Two Perspectives on Event Management Employment: Student and Employer Insights Into the Skills Required to Get the Job Done!

Abstract

Event management education has emerged in recent decades as an alternative to the related disciplines of tourism, leisure and hospitality. While the number of course offerings in this area continues to expand, questions have been raised regarding the employability of graduates in terms of their degrees equipping them with the requisite skills to work in this industry and the capacity of the sector to employ the ever increasing number of graduates. This article combines two studies to offer a multifaceted perspective on the requisite skills and abilities students perceive to be associated with event management employment and employers' assessments of where students stand in relation to these skills. One perspective has been gleaned from analysis of a survey of students at Victoria University (VU), Melbourne, undertaking a degree qualification in event management. Complementing this perspective, employer insights are gained from previously unreported aggregated appraisal data collected from organisations involved in hosting VU event management students on various work integrated learning placements. The findings of these combined data sources highlight the need for educators to more closely align student perceptions of the importance and subsequent performance in certain skill areas with the standards expected by event management employers.