in this report, a number of other occupation codes may also be

relevant:


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Table 11: Standard Occupation Code 1222 – Conference and Exhibition

Managers

DEFINITION Conference and exhibition managers plan, organise, co-ordinate and direct the resources necessary for the staging of conferences, exhibitions and other similar events. TYPICAL ENTRY ROUTES AND ASSOCIATED QUALIFICATIONS Entry is possible with a variety of academic qualifications and/or relevant experience. Larger conference and exhibition management companies may offer training schemes. Candidates for these typically require a BTEC/SQA award, a degree or an equivalent qualification. Off- and on-the-job training is provided. TASKS • discusses conference and exhibition requirements with clients; • develops proposals encompassing technical and creative inputs, and presents proposals to clients; • allocates exhibition space to exhibitors; • plans work schedules, assigns tasks, and coordinates the activities of designers, crafts persons, technical staff, caterers and other events staff; • ensures that Health and Safety and other statutory regulations are met. • plans and arranges food preparation in collaboration with other staff and organises the provision of waiting or counter staff; • checks that supplies are properly used and accounted for to prevent wastage and loss and to keep within budget limit. RELATED JOB TITLES Conference manager Exhibition manager Source: ONS (2000), pp. 60-61.

The size and scale of the event will determine the number of people employed in the

core event team. While large scale events organised by big events management

companies are likely to have organisation structures including the above occupations

(and many more), in the case of small events and/or small companies it is likely that

there will be some degree of overlap between these jobs. As Allen, O’Toole,

McDonnell and Harris (2005, p. 144) suggest ‘ensuring that an event is adequately

staffed with the right people, who are appropriately trained and motivated to meet its

objectives is fundamental to the event management process.’ Further, Goldblatt

(1997, p. 129) describes the role of the event manager:

The most effective event managers are not merely managers, rather, they are dynamic leaders whose ability to motivate, inspire others and achieve their goals are admired by their followers. The difference between management and leadership is perhaps best characterised by this simple but effective definition: managers control problems, whereas leaders motivate others to find ways to achieve goals.

In Higher Education, classifications have been introduced to allow data relating to

events to be collected. For example, the new Joint Academic Coding System (JACS)


47

(HESA, 2005) includes a new code, N820 event management (‘The study of

managing one-off events such as conferences, shows and visits’), to allow data on all

students studying events management to be tracked. In addition, first destination

data is collected according to a derivative of SIC and SOC codes being developed as

SOC(DLHE) (Davies, Elias and Ellison, 2003). Appropriate event-related headings

are indicated in Table 12.

Table 12: SOC(DLHE) Event-Related Occupations

Number Title 12220 Conference, Events and Exhibition Managers 12221 Conference Managers 12222 Exhibition Managers 12250 Leisure and Sports Managers 12251 Recreation and Sports Facilities Managers 12252 Entertainment Managers 12253 Cultural and Leisure Establishment Managers 35390 Business and Related Associate Professionals n.e.c. 35392 Conference, Exhibition and Events Co-ordinators and Consultants Source: Davies, Elias and Ellison (2003)

2.6.2 Full time/part time/casual In the past, event work was often a secondary job of people in other occupations. As

the industry has become more specialised this is changing, with only 337 people now

employed in events as a secondary job compared to 13,276 who are employed in

events occupations as their main job (Labour Force Survey 2002, cited in HtF, 2003).

The majority of people employed in events occupations, some 76.6 per cent

(10,174), are employed on a full time basis (HtF, 2003), potentially dispelling the

image that the industry is dominated by part time, seasonal work. It is likely that this

image has grown from the fact that many people are employed on a short term basis

around the time of an event to help with the operation of the event, however, the size

and scale of this temporary workforce requires further investigation. In addition,

some sectors rely on an unpaid volunteer workforce which is no less important within

the industry as demonstrated by the thousands who volunteered during the 2002

Manchester Commonwealth Games and the estimated 70,000 required for the 2012

London Olympics. Given the scale of this task and the training needs to ensure that

the events run smoothly, initiatives are already underway to start recruiting and

training the ‘volunteer army’ required. The Manchester Commonwealth Games was

unprecedented in the UK for reliance on volunteers and the scale of the London 2012

requirements will present a huge challenge. In addition, the event will present great


48

opportunities for training and development, together with a significant demand for a

skilled and trained workforce. The implications of this will require further research.

2.6.3 Gender In terms of patterns of employment, HtF (2003) indicated that the gender split in

events is relatively equal with 52.7 per cent of employees being male and 47.3 per

cent female. The Annual Salary and Lifestyle Survey 2000 (Fletcher, 2000) found

that although men still dominate most senior positions within the events industry, this

trend is likely to change. For example, in the USA, women comprise 70% of those

who entered the field (Profile of Event Management 1996), which would seem to be

representative of this forthcoming trend. Further, the 2005 Salary and Lifestyle

Survey (Bond, 2005a) would appear to support this with a gender split of 74 per cent

female to 26 per cent male, which she noted was a fair representation. This may

either indicate a sizeable shift in the workforce from 2003 or be indicative of the

readership of Conference & Incentive Travel Magazine and Event magazine,

however, it highlights an area that requires further investigation.

2.6.4 Ethnicity According to HtF(2003), based on the Labour Force Survey, the events industry is

almost entirely dominated by white employees (93.6 per cent) with only 6.4 per cent

of the workforce being of a black origin and no record of any other ethnicities being

represented. The reasons for this are unclear and warrant further investigation as

the true ethnic breakdown of the industry is not known.

2.6.5 Salary As there is relatively little data currently available concerning the events industry it is

difficult to establish the earnings of people employed in the different events related

occupations. However, the Meeting Professionals Salary Survey 2002 found that the

world wide average salary for a meeting organiser was $59,447 (approx. £30,000).

According to Learn Direct, in the UK a junior events organiser is likely to earn

somewhere between £14,000 and £17,000 while a senior events manager handling

large budgets may earn in excess of £36,000, however these figures are only

estimates (see Appendices D to F for further information). The fact that the events

industry is only just beginning to standardise terminology and roles means that there

is likely to be a huge variation in pay scales and wages, as the industry becomes

more established and standardised this is likely to change with occupations

becoming clearer.


49

Bond (2005a) reports on the recent findings of the Salary and Lifestyle Survey 2005.

The study found that the average salary for males, across all levels and sectors, is

£43,751, while for females it is £27,812. The average salary, excluding overtime,

bonuses and profit share, is £32,025. The survey this year found some surprising

results, with a marked difference between the pay of men and women, with a

£10,000 difference in the not for profit sector and £6000 in the exhibitions sector at

director level. Further, the study noted that there continues to be a disproportionate

number of administration roles taken by females. When taken in the context of the

changing structure of the events industry workforce towards female dominated

positions, these results may perhaps indicate the need for further in-depth research

to explore the issues further.

2.7 Environmental Influences The future looks bright for the events industry. Not only is it beginning to be

recognised as an industry and profession in its own right but growth looks set to

continue, influenced by a number of factors including the successful bid for London

2012 Olympics. The Learning Skills Council (LSC, 2005) predicts growth in the SOC

areas of ‘culture, media and sport’ and ‘leisure and other personal service

occupations’ which incorporate some areas of events work, while a recent survey by

Event Magazine (Bond, 2005b) suggests that business is increasing with renewed

investment. This study was also supported by the recent results of the IMEX

Quarterly Barometer of Business Tourism Confidence for April-June 2005. The

survey of 200 buyers and agencies showed that 76 per cent of the surveyed expect

business to increase next year, with 18 per cent expecting to see ‘significant’ growth

(Bowden, 2005). However, as Lloyd Jones (2001) points out events organisations

can generally only work 6 months to a year in advance, giving the rapidly changing

environment and so need to be cautious about growth plans. Although the industry

may grow in economic and employment terms it is likely that the increase in skilled

event staff and professionalisation will lead to an increase in competition which may,

in turn, lead to a fall in the number of event management companies as the weaker

ones are exposed.

Events will continue to play an important part in people’s lives, as demonstrated by

the recently published ‘Rough Guide 50 Great Experiences’ (Brown, 2005) consisting

of 50 events that people should attend. Events are being generated by a range of


50

organisations and sectors, as discussed earlier. Table 13 provides a more detailed

overview of the types of organisations and events that they may be involved in.

Table 13: Event Generators and Associated Events EVENT GENERATORS TYPES OF EVENTS GOVERNMENT SECTOR Central Government

Civic celebrations and commemorations

Public space authorities e.g. National Trust, National Park Authorities

Public entertainment, festivals, leisure and recreation events

Tourism e.g. VisitBritain, VisitScotland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Wales Tourist Board, regional tourism through Regional Development Agencies

Festivals, special interest and lifestyle events, destination promotions

Visitor & Convention Bureaux Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions

Arts e.g. Arts Council England, Scottish Arts Council, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, Regional Arts Councils

Arts festivals, cultural events, touring programs, theatre, themed art exhibitions

Sport e.g. UK Sport, Sport England, Scottish Sports Council, Sports Council for Northern Ireland, Sport Council for Wales

Sporting events, hosting of national and international events

Economic development e.g. EventScotland, Northern Ireland Events Company, Regional Development Agencies

Focus on events with industry development and job creation benefits

Local government e.g. City Councils Community events, local festivals and fairs

CORPORATE SECTOR Companies and corporate organisations

Promotions, product launches, incentives, corporate hospitality, corporate entertainment and image building sponsorships

Industry associations Industry promotions, trade fairs/exhibitions, seminars, training, conferences

Gaming and racing e.g. Racecourse Holdings Trust (owners of Aintree, Epsom, Newmarket)

Race meetings and carnivals

Entrepreneurs Ticketed sporting events, concerts and exhibitions

Media Media promotions e.g. concerts, fun runs, appeals

COMMUNITY SECTOR Clubs and societies

Special interest groups e.g. Flower festivals, car shows, traction engine rallies

Charities Charity events and fundraisers Source: Bowdin et al. (2006).


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The growth and development of events management education has in some ways

mirrored developments in the industry itself. Previously, Bowdin (2005) noted that

events have been discussed in the context of tourism, hospitality, leisure, sport and a

host of other service industries (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Relationship of Subject Areas

Source: Bowdin (2005).

However, Bowdin (2005) went on to highlight that, though events have an important

relationship and role with all of these, there is also an increasing argument for events

to be separated and identified as a distinct subject (Figure 4). The reasons for this

are clear. If the events industry, and events qualifications, are seen as being one of a

number of subjects within any of the above subject areas, then events may be

developed, explored and researched in that context, which will potentially lead to

other aspects of events being overlooked. However, by drawing events out into a

separate subject area, the role played in each of these subjects (and others) can be

acknowledged and the holistic view of the events industry can be explored across

traditional boundaries. In educational terms, this thread of discussion led to the

formation of a new subject association, AEME (Association for Events Management

Education), in order to reflect the development of education and best practice for the

subject area and inform the future agenda.

Figure 4: Introduction of Events Subject

Source: Bowdin (2005).

Sport

Arts

Business inc PR

Tourism

Hospitality

Leisure

Sport

Arts

Business inc PR and

Tourism Hospitality

Leisure

Events


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This same argument holds true in the context of the People1st footprint of 14

industries, where events is identified as a separate cognate area and industry.

Various (including events-related) activities undertaken within the People1st

industries may be classified under one of a number of headings depending on

purpose and what the classification is seeking to achieve. For example, corporate

hospitality may traditionally appear within the hospitality industry, given its origins and

the traditional activities associated with it. However, with the growth and changes in

the market, with products and services moving away from a mainly

hospitality/catering model and the role of corporate hospitality within the marketing

function becoming recognised, this area is increasingly referred to under the

corporate events banner (indeed, the association for this sector, Corporate Events

Association, changed its name from Corporate Hospitality Association, to reflect this

development). Further, the area of business tourism has raised much discussion.

Rogers (2003) notes that many people in industry still question whether “business

tourism” accurately reflects the sector encompassing conferences, exhibitions and

incentive travel, with the link to tourism not necessarily professing the best image for

these industries given its link (for some) with low pay and perceptions linked to

holidays and leisure. However, he notes that this is widely accepted in Europe,

though in Australia the term ‘business events’ is used. Figure 5 highlights some

examples of the other potential crossover between industries within the People1st

footprint, while Figure 6 notes the potential cross over with other Sector Skills

Councils.


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Figure 5: Intersection between Events Industry and Other Industries within the People1st Footprint

Pubs, bars,

nightclubs

Events

Social events Parties

Dance events Music events Entertainment

Venues eg pubs, bars, nightclubs

Tourism Events

Business Tourism/Business Events

Meetings/Conferences Exhibitions

Incentive Travel

Hospitality Events

Corporate Events Corporate Hospitality

Parties Conference/Banqueting

Venues eg hotels

Contract food service

providers Events

Event catering Venues eg corporate hospitality at

racecourses, golf courses, football/cricket/rugby stadia etc


54

Figure 6: Intersection between Events Industry and Other Industries/Sector

Skills Councils

2.7.1 Environmental Scanning The external environment includes all of the factors which surround the event which may impact on its success. These are generally split into political, economic, social and technological. Some of these have been touched upon within the earlier sections, however, it is worth briefly highlighting them here. It is also worth highlighting again studies that have taken place previously. Questions Answered Ltd (2001) provided a useful summary of some of the environmental issues affecting the travel, tourism services and events industries. These are presented in Table 14.

Sport (SkillsActive)

Events

Sport Events ‘Festivals of Sport’ eg

Commonwealth Games, Olympics, World Cup

Venues eg arena, stadia

Creative Industries/ Arts (SSC–

CIDA)

Events

Performing Arts Festivals

Music Concerts Cultural Events

Theatre Venues (eg Theatres)

Leisure (SkillsActive) Events

Public Events, Local Authority Events

Outdoor Events Festivals

Consumer Shows Cultural Events


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Table 14: Summary of Environmental Drivers

Change Drivers Driver Issue Social • Population and demographic change

• Changing customer and expenditure behaviour (trends) • Increasing demands of consumers • Changing social behaviour • Patterns of consumption: increasing leisure time and work / life

balance Technological • ICT and interactive booking technologies

• Speed of ICT changes • Use of ICT by industry and consumers

Economic • Strength of sterling • Impact of the Euro • Competitive market forces

Environmental • The green agenda • Large scale commercial developments • Climate change

Political • Government policy and regulation • Changing infrastructure of government UK policy • Local authority and public sector support • National Minimum Wage • Political pressures • EU and overseas economic policies

Source: Questions Answered Ltd (2001).

2.7.1.1 Political/Legal

Laws or regulations, the deliberations of all levels of government (including local

authorities, UK government and national assemblies), and the impact of European

legislation, all affect the way in which people live and how businesses operate. For

example, the laws regulating employment, health and safety and licensing have been

particularly noticeable in the events industry and are set to continue making an

impact. For example, the Disability Discrimination Act has been the topic of many

industry seminars and articles in the trade press over the past year, while the rising

minimum wage impacts on the bottom line.

The political landscape within the UK has changed, with devolved government a

reality for Wales and Scotland and, depending on the outcome of the peace process,

perhaps in Northern Ireland. In addition, the regional development agencies within

the UK have taken on an increasing role, particularly relating to the local economy

and employment/skills.


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It is also worth noting within this context the issues affecting specific roles in the

industry. For example, the changing face of security and stewarding at events, with

the Security Industry Association (SIA) now responsible for licensing people

operating in that role, including the management of them.

Within exhibition contractors, there is a concerted effort by related industry

associations (such as British Exhibition Contractors Association) for exhibition

contractors to be removed from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

Levy. The argument is based on the premise that employers in contracting do not

benefit from the training being offered in construction as they are more closely allied

with the events industry (BECA, 2005).

In the political context, the area of lobbying can also be considered. The Business

Tourism Partnership, representing 11 of the leading event-industry associations and

the leading tourism bodies in the UK, recently published their key priorities for the

sector in July 2005. They are included in Table 15 below, as these appear to

highlight what are currently seen as some of the main issues by industry. Four

enablers are of particular interest to this study. Firstly, the demand for government,

government departments and associated organisations at a national, regional and

local level to focus on events and business tourism as a discrete sector of the

tourism industry. Secondly, support for improved skills development. Thirdly,

increase the level of research. Finally, to ensure that the dedicated SIC codes for the

industry are developed.

Table 15: Enablers for Business Tourism/Events Sector Enabler Commentary 1. Business tourism produces higher visitor spend and greater return on investment. It deserves higher levels of investment in marketing.

Less than 5% of VisitBritain's international marketing budget is spent on business tourism, even though the sector produces 28% of all incoming visitors. The higher business tourism yield would enable VisitBritain to achieve a greater return on investment in overseas markets and address Britain's declining global market share. It would also ensure that opportunities for business tourism are better understood and more effectively exploited abroad.

2. The Department of Trade & Industry and UK Trade & Investment should give greater prominence to the benefits of

Promotional and support programmes for businesses to develop their trade and exports through attendance at exhibitions


57

trade development and export earnings offered by business tourism activity.

and conferences should be better co-ordinated by the DTI and UK Trade & Investment. Following the closure of the DTI's Business Services Unit, an alternative support facility is needed. More assistance should also be given to overseas buyers to attend events in Britain. Market intelligence needs to be gathered from overseas posts about potential opportunities for events to be held in Britain.

3. Greater assistance from Government departments and agencies, in the UK and overseas, should be given to the bidding process for international events, as is already being done for major sporting events. This should include proactive and coordinated support by senior Ministers, Ambassadors, Trade Consuls and Commercial Attachés.

The Business Tourism Partnership welcomes the proactive support given to attract major sporting events. It believes that the same support should be offered to even more lucrative business tourism events through an integrated strategy, increased resources and appropriate subvention policies.

4. Higher priority must be given to improved research and data collection for business tourism.

The Tourism Statistics Improvement Initiative findings should be enacted in full, but greater priority must be accorded to its recommendations for business tourism research: developing more consistent research methodologies, establishing a more accurate universe of sector businesses, and by increasing the number of ad hoc surveys, including conference delegate expenditures, incentive travel and corporate hospitality as well as factors influencing purchasing choice. Business trips that qualify as day tourism should be included in UKTS.

5. A Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) for the Business Events Sector is urgently needed to enable more accurate reporting of economic and employment data.

The lettings of conference and exhibition centres and the activities of exhibition, trade fair and conference organisers are currently subsumed within unrelated real estate and other unconnected business activities. The DTI and the Office for National Statistics are urged to raise the status of such a classification either by re-classifying the existing sub-codes or by pressing for a National Accounting Code from Eurostat, which is currently considering a classification to cover Convention and Trade Show Organisers.

6. A more harmonious structure between Regional Development Agencies, Regional Tourist Boards and VisitBritain is necessary in order to achieve greater cohesiveness and a more proactive

Business tourism contributes to regional and seasonal spread objectives but, while more RDAs are recognizing its importance and devoting more resources to it, there is still insufficient liaison


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approach to business tourism in England. between RDAs to create cohesion. At the regional and sub-regional levels, strong and clear national policy guidance, and adequate funding for supporting services, are essential.

7. There is a need to ensure that the economic benefits and positive impacts of business tourism are reflected in local government spending.

Recognition of the economic importance of business tourism by local authorities is patchy, even though it is the most lucrative form of tourism activity. Appropriate levels of funding are required for convention bureaux and for publicly-owned event venues in all areas where business tourism is a significant component of the local economy.

8. There should be further support to improve skill levels and productivity among the business tourism workforce, combined with a 'tax credit' scheme to encourage businesses investing in skills training.

Business tourism and events must be recognised as a discrete competence by Government, to enable the sector to secure funding for training and CPD as well as access to tax credits. Incentives to encourage take-up of national vocational qualifications are needed. The Sector Skills Council, People 1st and the Productivity Forum for Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality, need to focus on events as a dedicated sector.

Source: Business Tourism Partnership (2005), p. 3.

2.7.1.2 Economic

The economic climate affects the ways that organisations do business. Economic

features include areas such as unemployment, inflation, interest rates, and levels of

wages and salaries which can impact on the demand for a particular event (Bowdin

et al., 2006).

As highlighted earlier, the value of events is increasingly recognised for economies

with an ever increasing number of impact studies being written to demonstrate the

value of events for a particular area or region. In addition, a range of industry

publications and studies demonstrate on a regular basis the value of the industries

within the events industry and the issues they face, for example, conferences (BACD,

2004; Baxter, 2004; The Right Solution, 2005), festivals (AFO, 2004; Allen and Shaw,

2001; Mintel, 2004) and exhibitions (Baxter, 2004; Exhibition Audience Audits Ltd,

2005).

The discussion relating to the new SIC and SOC codes and the classification of the

events industry and related occupations may be highlighted again here, together with


59

issues relating to wages and salaries (Bond, 2005b), and training the workforce/skills

(TTENTO, 2001; HtF, 2003; People1st, 2005). The education strategy produced by

TTENTO (2001) also provides a useful overview of the issues relating to education,

training, skills and development based on a consultation exercise with industry and

other stakeholders.

2.7.1.3 Social/cultural

The social life of a particular community results from interaction between the people

who live there. Various institutions play a role in a society, such as churches,

charities, sporting groups, social groups, occupational groups, business

organizations and artistic bodies. Culture can be defined as a historically derived

design for living, shared by a discrete group of people. It encompasses such things

as food, dress, architecture, language, shared beliefs, myths and values. It also

includes artistic endeavours, recreation and leisure activities, and popular culture

such as cinema, pop music and dance. Any planned event must address its target

audience carefully: for example, planners of youth events must be aware that the

youth culture of each generation is quite often very different from its predecessor,

and create activities accordingly (Bowdin et al., 2006). These social and cultural

aspects may all provide opportunities for the events industry and for future

development. For example, the increasing interest in volunteering (driven by the

London 2012 Olympics) will offer a range of possibilities for employers and

employees across the sector.

2.7.1.4 Technological

Changes in equipment and machines have revolutionised the way people undertake

tasks. A contemporary example of this is the use of the Internet to promote festivals,

exhibitions and events or the increasing use of technology in work and social lives.

