Course summary

The global sport events market is worth billions of pounds, with the industry expected to continue its steady growth in the years to come. Stadiums represent major capital investment for many professional sport organisations and their utilisation presents both financial opportunities as well as challenges. Over 30 stadiums have been built in the UK in the past 30 years. Trends of the industry have shifted their purpose from single use to multipurpose, accommodating a wide variety of activities – inside and outside of sport. Being used for around 35 days per year for their core sport activity means that securing the use of the venue for the remaining approximately 330 days of the year is a key challenge. Many Olympic stadiums and venues throughout the years can be given as examples of becoming so called ‘white elephants’ – Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 to name a few. There are stadiums however, which could be given as ‘best in class’ examples, setting strategies to be studied and transferred, and standards to be followed. Wembley Stadium’s event calendar combines domestic and international football with concerts featuring acts such as AC/DC, Coldplay and Beyoncé, in addition to hosting motorsports, boxing, NFL and rugby events. You will be introduced to key areas of stadium and events management, and gain an understanding of planning, operations and logistics, among other essential areas, to the delivery of successful major sport events. Contributing to the development of important stadium and events management knowledge are interlinked components including marketing, contract negotiation, stakeholder management, leadership and volunteer management. The degree will provide an insight into the managerial and business facets of delivering a safe and customer focused event experience. This includes exploring various event operations and their impact upon delivering a successful and profitable event, whilst understanding the implications of the legalities and regulations. Areas to consider range from liaising with the police on a match day to building relationships with stakeholders such as local authority and transport officials. You will learn about the importance of event legacies and impact, as well as other key areas such as sustainability. The degree is designed to provide an understanding of developing a compelling visitor experience in a safe event environment, to analyse the various stakeholders associated with an event, and understand operational, logistical and marketing planning and the financial underpinnings needed to ensure income streams from a number of sources.