SERVICES MARKETING FOR EVENTS, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is designed as an introduction to marketing. The module is divided into two distinct elements, firstly the principles of marketing are covered, and secondly the industry specific application of marketing is analyzed. The module also creates an opportunity to facilitate 'real life' decision-making and enhances a wide range of study skills, such as independent research, analytical skills as well as critical thinking. As such the goal is to contribute to resourcefulness and resilience and to develop digital capabilities linked to the topics covered. Consequently, students   develop skills relevant for employability.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

STANGL Brigitte (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content may include:

• Challenges due to service characteristics


• Consumer decision making process


• Segmentation, targeting, positioning


• Brand management


• Marketing communication


• Relationship marketing


• Marketing ethics


• Service quality


• Pricing strategies


• eMarketing

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

In place of the Group Presentation students are are required to do an individual report

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is aimed at giving students the opportunity to gradually build up their knowledge and understanding of services marketing in an event, tourism, or hospitality context (depending on which field the student is in). It is designed to allow students to evidence their achievement of the learning outcomes. The summative assessment comprises an individual report and a group presentation.

1. Individual Report (50%) - students are examined based on critically reviewing the literature, theories and techniques related to one specific topic from the services marketing discipline and applying this subject knowledge to an organization from the the event, tourism or hospitality industry.

2. Group presentation (50%) students will be working with a consultant mind-set and will be asked to evaluate the marketing strategy of one organization in the event, tourism or hospitality industry. Students need to give a presentation which critically assesses the current marketing strategy of one organization. Managerial implications need to be provided with regards to how the organization can develop its marketing strategy. 

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

An individual report (i.e., the first assessment component) in which students are examined based on critically reviewing the literature, theories and techniques related to one specific topic from the services marketing discipline and applying this subject knowledge to an organization from the event, tourism, or hospitality industry.

 

A group presentation (i.e., the second assessment) for which students will be working with a consultant mind-set; students will be asked to evaluate the marketing strategy of one organization in the event, tourism, or hospitality industry. Due to the rapid changes of society and consumers' minds, event, tourism, and hospitality marketing managers are required to revise marketing strategies to attract visitors. Accordingly, students need to give a presentation which critically assesses the current marketing strategy of one organization based on literature. Ultimately managerial implications need to be provided with regards to how the organization can improve its marketing strategy. In doing so, current trends must be considered.

 

Both assessment parts, i.e., the report and the presentation account for 50%. The first assessment is individual while the second one is a group work giving students the opportunity to show their capability of working in teams as well as to demonstrate communication skills which is of particular importance in a marketing context. Students are informed about both pieces of assessment during the seminar in week 1.

The assessments (one is due about mid-term and the second one at the end of term), are specifically designed to develop skills for employability; to contribute to students’ resourcefulness and resilience and to develop digital capabilities linked to the topics covered.

 

Formative assessment

• Drafts of the individual report will be evaluated and marked by peers


• Presentations prepared for the various seminar sessions will be evaluated during class incorporating evaluation criteria

 

Feedback

Summative feedback

• For the first assessment, students receive written feedback together with their returned reports. Apart from comments on the scripts, a formal sheet outlines students’ strengths, weaknesses/areas of development and suggestions on how to improve students’ performance for other assignments


• A post-assignment feedback session is designed to help students to fully understand the feedback given, which is particularly important at this stage as the report is one of the first assignments that students submit


• The feedback for the report helps students to better prepare for the group presentation and to improve their performance as they progress through the semester


• For the group presentation, students receive written feedback


• A report will be written for the students to indicate where they did well and where they needed to improve. This report will be provided on SurreyLearn within three weeks after the presentation took place


• A general report on the group presentation will be written by the markers to summarize key feedback from the examination and this will be posted on SurreyLearn within three weeks after the presentation     

 

Formative feedback

• During the first seminar, the assignments and the feedback process are explained


• Feedback is also provided during and after in-class discussions


• There will be an optional report writing session


• As the seminars are built around topic-specific group exercises, students do not only benefit from lecturer’s feedback but also receive peer evaluations


• Pre-assignment feedback is an integral part of this module. During some sessions, students work in groups on tasks / prepare presentations which reflect assignment requirements and receive feedback on their work


• Further, as part of the formative feedback, students are provided with good and bad practice examples and in group discussion will discuss the key components of good reports and less good reports


• In a lecture after submission, students are provided with initial feedback on what went well and not so well, hence outlining key learning issues derived from the assignments


• Once marking is completed, students will be provided a report which contains detailed generic feedback as well as a breakdown of marks. This enables students to assess their own performance compared to their peer students


• Short presentations assist students in preparing for the group presentation as the task for the presentations relates to the analysis and application of marketing theory to practice

Module aims

• Provide students with knowledge of the meaning and application of marketing in the events, tourism or hospitality context
• Develop an understanding of the role of marketing as a business philosophy
• Demonstrate how marketing is a systematic thought process, a set of techniques underlying the planning and execution of marketing strategy and tactics, taken within the context of events, tourism or hospitality services
• Examine recent trends in marketing in relation to events, tourism and hospitality
• Contribute to resourcefulness and resilience; to develop digital capabilities linked to the topics covered, and to develop skills relevant for employability

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to provide a framework of contemporary knowledge and theories supported by examples from industry. The current issues and debates will be highlighted so that the students are able to apply critical thinking to the literature. 

The learning and teaching methods include: A series of 10 about one-hour lectures delivered as recorded, on-demand videos accessible online via SurreyLearn, guided learning (activities will vary each week), 2-hour weekly seminars, and a guest lecture. Where appropriate case studies/real-life examples will be used. The module is delivered as generic services marketing lectures (1 hour) followed by stream specific (i.e., events, tourism, or hospitality) applications in seminars (2 hours). The seminars will be face-to-face in class allowing students to benefit from questions of other students and discussions.

Please note: The syllabus presented in the module document will be covered using a variety of teaching and learning methods. Methods used may include academic lectures, lectures by industry guests, seminars, (academic-supported) self-study sessions, online coaching/workshops/Q&A sessions, and directed reading. As such the module will contribute to students’:

• resourcefulness and resilience: The assessment of this module is designed in a way that students have to write from an academic perspective as well as from a consultant's perspective. Considering the formative feedback provided based on guided learning activities students will experience this together, sharing experiences, providing support and empathy, and supporting each other. Through the applied guided learning elements, the assessments and the presentations students can draw upon and develop their own resourcefulness and problem solving and building their own confidence and self-efficacy. They will also develop an appreciation of barriers and challenges people face because of presenting and being assessed, and how these may be overcome, while developing an appreciation of their personal experiences, and the shared experiences of the collective cohort.


• development of digital capabilities: The topics covered each week are linked and embedded in the digital environment and contemporary development. Digital aspects will be an integral part as students are required to work in teams to prepare guided learning activities. Thus, collaborative tools such as WhatsApp, Teams and shared documents are essential to communicate with each other as well as the usage of digital sources in terms of finding evidence.


• development of skills relevant for employability: More specifically students will be trained to apply learned theories to real life cases and to examine organizations in the light of theories. This skill will be practiced in guided learning activities as well as for the first assignment which requires an academic mindset and the second assignment with a consultant's mindset.

Students should be prepared for assessments on topics from across the syllabus - irrespective of the mode of delivery e.g., whether the topic was covered by a formal lecture, seminar, self-directed study task, directed reading, or any other method used.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM469

Other information

NA

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.