Published: 21 November 2023
In early November, tourism and hospitality students visited the Museum of London Docklands and received a presentation from museum staff - giving them valuable insight into the operation and outlining possible career paths in the sector.
A short distance away from the futuristic skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, and our campus, lies the Museum of London Docklands – telling the story of the capital and its people, from the Roman era through to the modern day.
On 2 November, a group of around 30 students, studying for BSc and MSc tourism and hospitality qualifications, learnt more about this fascinating story and the museum’s exciting West Smithfield development, before a question-and-answer session.
The first presentation, from Bilyana Chesnovski, Senior Sales Account Manager, gave an outline of her role in developing events and private hire activities at the museum, and how she and her colleagues work to maximise revenue while taking care of Canary Wharf’s only Grade-1 listed building. Bilyana told her career story and urged the students to gain as much experience as possible throughout their career to build transferable skills – this included volunteering.
Helen Maher, Social Media Community Manager, then explained how she had reshaped her career with the emergence of social media and how the Museum of London Docklands creates content to bring the stories about the museum and its collection to life. Also, how Helen and her team work to keep existing followers engaged and to attract new audiences.
The presentations were followed by an engaging question-and-answer session, where topics from digital innovation in social media, possible career paths in the museum sector, and how the museum engages its diverse audience, were discussed.
Tatiana Gorobcic, BSc (Hons) International Tourism and Hospitality Management, who joined the visit said, “The visit proved to be a valuable and eye-opening experience that gave me a deeper understanding of the museum sector. Meeting with the museum staff and learning about their roles, in management and hospitality, illuminated the real-world applications of my studies and emphasised the importance of providing exceptional visitor experience.”