Students have been given a taste of life working in the events industry in Birmingham.
The NEC Group welcomed more than 30 undergraduate learners from Birmingham City University, Coventry University and University College Birmingham for the Event Week Live programme.
Coinciding with National Careers Week, the focus for the visit was to gain experience and hear talks from people in different disciplines such as management, security, sales, and marketing.
The students are also given the chance to shadow event managers during Crufts.
Michelle Baldwin, Head of Events at the NEC and co-ordinator of Event Week Live, said:
“A key priority for us is to showcase the variety of careers in live events and to generate career pathways for those in the region.
“We’re so proud of the Event Week Live programme. Being able to offer students this experience means a lot to me – seeing their growth in the week that they spend with us is just fantastic and thereafter for our ‘Elite’ students we continue to mentor for another 12 months.
“This year, we’ve expanded the initiative inviting students from University College Birmingham which means this will be our biggest cohort yet.”
Kathryn Hayat, head of department of hospitality and tourism) at University College Birmingham, said: “The excitement amongst our events management students about Event Week Live has created such a buzz on campus.
“The week promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience for students, with many longer-term benefits to their careers as future event managers.
“We look forward to offering this to more students next year.”
A spokesperson from Birmingham City University, said: “It’s a priority for us to support our students to gain industry experience during their degree, and allow them to network with experts in the industry.
“We’re really pleased to be taking part in Event Week Live, which provides our students with invaluable professional opportunities.”