Entering the word ‘festival’ into an Internet search engine will produce links to a

multitude of events in all parts of the globe. Similarly, many sites have been

developed to support event professionals, students and educators, by providing

information, directories, and resources – WorldofEvents.net

(http://www.worldofevents.net) and EPMS.net (http:// www.epms.net) are two

examples (Bowdin et al., 2006). Technological developments can be seen in many

areas of the events industry, from the use of computers in events production for


60

controlling lights, sound and audiovisual effects, to the use of projectors and

PowerPoint in conferences.

Technological trends include the use of text messaging and email, mobile telephones

and WiFi internet access and the ever increasing range of software available to

companies. From an education and training perspective, each technological change

has some degree of skills update required, be it in terms of learning how to use it, or

increasingly, in accessing education and training provision through online learning.

Research has identified the impact of technology on the sector

(PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2001), which may offer further insights for development.

2.8 Workforce development and skill needs The current and future skills needs have been touched upon within the preceding

sections and throughout. However, a range of existing publications may inform

future discussion.

2.8.1 Knowledge and Skills Development Devising appropriate knowledge categories for the events management field

presents a challenge, given the range of alternatives available. Some consider it

appropriate to use a traditional management approach, focusing on traditional

disciplines, for example, management, finance, human resources and marketing.

Others may consider an event-specific approach more suitable, incorporating health

and safety, production and logistics. Although either approach is appropriate for

categorising knowledge and skills, research suggests that neither approach would

currently provide a comprehensive framework. An examination of previous studies

provides a useful basis for further discussion.

In the UK, the Business Tourism Forum and the Business Tourism Advisory

Committee (1999, p. 36) found that the conference and event industries required

enhanced negotiation skills, higher client-management skills and a detailed

knowledge of specific venues. In addition, the industry requires people with an

informed understanding of, and ability to anticipate client needs, and to suggest

solutions to problems and improvements to plans. Though useful in identifying a

number of specific skills, and acknowledging that this was based on a study

identifying industry needs, this does not offer comprehensive categories and does


61

not identify on what basis these areas were identified. In addition, it focused on

business tourism, or business events, rather than exploring the broad spectrum of

the events industry and therefore other equally important knowledge and skill areas

may be missing.

TTENTO (2002) highlighted a number of skills areas that were required for the sector

overall.

For new entrants to the sector:

• A need for IT;

• Improving own learning and performance;

• Working with other people;

• Communications and oral and numeracy skills

For practitioners:

• Customer relations skills;

• Administrative/organising skills;

• Face to face selling skills;

• Telephone skills; and

• Marketing skills.

For supervisors and managerial staff:

• Customer relations skills;

• Marketing skills;

• Staff management skills;

• Personal organisation skills; and

• Administration/organisation skills.

And specifically for the events industry, Questions Answered Ltd (2001) highlighted:

• Customer care and marketing skills; • New technology and the internet; • Language skills; • Training; • Management of sub-contractors; and • Adapting to working from home.

Further research, conducted in Canada and Australia, provides a useful insight into

the attributes and knowledge required specifically by event managers. While

developing occupational standards for special-events coordinators, Tourism


62

Standards Consortium in Canada identified administrative and management skills,

risk management, programme planning and coordination, marketing, interpersonal

skills and human resource management (Stafford 1993). In their findings of a study

of event managers attending the Australian Events Conference in Canberra, Perry,

Foley and Rumpf (1996, p. 88) identified nineteen knowledge and attributes as being

required to be effective managers. Respondents of the survey strongly agreed on

ten of these: project management, budgeting, time management, relating to the

media, business planning, human resource management, marketing, contingency

management, obtaining sponsorship and networking. Based on a factor analysis of

the results, Perry, Foley and Rumpf (1996) then proposed five knowledge domains:

legal/financial, management, public relations/marketing, economic/analytical and

ethical/contextual. Though acknowledging that the study has limitations based on a

small sample size, their knowledge domains provide useful categories. Returning to

this study and others as the basis, Royal and Jago (1998) identified eight skill areas

which their respondents agreed were very important: planning, coordination,

sponsorship knowledge, marketing, human resource management, administration,

public relations and finance (Silvers, Bowdin, O’Toole and Nelson, 2006).

Exploring and outlining the requirements for event management training and

education is not new. Getz and Wicks (1994, pp. 108-9) identified key areas which

they believed should be included in event management courses. In addition to

generic management skills, they identified the following event-specific areas:

• History and meanings of festivals, celebrations, rituals and other events;

• Historical evolution: types of events;

• Trends in demand and supply;

• Motivation and benefits sought from events;

• Roles and impacts of events in society, the economy, environment and

culture;

• Who is producing events, and why?

• Program concepts and styles;

• Event settings;

• Operations unique to events;

• Management unique to events;

• Marketing unique to events.


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Getz (2000) presents a two level conceptual framework to illustrate the approach to

studying event management (Figure 7). He argues that the type of event is

secondary to developing an understanding of the nature of events and basic

management functions and as such splits the model between foundation level

requirements and specialisation.

Figure 7: Conceptual Framework for Event Management Level 1: Foundation

THE NATURE OF PLANNED EVENTS

• Limited duration and special purpose • Unique blend of setting, program,

management, and participants/customers

• Experiences and generic appeal • Cultural and economic significance • Businesses, agencies and

organizations • Forces and trends • Professionalism • Programming and scheduling • Venues/settings

MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS

• Planning and research • Organizing and co-ordinating • Human resources • Financial and physical

resources • Budgeting, controls, risk

management • Marketing and communications • Impact and performance

evaluation

Level 2: Specialization

• Type of event and unique program • Special venue requirements • Event organizations • Target markets and unique

communications • Special services and supplies • Unique impacts and performance

criteria

Source: Getz (2000), p. 1-3. In later research, Getz (2002, p. 16) identified elements required in developing an

event studies/event management discipline. These were presented, in no particular

order, as:

• identifiable and growing core of knowledge and skills, both theoretical and

methodological (event studies and management fundamentals)

• research supporting the field (for theory, methods and teaching)


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• academic departments devoted to event studies/management, or other clear

sources of identity for groups of event experts

• integrative curricula (not just by type or setting)

• a full range of academic programs (undergraduate, post-graduate and

research degrees)

• executive development partnerships (academics and the industry)

• dedicated research journals

• research funding allocated to the discipline

• conferences for academics and students; with or without industry participation

• industry support and community acceptance based on perceived value

• recognition by other fields and disciplines

• accreditation of academic programs by professional associations

• sustained student demand; clear career paths for students

• professional status for practitioners (code of ethics, formal standards, licensing

or other regulations)

Based on a content analysis of competencies contained in industry certification

programmes, vocational qualifications and a range of events-related textbooks

originating from Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UK and the United States,

Silvers (2004) identified four key domains: administration, operations, marketing and

risk management. Following the EMBOK Imbizo in 2004, the taxonomy has been

refined and recalibrated, with the addition of design, which is thought to encapsulate

a range of activities involved in event management that do not comfortably fit within

the other four domains (Silvers et al., 2006). Events management is a highly complex

task, with the Silvers Taxonomy (Silvers, 2004a) suggesting it includes:

• Financial Management

• Human Resources Management

• Information Management

• Procurement Management

• Systems Management

• Technology Management

• Time Management

• Audience Management

• Hospitality Management

• Marketing Plan Management

• Materials Management

• Merchandising Management

• Promotion Management

• Public Relations Management

• Sales Management

• Sponsorship Management


65

• Communications Management

• Infrastructure Management

• Logistics Management

• Program Design Management

• Site Management

• Stakeholder Management

• Technical Production Management

• Compliance Management

• Emergency Management

• Health & Safety Management

• Insurance Management

• Legal & Ethics Management

• Risk Assessment Management

• Security Management

It should be noted that Silvers (2004) then proceeds to break these areas down into

the range of topics covered within that area which may form a useful basis for

courses or competency frameworks.

2.8.2 International Event Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK) The International EMBOK Model was unveiled at the second International Event

Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK) Imbizo, held in Johannesburg, South

Africa in July 2005. Developed by members of the International EMBOK Executive,

the Model is a knowledge framework and descriptive summary of the scope and

processes that are used in the management of events. The International EMBOK

Executive members include Glenn Bowdin, Leeds Metropolitan University (UK), Joe

Goldblatt, Temple University (USA), Matthew Gonzalez (USA), Janet Landey,

Institute of Event Management (South Africa), Kathy Nelson, University of Nevada

Las Vegas (USA), William J. O'Toole (Australia), and Julia Rutherford Silvers (USA)

(International EMBOK Executive, 2005).

O’Toole initiated the EMBOK concept in 1999 in his Masters thesis work at the

University of Sydney, Australia, comparing project management methodology with

the management of events and festivals. His work was included on a website he

created to collect data and promote discussion of this topic (www.EPMS.net). Silvers,

who had been researching the scope of core competencies for event management,

began email correspondence with O’Toole in 2000 regarding his work, expressing

interest in assisting with the development of an EMBOK, which culminated in the

launch of Silvers’ Event Management Body of Knowledge Project on her website in

2003 (www.juliasilvers.com/embok.htm) and the Silvers Taxonomy (Silvers 2004),

discussed earlier. In July 2004, the first EMBOK Imbizo was hosted by the Institute of


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Event Management in Johannesburg, where work commenced expanding the

previous work done by each to develop the conceptual framework for a common

international event management body of knowledge that may be customized to meet

the needs of various cultures, governments, education programs, and organizations

(International EMBOK Executive, 2005).

The International EMBOK Model (Figure 8) is to be released into the public domain

on a website (EMBOK.org) later this year. The website will feature a full description

of the model’s structure, which includes five knowledge domains encompassing 35

functional areas (Classes), five phases, five processes, and five core values. The

website will also feature a portal for interested parties to make contributions towards

the further development and improvement of the model. In addition, Global Advisors

will be appointed by the International EMBOK Executive to facilitate the further

development, usage and ratification of the International EMBOK Model (International

EMBOK Executive, 2005).

Figure 8: The International EMBOK Model

Source: © 2005, International EMBOK Executive, All Rights Reserved Releasing the International EMBOK Model into the public domain will make it a

flexible resource available to a broad variety of industry stakeholders. Associations

may use the EMBOK for producing and developing professional development

programming and credentialing products that offer international recognition and


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career portability for their members. Education organizations, including academic and

vocational training institutions, may use the EMBOK for developing and maintaining

quality curriculum programs based on benchmarked current practice, as well as

creating relevant research opportunities. Governments may use the EMBOK when

seeking to create worthwhile employment opportunities and considering policies and

regulatory legislation to protect their citizens and minimize their liability. Current and

future practitioners and suppliers may use the EMBOK for clear direction towards

continuous improvement of quality, efficiency and profitability. Finally, the event

management industry may use the EMBOK for image and stature enhancement by

articulating the scope and complexity of the profession (International EMBOK

Executive, 2005).

The International EMBOK Model draws knowledge domains and the range of

activities involved in event management together with the event planning process,

which will enable the event management discipline to be mapped, defined and

refined. This holistic three-dimensional framework enables the process to be broken

down into individual components, illustrates the logical relationships between these

components over time, and should facilitate better understanding, an infrastructure

for information, and the possibility of improvement (International EMBOK Executive,

2005).

