The 6th edition of the Event Education Symposium receives prestigious support.

The renowned AEME (Association for Events Management Education) from Great Britain is once again partnering with this year's Event Education Symposium of the Bachelor's degree programme in Event Management (Bachelor Veranstaltungsmanagement) at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Hochschule Hannover). In previous years, various members of AEME, which represents the interests of event educators in the UK and Europe, have taken part in the Event Education Symposium. For example, Paul Barron, Emma Wood, Martin Robertson, and Tim Brown among others, have enriched the scientific exchange with their contributions as guests at the symposium. The partnership between the two organizations began in 2024.

This year, Claire Drakeley (University of Northampton) will open the congress programme with a keynote address exploring how decision-making enables event professionals to master complexity. Her keynote will examine how situational judgement, collaborative problem-solving and adaptive thinking underpin effective leadership in high-pressure, high-risk environments - issues that are as critical to live event operations as they are to event education and research. 

Claire is Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Events Management and BA (Hons) Hospitality Management programmes at the University of Northampton and an experienced industry consultant specialising in complex, high-risk projects. She serves on the Practitioner Board for the Centre for Events & Festivals and is Chair of the Association for Event Management Education Research Special Interest Group.

Her research and consultancy focus on situational judgement, safety and risk leadership, simulation-based pedagogy, and strategic sustainable growth in the events sector. Drawing on both academic research and live operational experience, Claire bridges theory and practice to equip future and current professionals to make better decisions in uncertain environments.

The Association for Events Management Education (AEME) was founded on 21 April 2004 with the aim of promoting events education in the UK and overseas. It aims to be a voice for events education, to support and promote the profile of the events industry through the sharing of education and best practice, to provide a forum for discussion on issues affecting events education and industry alike and to create opportunities for communication between those involved in the events industry.

"For AEME (Association for Events Management Education), continued collaboration with a German university and the upcoming Event Symposium represents an excellent opportunity to strengthen our international partnerships. Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, represented through our member Gernot Gehrke, plays an important role in this exchange, and we look forward to engaging with international colleagues and sharing new research and practice. The event management sector faces significant challenges, both as an industry and as an academic discipline. These challenges are far more effectively addressed when we engage in international collaboration, share knowledge, and learn from diverse perspectives”, says Tim Brown, Member of the AEME Executive Committee, summarising the collaboration.

"With its objectives, the AEME fits perfectly with the Event Education Symposium, which is designed as a platform for networking between event lecturers, but also with students and representatives of the industry. Like the AEME, the symposium also aims to promote the development and dissemination of knowledge in the field of event management", say Isabelle Thilo and Gernot Gehrke, who founded the Event Education Symposium as lecturers in event management.

Join us on June 11 2026 at Hochschule Hannover! Please refer to the programme for full details. To reserve your place at the conference, please register here.