In Spring 2020, following the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown throughout Ireland, which had devastating impacts on the wider festivals & events sector in Ireland, a number of educators in the field of event management initiated a discussion about how higher and further education in Ireland could best respond to the crisis. Resulting from these informal discussions, it was decided to form a new grouping – Event Management Educators Ireland (EMEI).
EMEI – Purpose of group:
To develop synergies between educators teaching and researching in the festival and event management studies arena, and to develop further collaborative links with the wider festival/ events sector, to the mutual benefit of all.
Initial Areas of work:
Alerting industry to educational/ upskilling opportunities.
- Catalogue and make available the various event management certificate/ diploma/degree and postgraduate programmes available in the higher education sector in
- Life Long learning and up-skilling opportunities via Springboard Programmes, Special Purpose Awards, etc.
- Seek input from industry on possible upskilling
Alerting industry to placement opportunities /requirements
- Catalogue and make available the various placement opportunities available in the higher education sector in Ireland on festival/ event management programmes, and HEIs to provide details of placement requirements (placement contract, duration, contact point )
Networking with industry
- Actively recruit students to become members of industry bodies so they can engage with the industry from the outset of their careers.
- Invite practitioners to give guest lectures/ facilitate thesis research for mutual knowledge
- Seek opportunities to co-host seminars/conferences on event-related
Research
- Produce top line summaries / make top 5 final year theses from each Higher institution available for industry to access.
- Liaising further with industry on applied research for undergraduate/ post graduate students, e.g. practitioners can provide a list of suggested thesis topics
- Work with practitioners to learn more about career progression of alumni from Irish HEIs and so learn about career advancement in the sector more
Current Member Institutions, Colleges and Universities:
- AIT-LIT Consortium
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
- Institute of Art and Design, Dun Laoghaire
- IT Carlow,
- IT Sligo
- Munster Technological University (Kerry)
- National University of Ireland, Galway
- Sound Training College Temple
- TU Dublin
- University of Limerick
- Ulster University