Ellie Cashmore
Events Management BA (Hons) *
- Year of graduation: 2014
- Current job title: Marketing Manager and Sustainability Champion
- Current employer: Eventurous
- Industry sector: Event Management
I decided to study Events Management as I had a passion for business and marketing, and an interest in event management – I found the events industry exciting and wanted to learn how to be part of creating unforgettable experiences. The course at UON covered all the topics I wanted to learn about and the University itself looked modern and smart. I also liked how the accommodation was available on-campus for safety and a sense of community.
The aspect of the course I enjoyed the most was learning about marketing and PR in the events industry. It can often be difficult for marketeers to find roles within companies that sell a product or service that is both interesting and allows you to express your true creativity. I felt that it was a great opportunity to be able to communicate emotively about live experiences that have made people feel some kind of way, as opposed to the features and benefits of a physical product. Each event created is tailored to the client’s objectives and the industry is ever evolving, which makes marketing for the events industry highly varied and interesting.
My studies helped me understand the theory behind running successful events, alongside general business studies, which enabled me to start my career as a Marketing Executive, responsible for event management and marketing. It also helped me to understand the commercial skills needed to progress to Marketing Manager for an event management agency, Eventurous. Eventurous deliver award-winning events across the UK, from exciting team building events in London to inspirational corporate events in Manchester. The knowledge I gained during the course, allows me to understand and work effectively with event management and commercial teams.
I recently joined Eventurous as Marketing Manager and during my time there I became Sustainability Champion, which is currently a huge topic for the events industry. I’ve helped the corporate event and team building experts at Eventurous to become a sustainably accredited event agency and have gone on to win awards at industry events throughout 2023, as well as the Rising Star of the Year award at the Greengage Sustainability Conference and Awards in January 2024.
I’ve just signed Eventurous up to become charity partners with Meeting Needs, which is a charity consisting of meeting and event professionals who raise funds for causes all over the world. I’ve also worked with the team to launch a new range of charity teambuilding activities, which focus on giving back to the community whilst having fun and developing teamwork skills.
The events industry is a very sociable one, so if you’re interested in pursuing a career in this area, my main piece of advice would be to start building a professional network, particularly on LinkedIn. Not only can you begin to share your own voice to gain some recognition and open future doors, but you can also learn a lot from others already making positive noise and movement within the industry.
My time at the University of Northampton was a once in a lifetime experience – unforgettable, interesting, eye-opening, motivating, and inspiring.
*UON no longer offers Events Management BA (Hons), but you can study events management as part of the Hospitality Management BA (Hons) course.