News & Events

A career-enhancing event

RLC Founder Rachel Ley has co-organised a ground-breaking forum for events industry leaders and academics, aiming to further develop careers in events.

Organised in tandem with Caroline Jackson, Vice Chair of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), the forum brought together 36 events industry influencers to explore ways of promoting continuing professional development (CPD) for people entering and working within the industry.

Rachel, who heads the Professional Development Team of EVCOM, the event and visual communication association, said: “We’re talking about a sector that spans the Olympic    Games and Glastonbury Festival, via corporate events, exhibitions and brand activations – so this encompasses a vast range of specific skills and aptitudes.”

The forum’s participants recognised the wide range of dedicated CPD courses and qualifications being offered by trade and professional associations, as well as accredited awarding bodies. It concluded that rather than introducing a completely new qualifications framework, more needs to be done to highlight and promote what’s already available.

Action will begin with an audit of courses and qualifications available both nationally and internationally. A dedicated portal on the  website will be created to publicise these, alongside university courses and the soon-to-be-launched Trailblazer Events Management Apprenticeship scheme.

Rachel added: “It’s an evolutionary process and I’m confident this is the right stepping stone to help us gain more visibility for qualification routes into and within the events industry and find the best way to facilitate training and career advancement.

“I’m delighted that the forum has produced a deliverable action plan and an opportunity for academia and industry to continue working together in raising the profile of our professionalism – both here in the UK and around the world. Let’s not forget that today’s students are tomorrow’s clients.”