Students on a range of degrees within the University’s hospitality and tourism department created a super series of charity fundraisers to give them first-hand experience of building live events – raising almost £2,000 in the process.  

Working in groups of six, undergraduates studying the second-year Live Events Creation and Development Module produced events for StreetGames for its Bring it on Brum! campaign and the Queen Elizabeth United Hospitals Birmingham Charity's 75th Anniversary of the NHS and Fisher House initiatives, the first time many of them had put the skills they were learning to the test in real-life settings.

They organised ‘Razz on Tuesday’, a raffle and jazz concept at the Night Owl in Digbeth, in aid of Street Games, ‘Saints and Singers’, a karaoke evening at the Actress and Bishop in Ludgate Hill, and ‘Cirque Diablo’, a circus-themed evening of simple, fun games at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham, also in aid of Queen Elizabeth United Hospitals Birmingham Charity’s 75th Anniversary of the NHS celebrations.

While 'Y2K Rewind', an evening of noughties nostalgia, unfortunately, had to be cancelled, the students persevered and raised funds for the 10th anniversary of Fisher House UK, a ‘home away from home’ for UK military personnel and families, by holding two vintage clothing sales at the University’s McIntyre House, bringing the fundraising grand total to £1,828.

Leila Edwards, a senior events management lecturer at the University, said the module tasked students with planning, implementing and evaluating a live event project to raise funds and awareness for a charity, all designed to mirror the event lifecycle.

“The project gave students the opportunity to gain first-hand, practical event experience which, for many, was the very first time they have organised an event,” she said. “Each group has an event co-ordinator, finance manager, health and safety manager, operations and HR manager, marketing manager and venue manager, key roles involved in event planning, giving them valuable experience for their careers.”

Supported by a project tutor, the Level 5 students on the BA (Hons) and FdA Events Management were joined for the first time by students on the International Hospitality and Business Management and Hospitality with Tourism Management degrees, bringing more diversity, collaboration and creativity to the projects. 

They follow in the footsteps of alumni and former events management student Laura Power, who organised a live event for the Queen Elizabeth United Hospitals Birmingham Charity when she studied the module herself, and went on to become the charity’s fundraising assistant on completion of her degree. Eleven years on, she is now the charity’s senior fundraising manager.