The Best Time to Study an Event Management Degree? 6 Reasons it’s NOW

When COVID-19 started to change the event management industry, ICMS lecturers were optimistic. They explained to students studying for their Event Management degree (Bachelor of Event Management) what an amazing opportunity this would be. A chance to develop cutting edge, relevant skills for the new reality of the events industry. Skills that those already working in the industry might not yet possess.

“Yes this looks bad… however, in reality it is those studying RIGHT NOW who will transform this industry – who will have new fantastic ideas, who will shape the future of the events industry… and with a sound knowledge of Event Production and Management, the future opportunities will be amazing!” This is what Doug Garske, event management degree lecturer (and an event management expert), told his students earlier this year.

The events industry is already coming out more innovative and stronger. Change is rapid and exciting.

Here are our top 6 reasons why you should be studying Event Management now:

1. Change Brings Opportunity

COVID-19 hasn’t killed the events industry. It has made the industry “pivot”, innovate and develop far faster than anyone could have imagined. Mr Garske says it’s “Similar to how Netflix came along and changed the television AND movie industries.” Anyone remember renting videos?

2020 will bring opportunities and new developments for those fresh on the scene.

2. The Curriculum is Adapting Quickly

ICMS lecturers are always looking for ways to give students an opportunity to develop real-world skills. In 2020 event management degree students got the chance to plan and host their first virtual event. “ICMS gave us students a phenomenal opportunity to showcase our skills,” said Indiana Jansen.

Indiana’s lecturer Mr Garske explains further, “What we are focusing on now is the future of events – and that can be summed up in three words – Virtual, Hybrid, and Intimate.  This will be the “new normal” for events.”

Virtual Events

We are all aware of this… events “in the cloud” – ones you watch from the comfort of your home. These events mean brands can reach new target audiences. 

Hybrid Events

These are events that happen in real life, that may be restricted by regulation on the numbers that can attend – but are also available to a world audience via the latest technologies and platforms.  Examples of this are weddings, funerals, bands performing to small live audience – but streaming the concert to a broader audience. These events mean brands can scale.

Intimate Events

Why would a huge international brand carry the cost of hiring a football stadium to get 10,000 people to taste a new flavour/brand, when they could use that same budget to do 100 events around the country to an intimate 1000 specially invited people and use social media and streaming to extend their reach? Making the events more intimate and more special means brands are more personal and relatable.

3. Events Technology is Booming

Today’s event management degree students will be the first generation of event managers to adapt easily and quickly to new technology.

Mr Garske explains how technology is changing the events space, “The base of every event are the organisational platforms – the structures and documentation. The traditional way was rundowns, Gantt charts, Risk Analysis etc… all kept as separate documents in a folder. Now we have an explosion of amazing technologies that meld all that organisation into one cloud-based platform – companies like Cvent, EventsAir and Joi.events are the new standards. Understanding one of these will give you an advantage as you get into your careers and work in companies that use these platforms to run their events.”

4. Being Agile Makes You a Better Leader

‘Agile Leadership’ is more important than ever in the event management space.

Mr Garske explains how this is woven into the ICMS event management degree curriculum. “We focus on ‘agility’ – the ability to understand one way of doing things and adapting easily to another. Going from understanding how to organise a wedding and using that knowledge into organising a music festival… by giving you an overview of each industry, we set up students to being adaptable, innovative, and ‘agile’.”

5. Almost Everything is an Event Now

The world is changing. Nowadays almost everything can be handled like an event.

“I tell my students to think of everything that happens around them as “events” – even if you go to a shoe sale, someone has had to organise staff, signs, marketing, merchandising, partnerships… everything around us is an event… from a simple dinner party to Coachella, Groove in the Moo, etc… By teaching students to see things this way they are well prepared to transition into a variety of exciting careers,” says Mr Garske.

6. People Are Social

People are tribal by nature. We will always love going out with friends. We will always enjoy being part of something bigger than ourselves. Events will always be a major part of our lives. Events are the things we remember… they are the things which bring us closer together through shared experiences.

Our event management degree students will be part of teams that building the joy and memories of people into the future.

Learn more about the ICMS Event Management degree