AEME (Association for Events Management Education)

AEME (the Association for Events Management Education) is pleased to announce the 10^th AEME Events Management Educators Forum, which this year will be hosted by the University of Hertfordshire at their Hatfield Campus. The 10^th AEME forum “The Cultural Olympiad, Olympics, and Mega Events: Engaging learning legacies for 2012 and beyond”  has the main aim of exploring the purpose, educational value, and learning legacies associated with mega events and in particular the upcoming games of the XXX Olympiad in London. The forum will look to view mega events from; practical, research led, and student experience led perspectives in order to further understand the multi-faceted phenomena that are mega events.

The AEME Forum provides an opportunity for AEME members, and non-members, interested in events management education to join together and debate the importance now attached to mega events and their sustainable learning legacies. This also fits within the wider ethos of AEME which aims to prepare students and graduates for industry, create professional development initiatives, develop the employability of graduates, and investigate continuing professional development and also the dealing with the challenges that the industry faces.

The Forum will include presentations and workshops covering aspects of research, pedagogy and industrial practice as they relate to the over-riding theme of mega events and learning legacies. The format of the event is purposefully set as a forum so that all participants can have active involvement in the programme. Proposals are now invited for 25 -30 minute sessions which consider research, pedagogy or industry perspectives around the workshop themes detailed in the forum programme.

Although the format for sessions is flexible, as presenter/facilitator you should include an opportunity for best practice to be shared. If you are interested in this opportunity, please forward your contact details together with the title, aim and a brief overview of your proposed workshop to Dr Allan Jepson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , by Friday 25^th May, 2012.

The UK events sector took a major step forward in terms of creating a genuine profession for those working in it at a workshop held on 22 February. Convened by the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BV&EP), the umbrella organisation for the UK’s business tourism and events industry, the workshop agreed to progress proposals for a cohesive framework of qualifications, skills development, continuing professional development (CPD) and supporting information and advisory services.

The workshop, held with support from ‘International Confex’, was attended by representatives from over 40 trade associations and more than 30 universities, plus leading events sector employers and national bodies including VisitBritain and People 1^st, the sector skills council covering the events industry. Speakers included Martin-Christian Kent, People 1^st’s Research & Policy Director, Conor Moss, Workforce Development Fellow at the University of Derby, Susan Spibey of SJS International, and Roger McCartney, Regional Manager for the Chartered Management Institute. Peter Rand MBE, Director of Industry Relations at Zibrant, moderated the workshop.

Glenn Bowdin, Chair of AEME, was recently interviewed by Meetings:Review, the international news and directory hub for the events and conference industry.

In the interview Glenn Bowdin comments on the growth and importance of events management qualifications and how crucial it is to strengthen the links between education and the events industry to provide students with the necessary skills vital for this growing sector.

To view the interview with Glenn Bowdin please visit http://meetingsreview.com/news/view/1968