Global Residencies
Five to seven days of total immersion in a global event capital. Real events. Real practitioners. Real transformation. You cannot learn event tourism exclusively from a screen — you must see it, hear it, and live it.
Key Facts
| Format | 5–7 day immersive residency |
| Integrated Into | T6 (Masters) & T7 (MBA) mandatory; T5 (PG Diploma) optional add-on |
| Credits | Embedded within module credits of your programme |
| Cohort Size | 15–25 participants per residency |
| Locations | Dubai, Singapore, London, Cape Town, São Paulo (rotating annually) |
| Cost | Travel and accommodation are additional; programme content included in tuition |
| Start Date | January 2027 (first cohort) |
The Global Event Capitals Concept
ISET identifies cities that represent distinct models of event tourism excellence. