Ellie Cashmore
Events Management BA (Hons) *
- Year of graduation: 2014
- Current job title: Marketing Manager
- Current employer: Blackberry Events
- Industry sector: Event Management
I decided to study Events Management as I had a passion for business and marketing, and an interest in event management – I found the events industry exciting and wanted to learn how to be part of creating unforgettable experiences. The course at UON covered all the topics I wanted to learn about and the University itself looked modern and smart. I also liked how the accommodation was available on-campus for safety and a sense of community.
The aspect of the course I enjoyed the most was learning about marketing and PR in the events industry. It can often be difficult for marketeers to find roles within companies that sell a product or service that is both interesting and allows you to express your true creativity. I felt that it was a great opportunity to be able to communicate emotively about live experiences that have made people feel some kind of way, as opposed to the features and benefits of a physical product. Each event created is tailored to the client’s objectives and the industry is ever evolving, which makes marketing for the events industry highly varied and interesting.
My studies helped me understand the theory behind running successful events, alongside general business studies, which enabled me to start my career as a Marketing Executive, responsible for event management and marketing with an inhouse team. It also helped me to understand the commercial skills needed to progress to Marketing Manager for event management agencies, which is where my career shaped up to be everything I hoped!
I first worked at Eventurous for three years, then in 2025 I went on to join Blackberry Events, an event management company based in the Midlands who deliver corporate events across the UK. They deliver all types of event from brand activations to community events, but they are a company known for their expert conference organisers and award ceremony planning. The knowledge I gained during my degree course, allows me to understand and work effectively with event management and commercial teams.
In addition to working for Blackberry as Marketing Manager, I will be focusing on supporting their sustainable event management journey and overall company ESG policy, which is a huge area of focus for the events and hospitality industry. We are seeing great demand to work with responsible event agencies from our corporate and public sector clients.
The events industry is a very sociable one, so if you’re interested in pursuing a career in this area, my main piece of advice would be to start building a professional network, particularly on LinkedIn. Not only can you begin to share your own voice to gain some recognition and open future doors, but you can also learn a lot from others already making positive noise and movement within the industry.
My time at the University of Northampton was a once in a lifetime experience – unforgettable, interesting, eye-opening, motivating, and inspiring.
*UON no longer offers Events Management BA (Hons), but you can study events management as part of the Hospitality Management BA (Hons) course.