Student working to improve the culturally driven commercial offer at a major Lake District attraction

BA (Hons) Event Management student, Naomi Baxter was recruited through Taskscape Associates Limited, a communications, knowledge and project management company who are working with the Rheged Centre in Penrith to shape the cultural offer of the venue.

The project is aimed at developing a programme of both local and nationally relevant arts and cultural events for both locals and visitors.

Naomi has gained hands on experience of working within an organisation looking to promote arts and cultural events. Much of the focus to date has been around the cinema and what can be done with the auditoria at Rheged, undertaking research to understand markets, box office and data management, marketing and promotion of the live-streaming offer and vital funding opportunities. This includes attending an Independent Cinema Office workshop on Understanding and Developing Cinema Audiences. Naomi has also had the chance to meet and discuss ideas with a number of cultural partners, such as the Royal Society of Arts.

Nick Jones of Taskscape says, “Naomi is a great asset to the team, she is currently researching the development of the film programme. It’s good for students to get experience of working in real life commercial organisation where tight financial parameters and short deadlines are commonplace.”

Laura Baxter, the course leader said: "The University of Cumbria event management degree balances academic learning with practical project work and the acquisition of professional experience within various industry contexts. The Bright Futures Fund Bursary has enabled a formal internship to be developed based at a flagship regional events venue, for a duration of 10 months, which provides invaluable experience for the successful applicant Naomi. Naomi is a first class student who has a specific interest in marketing and has proved herself an asset to her course cohort and her internship hosts."

Posted on Tuesday 28 January 2014