Tourism and Hospitality

Sport Management Golf student Kasia Selwent was one out of three BU Sport & Physical Activity Level I students to benefit from the wonderful study opportunity at our German partner university SRH Heidelberg in 2014/15. She will even be back in late 2015 to work at the Solheim Cup, a very significant international golf event.

Read about her various experiences:

“I have decided to come to Heidelberg (Germany) for a student exchange programme for a couple of reasons. Funnily I wanted to be closer to my home, friends and family, as I am a foreign student at Bournemouth University and felt homesick sometimes. Originally I am from Poland, my hometown is close to German border, therefore I thought moving to Germany would be a perfect solution. I also love to experience new cultures, discover new places, and get to know people with international backgrounds. Lastly I am a golfer and Heidelberg is well known from one of the best golf courses and facilities across Germany. Combining all of above Heidelberg seemed to be a right place to be for me. And it certainly was.

I can easily say that last 6 months were one of the best in my life. I have made some amazing friendships widening group of my international friends. I have learned so much about different cultures, tolerance and doing businesses worldwide. As a European citizen I am happy to say that I finally have a good knowledge about European Union, its rules, laws and advantages of being a part of it. Also I feel proud to say that I am a European with no divisions, barriers and inequality between members’ countries. I am satisfied with the programme we covered at SRH Hochschule and I have gained a lot of useful and practical knowledge during the International Business course. However I appreciate much more knowledge gained from others’ students and professors’ experiences. Books are an amazing educational tool, but I know now that experiencing things by yourself is the best possible way to learn and acquire the most important life skills.

I was lucky to have an amazing group of people around me during my student exchange, both German and international students. I can definitely say that we will stay in touch with some of them for a long time. SRH Hochschule’s staffs were taking care of us for the whole time making the most of our time here in Heidelberg. Additionally the city of Heidelberg is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The atmosphere of an old town mixed with typically student’s town make the place really special. Beautiful, historical architecture combined with fabulous landscapes is what describes Heidelberg the best.

I had a chance to play and practise at one of the most wonderful golf courses in Europe and for me as a golfer it was a really important aspect. What is more I am coming back to Heidelberg in September to volunteer at one of the biggest world golf events Solheim Cup (Ladies’ Ryder Cup), which I am really excited about.

In the end I barely was visiting my home country and homesickness disappeared completely while being in Heidelberg. Now I know it is all about people and ERASMUS programme is one of the best opportunities to meet some amazing personalities and make friends for life.

If anyone would ask me if it is worth to go for a student exchange programme my answer would be; there is no better present you could do for yourself during your studying. I am not sure how it is in different places, but I can certainly say that anyone who would come to spend a semester here in Heidelberg will fall in love with this place within a couple of days.”

Sport Management student Dominic Buchan was the first BU Sport & Physical Activity student to benefit from the fantastic study and internship opportunity a new partnership with the internationally renowned Norwegian School of Sports Sciences offers. Read his brief account:

“Studying abroad at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences (NSSS) was a fantastic decision and an experience I will have for the rest of my life. Based 20 minutes from the city center of Oslo via the metro system, NSSS offered everything I needed; from the sand volleyball courts to the local hiking trials NSSS had it all.

The programme I opted for was divided into two parts. The first part was simply studying abroad for the first semester, and the second part is being positioned in a sporting body undertaking an internship.

S1) Study Abroad

This was divided into three topics: sports marketing, event marketing and volunteerism in sport. These topics were international courses therefore we conducted in English. In these classes were a range of nationalities: Norwegian, Canadian, German, Polish and English. The majority of my classmates were also international students to which of whom I got very friendly with and will forever stay in contact with. These topics were interesting topics and were relevant to my internship. An added bonus was the fact that as a class we got to work at the Cross Country Ski World Cup in Lillehammer which was a great couple of days. Also, staff and pupils were very friendly and welcoming even though Norwegians are very introverted. I think being part of the ‘fadder week’ (Freshers week) helped with this a lot, since the school has a small amount of pupils getting to know everyone is very easy.

S2) Internship

I was lucky enough to have my internship at the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (LYOGOC). This enabled me to witness and take part in the professional business environment and witness first hand how an international event starts from nothing to evolve into something. With this internship I was able to take part in all of the ski events taking place in Oslo and Lillehammer, which was absolutely brilliant. Also had a hand in developing ideas for LYOGOC campaigns themselves such their ‘1 Year to Go’ campaign that was televised across Norway and the Torch Tour.

All in all this was an absolutely incredible year away and I would recommend doing this or something like this. I have learnt so much individually and professionally I didn’t want it to end. However I would also say its all about what you put in because if you get involved with the school, the pupils and other international students you will certainly have a terrific time!”

Sport & Physical Activity students interested in study abroad opportunities should contact the department’s coordinator internationalization, Dr Tim Breitbarth, at tbreitbarth@bournemouth.ac.uk

Agency Grass Roots Meetings & Events has appointed an events management graduate following Meeting Professionals International’s (MPI) inaugural MPI Connects event in April.

The MPI Connects event, which took place at Westminster University in April, was designed to bring together industry employers and new talent who are looking to make a start in the events industry.

As a result, Grass Roots Meetings & Events has appointed Takara Patrick, a Bournemouth University events management graduate, to the role of events coordinator.

Grass Roots Meetings & Events operational director Sue Massey said: “The MPI Connects event was a great opportunity, which not only benefitted the jobseekers but ourselves as employers.

