The final Digitals Destinations event

Posted . Filed under News.

The final Digital Destinations event took place on Tuesday 22nd October at the East Cliff Court Hotel in Bournemouth where Dr Alford, the project lead, fed back the results and insights from the project as well as looking to the future and how the collaboration could be extended. If you weren’t able to make it to the event, you can view Dr Alford’s slides at http://www.slideshare.net/DigitalHub/digital-destinations-key-results-and-next-steps. The businesses also ‘graduated’ and received their certificates for their commitment to the project over a 12-month period, which is testimony to their support but also to the importance they attach to Digital Marketing.

The evening concluded with great Q&A with overwhelming enthusiasm for not letting the Digital Marketing journey end at this point but for finding opportunities to extent the work and the great networking that the project established. In that spirit, a number of businesses are attending the Social Media and Reputation Management event at Bournemouth University on the 8th November http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/festival/

Are you passionate about licensing of events? We know someone who is!

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

This week Let’s Talk Events & Leisure had the privilege to welcome Philip Day, Solicitor and expert on the Licensing of Events from Horsey Lightly Fynn.

Horsey Lightly Finn

As a result of the Licensing Act 2003 there are a great number of regulations relating to licensing of events as well as many exemptions to keep track of. To make it even more complicated the exemptions keep changing over time. Philip said his job is about allowing people to have a good time without spoiling the fun!

Philip delivered what he calls the ‘idiot’s guide on licensing events’ and we got a crash course in what is licensable and not, what things you have to deal with when you ask for a license and how much it costs.

It was a great presentation from Philip who is very passionate and knowledgeable about licensing implications of events, and he delivered this important subject matter in an entertaining yet insightful way. The advice he wants to give to event managers is to keep it simple and try your best to involve and communicate with your stakeholders and locals.

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Philip is also Vice President and Legal Advisor of NOEA (National Outdoor Event Association)

By: Maria Näs

Geronimo Inns inspire students

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, Student Experience.

Ed Turner, Commercial Director for Young & Co’s Brewery and Managing Director of Geronimo Inns Limited delivered an interesting and inspirational presentation to students at School of Tourism.  Ed previously worked as Retail Operations Manager for Mitchells and Butler for 10 years and clearly has a proven track record of managing, directing and leading successful businesses.

Ed shared the business that he loves and told of the latest trends in the industry and how it is changing. We are changing how we socialise, eat and also communicate and work. It is a tough climate but there are also many opportunities out there for those who are keeping up with trends. DSC_1607 low res

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The message he brought to the students was that it is personality that drives business and they should join companies with a personality. He is interested in working with and recruiting those who have a real passion for creativity, living life, fine food and those who are inspired by living outside of the box. “The people that are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do”.

Applications open!

Posted . Filed under News, Student Experience.

The autumn rounds for your applications within the BU Global Horizons Fund and the new Santander Grants are now open! Please visit the newly structured Student Portal pages about Study & Work Abroad opportunities at BU to learn more on how to apply, which international activities BU may be able to support and by when you have to submit your application. For any queries, please write directly to studyabroad@bournemouth.ac.uk

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Bournemouth University’s School of Tourism Invited to Join the European Tourism Futures Institute

Posted . Filed under News, Research.

Nicole Ferdinand and Dr. Katherine King of the Events and Leisure Group in the School of Tourism were invited to attend the third annual meeting of the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI), which was held at the European Parliament in Brussels on September 16th-17th 2013. Among the items raised at the meeting was the Festival Impact Monitor, a successful Bournemouth Fusion Investment Fund bid submitted under the Co-Creation and Co-Production Strand. This project seeks develop an event evaluation approach to overcome the limitations of existing qualitative and quantitative methods. ETFI were contacted prior to the submission of this bid to act as an international partner. Jeroen Oskam, Programme Manager for ETFI was very enthusiastic in supporting this project as it fits in very well with the forward looking orientation of his institution. For more on the Festival Impact Monitor, please see this link.

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By Nicole Ferdinand

Ever organised a children’s party? Crafty Arty World Group takes the connotation of children’s events to a whole other level

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

Thursday the 17th October Let’s Talk Events & Leisure had the pleasure to welcome Emily Hall, Business Development Manager and Tony Jacques, Marketing Director from Crafty Arty World Group.

