Students Gain Insight to Challenges for Future of Festivals

At SERC we are proud of our connections with business and industry.   Indeed enterprise and entrepreneurship are built into every course of study at SERC, so we were delighted that students from the Ulster University Foundation Degree in Hospitality and Tourism with Specialisms programme were able to take part in an online marketing lecture recently, led by local entrepreneurs from one of Northern Ireland’s well know festival teams.

Kieran Gilmore and Alison Gordon are the founders and managing directors of Open House Festival which established in Belfast in 1999 and moved to Bangor in 2013.  Open House is an independent charity with a mission to transform people and places through festivals and events and their vision is to contribute to the regeneration of the local economy, create positive social impact, increase civic pride and develop cultural tourism.

Dr Roxana Magee, lecturer in Marketing on the Foundation Degree explained, “We were delighted to have Kieran and Alison share their entrepreneurial experience and expertise and provide valuable insights into the multifaceted concept of entrepreneurship and SME management.

She added, “‘Given the current challenges presented by the ongoing Covid-19, the lecture on the origins, growth and future development of the much loved Open House Festival delivered an interesting and thought provoking dialogue. The discussion also referred to the impact of Open House Festival for the cultural, social and economic regeneration of Bangor town and the local community, as well as its resilience in the face of the pandemic  and beyond.

Kieran and Alison engaged the students through discussing the practical dimensions of the entrepreneurial process and its application in the context of the cultural events sector, brining entrepreneurial marketing to life through the examination of Open House Festival and it’s founders’ testimonies.

Visit Open House Festival

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