MASTER OF SCIENCESport Event & Hospitality Management

Class of 2018-19

"It’s been a great year at SKEMA on the French Riviera – the ideal location to get a tourism degree and one of the top tourist destinations in Europe.

Being with highly motivated students from all around the world and learning from globally renowned professors and experts was a great experience for my future career.

The school gave us many opportunities to gain hands-on experiences in the event, tourism and hospitality industry by participating in the region’s biggest events. The one-week trip to visit ITB Berlin was a real highlight of this year at SKEMA. During that travel trade show, we attended various conferences and presentations which helped us understand  future trends and best practices in the global tourism industry.

I am going to start my six-month internship at the United Nations in Paris next month. I will be in charge of a sustainable tourism project."

"This year I got to discover a world of tourism opportunities. I enhanced my knowledge on destination marketing, yield management, sales and much more. I also worked on some interesting projects for professionals and our work is actually now being used in some international companies.

What I loved about this year was the variety of things we did from visits around the French Riviera meeting tourism and events professionals to our week in Berlin for the ITB (the world's largest travel tourism exhibition). I also made friends from all over the world as more than 10 nationalities shared my class.

I am now looking forward to my jump in to professional life as I've found a great internship (on the school’s student intranet) with an events agency on the Riviera. I'll be working as an events manager organising incentive trips and seminars."

"This MSc has been the most interesting period of my student life. I have been very pleased by the quality of teaching. Not only are the professors good at explaining, and making their courses attractive and understandable, but they also provide students with a practical overview and sharing of experience that is particularly useful.

As our professors at SKEMA are also professionals in the field, they are well acquainted with all the practical aspects of working in tourism. Among other things, they told us about the most important current tools and practices, and gave us the opportunity to get connected with many useful professional contacts.

In addition, the biggest step forward that I made during my stay at SKEMA is gaining more self-confidence when speaking publicly. There were many class presentations, which really trained me to control my emotions and communicate clearly an idea to the audience.

There is no denying that having reached such a level of self-confidence has helped me to get hired for a six-month internship by the French group of luxury hotels and casinos Lucien Barrière, in Cannes, in the Communication department."

"My choice for the Master in Strategic Tourism and Event Management was based on SKEMA´s excellent SMBG ranking as one of the best tourism programmes in France. The international focus and classes taught entirely in English further convinced me.

I am very satisfied with the quality of the lectures and the experienced professors we had. Special highlights of the MSc were our site inspections to various hotels and venues on the French Riviera, where we had the chance to meet and question professionals. Also our study trip to ITB in Berlin, the real-life consultancy project for Cannes Rotary Club and the Tourist Office of Mougins added to a very professional experience.

I can recommend this master for its networking possibilities and the cultural diversity of the students, which makes you grow on a professional and a personal basis.

My final internship will be in the event department of the renowned Palace Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris. It will allow me to gain insights into the management operations of an international hotel group in a luxurious and historical venue."

"This MSc has provided me with insight into the tourism and event industries, with the right balance between theoretical and practical knowledge.

We had lectures with outstanding teachers from all over the world. Outside the classroom, we got hands-on experience at events held on the French Riviera, and we conducted site inspections and did consulting projects for companies, as well as attending ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism and travel fair.

I also had the opportunity to be an intern in one of the leading companies in the event industry, MCI Group, a partner of SKEMA. The internship gave me solid knowledge in my field of expertise, as well as an important professional network. SKEMA’s been a fantastic experience. It’s been an intense year and excellent preparation for the world of business. It has opened new ways of thinking about my career and I now feel ready to be a professional in the event industry.

Next month, I will start my first job as abstract handling and project assistant in the institutional division of MCI Geneva."

“I lived a great experience at SKEMA, on several levels. The class was a mixture of international students and was an amazing cultural experience. I especially appreciated the quality of lectures given by experienced professionals who shared their experience in the tourism field.

We also had the opportunity to listen and meet with many guest speakers who came from various sectors of the tourism industry.

The trip to ITB (the world’s largest travel-tourism fair) in Berlin is definitely one of the highlights of this master. It was an interesting and exciting way to discover the business world of tourism and marketing. This was a highly educational week organised by SKEMA.

This MSc has given me the opportunity to develop my skills, not only in tourism but also on an interpersonal level as well as on an English speaking level.

I have greatly developed my professional network through meeting guest speakers, teachers and classmates. I strongly recommend this MSc to anybody who wishes to broaden their knowledge in the tourism field as you will do so in a multicultural environment and you will build on a professional network that will stand you in good stead for your future career.

I have started my internship with Deloitte as a junior consultant – Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure.”