The Knowledge Domains and their Classes (or management areas) are the grouping

of tasks and responsibilities of event management into subject areas for the

purposes of study, research, analysis and application. It is based on, and facilitates

the assimilation of, data gathered through experience, expert opinion, and review of

research and industry literature. Within each Class are numerous Elements, for

example Administration (Domain): Human Resources (Class): Volunteers (Element),

which will be subject to different objectives, procedures, and constraints during

different phases. The taxonomy of Elements will be developed over time as the

International EMBOK is refined through the work of users, researchers and other

contributors (International EMBOK Executive, 2005).

The five phases emphasize the importance of time in any project model and the fact

that each component in the knowledge domain has a time dimension. The processes

are an integrated, sequential and iterative system associated with each element of


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each functional area of each domain at each phase in the event management

process, with tools and techniques that may be used for each. The core values of

creativity, strategic thinking, continuous improvement, ethics and integration are the

values that must permeate all decisions throughout event management regarding

every element, phase, and process (International EMBOK Executive, 2005).

The EMBOK is beginning to gain attention from a number of interested parties,

including education providers and qualification organisations. For example, Phil

Mondor, Vice President of the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC)

where they have occupational standards for event managers and event coordinators,

presented at the 2nd EMBOK Imbizo in 2005 and highlighted some of the areas

where their standards and EMBOK may develop. As noted above further research is

required to develop and validate the EMBOK framework however, this is progressing.

2.9 Education and Training The attractiveness of the events industry makes the events profession highly

competitive - it is therefore no surprise that a number of college and university

courses are beginning to emerge in this area. Not only are those entering the events

profession expected to be in possession of transferable skills such as

communication, personal presentation, flexibility, using initiative and basic numeracy

and literacy (TTENTO, 2002) but they are required to be highly educated,

experienced and have the ability to be multi-skilling whilst also being a specialist.

Although barriers to entry are low compared to other industries, they are growing as

the nature of the industry has developed, including an increasing emphasis on risk

management, ethics and professionalism.

It is clear that a high level of skill is involved in the organisation and management of

events, whatever their size. Although as a profession, events is only just beginning

to emerge (as are qualifications dedicated to this industry), those people employed in

events occupations tend to be highly educated compared to the general working

population (Goldblatt, 2000). The International 1996 Profile of Event Management,

compiled by George Washington University, found that 79 per cent of event

managers have an undergraduate degree and 15 per cent have a postgraduate

degree. Further to this around 90% of event managers continue their training going


69

on to earn advanced credentials such as professional certificates in their specialist

areas (Goldblatt 2000).

This is supported in the UK by the findings of the 2005 Salary and Lifestyle Survey

(Bond, 2005a) which noted that 66 per cent of respondents were educated to degree

level or above (3 per cent an event management degree, up from 1 per cent in 2004)

and 16 per cent hold a vocational qualification. It would be interesting to conduct

further research to establish exactly what qualifications people have within the events

industry and how these differ across the sectors within it.

No comprehensive studies have yet taken place to establish the number and content

of event courses nationally and internationally, though a number of authors have

explored aspects of event management education and training (see, for example,

Getz and Wicks, 1994; Perry, Foley and Rumpf, 1996; Harris and Jago, 1999; Getz,

2002; Landey and Silvers, 2003; Slaughter, Reid and Arcodia, 2003). It should be

noted that the majority of these are focused in the Australian context. However,

through a scan of university, college, association and associated industry course

materials, together with event-related textbooks and journal articles, a picture begins

to emerge of an increasing range and volume of courses at further education,

undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Goldblatt (2002) highlighted that, in 1996 when the first edition of Special Events was

written, he had identified 30 to 40 universities and colleges offering events-related

qualifications. However, by 1999 when he conducted a further study on behalf of the

International Council for Hospitality, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE)

this had risen to over 140 higher education institutions offering event management

opportunities. What is not known with either figure is whether this refers only to

programmes offered in the United States or whether it also includes international

programmes, however, given developments in recent years, the figure is likely to be

conservative. Further evidence of developments in this area can be found in other

international markets. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS

2006), the organisation responsible for processing applications to higher education in

the United Kingdom, currently lists 44 colleges and universities offering

undergraduate events courses in the UK (see Appendix H), with anecdotal evidence

suggesting that this figure is likely to be on the low side when taking into account


70

additional courses already being offered or in development. In addition, seven

universities are known to be offering masters level courses in the UK, though some

of these also offer undergraduate courses and are therefore included above.

Research undertaken in the development of the Event Educators Forum (EEF 2004)

identified over 200 courses currently being offered in Australia, while further research

undertaken in the development of WorldofEvents.net, an online directory, indicates

that these developments are being mirrored internationally, with dedicated event-

related courses being offering in Ireland, Germany, France, Canada and elsewhere.

In addition to complete courses, many, if not most, hospitality, leisure and tourism

courses at college, undergraduate and postgraduate level include at least one

module relating to event, conference, festival, or venue management.

Competency-based qualifications in events-related areas have been developed in a

number of countries. In the UK, these are packaged as National Vocational

Qualifications (NVQs), in South Africa as Learnerships leading to National

Qualifications, in Canada as occupational standards leading to qualifications and in

Australia as competencies under the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). In

2000, event-related NVQs were developed for the events industry and have been in

operation since then. However, limited information is available about these in the

public domain and therefore further work is required to establish exactly how much

take up there has been. Business Tourism Partnership (2005) note as one of their

strategic priorities that incentives are needed to encourage take up of NVQs. The

NVQ/SVQ framework currently includes six events qualifications (see Table 16).

Table 16: Events-related NVQs Area Level Events 2 Events 3 Event 4 Events – Temporary Structures 2 Events – Temporary Structures 3 Events – Temporary Structures 4 Source: EKOS Consulting (UK) Ltd (2003).

Learndirect (2006) currently advertises some 1540 courses within the

Meetings/Conferences/Events Management category. Table 17 provides a

breakdown of these results. It is worth noting that this includes college, university

undergraduate and training courses, while listing all variations for a course (for


71

example, if a course is available full time/sandwich/distance learning it would be

listed three times). In addition, training provision includes short training courses on

diverse topics relating to management which are not always event-specific. However,

it is useful in providing an insight into provision in this area and also noteworthy that

Learndirect have a Meetings/Conferences/Events Management category, as this

demonstrates further maturity of the subject area.

Table 17: Meeting/Conference/Events Management Courses in UK

Type of Course Number of Courses

Self study with attendance 5 courses

Self study without attendance 63 courses

Full time 165 courses

Part time 122 courses

Weekend 18 courses

Short Courses 553 courses

Customised 357 courses

Sandwich 28 courses

Self study with attendance (Online) 25 courses

Self study with attendance (Non-computer based) 4 courses

Self study without attendance (Online) 84 courses

Self study without attendance (Computer based) 1 course

Self study without attendance (Non-computer based) 10 courses

Part time day 72 courses

Part time evening 31 courses

Day/Block release 2 courses

Source: Learndirect (2006).


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3.0 Conclusion Earlier in this report, the question was asked as to whether there is an events

industry? Throughout the preceding sections, the report has sought to answer this by

drawing attention to the international literature base and research that already exists

in the area and highlighted the history, definitions in use, occupations, size,

employment, and skills required to operate in this rapidly developing and expanding

industry.

This report has provided a snapshot of the events industry, the issues affecting it and

as a result, a number of research requirements have been identified. However, this

report is not the end of the research process, rather a starting point of the next stage

in development of the events industry. Hopefully, it will prompt discussion and

debate, it will raise questions and gaps will be identified in the literature and research

referred to, and the research gaps identified. However, by drawing material together

it serves as a baseline for the future.

What has become apparent in writing this report is that there are pockets of research

available in the public domain that can inform policy and development in the events

industry. From an industry perspective, much is already known about the industry,

what it includes and what the major issues are, as demonstrated by Business

Tourism Partnership (2005 Rogers, 2003a).

However, although there are a number of people who refer to the events industry,

including increasingly the education sector given the growth in provision in this area,

this is not always reflected in research, in categorisation or in official publications. It

could be observed that the events industry has not been taken seriously as an

industry. This may be due to the range of activities covered and the problems in

defining it, together with the crossover of business into other industries and sectors.

This study has highlighted that to move forward, it is possible to define the events

industry in such a way as to be inclusive of a range of activities and for some of the

main areas (such as conferences, exhibitions, corporate events, festivals), which

already have research underway, to be pulled together and packaged in such a way

that the profile is increased.


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It is clear from this study that there are gaps in research. Although some evidence of

skills, employment, occupations and education research are evident, the events

industry requires a significant amount of research to be undertaken to fill the gaps

identified and bring it into line with other industries, including those within the

People1st footprint. Indeed, some of these studies in other areas may highlight

potential methodologies and research projects that could be replicated in the events

context.

3.1 Research Gaps and Recommendations for Further Work Although there has been much discussion throughout this report about the gaps in

the research currently available, it is perhaps worth reiterating some of them here. A

number of industry surveys have been conducted, for example, the Salary and

Lifestyles Survey and industry study by Event Magazine, which provide useful

information about the industry. However, the summary results from these studies are

not always pursued beyond that months publication (or the following month’s letters

page), while the full results are not always analysed or indeed available in the public

domain. It may be that People1st, as a stakeholder in the industry, may be able to

contribute to the development of these studies either through active involvement or

through input to the researchers in order to gather additional data that will address

some of the shortfalls in events industry data. An alternative approach may be to

explore the possibility of conducting new research projects along similar themes to

provide in-depth information.

The study of small firms (Wood et al., 2003) provided a useful insight into a range of

issues in small firms within the events industry, including employment, skills

development and business development. This study may form the basis for

additional work either continuing the focus on small firms or exploring similar issues

in larger employers. It may also be a useful model for a regular research project for

the industry to explore issues in depth. Further, issues explored within the study (for

example, labour turnover, staff retention, training and development) may warrant

additional detailed studies.


74

SkillsActive are currently undertaking a large scale internet based survey of

employers to inform labour force development – this may provide a useful model for

a future research project.

People 1st (2004, p. 7) highlighted the establishment of a research group to

facilitate primary research in the events industry. Among the proposed

projects identified, they included:

• an annual census (similar to e-skills) to gather reliable intelligence on

the workforce

• a project to collect skills foresight and data on training and

development.

Within the report, a number of gaps are apparent in relation to the events

industry which will need to be addressed by a number of research projects,

ranging from base level data to more complex information on the dynamics

of the industry. Data requirements include:

• number of establishments/businesses

• size and make-up of labour force (gender, age, full-time/part-

time/ethnicity)

• sizes of business within the industry

• labour turnover

• learning supply/demand

• effect on the events industry of changes in licensing act 2003

• skills (needs, shortages, level, development)

• recruitment and vacancies

• qualification levels

• training and development culture/training offered

• uptake and attitude towards events industry specific NVQs

• number/type/uptake/achievement/content of FE and HE courses, to

what extent courses meet the needs of industry

• graduate recruitment

• uptake and attitude towards foundation degrees.

