Operation Nexus + Case Study

Description

Event management education presents a fundamental tension: the skills that matter most in professional practice – rapid decision making under pressure, cross-team communication, crisis response, and empathy – are difficult to develop in a conventional classroom. Reading about crowd management or writing a risk assessment does not replicate the cognitive and emotional demands of being in a live operational environment.

Dr Claire Drakeley, Senior Lecturer in Events Management, identified an opportunity to address this through simulation pedagogy: creating a structured, scaffolded experience that replicates the conditions of a real event without the consequences of real failure. The first iteration of Operation Nexus demonstrated appetite and impact; Operation Nexus Plus was designed to go further, embedding professional technology, expanding cross-disciplinary participation, and beginning to document and systematise the approach.

Crucially, the simulation remained optional and extracurricular, ensuring that participation was self-selecting and that engagement was genuinely motivated. Forty students signed up voluntarily across multiple disciplines, which in itself speaks to the appeal of this kind of experiential offer.

Period	21 May 2026
Held at	Centre for Active Digital Education
Degree of Recognition	National