Month: August 2022

Where are they now? ENU alumnus, Brianna Wyatt, gives an overview of her career so far

Dark tourism is an increasingly popular subject nowadays. It implies the idea of visiting tourist attractions that are associated with death and suffering.

Edinburgh Napier alumnus, Brianna Wyatt has been researching dark tourism for many years, and is now a senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. She gave us an overview of her career and an update on where she is now.

Originally from California, I moved to Edinburgh in 2014 to undertake the MSc programme in Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management. After graduating, I was awarded Edinburgh Napier University’s 50th Anniversary Scholarship to undertake a PhD study in tourism.

Although initially I sought to explore ‘dark’ World Heritage Sites, which landed me in an internship at UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris (2015), I completed my PhD in 2019 focusing on the influences of interpretation at lighter dark visitor attractions. This effort was supported by my part-time work as a guest services staff member at The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh and a Duty Manager for Edinburgh Dungeons, and later London Dungeons.

Supported by my previous awards (MA Humanities-History, California State University of Dominguez Hills, 2015; MA Museum Studies, Oklahoma University, 2012), and a PGC in Business Research Methods from Edinburgh Napier University (2017), I quickly became employed after graduation (2019) with Bath Spa University, as a Senior Lecturer in tourism at their sister campus in London.

I later made a transition to Oxford Brookes University, where I am now a Senior Lecturer in tourism and events and the PG Subject Coordinator for the Hospitality, Tourism and Events programmes. I am also an active academic with a research interest in interpretation design of dark tourism experiences.

In addition, I have an interest in experience design for heritage tourism, as well as events and festivals. I have acted as a consultant for a Horrible Histories workshop, providing insight into interpretation of dark histories, and have taken up two separate External Examiner posts for tourism and events programmes at two universities in Scotland.

Most recently, I have been exploring defunct penal institutions, on a global scale, and their conversion into places of accommodation, which will be shown in forthcoming publications. I had the opportunity to showcase my research relating to edutainment interpretation within lighter dark tourism at Edinburgh Napier University’s dark tourism symposium on 5 May 2022.

Congratulations, Brianna, on all your achievements, we couldn’t be more proud!

If you too have an area of interest you would like to research whilst undertaking a PhD with us, please email Tourism Research Centre Lead, Prof. Anna Leask.

Edinburgh Napier student – Brodie Sutton – is winner of UK Undergraduate Event Management Student of the Year award from the Association for Events Management Education (AEME)

For the second year in a row, an Edinburgh Napier University student has been awarded the title of UK Undergraduate Event Management Student of the Year from the Association for Events Management Education (AEME).

AEME is an international organisation that aims to support and raise the profile of the events discipline through the sharing of education and best practice. This is the second year of AEME presenting this major award, and the second year the award went to an Edinburgh Napier University student, with Cameron Hughes receiving the award in 2021.

Brodie Sutton, winner of the 2022 Award was nominated by his dissertation supervisor Dr Gary Kerr, Associate Professor in Festival & Event Management.

Brodie graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) in International Festival & Event Management with Entrepreneurship. Brodie’s first class degree is representative of his consistent excellent grades he achieved throughout his four years at Edinburgh Napier University. His dissertation examined how drones can be used safely and efficiently at events, creating theoretical and practical insights.

Brodie has been Programme Representative at Staff-Student Liaison Committee over the past 4-years, being shortlisted in 2020 for Edinburgh Napier Student Association’s ‘Best Programme Representative Award’. He was also nominated by his peers and shortlisted this year for Edinburgh Napier Student’s Associations’ ‘Most Inspiring Student Award’.

Brodie served as President (2021-22) of the Edinburgh Napier Events Society. Here, he has guided the society and overseen its development. He has impressed academic staff through a comprehensive calendar of online and hybrid events during the Covid-19 pandemic including organising a Winter Ball for 500 students. He has enriched the student experience through creating opportunities for fellow students – many of whom have gone on to secure work relevant to their university course, in managerial roles, even before graduating from university.

Brodie has been Vice-Coordinator of Meadows Marathon – and led the sponsorship, marketing & partnerships team in this role. This has generated significant funds for the charities supported by the Marathon.

Academic staff at The Business School have been particularly impressed in seeing Brodie step up in the role as Trustee of Edinburgh Student Charities Appeal (ESCA) and to see him share his event management skills with others working for the charity. Passionate about enhancing the student experience, Brodie appeared on the ‘Events for Breakfast’ podcast talking about the need to give students ways of reconnecting post-lockdown.

Remarkably, Brodie has been instrumental in helping academic colleagues in The Business School plan and deliver hybrid and online events. He managed the online deliveries of the ATLAS Events Special Interest Group symposium held at ENU in October 2020, and also managed platform delivery for the BAFA Festivals Forum.

David Jarman, Programme Leader of the BA (Hons) International Festival & Event Management suite of courses said “Brodie has been a fantastic student who has performed so well inside and outside of the classroom, and is fully deserving of this award. We have seen Brodie go from strength to strength. Through his ambition, hard work and professionalism, Brodie has been able to apply learning from the classroom in practical ways, and I’m delighted he has been recognised in this way”.

To find out more about studying Festival and Event Management and the various joint degrees available at Edinburgh Napier University, please click here.