Crafty Arty World

Crafty Arty World Group has grown organically at a rapid pace the past years and experienced a steep learning curve. Starting as a local company organising arts courses for children they got a call that would change everything to come. They were asked to organise a children’s party and realised quickly that there was a gap in the market. Today 99% of the business is London based though the office is based next to a beautiful meadow in Dorset. They have 3 companies under the umbrella Crafty Arty World i.e. Crafty Arty Parties™, Tikes & Tiaras™ and Prop Dead Gorgeous™ http://www.craftyartyworld.com/ and have plans to develop even further.  They deliver corporate and private children parties with bespoke and creative solutions. Everything is made specifically for each event. The company organises the biggest corporate children’s party in London for the 3rd year running. Tony explains that “corporate clients has moved away from merely treating their employees and clients and are now focusing largely on family events. Happy children make for happy parents and happy employees.”

Emily graduated from the Events Management program at School of Tourism in 2012. She started her journey with the company as a placement student and is now responsible for up to high profile 30 clients at one time. She tells the story of the first time she was invited by her manager to be part of a pitch. “I have done bungee jumping and I honestly thought that it at least can’t be as bad as that. They are just humans in that room and they are not going to eat me”.  Emily won the pitch and was promoted.

Emily Hall

“What did you think about when you hear children’s party?” Tony asked the students. They would find out that it is much more than balloons, clowns and cupcakes involved. Crafty Arty World Group is an event production company from start to finish. The audience learned about the ups and downs when it comes to building client relationships, answering to briefs, landing a pitch, and finally delivering and event. The biggest challenge is to get into the door. “There is no one way to get a client and sometimes it can take years of work to get that meeting” says Emily. She also stressed how important it is to make the clients remember you, be creative, and know your finances. But most of all make sure to get a signature on that contract.

Tony JacquesThe future looks bright for Crafty Arty World Group. They are launching a new brand, developing their e-marketing and increasing international business. After Christmas Tony and Emily will fly to New York in the search for new opportunities. When Crafty Arty World Group met with students after the presentation the room was packed. They are currently looking for students to do casual work as well as offering graduate opportunities. If you are interested contact Emily at Emily.hall@craftyartyparties.com  or Tony Jacques at Jacques@craftyartyparties.com.

By: Maria Näs

 

Seminars in October and November

Posted . Filed under News.

All seminars are on Wednesday afternoons in TAG32.

23rd October, 3pm in TAG32

Philip Long, ‘Creativity and Tourism: Theory, Policy and Practice’

Cláudia Henriques (University of the Algarve), ‘Place, Identity and Paradoxes: the case of British tourists’ attitudes regarding the Algarve’.

30th October, 4pm in TAG32

Berta Ferrer Rosell (University of Gerona), ‘A new way of segmenting tourists: defining low-cost tourists by their expenditure composition’

Adam Blake and Heather Hartwell, ‘BU PhD Studentships’.

13th November, 3.30pm, TAG32

Marina Marouda and Adele Ladkin, ‘Family Rituals 2.0 – supporting work-life balance for mobile workers in the digital age’

Ian Jones, ‘Why we carry on when things go wrong: Social Creativity, Sport and Leisure’.

Tracy Halliwell, Director of Business Tourism & Major Events at London & Partners

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

On the second part of Let’s Talk Industry Guest Speaker Series we were happy to welcome Tracy Halliwell, Director of Business Tourism & Major Events at London & Partners.

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Tracy who is a BU alumni herself started her career in hotels and catering where she spent 20 years working her way up to more senior positions. She then decided she wanted to try something new and went on to destination marketing.

During her presentation she gave an in-depth perspective of the organisation London & Partners which was launched in 2011 to bring together several organisations with the aim to talk with one voice, vision and mission to promote London and attract and deliver value to business, students and visitors. London & Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London’s office and their network of commercial partners.

Tracy shared her experiences from working on the Olympics 2012 where London & Partners played a big role, not only in the bidding process but also regarding accommodation, hospitality, media centre, the Mayor’s Hospitality Programme and the Cultural Olympiad -Summer Like No Other. One of the challenges was the so called displacement effect that often takes place in destinations before and after a major event. This effect was minimized by London & Partners by providing a range of initiatives encouraging people to visit London.

