Harry Bower

“The University of Surrey launched the International Event Management course in 2015 and I was part of the first cohort of students to undertake the course. I was attracted to the practical nature of the course, coupled with the grounded business learning. The course seemed like the perfect way to formalise my existing event knowledge and build my professional skills in a way which would make me more employable. The location of the University was attractive in terms of its proximity to London and rural setting. It was a good middle ground for me between city and countryside, having relocated from Devon to study there.

The first day of university was a huge step-change in my life, so I arrived on campus feeling totally out of my depth. However, the ‘Surrey Angels’ were out in force; these were existing students who’d signed up for a few hours work, to welcome new students. When we arrived in the car park, a crowd of ‘Angels’ gathered around the car and started to help us unpack. It made that first week less intimidating and helped me mix with my new housemates and friends immediately. It set the tone for the rest of my Surrey experience.

“The amount of extra-curricular activity offered was exceptional. By the mid-way point on my course, I’d volunteered at conferences and exhibitions all over London and Guildford and had picked up paid work at The London Marathon and Ride London.”

The course allowed me to develop my own career direction, while keeping me grounded in relevant business skills. This meant that when I graduated and went job-hunting, it didn’t take long to find the role that suited me, and I had the experience and skillset to match.

I now work in the events team for a publishing company called emap. We own lots of different brands and we run the events for those brands. A lot of our events take place around the country, so there’s a lot of travel which I enjoy. Highlights include being named one of the company’s ‘Rising Stars’ six months into my employment, as well as a recent promotion to Event Manager, which comes with line management responsibility. To top it all off, at our annual awards ceremony in December 2019, I was named ‘Events Person of the Year’!

My advice is to work hard and be prepared to do  thankless jobs. If you want to develop your career in events you need to say yes to every opportunity.

I loved my time at Surrey. It was the best period of my life and I met some friends for life while learning about an industry I’m passionate about. I wouldn’t swap the industry I’m working in for the world, and I’m only in this position thanks to the degree I studied and the opportunity which came along with it.”

Discover our programmes in hospitality, events, tourism and transport, including our BSc (Hons) International Event Management course.