Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Creative Event Design student praises Leeds for its opportunities as she graduates from Leeds Beckett University
Graduation ceremonies are in full swing at Leeds Beckett University, with students from the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management crossing the stage today. Students in the school have been actively working to develop their skills and experience across a range of industries, getting recognised across the city for their talent, enthusiasm and energy.
Their contribution has been particularly impactful on a range of activations for LEEDS 2023’s Year of Culture. From facilitating workshops, to creative sessions with school children, and raising the WOW barn, our students have been busy helping to bring the celebration of culture to life this year in Leeds.
Alexandra Bell chose to study BA (Hons) Creative Event Design to follow her dream of becoming a creative producer for live events. Throughout her time at Leeds Beckett University, she sought out opportunities that aligned with her career goals, while also keeping an open mind to more diverse experiences. This is how she took on the challenge to become a barn raiser with LEEDS 2023. The project gathered 300 women and non-binary people from across Leeds to construction and engineering workshops in preparation for a 24h building project where they raised a barn to house the Women of the World festival.
“Being a part of something in Leeds with all these women and non-binary people to build something that represents everything that everyone can do is an opportunity that most people wouldn’t normally have access to. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do it, especially in the city that I absolutely love. It was great to be a part of it and to provide a space where people could go and see inspiring events, like live music and poetry,” Alexandra said.
Getting involved in a wide range of placements and volunteering opportunities helped Alexandra discover what part of the events industry she wanted to pursue. Her advice to current and prospective students looking to get into events, is to be as actively involved as possible.
“Don't put pressure on yourself or narrow yourself or your opportunities down straight away, because for me it changed countless times. The whole university experience for me was about finding myself. Keep an open mind. The university gives you the practical skills to go out there and speak to industry professionals and see the places where they actually. It's a step forward from just teaching in the classroom. It’s networking but then also just learning to do a job in real time which is I feel like gets my cogs turning a lot more and I feel like that's happened for a lot of other students too.”
The Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management subject group at Leeds Beckett University offers world-leading expertise and opportunities for future leaders of events, tourism and hospitality industries. Based in the thriving city of Leeds, the courses work with external industry partners to encourage practical work experience for students, which supports and develops their learning.