Students in the spotlight as University pioneers innovative new conference

February 2025

By Sean Madden

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Read time: approx 8 mins

The Business School this week hosted the first conference curated by and for students in the history of University College Birmingham.

The Student Spotlight: A conference by students, for students, showcased the work being undertaken by current students while also giving students and staff the chance to catch-up with and hear the experiences of four alumni.

The day began with an address by Dr David Paulson, Executive Dean of the Business School, who drew attention to expansive alumni network at the University, and how this allowed both staff and formers students to keep in touch, to collaborate on projects, and to help inspire the next generation of graduates: “We’ve had the chance to hold several conferences of late where we’ve really seen the impact of the work we do here – both in terms of the students who’ve gone on to great careers, and the feedback on our staff, students, and facilities from visitors.”

David also pointed out the extent to which the Business School benefits from teaching staff with real-world experience in tourism, hospitality, and events management, and how this unique combination of qualities leaves students well-placed to move forward in their careers.

He told the audience: “staff here are extensively experienced actually working in the fields you aspire to. Each of you is in a fantastic place to take advantage of this while studying here.”

The event was divided into two distinct themes, as alumni discussed how their experiences at University College Birmingham helped propel them into their future careers, and current students shared information on the exciting projects they’ve been able to work on since starting their courses.

Firstly Zoey Wright-Harris, Senior Tourism Programme Manager for the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) talked the audience through her undergraduate journey at University College Birmingham, and how this variety of experiences – both academic and extra-curricular – set her on the way to her successful career.

Zoey studied BA Marketing with Events at the University, and spoke on the challenges and successes of a career in destination marketing: “While studying at sixth form college I loved arranging sporting events and proms, so carrying this on as a career seemed to make perfect sense,” she said.

“Before I started my degree, I didn’t even know what destination marketing was!”

WMGC work to attract investment, business, and visitors to the region, and Zoey was eager to point out that this meant a plenty of opportunities for graduates eager to get involved in the field and employ a range of skills: “There are chances to work in social media and web-based work, you can get involved in research, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with holiday industry partners to promote the region globally, which has meant getting to travel to India, Canada, the USA, Australia, and a host of other places,” she said.

“That it’s all with the goal of helping to grow the economy and improve people’s lives across Birmingham and the West Midlands makes it a really exciting role to work in.”

Following on from this, BA Business Enterprise alumnus Jen Ellis shared the challenges and successes of her journey as a young mum leaving school without qualifications, to a successful entrepreneur and mentor who has built several successful businesses and helped guide the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The founder of Jen’s Tailored PA and Jen’s Tailored Events has grown businesses that have worked with huge organisations including John Lewis and the mental health charity Mind. With her new venture, Jen Hub, she is devoting more time to helping young people to develop their skills around money management and entrepreneurship.

Jen was thrilled with her decision to go back into education as a mature student at the age of 32, and was grateful to the staff and support at UCB for helping get her businesses off the ground: “I made use of the Enterprise Hub and had a great mentor who really pushed me to get out of my comfort zone,” she said.

“University College Birmingham helped me find a love for learning, because I was finally engaged in a field I enjoyed,” she said.

“Being there also gave me a chance to meet some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and we still collaborate now – we’re even doing a podcast together!”

The audience had the chance to hear from current students throughout the day, including 3rd year BA International Tourism Management student Nafsika Kasapi, who spoke about her exciting experience working to develop a tourism strategy for the Shropshire Village of Church Stretton, and Dominika Wilczynska, MSc. Global Meeting & Events Management student, who discussed her postgraduate research project which evaluated the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Maisie Mathews, Student Engagement Tutor on the International Hospitality and Tourism Management gave a talk on the importance of understanding psychology in a customer experience-focused industry, and BA Hospitality and Tourism graduate Raquel Marques Caetano, who now works with Leonardo Hotels, spoke on her own experience of placements and graduate programmes.

There was the chance to hear from Sachini Rodrigo, a BA Hospitality & Tourism Management student, who discussed the process of applying for graduate management programmes, and Harvey MacDiarmid and Naomi Brough, both studying for a BA International Tourism Management, who told the audience about their experiences on placement at Celtic Manor and TUI and of being able to study abroad in Sweden.

Sonal Clare, Wine Director of innovative Birmingham restaurant The Wilderness was on hand to talk about his own experiences of studying for a BA in Hospitality and Food Management at the University, and how this led to him securing such an exciting role on the Birmingham culinary scene, before we heard personal reflections on life as an international student from Hospitality and Tourism Teaching Assistant – and twice master’s student in the department – Xinyu Qiao.

Rounding off the day, our very own lecturer in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism gave conference an overview of her PhD research, as she completes her doctorate on workplace precarity and employee wellbeing in the UK hotel industry.

Closing the event Richard Behan, Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism thanked staff, students, and speakers for taking part in the inaugural event, and had some words for students hoping to forge successful future careers: “The conference was an amazing opportunity for our students to see how so many of our alumni have gone on to forge successful careers. It was also a great opportunity for current students to share their experiences about going on placement and how to secure a graduate position.

“The day was packed full of engaging speakers and was an excellent way to communicate how our teaching is industry-informed and employability-driven so our students are prepared to take the next step into graduate positions within the Hospitality, Tourism, Aviation and Events industries. I would like to thank all the speakers who gave up their time to attend and to the staff who organised and spoke at the conference, making it a resounding success.”

"The conference was a great success, showcasing the hard work, dedication and resilience of our students, both past and present.

"It provided a platform for them to share ideas and experiences, and to engage in meaningful discussions. They all showed confidence and passion, it really was inspiring, and I’m proud of them!"

Shivaun Caffrey Hospitality & Tourism Management and International Hospitality Business Management Lecturer