THE man responsible for managing some of the biggest events in Inverness will give a free lecture later this month.
Gerry Reynolds, Highland Council’s event officer, will provide an insight into the role education has played in the development of the Inverness Events and Festivals programme.
The award-winning programme includes Scotland’s largest free Hogmanay party, The Red Hot Highland Fling; the Inverness Highland Games and the Ness Islands Halloween Show.
Mr Reynolds will also reflect on the changes that have occurred in the industry following the Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough Football Stadium disasters.
With over 30 years’ experience of organising events, Mr Reynolds has worked on everything from world Highland games and orienteering championships to European football tournaments and pipe band championships. As part of the Homecoming Scotland initiative, he is now co-ordinating one of the largest festivals ever staged in the north of Scotland – the Highland Homecoming.
Mr Reynolds’ talk is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands public lecture series. It is the first of three talks with a Homecoming 2014 theme.
The other lectures will be delivered by staff from the university’s Centre for History, with Dr Iain MacInnes speaking about The Two Andrew Morays and the Scottish Wars of Independence in May and Professor Eric Richards presenting on the role of Highland Estates in the Clearances in September.
Speaking about his forthcoming lecture, Synergy – The Road to Highland Homecoming, Mr Reynolds said: “The explosion of interest and enthusiasm in staging, experiencing, sharing and studying events is a 21st Century global, social, cultural, economic and academic phenomenon.
“My lecture will explore not only the changes the industry has had to make in recent years, but also the impact that education is having on the way Inverness is tackling the challenge of being competitive in a sector that plays a vital role in sustaining the Highlands tourism industry.”
Dr Crichton Lang, the university’s acting principal, said: “The events industry makes an important contribution to the Highland and Islands and the university supports it by providing education and training in this area. We are pleased that Mr Reynolds will be delivering our next public lecture and we are looking forward to learning more about this sector from someone who has vast experience in it.”
Mr Reynolds’ lecture will take place at the University of the Highlands and Islands Executive Office, Inverness, from 5:15pm to 7pm on Thursday 24 April.
To book your free place, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk For questions about the event or to find out about joining by video-conference, please email events@uhi.ac.uk or call 01463 279 344.
To find out about other university of the Highland and Islands events, visit www.uhi.ac.uk
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Contact: Susan Szymborski
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Email: susan.szymborski@uhi.ac.uk
