Digital Marketing with Events Management - BA (Hons)

Abertay University

This module explores the concept and practice of digital transformation, understood as the fundamental rewiring of how organisations operate to create value through technology at scale. You will examine how digitalisation drives value creation both through the development of new digital products and the transformation of existing business processes. Emphasis is placed on the change process involved in becoming digital, alongside the organisational, strategic and cultural outcomes that digitalisation must deliver. By the end of the module, you will have a critical understanding of how digital transformation reshapes business models, operations and value creation in contemporary organisations. Indicative content - Meaning and Scope of Digital Transformation: Introduction and overview of current trends and issues, and the goals of digital transformation. - Digital Platforms and Technologies: Explore how digital platforms create value, and examine the role of AI, Big Data and Business Intelligence in shaping organisational impact. - Approaches to Digital Transformation at an Organisation: Learn how to get started by setting goals, identifying competencies and resources, and creating an implementation framework for transformative value. - Digital Innovation: Analyse successful and unsuccessful examples of digital innovation, their impact on organisational transformation, and approaches taken by both large and small organisations, including strategies for imitation and protection. - Deriving Value from Social Media: Investigate how digital platforms can optimise customer relationship management and strengthen engagement. - Digital Transformation and AI: Understand the value AI can deliver for organisations, with examples of its utilisation in digital transformation. - Dealing with Disruptive Innovations: Examine disruptive innovation, barriers to imitation, and strategies for successful adaptation. - Benefits and Risks of Digital Transformation: Identify and maximise the benefits of digital transformation for organisations and stakeholders, while recognising and mitigating associated risks.

In this module, you will gain an overview of successful event management, exploring the key phases from concept through to closeout. You will examine the current state of the events industry, the impact of technology, and the importance of stakeholder participation. You will also develop practical skills in digital presentation, event entrepreneurship, coordination of suppliers and staff, budget control, legislation and risk management. Working collaboratively, you will create communication plans for stakeholders, critically analyse recent events, and deliver a digitally presented end product. Indicative content: - Event Management as an Industry: Examine the current economic position of the events sector, recent developments, and the impact of technology on industry practices. Explore different types of events and the 5 ‘C’s of event management. - Digital Presentation: Develop skills in creating and facilitating online meetings (e.g. Microsoft Teams) and using digital tools such as Moovly, Prezi and video to present information effectively. - Concept: Understand event entrepreneurship by addressing the who, what, where, when and why of an event. Learn to define themes and branding, identify and reach target audiences, and consider how audience needs influence venue choice and expectations. - Coordination: Plan and schedule event activities, source and manage suppliers, recruit and train staff, and engage with stakeholder groups to ensure smooth operations. - Control: Ensure compliance with legislation and regulatory frameworks, including contracts, health and safety, and employment law. Manage budgets effectively, account for costs, obtain quotes, and explore sponsorship and revenue opportunities. - Culmination: Oversee final preparations for event opening, manage crowd movement and control, and implement contingency plans. - Closeout: Review event outcomes, reflect on successes and challenges, and identify lessons learned for future practice.

In this module, you will explore established graduate employability frameworks and investigate how to apply them to your own career development. You will learn how to align your skills, knowledge and experience with the expectations of prospective employers, enabling you to identify areas for growth and strengthen your employability profile Indicative content - Understanding Theoretical Frameworks of Graduate Employability: Explore the nature and purpose of modern concepts and frameworks of graduate employability, and how they shape opportunities in the workplace. - Understanding Employers’ Needs: Analyse current trends in your chosen field of employment, examine employers’ requirements for staff, and consider how these expectations evolve over time. - Assessment of Personal Employability: Investigate the range of skills and attributes employers seek in your field, and assess your own employability to identify strengths and areas for development.

Apply the principles of marketing and communications to events marketing. Explore the fundamentals of managing the marketing of events and the use of events within effective marketing and communications campaigns. Indicative content: - Principles of Events Marketing Planning and Delivery: The factors influencing decision-making in events marketing. The nature of creating and executing events marketing plans. - The Role of Events in Marketing Communications: The relationship between events, marketing and communications. How does events marketing support effective marketing and communications strategies. The use of marketing and communications tactics in supporting events marketing. - Digital Media and Events Marketing: The use of digital media in planning, executing and evaluating the success events marketing plans. - Events Marketing and the demands of a sustainable agenda: Events are major contributors to the global economy supporting other sectors such as tourism, hospitality and entertainment. This module discusses balancing the demands of the sustainable future with the contribution of events to the economy.

