Events & Festivals Research, UK Centre for Events Management

The programme for the Global Events Congress IV and AEME educators Forum has been published. It contains papers from more than eighty academics from twenty three countries.  The keynote speakers include leading academics from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, North America and the UK as well as high level practitioners such as the Head of Ceremonies for London 2012 and the Head of Tourism for OECD.  Further details are available on this web site.

Professor Rhodri Thomas will lead a team undertaking an economic impact assessment of the Rugby Football League’s (RFL) Engage Super League Grand Final to be held at Old Trafford, Manchester in October.   They will also undertake a similar study of the Northern Rail Blackpool 9s tournament for the RFL and the North West Regional Development Agency.

Kate Dashper is one of only six recipients of Leeds Metropolitan University’s Promising Researcher Fellowships, to be taken up over a period of one semester next academic year.  Kate‘s project “The equestrian sport tourist: An ethnographic investigation” will focus on participants in equestrian tourism and equestrian sport events in Yorkshire and the North of England. This exciting opportunity will allow Kate to develop a deep understanding of the motivations of these as yet un-researched tourism and event participants and to develop links with local equestrian and tourism businesses.

Professor Rhodri Thomas has been appointed to the Economic and Social Research Council's new Peer Review College. He joins a small team of academics in the fields of events, festivals and tourism that will review research grant applications and other proposals relating to these areas.