It is clear from this study that some of this data is still not readily available

and will require further research.


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In order to move towards the People1st vision for the sector, ‘Enabling world class

performance through the development of people,’ research gaps will need to be

addressed in order that priorities can be set. The identified targets will require

research in the events industry if these targets for People1st are to be achieved.

Table 18 summarises some potential areas for further work.

Table 18: Targets to Achieve People1st Vision with Research Needs

Target Research Questions/Current Gaps • Increased completion rates for qualifications and learning programmes

Investigation required into what the current completion rates are on the range and levels of programmes serving the industry, explore why this is the case and what can be done, or is being done, to address this.

• Reduced labour turnover and skill shortages and gaps to manageable levels

Investigation(s) required into current labour turnover, skills shortages/gaps and initiatives in place to address this.

• Increased investment in learning by employers substantially

Investigation required into current levels of investment in learning by employers and what form this learning takes.

• Fully embraced diversity and equal opportunities

Investigation required into diversity and equality in the events industry, including establishing characteristics of workforce.

• A growing reputation as one of the UK’s most professional employers

Investigation required into attitudes towards and the current reputation of employment (and employers) within the events industry. Investigation required identifying and highlighting best practice within the events industry and how this compares to other industries. Project required to raise the profile of the events industry and careers within it to the general public, and school/college/university students.

• A sector-wide suite of clearly presented career ladders

Investigation required into current career paths within the various sectors within the events industry and perhaps develop case studies/profiles of careers (and indeed, profiles of particular jobs) undertaken by people within the industry. Study may also aim to identify and define career paths, drawing in international projects, for example, MPI Professional Pathways.

• Well developed channels of communication between employers at national, regional and local level and the devolved governments and their agencies.

Investigation into the channels of communication between employers and government and how these can be effectively developed. Exploration of channels of communication with international governments and their agencies in order to share and develop best practice.

Source: adapted from People1st (2004).


76

Through completion of this report, a number of other areas have arisen which may be

explored further:

• To open dialogue and conduct research into occupational standards offered in

international markets (for example, Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council,

South Africa SETA, Australia).

• To open dialogue and monitor progress of the International EMBOK project.

Conduct research into how the occupational standards for events map to the

EMBOK in order to identify any revisions required (to EMBOK or to occupational

standards).

• Conduct detailed research into existing data available within the Labour Force

Survey, ABI and other studies for the events sectors/occupations identified as

crossing into the work of other industries within the People1st footprint and also

the work of other sector skills councils. There appears to be a case for drawing

together and repackaging some of this research to address the events industry

needs. In addition, these studies may be re-analysed at different levels, including

UK-wide, nations within the UK and regionally (depending on data analysis needs

and availability).

• Develop a comprehensive database of organizations operating within the events

industry to form the basis for future studies.

• Conduct a research needs analysis project, potentially in collaboration with or

through associations and appropriate organizations such as Business Tourism

Partnership. This project should aim to identify the research needs of the events

industry which may validate some of the areas highlighted in this report or identify

further areas to be explored.

• Using content analysis, commence a long-term study collecting, collating and

analysing data on advertised vacancies to explore skills and qualifications stated

as required by employers, the number/type of vacancies, and job titles.

• Conduct a research project into training and education needs for the events

industry. How does current provision in further education, higher education and

professional development meet these needs?

• Impact of qualifications on careers in the events industry – there has been

extensive discussion around balancing education and experience within the

industry, whether qualifications are required, and whether employees with event-

specific qualifications perform any better than unqualified employees or those with

none-event specific qualifications.


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Appendix A: Statistical Classification of Products – Events Related Classes

Group 74.8 Miscellaneous business services n.e.c.

Class 74.87 Other business services

74.87.15 Exhibition, fair and congress organization services

This subcategory includes: - organisation of economic events (trade shows or exhibitions, at regular or irregular intervals) - organisation of scientific or cultural meetings and congresses - supply and setting-up of exhibition equipment associated with the organisation of exhibitions

This subcategory does not include: - art facilities operation services, classified in 92.32.10 - sports events organisation services, classified in 92.62.12

Group 92.3 Other entertainment services

Class 92.32 Arts facilities operation services

92.32.1 Arts facilities operation services

92.32.10 Arts facilities operation services

This subcategory includes: - operation services of concert and theatre halls and other arts facilities - ancillary services to entertainment not elsewhere classified, including the operation of scenery and backdrops,

lighting and sound equipment - ticket agencies

Class 92.34 Other entertainment services n.e.c.

92.34.1 Other entertainment services n.e.c.

92.34.11 Circus services

92.34.12 Ballrooms and dance instructors’ services

92.34.13 Miscellaneous entertainment services n.e.c.

This subcategory includes: - entertainment services n.e.c. such as bullfights, rodeos, light and sound shows, puppet shows and fireworks

Group 92.6 Sporting services

Class 92.61 Sports facilities operation services

92.61.1 Sports facilities operation services

92.61.10 Sports facilities operation services

This subcategory includes: - operation services of facilities in which any kind of sports events are performed; such facilities may be arenas or

stadia, enclosed or covered, with or without provision for spectator seating or viewing

Class 92.62 Other sporting services

92.62.1 Other sporting services

92.62.11 Sports event promotion services

92.62.12 Sports event organization services

This subcategory includes: - organisation services of any kind of sports events, outdoor or indoor, for professionals or amateurs - services provided by sports clubs offering the opportunity for sports, i.e. football clubs, bowling clubs, etc.

Source: Eurostat (2002)


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Appendix B: UK SIC 2003 Division Group Class/Subclass Description of Class

Section K Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities 70 Real Estate Activities

70.2 Letting of own property

70.20 Letting of own property 70.20/1 Letting of conference and exhibition centres

This subclass includes: – letting of exhibition halls

74 Other Business Activities

74.8 Miscellaneous business activities not elsewhere classified

74.81 Photographic activities 74.81/9 Photographic activities not elsewhere classified

This subclass includes: – photography for commercials, publishers, fashion, real estate or tourism purposes – photographing or videoing of live events such as weddings, graduations, conventions, receptions, fashion shows, sports and news events and any other events of current interest

74.87 Other business activities not elsewhere classified 74.87/3 Activities of exhibition and fair organisers

74.87/4 Activities of conference organisers

Section O Other Community, Social and Personal Service Activities 92 Recreational, Cultural and Sporting Activities

92.3 Other entertainment activities

92.31 Artistic and literary creation and interpretation 92.31/1 Live theatrical presentations

This subclass includes – production of live theatrical presentations, concerts and opera or dance productions and other stage productions: �¡ activities of groups or companies, orchestras or bands – activities of individual artists such as actors, directors, musicians, stage set designers and builders, etc.

92.32 Operation of arts facilities This class includes – operation of concert and theatre halls and other arts facilities – operation of ticket agencies including those operated by local tourist information centres This class excludes: – operation of cinemas cf. 92.13

92.34 Other entertainment activities not elsewhere classified 92.34/9 Other entertainment activities not elsewhere classified

This subclass includes: – production of entertainment not elsewhere classified: �¡ circus production �¡ puppet shows, rodeos, activities of shooting galleries, firework displays, model railway installations, etc.

92.6 Sporting activities

92.61 Operation of sports arenas and stadiums 92.61/9 Operation of other sports arenas and stadiums not elsewhere classified

This subclass includes: – operation of the facilities for outdoor or indoor sports events, open, enclosed or covered and with or without seating: �¡ football stadiums �¡ swimming pools and stadiums �¡ golf courses �¡ boxing arenas �¡ bowling lanes �¡ winter sport arenas and stadiums �¡ field and track stadiums, etc. �¡ private and local authority owned leisure centres


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92.62 Other sporting activities 92.62/9 Other sporting activities not elsewhere classified

This subclass includes: – organisation and operation of sports events, outdoor or indoor, for professionals or amateurs by organisations with or without own facilities: �¡ football clubs, bowling clubs, swimming clubs, golf clubs, boxing, wrestling, health or body building clubs, winter sport clubs, chess, draughts, domino or card clubs, field and track clubs, shooting clubs – activities related to promotion and production of sporting events – activities of individual own-account sportsmen and athletes, judges, timekeepers, instructors, teachers, coaches, etc. – activities of sport and game schools – activities of racing stables, kennels and garages – activities of riding academies – activities of marinas – activities related to recreational fishing – hunting for sport or recreation – related service activities This subclass excludes: – renting of sporting equipment cf. 71.40/1 – park and beach activities cf. 92.72/9

Source: Cuffe (2002).


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Appendix C: International Standard Industry Classification (2007) Proposed Event-Related Classes 562 Event catering and other food service activities

This group includes catering activities for individual events or for a specified period of time and the operation of food concessions, such as at sports or similar facilities.

5621 Event catering This class includes the provision of food services based on contractual arrangements with the customer, at the location specified by the customer, for a specific event. This class includes: event caterers. This class excludes: manufacture of perishable food items for resale, see 1079, retail sale of perishable food items, see division 47

6810 Real estate activities with own or leased property This class includes: buying, selling, renting and operating of self-owned or leased real estate (apartment buildings and dwellings; non-residential buildings, including exhibition halls, self-storage facilities, malls and shopping centres; land); providing of homes and furnished or unfurnished flats or apartments for more permanent use, typically on a monthly or annual basis. This class also includes: subdividing real estate into lots, without land improvement; operation of residential mobile home sites. This class excludes: subdividing and improving of land, see 4290; operation of hotels, rooming houses, camps, trailer camps and other non-residential or short-stay lodging places, see 5510, 5520; operation of suite hotels and similar accommodations, see 5510.

7920 Other reservation service activities This class includes the activities of marketing and promoting of services for conventions and visitors by providing information and assistance to organizations to locate accommodation, convention centres and entertainment venues; condominium time-share exchange services; and other travel-related reservation services (including for transportation, hotels, restaurants, car rentals, entertainment and sport). Activities of ticket sales for theatrical, sports and all other amusement and entertainment events are also included. This class excludes: activities of travel agencies and tour operators, see 7911, 7912; organization and management of events such as meetings, conventions and conferences, see 8230.

823 Convention and trade show organizers See class 8230.

8230 Convention and trade show organizers This class includes the organization, promotion and/or management of events, such as business and trade shows, conventions, conferences and meetings, whether or not including the management and provision of the staff to operate the facilities in which these events take place.

