From medical emergencies to leaking toilets, University of Northampton students experienced the high pressure, fast paced environment of an Event Control Room during the simulation of a major event at Silverstone Circuit this month.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural exercise, Operation Nexus+ brought together students from Events, Hospitality, Marketing, Criminal Justice, Policing, and Tourism for a fully immersive three‑hour scenario that blended crisis management, live event coordination, and post‑incident investigation.
Set primarily in Silverstone’s normally off‑limits Event Control Room—the nerve centre during any major event weekend—the simulation tasked students with handling an escalating series of realistic challenges, from social media management and VIP safety to medical emergencies and even hacking attempts.
This year’s exercise was the first to involve the Hilton Garden Inn at the circuit and the Silverstone Museum, both of which ran linked incident simulations.
The morning began with an investigation into an alleged assault at the hotel, while Marketing students were tasked with managing a disgruntled influencer and social media rumours that a British superstar driver was on site.
From there, the incidents grew in pace and severity including fires, security breaches, traffic issues and suspect packages. Throughout students recorded their activity and decisions via the Incident Management System (IMS) which forms the basis of a legally required log which can be scrutinised during any subsequent criminal or civil investigation.
HALO provided a ring-fenced version of their industry standard IMS alongside training for students to understand how structured incident management and data capture supports effective decision-making in high-pressure environments.
In a separate room Criminal Justice Students watched out for corporate risks such as contravention of public safety regulations, reputational risks, and provided a simulated police response. They then investigated what happened and presented their initial conclusions to students and staff.
Second‑year BA Event Management student Millie Curtis, from Milton Keynes, said the simulation forced everyone to step fully into their professional roles, adding: “Our Lecturer did a good job of explaining what would happen and how we should handle things, but the realism was beyond my expectations.
“You really saw everyone working hard and assuming the professional roles they were assigned to.
“There were times I had to take a moment, drink some water and remind myself it’s a simulation, but that was the quickest three hours of my life!”
Among the industry professionals supporting the simulation was UON graduate Kate Darby, now an Event Manager at Silverstone. She built her experience over years working at the Commonwealth Games and events of increasing size at Silverstone.
She said there was enormous value in giving students exposure to a high-pressure environment long before they graduate, adding: “I’m really passionate about this project because my first time in a control room was during a live event, whereas these guys get a taste of it from an early stage, in a really comfortable and supportive environment.
“And what they’re learning here is working under pressure, slowing down, taking a minute. In roles like this there’s lots of different stakeholders and you have to wear lots of different hats. It’s really about taking the time to listen to those stakeholders, your colleagues, your peers, understanding what they need and making quick but informed decisions.”
Claire Drakeley, Senior Lecturer in Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management led Operation Nexus and will be analysing the simulation to enhance her own research on decision making in live operations.
She said: “By sharing this professional experience with students from various disciplines, with interwoven, complex issues such as public safety and reputational risk to the unpredictability of crowd behaviour, we aim to develop graduates who are agile, confident and industry‑ready.
“This is an experience that students wouldn’t otherwise have and that makes it hugely valuable in developing those soft skills that are very necessary for working in this industry.”
To find out more on our webpages about studying Events, Hospitality and Tourism, Advertising & Marketing or Criminology and Policing.