How Heather launched her events career

Heather Walmsley was looking for an Event Management course that would turn her love of concerts and festivals into her career, and she discovered the perfect course for her with our BA (Hons) Event Management. Now Heather is putting the skills she learned on her degree into practice as an Event Coordinator at Derby Arena.

Heather was initially drawn to the course as she wanted to study a degree that would enable her to turn her interests into her career:

“I chose to study at the University of Derby because I’ve always been excited by the live events and the music industry. Attending concerts and festivals made me realise how much I enjoyed seeing ordinary spaces transformed into memorable experiences and I wanted to be part of creating that. I was also looking for a course with a clear career pathway and something aligned with my genuine interests. Studying this course allowed me to explore the industry in depth and build the skills needed to pursue a career I’m passionate about.” 

Gaining practical experience

During her studies, Heather was able to bring her classroom theory and bring it to life by gaining important industry experience. Heather worked for Derby County Football Club as a steward supervisor, as a Wristband Exchange Supervisor at Reading Festival and took a placement year with Nottingham Venues as part of her degree. Heather credits the modules on her course and the expertise of her lecturers in helping to prepare her for working in the industry.

“I gained practical experience creating a festival safety plan, applying risk assessments, traffic management plans, site plans and security briefs. I also learned the importance of licensing, strategic planning and stakeholder management for running successful events. All these skills I use in my job daily. My work experience truly prepared me for securing my first role but having the knowledge behind what I’m doing has added to my confidence and approach.” 

Securing a graduate role 

Upon graduating, Heather was able to secure a role at Derby Arena as a Leisure Assistant before progressing onto her current role as an Event Coordinator, where she puts the skills she learned from her degree into practice delivering a range of sporting and cultural events at Derby Arena. Heather has even returned to give back to current students studying BA (Hons) Event Management by taking them on a tour of Derby Arena and delivering a guest lecture to talk through her events career so far.

For those thinking of following in Heather’s footsteps and studying Event Management, Heather says: