Tony Rogers, Chief Executive of British Association of Conference Destinations (BACD) and Executive Director of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), has joined Leeds Metropolitan University as a Visiting Fellow for the UK Centre for Events Management.

Leeds Met is striving to be a Great North Uni of partnerships and festivals and is home to the UK Centre for Events Management, one of the leading providers of events management education in the world, alongside training, research and consultancy.

Tony explains: “I have been visiting the UK Centre for Events Management for the past four years introducing students to the work of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers and the British Association of Conference Destinations. In this time I have got to know a good number of the staff and students within the Centre and have been impressed by the combination of academic rigour and professional skill development.”

He adds:  What has been particularly impressive with the UK Centre for Events Management has been how at the same time as student numbers increase it has managed to create leading edge initiatives with industry and trade associations not only locally but nationally and internationally.”

In welcoming Tony to the team, Rai Shacklock, Head of the UK Centre for Events Management, said:

“As the respected leader of two industry associations and recognised author of one of the leading text books, we are already very familiar with Tony’s positive and very supportive attitude towards events management education and continuing professional development. We are thrilled to be able to draw upon Tony’s expertise and look forward to working with him on a more formal basis.“

Tony’s ongoing roles in BACD and ABPCO, allied to his new position as Visiting Fellow, provide the sound foundations for championing the role of education, training and research in the industry.

Tony comments: “I am delighted to be joining the team as a Visiting Fellow and excited about the opportunities that working alongside the UK Centre for Events Management on industry research projects provides. This enables both industry practitioners and events management academics to work in partnership in order to pool their skills on mutually beneficial subject matters. I am also particularly excited about my new ambassadorial role for the UK Centre for Events Management within the industry.  I look forward to representing the Centre within both trade bodies and professionally within the UK, EU and further afield.”

As a leading events industry professional, Tony joins a strong team of event specialists, educators, leading authors, researchers and consultants drawn from industry and academia delivering leading edge programmes and projects.