“Off the back of the event, we have been able to employ a fantastic graduate in Takara and we are excited about her future in one of our client implant teams in London. The whole idea of bringing employers together with those searching for careers within the industry should be applauded.”

C&IT’s State of the Industry Report has revealed that recruiting new talent is the top challenge facing event agencies in 2015, with Smyle managing director Rick Stainton stating: “The top challenge for anyone at the moment is talent. There doesn’t seem to be any. It’s very difficult to find really good, multi-discipline, multi-sector experience or talent out there.”

The MPI Connects event was attended by more than 50 event management students who were advised to ‘take the initiative, pick up the phone’ and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the industry to find employment.

Hamish Reid, UK commercial director at MPI, added: “One of our main aims is to aid students with the transition between full-time education and finding a career.

“MPI Connects was created for the sole purpose of connecting jobseekers and students like Takara to potential recruiters so for a global company such as Grass Roots to hire as a result of the event is a real success.”

In March, Grass Roots made three ‘significant’ changes to its leadership team ahead of new ambitious growth plans.

In March MSc Retail Management and Marketing students had a chance to explore the London Borough Market, enjoying the unique opportunity to sample European food  (e.g. cheese and homemade bread) and to wander through Western market stalls. The students observed how market traders consistently use various experiential tactics to indulge visitors’ senses such as colourful product displays, delicious scent from the displayed products or cooking, friendly staff inviting visitors to sample products, welcoming store ambience, quirky and clear signage and, more importantly, the market traders apply hardly any pressure on the visitors to buy from them. These tactics exemplify the principles of great customer experiences proposed by Watkinson (2013) i.e. indulging consumer senses, being socially engaging, offering a stress-free environment, and empowering the customer with a sense of control.

After the market trip, students visited Dalziel and Pow (a London-based agency with over 30-years’ experience in retail branding and design, and met with Mr David Wright, the Group Marketing Director. Mr Wright gave a talk on the company’s history and the strategic roles that retail design play in branding a retail business and delivering added-value customer experiences. During his talk, Mr Wright shared some stories from their projects commissioned by leading retailers such as Argos, Primark, The White Company, and Monsoon. The trip to Dalziel and Pow concluded with a tour around the company and its design studio. This field trip was a great opportunity for the September and January cohorts to bond with each other and the tutors, Dr Jason Sit and Dr Gregory Kapuscinski.

Last Friday a guest speaker Alistair Turner, PR Director for Britain for Events Campaign, for BVEP – Britain Visits and Events Partnership came to give a talk to our Event Management students.

Dr Mary Beth Gouthro, a Senior Lecturer In Events Management said:  “we are very pleased to have Alistair Turner join us for a guest lecture on the heels of the recent release of the DCMS Business Visits and Events Strategy.”  This strategy is the first of its kind in that there hasn’t been an overarching strategic approach to business events before, so as to develop domestic and  international market opportunities.  In addition, the strategy also acknowledges future governance, infrastructure and funding, visas and ‘welcome from Britain’ to international visitors, marketing and strategic partnerships.  The strategy is also meant to play a key role in 2020 Export Drive, ie in optimising unique world events to boost UK exports.

One of the key features of the strategy (and a first) is the creation of a Business Visits & Events Board, made up of events industry representatives, government departments and agencies, under the auspices of the GREAT programme. The new board is tasked with identifying business opportunities and to win more events for Britain, and represents new resources for the events industry.

Alistair plays a key role in its promoting its execution go forward and reflects progressive steps eg policy implications and further legitimisation of the events sector in UK.

Alistair shared a great example for Britain bidding to host the Olympics 2012. If you haven’t seen the video yet you can view it here: https://vimeo.com/37241441

Daniele Quattromini, manager at ClubLounge39 at Canary Wharf and winner of the Gold Service Scholarship 2015, shares his top tips for providing quality service. 

http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Venues/Daniele-Quattromini-of-ClubLounge39-on-delivering-top-quality-service

As part of their Sport Marketing unit, students work around the real case of a German sport fashion firm and lifestyle internet platform in order to support their business activities in the UK.

The success of the entrepreneurially driven and award-winning myboshi brand in continental Europe is built on the refreshing way it challenges old crafting traditions and inspire creative communities to ‘crochet their own world’.

 Organized by Dr Tim Breitbarth (Faculty of Management), the work on the students’ marketing plans kicked-off with a one-day intense case workshop on campus. A similar workshop involving industry as part of his undergraduate delivery was trialed in 2014 already.

This format includes various short input sessions, a number of small assignments and action-based group work as well as selected presentations and instant discussion/feedback.

Students also had the chance to talk to Thomas Jaenisch, one of the two founders and CEO of myboshi, via video link in order to learn more about the past, present and future of the business.

As part of his ongoing collaboration with industry, Dr Tim Breitbarth will provide the firm’s management with a short report based on the students’ work. Already, during the video conversation a storyboard from one of the student groups for a viral campaign did catch Thomas’ very interest.

Picture 1: Thomas Jaenisch, CEO and founder of myboshi, getting interviewed by students in order to gain more insights into the business as basis for the students’ marketing plans

Picture 2: Students in a fishbowl discussion situation as part of the one-day intensive workshop

Picture 3: One of various short input sessions leading to short group assignments as part of the one-day intensive workshop (here delivered from Dr Christopher Huth, visiting scholar from Bayreuth University)