Events – an art or a science?

By , Thursday, 7 June 2012, 1:21 pm 5 Comments

Many young people trying to get their first job in events are now equipped with a degree in events management, something that barely existed a decade ago. So what does that mean for the industry?

In the June issue of Event magazine, I looked into education and training in the industry for our special report. I interviewed Peter and Abi, the winners of this year’s The Eventice careers competition, who will be starting the new jobs they won next month.

Both Peter and Abi had done a degree in events management at university. Their courses were fairly similar, but had a key difference – Peter’s was a Bachelor of Arts degree or BA, while Abi’s was a Bachelor of Science (BSc).

Putting a few different letters before a qualification may not mean much in practice, but it intrigues me that one university sees organising events as an art, while another classifies it as a science. It reflects concerns some of you raised in our special report that the industry is suffering from an identity crisis, which can be an early hurdle to those trying to get their first job.

What do you think – are events an art or a science?

Catch the feature in the June print issue (or subscribe for more special reports if you don’t already.)

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  • Abi Cozens

    Very interesting topic and one that not all students are aware of when deciding to endeavour in an Events Management degree. I believe there are many opinions on both the arts and science side of events where a definite answer may not be concluded. Will be interesting to hear professional’s thoughts within the June issue.

  • Claire Derrick

    A great subject to cover and one that has never been more relevant. Looking forward to reading the full article.

  • Stephanie Rietkerk

    Wouldn’t it depend on the type of events you want to study i.e. creative, corporate etc? I would probably place it under a Bachelor of Business degree…

  • Louise Ridley

    Great to hear your resolutions Adam – although I rather like the patriotic spirit from the Jubilee and think it might continue due to the Royal Baby, and also the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation (she gets two celebrations!) You’re completely right about good publicity materials. From our point of view, it’s really frustrating if we find something great that we want to tell people about but the images of videos just don’t do it justice!

    • Adam Sternberg

      Thanks Louise! There’s nothing worse than trying to sell something based on a blurry promo shot and I think it’s our responsibility to do whatever we can to have the right tools to help clients make the right decision when it comes to entertainment.

      And we’re not throwing the Union Jacks out just ye, just maybe taking it easy for a few months!