9000 Creative, arts and entertainment activities This class includes the operation of facilities and provision of services to meet the cultural and entertainment interests of their customers. This includes the production and promotion of, and participation in, live performances, events or exhibits intended for public viewing; the provision of artistic, creative or technical skills for the production of artistic products and live performances. This class includes: production of live theatrical presentations, concerts and opera or dance productions and other stage productions; activities of groups, circuses or companies, orchestras or bands; activities of individual artists such as authors, actors, directors, producers, musicians, lecturers or speakers, stage-set designers and builders etc.; operation of concert and theatre halls and other arts facilities; activities of sculptors, painters, cartoonists, engravers, etchers etc.; activities of individual writers, for all subjects including fictional writing, technical writing etc.; activities of independent journalists; restoring of works of art such as paintings etc.; This class also includes: activities of producers or entrepreneurs of arts live events, with or without facilities. This class excludes: manufacture of statues, other than artistic originals, see 2396; restoring of organs and other historical musical instruments, see 3319; motion picture and video production, see 5911, 5912; operation of cinemas, see 5914; activities of personal theatrical or artistic agents or agencies, see 7490; casting activities, see 7810; activities of ticket agencies, see 7920; the operation of museums of all kinds, see 9102; sports and amusement and recreation activities, see division 93; restoring of


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furniture (except museum type restoration), see 9524. 931 Sports activities

This group includes the operation of sports facilities; activities of sports teams or clubs primarily participating in live sports events before a paying audience; independent athletes engaged in participating in live sporting or racing events before a paying audience; owners of racing participants such as cars, dogs, horses, etc. primarily engaged in entering them in racing events or other spectator sports events; sports trainers providing specialized services to support participants in sports events or competitions; operators of arenas and stadiums; other activities of organizing, promoting or managing sports events, n.e.c.

9311 Operation of sports facilities This class includes: the operation of facilities for indoor or outdoor sports events (open, closed or covered, with or without spectator seating): football, hockey, cricket, baseball, jai-alai stadiums, racetracks for auto, dog, horse races, swimming pools and stadiums, track and field stadiums, winter sports arenas and stadiums, ice-hockey arenas, boxing arenas, golf courses, bowling lanes, fitness centres; organization and operation of outdoor or indoor sports events for professionals or amateurs by organizations with own facilities. This class includes managing and providing the staff to operate these facilities. This class excludes: renting of recreation and sports equipment, see 7721; park and beach activities, see 9329.

9319 Other sports activities This class includes: activities of producers or promoters of sports events, with or without facilities; activities of individual own-account sportsmen and athletes, referees, judges, timekeepers etc; activities of sports leagues and regulating bodies; activities related to promotion of sporting events; activities of racing stables, kennels and garages; operation of sport fishing and hunting preserves; support activities for sport or recreational hunting and fishing. This class excludes: renting of sports equipment, see 7721; activities of sport and game schools, see 8541; activities of sports instructors, teachers, coaches, see 8541; organization and operation of outdoor or indoor sports events for professionals or amateurs by sports clubs with/without own facilities, see 9311/9312; park and beach activities, see 9329.

9329 Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c. This class includes other amusement and recreation activities (except amusement parks and theme parks) not elsewhere classified: activities of recreation parks, beaches, including renting of facilities such as bathhouses, lockers, chairs etc.; operation of recreational transport facilities, e.g. marinas; operation of ski hills; renting of leisure and pleasure equipment as an integral part of recreational facilities; operation of fairs and shows of a recreational nature; operation of discotheques and dance floors. This class also includes activities of producers or entrepreneurs of live events other than arts or sports events, with or without facilities. This class excludes: fishing cruises, see 5011, 5021; the provision of space and facilities for short stay by visitors in recreational parks and forests and campgrounds, see 5520; beverage serving activities of discotheques, see 5630; trailer parks, campgrounds, recreational camps, hunting and fishing camps, campsites and campgrounds, see 5520

Source: Eurostat, 2005


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Appendix D: Learn Direct Job Profile – Events Manager

The work

Events managers or organisers plan, co-ordinate and publicise a wide range of promotional, educational, corporate, sporting and social events. They work within the business tourism sector and may also work at event venues, and supply goods and services. Events managers may specialise in one or two areas, which include:

• exhibitions • conferences • product launches • fundraising events • festivals • weddings • parties.

Clients buy the services of events managers, or organise their events in-house. Events managers may work in an events company or within a department of an organisation or association. They have overall control of a project but may contract out or outsource parts of the work to specialist suppliers.

Specialist suppliers within the events industry may have a particular sphere of influence or provide a range of services. They could also be seen to have an events management role. Suppliers include venues, audio/visual production companies and hospitality services (e.g. hotels, airlines and catering). All the suppliers and contractors need to come together on schedule to create a unique and distinctive event for the client.

Events managers may be responsible for:

• creating budget and venue proposals • developing a publicity campaign • producing promotional material • creating the 'wow factor' for clients • booking venues, entertainment and hiring equipment • selecting and managing caterers, designers and sub-contractors • ensuring compliance with health and safety, and security regulations • managing finances and contracts • evaluating the effectiveness of an event.

Events organisers working in specialist areas may have other responsibilities. For example, exhibition organisers have to market and sell exhibition space/stands; conference organisers have to liaise with speakers, book accommodation and transport; and wedding planners have to organise photographers and flowers.

Hours and Environment

Events organisers are expected to work as many hours as are necessary to complete the task at hand although core hours are likely to be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. In the lead up to important deadlines, they may work outside normal office hours and can work 10 to 12 hours a day. They may need to attend events in the evenings and at the weekend.

If they work in sales and marketing, they are likely to be office-based, working with a computer and telephone but may need to travel to visit clients and promote events. Other staff may work closely with the venue and may attend it frequently. They may be expected to travel extensively at home and possibly abroad, including overnight stays away from home.

Organising events can also be role undertaken by someone that has other duties. They may work full-time in sales and marketing or be a personal assistant but manage events when the occasion arises.


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Skills and Interests

To be an events manager you should:

• have excellent time management and organisational skills • be enthusiastic, self-motivated and outgoing • be able to establish productive relationships with people at all levels • have good communication and presentation skills • be able to gather and interpret information for business research • be commercially aware and customer-focused • have a positive and adaptable approach to problem solving • be innovative and creative to distinguish your event from the competition • have knowledge of sales, marketing or copywriting • have an understanding of budgeting and financial management • be able to work as part of a team • be able to pay attention to detail.

Entry

There are no set qualifications needed to get into events management but, as there is strong competition, qualifications are often necessary. The majority of employers will expect a high level of academic achievement or experience in a related industry. Although a degree is not essential, entrants are typically graduates. Those with a degree in events management, business administration, marketing, leisure and tourism management or languages are likely to be judged more favourably.

Entry to a degree course requires five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) with two A levels/three H grades or equivalent qualifications. Entry to BTEC HNC/HND courses usually requires one or two A levels/H grades or equivalent.

For details of qualification equivalents see:

• Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) • Scottish Qualifications Authority

An Access to Higher Education qualification may also be accepted for entry to certain courses. If experienced in a related field, you may be able to gain recognition of skills through Accredited Prior Learning (APL). Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements.

See the Association of Exhibition Organisers' website for details of HNCs and degrees in events management and associated areas.

Personal qualities are highly valued by employers. It is preferable to develop these skills through relevant work experience in an administrative or organisational role. Assistant positions in sales and marketing or in a commercial environment are common starting points.

Voluntary work at an event is useful, and can help you build a network of contacts. Valuable experience can be gained by organising events and activities in your personal or social life. A clean driver's licence is often essential.

Training

Depending on the size of the company, training opportunities typically consist of short courses in customer care, sales and marketing, finance and IT, run either in-house or externally. NVQs are available for candidates working within the industry to consolidate and recognise their skills by developing a portfolio of evidence, and are as follows:

• City and Guilds (4905) in Events and Events (Temporary Structures) NVQ levels 2, 3, 4 with pathways for events organisers, venue providers and exhibitors.


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The Events Sector Industry Training Organisation (ESITO) administers the NVQs by providing assessors and evidence packs to candidates within the industry UK-wide. Contact ESITO for further details. Events organisers may choose to become members of professional bodies and participate in relevant further training, which includes:

• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) - Introductory Certificate, Professional Certificate, Professional Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing

• The Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) - Exhibition marketing and maximising sponsorship

• Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) - HNC in Conference and Event Management

• Association for Conferences and Events (ACE) - Meetings planning and organisation • Society of Event Organisers (SEO) - Certificate in Conference Organisation or Exhibition

Management.

Professional development courses are also available in management issues and organisational skills. These courses include packaging and promotion of events, public relations, project management, crowd control and multimedia production techniques. See professional organisations for further details.

The events industry is linked to the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries. Certain events' roles may require skills and training from these related sectors. Contact Springboard, the national organisation for promoting careers in these sectors, for further information.

Apprenticeships may be available in related areas of leisure and tourism (although not specifically events) for those under the age of 24. In England these are currently Apprenticeships (level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships (level 3). To find out more about these, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Apprenticeships may be different in other areas. For further information see Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland

Opportunities

Events management is a varied career; each project has different constraints and opportunities. Events managers need to prove they are capable of managing a variety of projects concurrently, attracting new business and delivering successful events that meet clients' needs. A demonstration of practical skills and a proven track record can lead to progression to more senior positions depending on the company's size and structure. It may be possible to move between organisations or into outsourcing firms or venues.

Promotion is possible by taking on extra responsibilities or specialising. Events organisers in assistant posts could move on to managing a small team or developing expertise in one particular kind of event. As events managers take on more responsibility, they will manage more complex events with bigger budgets.

Typical employers may be hotels and leisure facilities; marketing departments of large companies; or specialist events companies. Self-employment or freelance consultancy work is also possible for those who have experience and an established network of contacts in the industry.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

A junior events organiser is likely to earn between £14,000 to £17,000 a year. Events organiser with some years'' experience may earn £21,000 to £35,000. Some events managers working with large budgets can earn over £36,000.


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Salaries vary widely between employers. Pay is typically higher in the private sector. Performance-related pay and commission can increase earnings. Some managers with specialist experience may be able to negotiate their own salary package including car, bonuses and pension benefits.

Further information

Association for Conferences and Events (ACE) ACE International Riverside House High Street Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE18 6SG Tel: 01480 457595 www.martex.co.uk/ace/index.htm

Events Sector Industry Training Organisation (ESITO) Riverside House High Street Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE18 6SG Tel: 01507 533639

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) Charles House (6th Floor) 148-149 Great Charles Street Birmingham B3 3HT Tel: 0121 212 1400 www.abpco.org.uk

Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) 113 High Street Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 2DJ Tel: 01442 873331 www.aeo.org.uk

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Moor Hall Cookham Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 9QH Tel: 01628 427500 www.cim.co.uk Springboard UK Ltd www.springboarduk.com

If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning advisor at the learndirect advice line, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form.

Outlook: Stable last updated: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 Source: http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile1348/


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Appendix E: Learn Direct Job Profile Conference Organiser

The work

Conferences organisers plan, organise and co-ordinate conferences for a range of purposes. The number of people in attendance may vary from a small group to several hundred, such as at a party political conference.

Organiser research and book an appropriate venue, hire equipment such as microphones, overhead projectors and video players, and arrange accommodation and transport for delegates and speakers where necessary. This must all be done within budgetary limits.

Organisers will be involved in marketing the event, possibly writing press releases and designing advertising materials. Once the event is in progress they greet guests and liaise with venue staff and technicians. There may also be the need to re-schedule the timetable at short notice, perhaps if one of the speakers is running late.


Conference organisers usually work normal office hours while planning an event, but the hours will be long and irregular immediately prior to and during the conference itself.

The work is office-based, although much of the time is spent at conference venues such as purpose-built centres or hotel function rooms. Organisers also visit suppliers and contractors, which might include nights away from home.


