Time flies when you're having fun!

Hayley Ballard reports from our current Diploma Course

Four weeks into the Events Management Diploma and it’s true that time flies when you’re having fun! So far the course has covered Experiential Events, Fundraising Events, the ever-increasing importance of social media and the logistics behind coordinating an event and planning for success. It sounds like a huge amount of things to have covered and looking back over the lectures I have already learned a lot. Still to come are Weddings, Sporting and Celebrity Events, which gives an idea of the scope of this 12 week course. In our first lecture, we were asked to introduce each other and give a few snippets of information about our colleagues. It was so interesting to hear the range of nationalities, experiences, views, and the different routes people are hoping to take into the Events industry. I tried to come into the course with as few preconceived ideas as possible, and the intention of not ruling anything out. Each lecture is so informative and each lecturer is so passionate about the area they have worked in, that I now find myself coming out of each class thinking “maybe I’ll do that…” or “no, this is definitely the sector for me!” The most crucial thing for me about the course was the emphasis that is placed on the “doing” part of learning. You can make notes, you can memorise information to regurgitate in exam conditions, but there seem to be few courses out there that give the opportunity and the active encouragement to try things for yourself and get involved. Having the chance to work on a live project and having to think about everything we have learned in a very “real” context is fascinating but challenging, and really does give you the chance to see whether you can stand the pace. There’s a great feeling of camaraderie, support, nervousness and anticipation in the whole class, which is perhaps the best evidence of just how engaging and exciting the course is.