Insightful Guest Lecture with Industry Expert & Urban Event Management Founder Lisa Harrison

Recently, the ICMS Event Management faculty hosted an incredibly insightful guest lecture with one of our specialist industry connections. As part of the ICMS career-focused approach, guest speaker invitations are regularly extended to successful professionals working in the industry.

Lisa Harrison, Director of Urban Event Management spoke to ICMS Bachelor of Event Management students as a guest speaker to share a behind-the-scenes look at the events industry and running your own business.

Ms Harrison has been running her business since 2013 and said, “It’s cliche, but this industry is definitely not just what you know, but who you know.” She added, “you have to put yourself out there into the universe, and get your name known.” She went on to talk about the importance of delivering what you promise, as well as building relationships with clients and providing a personalised experience.

Students also got an insight into the shift to more virtual events, and all the technicalities that come with this. It was particularly interesting to hear about how her business quickly adapted to the pandemic, with many large scale events being postponed or moving to online.

ICMS guest speakers not only share their real-world experiences of the industry with students, they also provide inspiration and career motivation. Hosting various guest lectures such as this one is just one of the many ways ICMS focuses on preparing students for professional success within the ever-evolving events industry.

The ICMS Event Management students who attended the guest lecture had only positive things to say about the guest lecture that was arranged by Lecturer, Doug Garske.

Second year student Vidisha Couhan said, “I really enjoyed having her as a guest lecturer, as she gave an insightful talk about coordinating events with other companies to now running her own events business. It was interesting to learn how she got into the industry, and the elements of events she prioritises to be as involved as possible.”

“One thing that stood out for me was how she chooses to hire staff on a casual basis, depending on the event, and doesn’t just have one team dedicated to the company, which I felt was a smart move on her end, as everyone can focus on the event they are hired for when they have multiple events happening. It was a fantastic guest lecture,” she said .

Mr Garske said, “ICMS has been so supportive of my students and me – building on their belief in giving access to industry experts is important in providing a well-rounded education in the events industry.”

Other Event Management Guest Lecture’s Have Included:

• Billie Cox (Business Development Manager at Australian Marketing Institute)
• Lucy Keeler (Curator, Vivid Light, Vivid Sydney DNSW)
• James Humperson (Humanitix)
• Mary Franklin (Head of Events at Crunchyroll)
• Bree Wailes (We Surge: Event & Wedding Sales Trainer, Hospitality Sales Consultant)
• Colin Laidlaw (Joi – Empowering teams to deliver better events)
• Paula Nolan, (Executive Manager Partnerships and Community CBA)
• Al Weekes (Creative Director at Kat & Co)

About the Bachelor of Event Management

Creating special memories and designing lifetime experiences for others is what makes a career in event management so fulfilling.

Event management is a growing global industry with a broad range of employment opportunities across different industries. This is the ideal career for you if you are organised, sociable and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing a project through to completion.

The Bachelor of Event Management will equip you with the skills to rise to the top of this diverse and dynamic sector. Designed to position students for success in the exciting events industry, this is a qualification which could to take you anywhere in the world.

Click here to read more about the Bachelor of Event Management.