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