To be a conference organiser you should:

• have strong communications skills with the ability to relate to people at all levels • be a good team player with an outgoing personality • have lots of stamina and persistence • have the ability to anticipate and solve problems - especially at the last minute • be able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines • be willing to work long unsociable hours • have financial awareness - particularly budgeting skills • be able to plan and prioritise tasks in order to juggle lots of jobs at once • have a 'can-do' approach • have good presentation skills and not be afraid to speak in front of large audiences • take pride in your appearance • be aware of the importance of attention to detail • have IT skills (especially databases and the internet).

Entry

There are no specified entry requirements, although most conference production companies recruit graduates and would look for people with strong interpersonal skills and preferably some experience. Minimum entry qualifications for a degree are five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) with two A levels/three H grades or equivalent. For details of qualification equivalents see:



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An Access to Higher Education qualification may also be accepted for entry to certain courses. If experienced in a related field, you may be able to gain recognition of skills through Accredited Prior Learning (APL). Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements. It may be possible to enter this career with related experience in hotel conference and banqueting management, or from a sales, marketing or media background. It is also possible to start in an administrative role and gain the necessary experience to begin organising conferences.

Training

Training is usually on the job, supplemented by in-house courses. There are BTEC HNC/HND and degree level courses which may be useful, in subjects such as events management, marketing, public relations and business studies. Languages can also be useful. Some hotel and leisure management courses include modules in conference management. Communications, Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM) qualifications are valued within the industry. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) also offers relevant qualifications and courses. Part-time, full-time, intensive or distance learning courses are available at accredited centres around the country. NVQs are available in Events at levels 2, 3 and 4 and in Events - Temporary Structures at Level 3.

Opportunities

There is no formal promotion structure. It is important to build up a network of contacts and have experience of different sorts of conferences. Some conference organisers work for professional associations, tourism organisations or corporate hospitality organisers. Many organisers work freelance, or set up their own company.

Annual Income

The annual income section is intended as a guideline only.

A junior conference organiser is likely to earn around £14,000. Experienced organisers can expect to earn around £25,000. An established conference producer can earn more than £35,000.

Many conference organisers work freelance and daily rates can vary upwards from £100 per day.

Further information

Association for Conferences and Events (ACE) Riverside House High Street Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE18 6SG Tel: 01480 457595 www.martex.co.uk/ace

Association of British Professional Conference Organisers Charles House (6th Floor) 148-149 Great Charles Street Birmingham B3 3HT Tel: 0121 212 1400 www.abpco.co.uk


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Communications Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation Limited (CAM) Moor Hall Cookham Maidenhead Berkshire SLG 9QH Tel: 01628 427120 www.camfoundation.com Chartered Institute of Marketing Moor Hall Cookham Maidenhead Berkshire SLG 9QH Tel: 01628 427500 www.cim.co.uk


Outlook: Growth last updated: Wed, 29 Jun 2005

Source http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile227/


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Appendix F: Learn Direct Job Profile Conference Organiser

The work

Exhibition organisers plan and co-ordinate exhibitions which may be major events such as the Motor Show or the Chelsea Flower Show, or smaller displays held in galleries, museums or libraries. The work is generally split into three areas. It is possible to work in any or all of the following:

Marketing - researching the level of interest in a specific event, and finding suitable venues and dates to hold it. The publicity, design and printing of tickets, catalogues, posters and promotional items to advertise the event is then organised.

Sales - selling stand space to exhibitors by telephone or face-to-face and arranging sponsorship. During an exhibition sales staff may contact all the exhibitors to try to sell space for subsequent events.

Operations - co-ordinating all the practical aspects, from booking the venue to supervising the work of contractors such as stand suppliers and caterers. During the event, operations staff liaise with venue workers, exhibitors, sponsors and visitors, dealing with a range of enquiries. They supervise health and safety issues and ensure the venue is cleared safely.

Please see the Events Manager profile for related information.


Exhibition staff are mostly office based and spend a lot of time on the telephone. They travel to meet potential sponsors and exhibitors, and to visit venues, contractors and other exhibitions.

Just before, and during an exhibition, operations staff work long hours, often including weekends to meet deadlines.


The skills required depend on whether the exhibition organiser's role is in sales, marketing or operations. However, all exhibition organisers should:

• be able to work within a team environment • be able to liaise with people at all levels, from clients to contractors • have good communications skills with a good telephone manner • have excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage lots of tasks at once • thrive working under pressure and to deadlines • have good negotiation skills, particularly in sales and marketing • have lots of stamina, particularly during the show itself • have an understanding of budgets • have IT skills • have a practical approach.

Entry

There are no formal entry requirements, although many candidates have BTEC HND or degree-level qualifications, particularly in subjects such as event management, marketing, business studies or languages.

Entry to a degree course requires five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) with two A levels/three H grades or equivalent qualifications. Entry to HNC/HND courses usually requires one or two A levels/H grades or equivalent. For details of qualification equivalents see:


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An Access to Higher Education qualification may also be accepted for entry to certain courses. If experienced in a related field, you may be able to gain recognition of skills through Accredited Prior Learning (APL). Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements. Relevant experience is normally required, such as a background in sales, marketing or publishing, and relatively few people begin their careers as exhibition organisers. Sometimes those with an administrative background cross over to exhibition/events management, particularly those with experience of organising meetings or corporate events.

Most exhibition personnel begin in a junior or administrative position and work their way up.

Training

Training opportunities once you are in employment vary according to the size of the company. They may be provided in-house or externally.

Organisers can join the Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) or the Association for Conferences and Events (ACE). These professional membership organisations offer relevant courses and seminars for those working in exhibition/event organisation. Details are on their websites - please see Further Information for details.

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Communications, Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM) courses are also recognised by the events industry. These are available throughout the UK by part-time or full-time study, or by distance learning. Full details can be found on the CAM and CIM websites. Please see the Further Information section.

Opportunities

Most exhibition staff work for one of the hundreds of exhibition companies all over the country. Half of the exhibitions industry is in London and the south east. Other key areas of employment are based around major exhibition venues in Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There is no formal promotion structure. Experience in sales, marketing or operations can lead to management positions. Many organisers work freelance, or set up their own company.

Annual Income

The annual income section is intended as a guideline only.

Starting salaries in exhibition sales may be around £16,000 plus commission. Sales co-ordinators can earn between £17,000 and £20,000 plus commission. Experienced sales or marketing managers can earn between £24,000 and £28,000 plus commission. An exhibition director can earn between £40,000 and £48,000 plus commission.

Further information

Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) 119 High Street Berkhamsted Hertfordshire HP4 2DJ Tel: 01442 873331 www.aeo.org.uk Association for Conferences and Events (ACE)


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Riverside House High Street Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE18 6SG Tel: 01480 457595 www.martex.co.uk/ace

Communications Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation Limited (CAM) Moor Hall Cookham Maidenhead Berkshire SLG 9QH Tel: 01628 427120 www.camfoundation.com Chartered Institute of Marketing Moor Hall Cookham Maidenhead Berkshire SLG 9QH Tel: 01628 427500 www.cim.co.uk


Outlook: Growth last updated: Wed, 29 Jun 2005

Source http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile929/


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Appendix G: Range of Services Related to Meeting Planning Services Related to Meeting Sites/Venues Caterer (Independent) Off-premises providers of food and beverages for

events of any size who often suggest menus related to event themes, and supply staff, party rentals, and special services.

Conference Center Event Coordinator Primary contact for a meeting or event at a conference center. In the U.S., this facility is constructed for and devoted to meetings, and provides space, including sleeping rooms, on a 24-hour basis. European conference centers do not usually offer sleeping rooms.

Convention Center Event Coordinator Primary contact for a meeting or event at a convention center. In the U.S., this facility is designed for a multigroup, multi-purpose use and can accommodate very large meetings or exhibitions. In Europe, the terms “Convention Centre” and “Conference Centre” are often interchangeable.

Convention And Visitors Bureau Staff Work with planners to familiarize them with the local community and provide other services. A non-profit marketing organization, the CVB solicits and services all types of visitors to that destination.

Hotel Convention Or Catering Services Manager

Assist the meeting manager in arranging meeting details and coordinating efforts of service suppliers at the site.

Hotel Sales Manager Represents the hotel by contracting for meeting and sleeping room space for property-based conferences and events. He/she is usually the first contact with the meeting planner or sponsor.

Housing Bureau (U.S.) Or Reservation Service (Europe)

A third-party agency capable of managing the housing (rooming) process for a meeting.

Site Selection Or Venue Selection Services Independent companies that research appropriate meeting/event venues and negotiate contracts for meeting and sleeping room accommodations on behalf of clients.

Unusual/Alternative Sites Include zoos, theme parks, museums, art galleries, boats, shopping malls, schools or colleges, restaurants and other places of interest available for social events or off-site activities during a meeting or conference. Alternative sites may have activities (e.g., theme park) in which attendees have the option of participating. Venue staff members market sites to meeting planners and assist with events.

Source: MPI (2002), p. 3. Services Related to Transport and Logistics Destination Management Companies (DMCs) Specialize in design and delivery of events,

activities and tours utilizing specialized knowledge of local resources. They offer creative ideas for incentives, group activities and unusual off-site venues.

Ground Transportation Services Local companies that provide services such as a shuttle bus from the transportation hubs to the meeting and/or hotels and off-site events.

Limousine Services Offer luxury ground transportation, airport pickup, tours, etc. for private or VIP transportation to and from or within a meeting or conference.


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Tour Companies Provide meeting attendees and/or guests with instructional, entertaining area tours as part of pre- or postmeeting activity or scheduled as part of an event.

Meeting or Event Management Software Providers

Customer computer software is available for managing registration, accommodations, itineraries, calendars, function room layouts, name badges, meeting rosters, etc.

Meeting Supplies/Badge Sources These are providers of a variety of supplies and materials including, but not limited to badge stock, badge holders, imprinted ribbons, forms, binders, and software that assist with making the registration process proceed more smoothly.

Registration Service Companies These companies offer advance and on-site registration services including integrated database management, financial processing, name badge generation and on-site staffing.

Special Event Production Companies Offer full production consulting services for lighting, décor, staging and entertainment.

Web Site Designers Design meeting Web sites where attendees may find out information, submit presentations for consideration and register to attend.

Source: MPI (2002), p. 4 Services Related to Programme Content and Exhibits Audio Visual Contractors Some are audio visual production and staging

companies, while others provide equipment for sale or rental for use at meetings and events. Some supply both services.

Children’s Program Specialists Provide programs for children who accompany parents to meetings and conferences. They are not babysitters, but provide content-driven, fun programs.

Computer Rental Suppliers Offer a full spectrum of computer and related equipment for conventions and trade shows on a short-term rental basis including delivery, service and pick-up.

Decoration/Prop Designers Design and execute themed events for clients including use of lighting, props, scenery, flowers and custom fabrications designed to create visual impact.

Entertainment/Production Agents Brokers or agents for all types of entertainment, including lighting and video production and pyrotechnics. Others in this category include companies that create and perform custom musical or comedy productions for corporate events.

Evaluation Services Professional services that design evaluation forms and questionnaires, print forms, tabulate data and prepare reports detailing data collected.

Gift And Premium Sources Sources for executive gifts, trade show giveaways, event-related promotional items, and employee recognition awards. Everything from promotion/advertising items to one-of-a-kind elegant gifts are available.