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When asked by the students what she likes most about her job Tracy replied that she has a varied job where no one day is the same. Her advice to students is to get as much work experience as possible to stand out from the crowd and have real life experiences to talk about when applying for jobs.

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By: Maria Näs

Let’s Talk Events & Leisure Industry Guest Speaker Series 2013

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News.

Let’s Talk Events & Leisure was delighted to kick off the Industry Guest Speakers Series 2013 with a full lecture theatre and visit from Peter Gunn, Chief Executive BH Live and 3 BU graduates.

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Peter Gunn gave his large student audience an overview of the broad scope of Events & Leisure venues and programming on offer with BH Live. With products and services covering leisure activities, the arts, entertainment, culture and events it employs upwards of 1,000 people across its venues and leisure centres.  BH Live also draws in 50,000 conference and exhibition visitors e.g. BIC and has over 1.6 million visits to its Leisure Centres each year. Peter highlighted their BH Live Experience Privilege scheme to over 200 students, and shared the news that BH Live has also recently signed the contract with Portsmouth City Council to manage and operate the Pyramids Centre in Portsmouth.

20131003-IMG_8227   From the left: Hanna Parsons, Alex Ainsworth, Cathi Farrer

Cathi Farrer (BA (Hons) Leisure Marketing 2006) currently working in the Marketing Department at Bournemouth University told the students about her decision to come back to Bournemouth due in part to its appeal in life/work balance, & being closer to friends and the beach. Cathi has a passion for sports events and after having spent time on the Rugby Events event circuit, Cathi was determined to get involved with the London Olympics. She applied for a majority of the jobs out for grabs and landed a position as Services Group Leader at the shooting competitions. Not her favourite sport though she had a fantastic Olympic experience that she’ll never forget. Cathi’s advice to the students was to be persistent and try new things, find the areas that they like and build networks.

Hannah Parsons (BA (Hons) Events Management 2012)

Hannah shared her story of when her placement turned into a management position on her first day as the current manager left the company. A big (and scary) challenge that she took on which gave her great experience. Hannah then worked part-time during the last year of her studies to add to her work experience. Currently working as the event coordinator at a cancer hospice associated with Poole Hospital, her advice to students is to not only go looking for opportunities for the most obvious events companies, but to open your search criteria and you will find event jobs in industries you never thought of.

Alex Ainsworth (BA (Hons) Events Management  2012)

Alex started his journey at RNLI as volunteer and was later promoted to team leader. Alex currently holds a position as the RNLI’s south central area face to face and events manager.  Alex encouraged current students to grab all university opportunities that are presented to them, including volunteering, guest lectures and industry competitions. It builds on the learning and helps build industry contacts. It also shows people you are interested and keen to learn more and gain experience in the events industry.

A big thank you everyone involved. See you next week!

By: Maria Näs

Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival – a student reflection

Posted . Filed under News, Research, Student Experience.

As part of their level C induction BU Leisure Marketing students documented their visit to the opening of Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival. Read their story and see the movie they made.

By: Yaz, Baz, Jade, Penny, Lucie, Ellee, Tom

To begin our research project of the arts by the sea festival we did a very general background information study finding out the theme, the event size and the kind of performances as well as the general aim of the festival.

This allowed us to understand what the arts by the sea festival was about and how we could capture our event experience.

We decided to base our research project around a particular act in which we were all curious in spectating. this happened to be the Dick Danger show – ‘Dick Danger attempts the impossible as he steers his way through a health and safety nightmare. watch a man diving from a very high pole head first into a bucket of water.’ In order to capture the our Arts Festival experience we decided to film ourselves around the event as well as the act itself, this enabled us to pick up on the atmosphere and the energy of the event. As demonstrated in the video you can see that the event was very lively with a very happy crowd with one of our group members actually participating within the show.

After knuckling our heads together we decided to make a short video that concluded every aspect of what we were trying to show. Yaz was the designated editor and he put the video together very well and we all agreed on trying to make the video fun and enjoyable to express our experience how it was. During this project we all got to know each other very well and it has brought us together which overall was the main aim of the introduction project.

See the movie here

Arts by the sea Bournemouth, Report