Every year, Events Management students work together to host a conference as part of their module, gaining valuable industry experience along the way. This year, a student team took leadership, problem‑solving and collaboration well beyond the classroom with their conference, Level Up: Your Next Move Starts Here.
Second‑year Events Management students Joanna and Lola reflect on what it was like to organise the student‑led conference — from personal growth to turning an idea into a real‑world event.
Stepping Up and Trusting Myself
Joanna Kramarz
Being part of organising the 2026 RGU Student Conference, Level Up: Your Next Move Starts Here, has been a really valuable experience during my time at university.
At the start, I didn’t realise how much it would shape me. It pushed me to develop my leadership skills in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I found myself stepping up more, taking initiative, making decisions, and trusting myself even when I wasn’t fully sure. It was challenging at times, but also really rewarding.
There were moments where things didn’t go to plan, which taught me a lot about patience. Not everything comes together straight away, but staying calm and just keeping things going made a big difference — not just to the event, but to my own confidence too.
A big part of what made the experience so positive was the team. Everyone brought something different, and it honestly would not have been possible without everyone’s effort and support. It reminded me that you don’t have to do everything yourself — having the right people around you makes a huge difference.
If there is one thing I would say to other students, it is that if you are working on something that feels overwhelming, whether that is a project, assignment or anything else, that feeling is normal. The best thing you can do is take it step by step and keep going. It does come together in the end, and those are usually the moments where you grow the most.
Looking back, this experience has helped me grow in confidence and shown me what I am capable of — and that is something I will take with me into whatever comes next.
From Idea to Real-World Conference
Lola Atkinson
Planning a conference for my Events Management course was not what I had planned when deciding my options after school. However, this conference has challenged myself — and everyone else in the Events Management second‑year team — more than we thought. But challenge is good!
As a group, we wanted the skills that people walk away with to be usable in real life, practical situations. This is where the concept of Level Up came from — an RGU student‑led conference. Money matters in people’s lives, and a lot of people simply don’t know how to use it to the best of their abilities.
Alongside this, many people don’t know simple skills that could be life‑changing in day‑to‑day settings. This is why we decided to create a conference focused on teaching people how to make their money work for them, while also building essential life skills that aren’t always taught in school.
The goal was to break down intimidating topics like budgeting, investing and financial independence into something accessible, engaging and useful. The target audience was, of course, students. Many of us in the Events Management group discussed that we also aren’t as clued up on money skills as we should be. That’s when we realised who our target audience should be. People like us!
Deciding the venue was easy for us — RGU Student Union. It’s quick and accessible, and everyone at RGU knows where it is. This is where lessons would be learned, people inspired, and debates sparked, as speakers shared how they got to where they are through their experience and expertise.
Finding the right speakers was another key part of the process. We reached out to local business owners, financial advisors and others who could speak from real experience — real advice from real people who know what they’re talking about.
Marketing was my focus. My team and I worked hard to promote the event across RGU and beyond, including Aberdeen University, nearby colleges and anyone else interested in getting involved. We boosted our social media with regular Instagram, TikTok and Facebook posts and stories, shared reminders of what the event had to offer, and handed out flyers across campus.
Budgeting was another major challenge. Balancing costs while trying to deliver a high‑quality event hasn’t been easy. We didn’t have the highest budget, but by working together and deciding what was necessary — and what wasn’t — we were able to overcome this. Gaining sponsors also made a huge difference.
We’re already looking forward to planning next year’s conference and hope it will be just as successful.
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