International Women’s Day – Needed now as much as ever!

Posted . Filed under News.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th every year. It was first organised in the early twentieth century before women had the vote and had a hunger for equal rights. This day was born in the midst of socialist and feminist movements. Women began to speak out about their oppression. This celebration, proposed by Clara Zetkin (Leader of the “Women’s Office” in Germany) was a day for women to press for their demands. While some amazing advances have been made in the struggle for equality, reports and statistics have been sobering us into realising how far there is to go.

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Now, in the 21st century, many people from a younger generation feel that “all the battles have been won for women.” There has been a huge attitudinal shift and a lull in the inspiring activism we saw from our predecessors. IWD is seen by many now as redundant or merely an opportunity for commercialisation.

Reports shown in the Independent on Saturday revealed some shocking discoveries. With regards to pay, the gap between men and women stands at an average of 15% which rises to 35% in part time jobs. More shockingly, around 44 % of women have experienced physical or sexual violence from the age of 15 upwards. Britain stands as one of the worst countries in Europe for abuse against women while the UN reported that 99.3% women in Egypt have been subjected to sexual harassment. Furthermore, over 130 million women living in the world today have undergone female genital mutilation with as many as 24,000 girls in the UK at risk of this horror. Women are still fighting and it is important to remember this while celebrating the achievements we have made.

Annually on the 8th March, thousands of events are held across the world to celebrate achievements and also to inspire them to help facilitate change. This ranges from “political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and more.” Many global firms have also supported the cause and we saw the Google doodle dedicated to IWD on Saturday.

Make sure you are aware of how far we have to go and be part of the change. Who do you admire? Think globally and act locally to make every day International Women’s Day.

By: Kirsty Simms

Love Bournemouth? Become a fantastic Festival Maker

Posted . Filed under News.

Are you passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated? Let your festival spirit shine…
2014 is set to be another fantastic year in Bournemouth. We’ve launched an exciting new Festival Makers scheme giving you a chance to be part of the brilliant inaugural Bournemouth Wheels Festival taking place from 24-26 May. Help us to make it the biggest and best FREE family wheels themed festival in the UK.

 

Why English Football Player Fail in Penalty Shootouts: German Sport Psychology Researcher Visiting BU

Posted . Filed under Featured, News, Research.

Recently, the Sport Academic Group hosted researcher Dr Philip Furley from its Erasmus partner institution German Sport University Cologne. Philip works for the Institute of Cognitive and Team/Racket Sport Research and has recently published studies in a number of fields like inattentional blindness and creativity, many of which funded by the prestigious German Research Foundation.

As part of his visit he discussed his work with a selected group of sport academics and postgraduate researchers in a workshop-style format. One of the studies looked into how non-verbal behaviour of athletes is a function of the current score, how this can be reliably interpreted by others – especially opponents who register this which in turn influences their confidence levels.

By extending this research into what Philip calls ‘pop science’, it can be explained why English footballers are more likely to fail in penalty shootouts based on empirical data. ‘Hastening and hiding’ behaviour as a consequence of psychological stress in the penalty situation leads, for example, to submissive non-verbal behaviour like turning your back to the goalkeeper after dropping the ball on the penalty spot and taking little time for the shot after the referee blows the whistle.

Further studies and discussions were around the dangers of coaching instructions to induce an attentional set that controls the focus of attention of athletes. It can lead to structured awareness not adaptive to dynamic situations – for example during on-field decision making which can lead to important information being overseen, like an opponent who ‘unexpectedly’ enters the space of a defender. It was discussed if there were parallels to the way university tutors may be used to structure and present material to students and how this forms their thinking.

“Bringing highly dedicated researchers from internationally leading institutions to BU is an important part of inspiring and guiding research at our university. Philip’s presentations were a fantastic example of work that is driven by deep academic curiosity and high process quality, and his visit has provoked much inspiration and discussion” says Dr Tim Breitbarth, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator Internationalisation in Sport.