In this module, you will gain a theoretical and evidence'based foundation for decision'making in marketing communications and creative design. You will review key theories and empirical evidence in the field, enabling you to create, design, analyse, evaluate, and plan effective marketing communications. Alongside this, you will develop practical skills in areas such as creative design, filming, video editing, and communication planning, equipping you to deliver impactful and professional marketing outputs. Indicative Content - Marketing Communications Theories: Explore the theoretical models that underpin marketing communications and provide a foundation for practice. - Planning Effective Marketing Communication Campaigns: Learn how to conduct context analysis, set objectives, and design strategies. Develop creative strategies, select appropriate channels, manage budgets and scheduling, and evaluate campaign effectiveness. - Developing the Creative Message: Understand how to craft compelling messages that resonate with target audiences. - Creative Design Principles and Materials: Apply design principles to develop professional marketing communication materials across different media. - The Marketing Communications Mix: Examine the tools of advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling and direct marketing, and how they can be combined effectively. - Digital Marketing Communications and Channels: Analyse the role of digital platforms and tools in reaching and engaging audiences. - Integrated Marketing Communications: Learn how to coordinate multiple communication channels to deliver a consistent and impactful brand message. - Responsible Marketing Communications: Consider the societal effects and ethical implications of marketing communications, including legal responsibilities. - Psychological Perspectives on Marketing Communications: Explore how psychological theories and insights influence consumer responses to marketing messages.

This module provides a critical examination of the essentials of strategic marketing planning and execution in the contemporary organisation. It explores the influence of various elements in the global and increasingly digital landscape on the decision-making process at an organisational level. Indicative Content - The Essentials of Strategic Marketing Planning: Examine the nature of strategy and strategic decisions. Discuss the contribution of strategic marketing to business performance. Explore the phases of the strategic marketing planning process. - Contemporary issues influencing strategic marketing decisions: Examining the influence of the sustainable agenda on strategic choices. Creating a blueprint for competing in an evolving world. Discussing the increasing influence of digital technology (for example, AI and Machine Learning) on the function of marketing and the future of marketing professionals. Considering the ethical considerations e.g. privacy and data security in the creation and execution of marketing strategies. - Designing effective strategic marketing activities: Exploring the process of creating and selecting strategic marketing options. Examining the utility of design thinking in creating effective strategy activities. Criteria for prioritising goals and objectives in strategic activities. Integrating digital technology and tools in the strategic marketing process.

There's a growing societal pressure to ensure that all business is conducted on an environmentally and socially sustainable footing. This module will discuss how this, combined with financial sustainability, affects the events industry. Indicative Content - Triple Bottom Line: Discussion of the theory and practice of Elkington's work on 'People, Planet, Profit' and how this has changed over the last 3 decades; The Triple Bottom Line and the media; Triple Bottom Line and Events Industry development. - Leadership: Responsible leadership; Internal and external regulations in sustainable events management; roles responsibilities and policy formulation and communication - Process: Sustainable events management frameworks/models; Sustainable supply chains in events production; Sustainable events ISO 20120; Managing stakeholder expectations and community engagement; environmental impact assessments for greening events; Demographics of players and the portrayal of different groups in eSports games.

Explore the power and purpose of brands in business, consumer culture and society. You’ll examine key theories and current developments in brand management, gaining an evidence-based understanding of how brands are built, sustained and experienced in today’s marketplace. Indicative Content - Introduction to brands and brand management - Foundations of strategic brand management: brand identity, brand image and brand positioning - Brand equity - Brand metrics and measuring brand performance - Managing brands over time: brand portfolios and brand extensions - Brand innovation - Brands, society and sustainability - Contemporary developments and issues in branding - Online brand communities and digital branding

You'll work in small groups to plan, arrange and manage a live event. Although delivery of the learning for this module takes place in Term 1 it is expected that the event will be scheduled during Term 2 and therefore assessment will be delayed until that point. Indicative Content - Concept development: Develop the concept for the event and determine the project schedule. - Identifying resources: Identify physical, digital, human and budgetary resources for the project and when they will be made available and needed. Determine how you'll raise funds for the event from sponsors and generate the necessary promotional materials. - Stakeholders: Identify the stakeholders in the event and any partners in the delivery. Analyse their requirements and create a communications plan. Use communication and negotiation skills in a professional manner. Consider how you'll promote your event to your customer group, create an appropriate plan and implement. - Health and Safety: Determine the health and safety requirements for the event. Create a H&S risk plan and mitigation strategy to reduce risk. - Digital streaming: Identify and practice the skills necessary to record and stream either the whole event or a proportion of the event. Negotiate with IS professionals within any stakeholder groups to ensure success of the streaming and the placement of recording. - Pre and On-day organisation: Develop a clear plan for administering the event on the day eg is booking required and how will this be done. On-day requirements such as signage, badges, participant lists, ticketing should be prepared.

This module enables you to explore the key principles and concepts of public relations, with a focus on their application in the digital environment. In the contemporary business context, it's increasingly important for businesses to effectively manage their digital communication with stakeholders, and their digital reputation building activities. This module provides you with the knowledge to design, plan and evaluate public relations activities in a digital context. Indicative Content - Theoretical concepts of public relations, discourse and ethical communication - The digital environment and public relations - Public relations strategy and campaign planning: setting objectives, identifying publics, developing messages, digital media and channel planning, setting appropriate metrics for evaluation - Writing for digital media - Content marketing: content strategy, creation and curation - Social media management - Crisis communication online - Internal communication - Digital events and sponsorship - Reputation management and CSR