Interactive/Team Building Facilitators Specialists in producing and presenting activities that foster attendee teamwork and communication through games, sports, competitive and cooperative activities or theatrical productions such as solving a mystery.

Interactive Response Systems Systems for electronically measuring audience response to questions with results provided as part


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of educational programming. Interpreters/Translators Read and speak more than one language and can

orally convert one language to another, including sign language. A translator can also convert written materials from one language to another.

Production Companies Provide creative teams which stage “industrial theatre” and organize all aspects (including themes, multi-media and speaker management) of an event to communicate the key messages.

Speakers (Professional) Individuals who have a message to deliver with sufficiently wide appeal to the audience providing information, education, advice and/or entertainment.

Speaker Bureaus Professional brokers or agents for speakers. Bureaus facilitate finding and securing appropriate speakers.

Trainers Or Coaches Design and implement employee development programs.

Exhibition Services Contractors Provide set-up of booth materials, decorations, signs and many other materials and services needed for an exposition. An Exhibit Manager or Account Executive is the primary contact between the planner and the “expo company” (the provider). This person also assists exhibitors on an on-site basis.

Florists Also called “interiorscapers,” these professionals provide décor such as flowers and plants to make a visual impact or create a theme.

Security Services Provide security personnel for conventions, trade shows, entertainment and sporting events.

Source: MPI (2002), pp. 5-6


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Appendix H: Events-Related Undergraduate Courses College/University Course Title Course Type

Marketing with Events Management (N504) 3FT Hon BA Birmingham College of Food, Tourism & Creative Studies (college accredited by University of Birmingham) (B35) Marketing with Events Management (N507) 2FT Dip DipHE Bishop Grosseteste College (B38) Cultural Events Management (N820) 2FT Fdg FdA Blackpool and The Fylde College An Associate College of Lancaster University (B41)

Leisure, Events and Entertainment Management (Converts to Degree) (N282)

1FT/2FT Hon BA

Bournemouth University (B50) Events Management (N820) 4SW Hon BA Arts and Event Production (EN12) 3FT Hon BA The Arts Institute at

Bournemouth (B53) Arts and Event Production (WN12) 3FT Hon BA University of Brighton (B72) Hospitality and Event Management (NN28) 2FT Fdg FdA Brockenhurst College (B88) Event Management (028N) 2FT HND

Events Management (028N) 2FT HND Events Management (N820) 3FT Hon BA Events Management (Language) (NR89) 3FT Hon BA Hospitality Management (Events) (NN28) 3FT Hon BA Leisure Management (Events) (NN2V) 3FT Hon BA

University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (C20)

Tourism Management (Events) (N891) 3FT Hon BA Combined Honours Programme - (Event Management) (Y003) 1FT Deg Mod

Event Management (N820) 3FT/4SW Hon BA

Event Management (N821) 2FT Fdg FdA

University of Central Lancashire (C30)

Management in Events (top-up) (N822) 1FT Hon BA University of Chester (C55) Dance with Events Management (W5NV) 3FT Hon BA City College Manchester (C66) Event Management (N820) 2FT Fdg FdSc Cumbria Institute of the Arts (C95)

Performances, Festivals and Events (WN98) 2FT Fdg FdA Arts Management (W9N2) 3FT Hon BA Arts Management and Dance (WW59) 3FT Hon BA Arts Management and Drama Studies (WW94) 3FT Hon BA Arts Management and Film Studies (NW26) 3FT Hon BA Arts Management and Journalism (PW59) 3FT Hon BA

De Montfort University (D26)

Arts Management and Media Studies (PW39) 3FT Hon BA Accommodation Management and Events Management (NNV2) 3FT Hon BA Business Operations Management and Events Management (NNF8) 3FT Hon BA Combined Subject Programme, Buxton - (Events Management) (Y004) 3FT Hon BA Events Management (N820) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Countryside Management (ND8K) 3FT Hon BA Hair Care Management and Events Management (BN38) 3FT Hon BA Hospitality and Events Management (NN8F) 3FT Hon BA Leisure and Events Management (NNFV) 3FT Hon BA Media Applications and Events Management (PNJ8) 3FT Hon BA Sound, Light and Live Event Technology (HJ39) 3FT deg BSc

University of Derby (D39)

Sports Studies and Events Management 3FT Hon BA


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(CN6V) Tourism Cultures and Events Management (N895) 3FT Hon BA Travel & Tourism and Events Management (N892) 3FT Hon BA

Doncaster College (D52) Event Design and Management (28WN) Event Design and Management (82NW)

1FT HNC 2FT HND

University of East London (E28) Events Management (N820) 3FT Hon BA Farnborough College of Technology (F66) Business and Event Management (N290) 2FT Fdg FdA University of Glamorgan (G14)

Live Event Technology (JP92) 3FT/4SW Hon BSc 4FT Hon BA Glasgow Caledonian University

(G42) Entertainment and Events Management (NN82) Adventure Leisure Management and Events Management (NN2V) 4SW deg BA Business Management and Events Management (NN18) 4SW Hon BA Community Development and Events Management (LNK8) 3FT Hon BA Events Management (N820) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and English Language (NQVH) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and English Literature (NQVJ) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Geography (NF88)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Hospitality Management (NNW2) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Human Resource Management (NN86) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and International Tourism Management (N890) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Intntl Hospitality Mgt (NN8F) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Leisure & Sport Management (NCV6) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Management (NN82) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Marketing Management (NNW5) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Popular Music (NW83) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Psychology (CN88)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Public Relations (NP82) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Sociology (LNH8) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Sport & Exercise Sciences (CNQ8)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Sport Science (CN6V)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Sports Development (NC86)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Sports Education (NX89)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Sports Tourism Management (N891) 4SW Hon BA Events Management and Tourism Management (N892) 4SW Hon BA

The University of Gloucestershire (G50)

Exercise & Health Sciences and Events Management (NCW6)

3FT Hon BA/BSc


105

2FT Fdg FdA University of Greenwich (G70) Events & Attractions Management (N821) Events Management (N820) Events Management (N822)

3FT/4SW Hon BA 2FT Fdg FdA

University of Hertfordshire (H36)

Music and Entertainment Industry Management (WN32)

3FT Hon BSc/BA

The University of Huddersfield (H60)

Events Management (N820)

4FT Hon BA

The University of Kent (K24) Creative Events: Design and Production (W900)

3FT Hon BA 3FT/4SW Hon BA 1FT Hon BA 1FT/1FT Hon/Ord BA 2FT/3SW HND 3FT/4SW Hon BA 1FT/1FT Hon/Ord BA

Leeds Metropolitan University (L27)

Club and Casino Management (N295) Conference and Exhibitions Management (N823) Event Fundraising and Sponsorship (NN58) Events Management (028N) Events Management (N820) Managing Cultural and Major Events (NN28) Sports Event Management (N822) 1FT Hon BSc Advertising & Marketing Communication and Event Management (NNM8) 3FT Hon BA Arts Management and Events Management (WN18) 3FT Hon BA Business Law and Events Management (MN2V)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Business and Events Management (NN18) 3FT Hon BA Digital Media and Events Management (GN48) 3FT Hon BA Events Management (028N) 2FT HND Events Management (N820) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and International Business (NN81) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and International Tourism Mgt (N892) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Marketing (NN85) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Mass Communications (NP89)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management and Music & Media Management (NP83) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Public Relations (NP82) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Sports Management (NN82) 3FT Hon BA Events Management and Theatre Studies (NW84) 3FT Hon BA

London Metropolitan University (L68)

Joint Courses - (Events Management (4)) (Y001)

3FT Hon BA/BSc

Events Management (128N) 2FT HND Events Management (N821) 3FT Hon BA

Events Management (Foundation) (N822) 4FT/5SW Hon BA

Events Management (Sandwich) (028N) 3SW HND

The Manchester Metropolitan University (M40)

Events Management (Sandwich) (N820) 4SW Hon BA New College Nottingham (N30) Events Management (N222) 2FT Fdg FdA Newcastle College (N23) Venue and Entertainment Industries

Management (N820) 2FT Fdg FdA

Northbrook College Sussex (N41)

Theatre Arts - Venue & Event Management (EN28) 2FT Fdg FdA


106

Theatre Arts - Venue & Event Management (WN28) 2FT Fdg FdA

Norwich City College of Further and Higher Education (An Associate College Of UEA) (N82)

Leisure and Events Management (NN28)

2FT Fdg FdA

University of Paisley (P20) Events Management (N820) 3FT/4FT/5SW Ord/Hon BA

University of Plymouth (P60) Events Management (NN2V) 3FT/4SW Hon BSc

Spatial Design (E240) 2FT Fdg FdA Plymouth College of Art and Design (P65) Spatial Design (W240) 2FT Fdg FdA Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh (Q25)

Events Management (N291) 3FT/4FT Deg/Hon BA

Sheffield Hallam University (S21)

Leisure Events Management (222N) Leisure Events Management (N820)

2FT HND 3FT Hon BSc

Sheffield College (S22) Tourism and Event Management (N890) 2FT Fdg FdA Event Management with Sport (N8C6) 3FT Hon BA Southampton Solent University

(formerly Southampton Institute) (S30) Event Management with Tourism (N891) 3FT Hon BA

Event Management (N820) Event Management (N821)

2FT Fdg FdA 3FT Hon BA

Event Management with Hospitality (N8N2) 2FT Fdg FdA Event Management with Leisure (N8NF) 2FT Fdg FdA

Suffolk College An Accredited College of the University of East Anglia (S81)

Event Management with Tourism (N890) 2FT Fdg FdA University of Teesside (T20) Performance and Events Production

(W490) 2FT Fdg FdA Thames Valley University (T40) Event Management (N820)

Event Management Special (N821) Hospitality and Event Management (28NN) Hospitality and Event Management (NN8F) Media and Event Management (PN38) Music and Event Management (WN38) Music, Media and Event Management (WPN0) Public Relations with Options - (Event Management) (P210)

2FT Dip DipHE 3FT Hon BA 2FT HND 4FT Hon BA 3FT Hon BA 3FT Hon BA 3FT Hon BA 3FT Hon BA

University of Ulster (U20) Leisure, Events and Cultural Management (N222) 4SW Hon BSc

Welsh College of Horticulture (W29)

Sports Turf, Events and Facilities Management (NN28) 2FT Fdg FdSc Event & Venue Management and Business (NN81) 3FT Hon BA Event & Venue Management and Drama & Performance (NW84) 3FT Hon BA Event & Venue Management and Leisure Management (NNV2) 3FT Hon BA Event & Venue Management and Music (NW83) 3FT Hon BA Event & Venue Management and Sports Studies (NCV6) 3FT Hon BA Event & Venue Management and Tourism Management (N890) 3FT Hon BA

Event and Venue Management (N820) 3FT/4SW Hon BA

International Hospitality Management and Event & Venue Management (NNG8)

3FT/4SW Hon BA

University of Wolverhampton (W75)

Joint Honours Degrees (Additional Combinations) - (Event and Venue Management) (BCF0) 3FT Hon Mod

Source: UCAS (2006)

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