Crowded Space Design Management & Risk Analysis

Where better to study best practice in managing crowded spaces, whether for events, festivals, transportation hubs or other public spaces, than Edinburgh - the world's largest festival city? 

This one year work-based programme has been created by many of the key experts in this area. In fact, the course team has worked with Festivals and Events in more than 35 countries. It draws expertise from a wide range of international team members. The Programme's focus is on the integration of the physical and psychosocial processes involved in safely managing crowded spaces. It provides students with a unique opportunity to create and test new theory and then practice this in the workplace. It delivers a comprehensive understanding of how densely populated areas are managed, secured and above all made safe for the tourism, hospitality, business, conference, music, events, sports and technology industries.

The blended learning and block delivery method ensures the programme fits in with the efficiency needs of employees and employers; as students can study while either working in the industry, or can continue to work in their current day job if they are considering a switch into this expanding sector.

For reasons of both safety and security, the design and management of crowded spaces has become one of the most important aspects of creating and sustaining a resilient programme of events. For the past five years, Edinburgh Napier University has worked with Professor Chris Kemp and MOM Consultancy to develop the delivery of innovative education in this crucial subject area. Edinburgh Napier University, through key partners such as EventScotland, have developed a series of Professorial lectures, courses, workshops and strategic initiatives with the aim of developing crowd management and security professional development activities. Professor Chris Kemp has experience of delivering courses to football match commanders and also training the Police Scotland Bronze and Silver Commanders for events such as the Commonwealth Games. Alongside this has been the successful delivery of Executive Certificate courses in Crowd Management in the Gulf and also with the Scottish Police College (SPC), cementing professional relationships between the university and a range of key stakeholders and festival and event providers in the crowded space area.

This programme aims to develop your further interest in, and knowledge and understanding of, crowded space environments. Their design, creation, development, management and the inherent challenges associated with them will be studied.

The modules you are going to study include:

• Spatial Planning, Topography, Urban and Non-urban Design
• Psychosocial Engineering for Crowded Space
• Organisational Culture and the Management of Crowded Space
• Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spatial problems in Crowded Environments
• The Changing Crowded Space
• Research Methods
• Dissertation

Lead academics

The programme has been developed with Professor Chris Kemp of MOM Consultancy. Its management at the University will be provided by Professor Jane Ali Knight, with the Programme/module leadership by Jane and Associate Professor Martin Robertson, both of whom have worked with Professor Chris Kemp for many years and have a mutual interest in and experience of the subject area. The team have a strong and professional working relationship providing confidence in the academic and industrial interface. 

Module lecturers include Professor Chris Kemp, the CEO of MOM known for his work in both education and industry in this area for the past four decades; Dr Pascal Viot, an expert in urban and non-urban spatial design for crowded spaces; Dr Mark Hamilton, a Former CEO of Rock Steady and G4S and now a Board Member of the Securigroup; and Pete Dalton, an international Protective Security Consultant and former UK Specialist Police Commander
who was one of the top counter terrorism police officers in the UK and the lead on security for the Trump Visit and the Royal Wedding in Windsor; and Andrew Brown, a top Leadership and Organisational Culture specialist known for his kidnap negotiation skills across the world.

Entry requirements

Postgraduate

Students will be eligible to apply if they have gained a Bachelor degree with C+, GPA of 2.5/4.0 or Good or better

The course is targeted at managers and aspiring managers of festivals and events in the tourism, hospitality, business, conference, music, events, sports and technology industries. It is also aimed at anyone who is involved in the design and management of crowded spaces eg: shopping centres, public spaces and parks, transport hubs such as railway stations, and other areas where crowd are likely to gather.