 

 

From: http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/03/03/why-english-football-player-fail-in-penalty-shootouts-german-sport-psychology-researcher-visiting-bu/

 

Award winning, international event management company came for a visit

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

The Let’s Talk Events & Leisure industry insight series were happy to welcome Jo Mitchell and Martina Berlin – both Event Managers at Quintessentially Events  a multi-award-winning, international event management company delivering exceptional events around the world for leading luxury and lifestyle brands and discerning individuals.DSC_1563 2

 

Jo and Martina shared their perspectives and experiences from the industry and working at QE. They come from different backgrounds, Martina with an events degree from Bournemouth University and Jo a true entrepreneur who started her own PR company after finishing a degree in Dance Performance from Middlesex University. They both agreed that what is most important to become a good event manager is to have a good plan in place and keep cool under pressure.  Not always easy!  They also underlined the importance of contingency in the sector, e.g. have plan b, c and d ready in case.  In addition, they stressed the importance of networking and client management skills and  shared perspectives with the students into how corporate and private clients have varying needs and expectations which need to be made clear at the outset.

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The students learned about QE’s experience in planning and executing a number of events including the Animal Ball held at Clarence House that hosts over 600 VIP guests, including Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall, with Jools Holland among others for entertainment and the charity focus being the protection of Asian elephants and their natural habitat.  They also featured their work on the Dom Perignon Luminous Label Launch; Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Launch (220 VIP’s); transition of House of Barnabas in London by Official London 2012 sponsor Omega.  They also featured work of Quintessentially Weddings and their specially tailored and bespoke planning hosted in French Riviera and St Petersburg, Russia.  This real life application helps the students to see their course content applied in practical terms.

Also, both Jo and Martina were featured in BBC3’s Insider programme last autumn in putting a group of short-listed candidates through the paces in recruiting for an events manager at QE.

The company is managing events across the world, currently with offices in London, Cote D’Azur, Geneva, Dubai, New Delhi, Hong Kong and Singapore. Their business is continuing to grow and Jo and Martina were able to share details with students about their internship programme and related recruitment focus. They are looking for interns for the spring and summer.  For more information about those roles and the company please visit http://www.quintessentiallyevents.com/

By: Maria Näs & Mary Beth Gouthro

IFEA Europe Conference – Nice 2014

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

Last week some of the festIM team attended IFEA Europe’s Annual Conference in Nice, the festIM dissertation students had the opportunity to hear inspiring talks from practitioners, academics and network with industry peers and colleagues. Our students were also lucky enough to attended a two day Pre-Conference Masterclass at Ipag Buiness School, Nice where they were able to share and discuss their work with academics and Masters Students studying International Marketing with Tourism & Events.

The festIM team presented their work to an international audience of experienced and well-known industry professionals, including the Deputy Mayor of Nice Rudy Salles and General Manager of Nice Conventions and Events Bureau, Denis Zanon. All of the festIM student’s research received an overwhelmingly positive response from the conference attendees and have already been invited to next year’s event to present the final findings of their work by Colm Croffy, Executive Director of the Association of Irish Festivals an Events (AOIFE) and IFEA Europe Board Member. We would like to thank IFEA Europe and Ipag Business School for arranging such a great conference, the students took a lot away from their time there and are looking forward to attending again in the future.

The event coincided with the world famous Carnival de Nice, which is in its 130th year spans over two weeks and features a multitude of cultural and sporting events including a Flower Parade, Rock ‘n’ Roll 10 Mile Run, Parade of Lights and Carnival Swim. We were lucky enough to attend the Carnival Opening Ceremony, Flower Parade and Parade of Lights as part of our trip. Check out our full account of the Carnival and IFEA Europe’s Conference at our Twitter 
 

Murder of Famous Actress at the Glitzy Riviera Hotel

Posted . Filed under News, Student Experience.

Famous actress, Veronica Myers, is to be murdered on Friday 28th March at the internationally renowned Riviera Hotel where she is to be promoting her latest film, One Short Second.

Transport yourself back to the 1930s, the golden age of Hollywood glamour – when Bette Davis and Greta Garbo were in their prime and film stars were the idol of every young girl and boy. It’s just a matter of time before a threatening note, a dramatic love triangle and strained business relations cause chaos and Veronica is found dead in the dining room. You are invited to attend, witness and solve the crime of the century.

Murder Mystery

Join organisers, Immersive Events, a group of Bournemouth University students, for a murder mystery evening that you simply won’t forget. A ticket guarantees you a three course meal, welcome cocktail, live band, charity auction and raffle, and live murder mystery solving action.

