Events and Experience Management with Foundation Year

Events and experience management is concerned with the planning, delivery, and evaluation of events ranging from small professional gatherings to major public festivals, sporting occasions, and corporate experiences. It is a demanding practical discipline that requires the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, to work under pressure to tight deadlines, and to solve problems creatively when things do not go to plan. As the events industry has grown in scale and sophistication, the demand for graduates who understand both the operational and strategic dimensions of event management has increased considerably.

At York St John University, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year, providing a supported entry route for students who want to build their academic confidence and knowledge before moving into the full degree. The programme develops practical, professional skills alongside the academic frameworks and theoretical understanding that distinguish graduate-level events professionals from those without formal training. You will learn to plan and deliver events of any size to any audience, covering project management, venue selection, logistics, supplier management, budgeting, health and safety, and marketing and communications for events.

Alongside these operational skills, you will engage with the academic literature on experience design, consumer behaviour, and the economics and sociology of events and leisure.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you substantial professional and international experience. Time spent working in an events organisation, a venue, a marketing agency, or a related business gives you direct exposure to professional standards and practices, builds your portfolio of experience, and creates the professional relationships that matter when you are looking for graduate employment in a competitive industry.

Graduates from events and experience management programmes work across the events industry in event management companies, venues, hotels, sporting organisations, music and entertainment, conference and exhibition centres, charities, and the corporate events sector. Postgraduate study in events management, marketing, or hospitality management supports those who wish to develop specialist expertise.