Edinburgh Napier University Business School’s Institute for Festival and Event Management (EIFEM) has announced dates for its 2011 Executive Certificate in Event Management. Leading event management experts will be welcomed to the capital to deliver the course in January, providing event professionals with valuable tips for adding value to their careers and a unique opportunity to network with the industry’s ‘big guns.’

Event management is a key growth area for the economy and increasingly demands professionals with recognised skills, trained in the art and science of event management – especially so on the run up to mega events in the UK in order to ensure success and a lasting legacy for the 2012 Olympics and Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.

David Jamilly, the co-founder of market leading party planner and prop hire company Theme Traders, who was involved in the Queen’s 80th birthday party and recently featured in Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire, took the course in 2008 whilst researching suitable training programmes for his employees.

Jamilly said: “I started my events business in 1990 when event management wasn’t even a recognised profession, way before there were any professional qualifications on the subject. It has since grown to become a hugely popular and highly competitive market where a contemporary, academic qualification in event management is vitally important for prospective employees. The Executive Certificate in Event Management is an absolute must for anyone looking to boost their credentials or those seeking to gain a foot-hold in the industry.”

Organised in conjunction with the Australian Centre of Event Management, the course will be presented by Dr Rob Harris, a renowned and innovative leader in international events education. Dr Harris is also a co-author of Event Management, one of the most widely used texts dealing with the sector in the UK.

He will be joined by Paul Gudgin, a former director of the world’s largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Fringe, whose work in the events field was recently recognised through the awarding of an honorary doctorate.

The Executive Certificate in Event Management is designed to provide a foundation of key skills and knowledge associated with the creation and delivery of corporate (e.g. product launches, conferences, functions, fundraising events), private (e.g. parties, weddings) and public events (e.g. festivals, street parades, fairs and sporting events). It is intended to both enhance the professional skill and knowledge base of those already employed within the event industry and to serve as a sound platform for people wishing to launch careers in event management.

EIFEM is at the heart of global festival and event management education and has recently delivered similar courses in emerging markets such as the United Arab Emirates. Jane Ali-Knight, associate, EIFEM based in the Middle East, said: “Destinations like Abu Dhabi and Dubai have recognised the power of festivals and events to increase brand awareness and put their destinations on the world stage. Abu Dhabi’s recent successful hosting of the Formula 1 Grand Prix is indicative of this. Edinburgh Napier’s EIFEM is already delivering professional development in the region, helping to up skill the local population and professionalise the industry in the region.

“We have a wealth of knowledge of international event management techniques at Edinburgh Napier and I’d urge industry professionals to come along to gain what will undoubtedly be some hugely valuable insight from the international spokespeople we have on the course.”

The 2011 Executive Certificate in Event Management will run from 24th – 27th January. For further details or to register your interest call 0131 455 4387.

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