Eventunity is now part of My Event Course, the home for beginner-friendly event management education.
About
About Eventunity and Mark Norman
I have worked in and around the events industry for over 25 years. This website is what I have learned in that time, shared to help others find their way in.
A bit about me
Welcome, event friends
I grew up in a small market town called Stamford. My earliest memory of entrepreneurship is buying boxes of push pops from the local sweet shop to sell for a profit at break time. Remember those?
Like most people, I fell into events through helping promote local student events. Since then I have managed multiple event venue spaces, some with turnovers of over a million pounds.
What is Eventunity?
Events with commUNITY, events for opportUNITY
“E-vent-tune-ity” is how I say it. Eventunity is an information resource and community for people seeking new opportunities in events: those who are just starting, and those thinking about starting an event business.
There are plenty of well-established event websites, but after teaching events management for over a decade, I know this industry can feel daunting when you are getting going. Events bring people together, yet few people understand how to tap into the network and community around them. I created Eventunity to support people who want to work in events, who run events, and who would benefit from a closer connection to their community. I hope it will inspire the event managers of the future.
A bit more about me
From engineering to events
1997Left home to study Mechanical Engineering at university. A year in the heavy steel industry showed me engineering was not for me, and I started organising events at university instead.
2001Graduated, then spent ten years running music venues across the UK, devising and promoting up to three events a week. That is where I learned why people attend events and how to design a great experience.
2008Studied for a Master’s degree at Sheffield Hallam University, as I had no formal qualifications in events.
2011Joined the teaching team at Sheffield Hallam University as an associate lecturer. I teach event marketing, event safety and live event planning, and I am Course Leader for the Festival and Entertainment undergraduate course.
NowWorking on a PhD in Events at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, looking at the role of communities and networks in creating and managing events.
Event freelancer
Projects I have worked on
Despite my teaching career, I never wanted to lose my connection with live events, so I have carried on working as a freelancer. Previous projects include:
- 2012 · Mansfield Christmas light switch-on
- 2012 · Mansfield Olympic and Paralympic Homecoming Event
- 2014 · Tour de France Grand Depart
- 2015 · The Gruffalo Live Experience
- 2016 · BBC Learning “Awesome Authors”
- 2016 · Hull City of Culture PR Launch
- 2017 · Royal Welsh Show, safety report
- 2018 · Cheshire East Council, Crewe Market Hall event feasibility report
- 2018 · XSEM Incentive Travel Agency safety training
- 2018 · Edinburgh Fringe (EDSU), safety report
- 2022 · FIA Formula E Safety Officer, London E Prix
The next step
Learn the system with me
Everything I teach is in My Event Course, built for people new to events.