"Joining this MSc was the first step I took towards working in the tourism industry. The diversity of students from all over the world (Colombia, Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, Austria, etc…) is a striking characteristic of this MSc programme.

Over the last eight months, we've had the opportunity to meet, and exchange, with a lot of professionals. The biggest advantage is that we have direct contact with them to learn about and apply for jobs or internships.

The professors are 100% devoted to sharing their contacts and knowledge with us, the students. Their availability at any time for any enquiries is a huge plus.

I’m very glad to have been part of this programme and to have learnt specific skills that will help me in my upcoming six-month internship at NH Hoteles in Nice as a revenue manager assistant."

Class of 2018-19

"This MSc is relevant and practical.

The programme is divided into two tracks. We were able to learn on both tracks, such as the Cote d'Azur tourism and event industry, but we could still focus on our own interests. So when it’s time to choose an internship, we have much more options.

I am now working in Taiwan as a junior event planner in the luxury car industry."

"This MSc provided me not only with professional knowledge but also with the practical skills required in the tourism sector. The diversity of professors, guest speakers and classmates is a great opportunity to gain international experience and knowledge. Courses are perfectly in line with the reality of the market.

After graduating I realised that the master brought us the qualities required on the job market.

In fact, I signed a permanent contract to work a month before the end of academic year. I am working for Panorama Brazil, an incoming tour operator and destination management company based in Rio de Janeiro. I am the project manager for the next Olympic Games in Rio. I found this job opportunity during our trip to ITB 2015. Network works!"

"This MSc has taught me a lot for my future career. Especially since students can choose which track they specialise in: Tourism or Events. The teaching team is fantastic! They have a lot of experience in the industry, so they know what companies are looking for in future employees.

Guest lecturers come from all over the world to share their valuable experience with students. This gives an inside look into the industry, contributing to the wealth of the MSc. Students put theory into practice through practical classes. I went on several site inspections, in addition to working for and helping out a charity, named Enfance Népal, in the Marketing Project class. This MSc also helps students develop their skills, particularly in teamwork and public speaking: two crucial skills within our industry.

I will be doing a six-month internship at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Brussels, working in the Sales and Marketing department. I will be dealing with the organisation of events."

"I returned to school for this master after ten years of professional experience and with the precise goal of working in the field of IT for the tourism & travel industry.

I think that this MSc programme has delivered a complete experience to students, enabling us to strongly enhance our skills and preparing us for our future careers in the exciting and vibrant business of international tourism.

The teachers brought with them a wealth of experience in their field of expertise, so the academic content was excellent and has helped all of us to get a strong hold of the theoretical aspect of this business. Practicality was however the main goal of the programme and a large number of guest speakers have shared with us real experiences and challenges, while many of our projects have also been based on real situations that called for concrete solutions on our side.

Team work was emphasised during these projects and gave many students first-hand experience in dealing with complex team projects, managing people, assigning tasks and respecting deadlines.

The school also enabled us to get in contact with numerous partner companies and gave many students the opportunity for internships in these organisations.

This MSc has helped me achieve my objective: I will soon start an internship in Amadeus, a leading software company and I am sure the skills acquired during this year will help me reach my long-term career goals."

"I’d like to say thanks for all the support, and for the whole year that I'd mark ten out of ten! I have learnt a lot and it has been without any doubt the most constructive year of my student life. I have really learnt a profession.

Now I’m going to start work at MCI in Geneva for my internship in the PCO department. I’m hoping to work for them afterwards.

Another really, really good point is the fact that professionals come in our master to speak and this turns the theory into practice, it also helps us to build our network and our own brand. Indeed, it’s probably thanks to the MCI guest speaker and presentation that I’ve found work at this global communications and events company."

"This MSc gave me the opportunity to combine both the tourism and event industry through interactive and hands-on experiences.

The professors provided links to the professional world in an international context.

The quality of life here in the South of France further contributed to a unique student experience. I was very involved in the student societies and clubs on campus, notably in the rugby team.

My end-of-studies internship in Paris as marketing and communication manager for a sports and events agency called Sports TG will allow me to combine my passion for sports with the events industry. The position offers a direct entry to the professional world as it is backed up by a promise of employment."

"Doing this MSc was one of the best professional choices I have ever made. With the MSc's emphasis on theory and its practical application, I now have a deep understanding of the MICE industry.

We were taught by teachers with professional experience, industry experts and enterprise executives. We took part in ITB Berlin and visited our partners on the French Riviera. We participated in practical projects, such as Netour Conference, and became a member of MPI.

I will soon start my internship in Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events company, and join in my dream project, CIBTM."