The event is being held in support of local Dorset charity, Julia’s House – a hospice for Dorset children with life-limiting conditions. It is predicted that in 2014, it will cost £3.9m for the charity to provide the vital care services that they offer.

All profited funds raised will be donated to the charity to provide happiness and joy to the children of the local area.

The event takes place at the Riviera Hotel in Alum Chine, Bournemouth on Friday 28th March 2014 from 7pm until midnight. Fancy dress is thoroughly encouraged in the style of the glamorous 1930s era. Tickets are £40* with discounts for table packages. You can reserve your place online at www.mysteryoftheriviera.com or by calling the Julia’s House Fundraising Team on 01202 644220.

@mysteryriviera
facebook.com/mysteryoftheriviera
To miss out would be simply criminal.

Article from: http://www.thedorsetpost.co.uk/2014/02/murder-famous-actress-glitzy-riviera-hotel/

The Festival Impact Monitor

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

The Festival Impact Monitor is a Fusion supported project that is intended to develop the following:

1)      An approach to evaluating the impact of events using data from social media.

2)      Reusable Learning Objects that can guide future researchers seeking to apply social media data.

3)      Individuals with experience in conducting research with social media data

Overall, the project intends to develop approaches to evaluating festivals using online narratives of event stakeholders. FestIM can deliver significant benefits for funders of events and event organizers as understanding the characteristics of online audiences can help them create new types of sponsorship products to fund event activity . Further, it enables the evaluation of social impacts, an area that is difficult to assess using conventional qualitative and quantitative approaches.  Finally, for events located over a large geographical area, the costs of evaluation can be prohibitive. FestIM can provide a cost effective alternative to traditional evaluation approaches. To achieve the second and third objectives, the project is working with a group of Level H dissertation students. At this stage in their research, these students have completed their literature review and secondary data analysis of online engagement at festivals. FestIM provided the opportunity for these students to deliver their research at the International Festival & Events Association of Europe conference in Nice, France to an audience of academics and industry professionals.  The team is shown below along with Dr Phil Long, Associate Dean and IFEA Member and Dr Debbie Sadd and Dr Nigel L. Williams of the project.

The entire team

The team

The students listed below presented their research to festival organisers from across Europe and the USA and by all accounts delivered a fantastic performance:

Sarah Ardin: community conversations which examines the impact of small rural and urban festivals using social media.

Emma Craig: evaluating the impact of Notting Hill Carnival using social media.

Ryan Kulikowski: the use of Social media as an engagement tool by Festival support organizations

Courtney Lee: the core FestIM process itself and its application to the Love Luton Festival

Doreen Mbagwu: the engagement of the Nigerian and Ghanaian community with Notting Hill Carnival

Rogan Sage: Glastonbury as a platform for engagement with social issues

Jasmine Waddell: post purchase evaluation of Festivals using Glastonbury as a case study.

Courtney, Rogan and Ryan presenting at the main conference.

Courtney, Rogan and Ryan presenting at the main conference.

In addition to presenting their academic research, the students had the opportunity to get an exclusive look behind the scenes of the Nice Carnival which was celebrating its 130th birthday. They participated in workshops with the leading carnival historian Annie Sidro and met the Deputy Mayor of Nice. They then attended the major events of the weekend including a Battle of the Flowers, Main carnival procession and Rock and Roll 10 mile road race. It wasn’t all work as the students were able to take a quick hop down the coast to see Monte Carlo and Monaco.  The students will continue to develop their research and will present their completed dissertation findings in our workshop in July at the School of Tourism.

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By: Dr Nigel L. Williams and Dr Debbie Sadd

“Life in front of and behind the camera; a Paralympian’s perspective on disability”

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

Welcome to a talk where Kate Grey will share her experiences of training, studying and competing as a Paralympian for Beijing in 2008 and preparing for London 2012.

Although Kate was not able to qualify for London 2012 due to illness she was able to take an active role on reporting the games for the BBC. As part of this talk Kate will also consider whether or not attitudes towards disability have changed as a result of the increased media focus on the Paralympics and what this might mean for Rio 2016.

To attend please book via these links: BU Students/public and BU Staff

Kate GreyKate Grey