England’s First Regulated Event Management Diplomas - Inside The Event School London
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What is the ESSA survey and why does it matter for UK event recruitment?
The Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Present Communications. Present provides broadcast quality live, hybrid, and virtual event production trusted by organizations where reliability really matters. From corporate town halls and conferences to high-profile live streams, they design and deliver fully resilient systems that work first time. Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Event Industry News Podcast. With me, James Dixon, wishing you all a very good morning, afternoon, or evening, whenever or wherever you tune into today's podcast from. That intro, in case anybody wonders, came about by complete accident. It was never scripted or thought about the good morning, afternoon, or evening thing.
I think it just sort of fell out of my mouth one day in the early uh editions of the podcast, and it's kind of just stuck with me. Ever since, and um, whenever I say it and I sort of look at where the guest is or when the guest is, I always think, Oh, very apt today, because I'm talking to you at 8 a.m. in the UK, and my guest is 5 p.m. over in Australia, and it just shows what a great world we live in that we can um we can do these things now and speak to people in the far-flung corners of our great earth and uh and record this podcast. So On with today's episode, and um we're gonna be uh kicking things off by referencing an article that was published on Event Industry News a few weeks ago. Um, and in 2025, an ESSER survey found that 73% of UK event businesses struggled to recruit in the previous year, with 88% citing a shortage of suitable candidates.
Um and the article that ran on events. Industry News referenced that the event school London had been approved as England's first provider of ATHE level four to seven off-qual regulated event management diplomas, a structured industry-led pathway designed to open doors into the events industry and support long-term career progression. I'm delighted that joining the podcast today from the Event School London is Maria O'Day, who's going to talk about the We'll talk a little bit more about that announcement. Maria, a very good afternoon to you in Australia.
Yes, almost good evening from Australia.
How did the Event School London develop England’s first ATHE regulated diplomas?
Good morning to you, everybody.
It's it's great. Thanks so much. You've be uh I know that you're you're obviously based over in the in the UK, but you're over in Australia at at the moment. So um really sort of generous of you to to to take a bit of time out while you're you're over there to uh to have a chat with us about this. Um I mentioned in the intro there that the this ESSA survey found that seventy-three percent of UK event businesses struggled to recruit in the previous year, based on a survey that was done in twenty twenty-five. Was that the kind of um, you know, lighting of the touch paper, so to speak, that that drove you to do this or was this already in motion?
It it was already in motion. I I think I have been hoping and looking for off call regulated qualls to deliver above level two, which was what had existed, for quite some time. And um I know there is m movement in the industry working on level three, mainly around apprenticeship delivery. Um and I'm I was always searching and um I had found the ATHE had been working with an overseas provider and they had created these uh qualifications that got off qual regulated approval. And I jumped on it straight away, but it was quite a long process. Um obviously with off off qual a lot of people might not be familiar with it, but if you think offstead for schools, you know, off qual for the vocational industry, um, there's a lot of hoops to jump through.
So actually it it was it was already in our minds that something was needed. And I think the industry, as you would well know, and I've been watching some of your podcasts. Um, you know, it it has been a difficult road back after the pandemic in terms of recruitment. I think that's something that, you know, reports have found, whether it's the business of business of events, power of events, ESA. Um so when that came out, you know, it was just something else that said we're on the right track here.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the ESSA survey and why does it matter for UK event recruitment?
0:00–2:15
2
How did the Event School London develop England’s first ATHE regulated diplomas?
2:15–4:03
3
Why is a structured, industry‑led pathway needed for people entering events?
4:03–5:25
4
What makes the school’s regulated qualifications different from university or apprenticeship routes?
5:25–7:05
5
How is AI being incorporated into event education and real‑world event planning?
7:05–9:49
6
What are the unique challenges of corporate events versus wedding events for new graduates?
9:49–12:22
7
What courses, masterclasses and flexible options does the Event School London offer?
12:22–16:26
8
How can listeners learn more or get involved with the Event School and the wider event industry?
16:26–41:34
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Event Industry News Podcast
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