Organising a public event will often involve applying for licenses from local authorities, police or other agencies.
To underline the importance of getting these applications right, Event Management students at the University of Winchester took part in a first for the institution – a mock licensing hearing.
The event was made to feel more authentic as it took place in the University’s recently opened Moot Court in the presence of staff from the Licensing, Public Safety and Legal team at Winchester City Council.
Programme leader Matt Bunday had devised a scenario involving plans to open a new nightclub in the city centre and had deliberately peppered the application with problems and inconsistencies.
Second Year students took the roles of applicants and those judging the application.
Matt, a former Southampton City Councillor who chaired that authority’s licensing committee, added his support to students as did Abby Toms, who chairs Winchester’s ‘Safety Advisory Group’, who attended alongside WCC licensing lawyers Laura James and Caitlin Rowles.
The City Council’s licensing lawyers advised the students sitting on the committee as they would have advised members of a real licensing committee.
Although the activity was quite complex and involved serious topics, Matt said students were encouraged to just ‘have a go’ and the atmosphere remained relaxed.
Matt said the exercise was another example of the programme’s commitment to providing hands-on learning experiences relevant to real-world work situations.
“Any student working in roles such as venue operations or festival organising will need to engage with the UK’s licensing laws, and the importance of applying for the right licenses supported by the correct conditions and safeguards.” said Matt.
“Many Event Management programmes across the sector will likely cover the theory in the classroom, but I have never seen any kind of practical implementation of this complicated subject where compliance and detail really matter. I plan to make this an annual event for the students.”
Abby Toms, of WCC, congratulated the University on its practical approach: “We were keen to engage with the event management students from the University of Winchester with this activity. Licensing and event safety is a complex area where bad decisions can be dangerous or cause disruption, so we are delighted that the University of Winchester Event Management Programme is taking this so seriously.
“It is in everyone’s best interest to produce well-rounded event management graduates that have experience in a wide range of skills and compliance issues. We really enjoyed the activity and were encouraged by the energy and interest that the students brought to it.”
Student Harrison Holmes, who had the hard job of representing the fictional nightclub, said: “I really enjoyed taking part in this licensing hearing activity for the first time on our programme. I liked going through the meeting one part at a time, engaging in the process and testing my arguments. The council’s team were very insightful and welcoming, and the whole class got into the spirit of the exercise.”
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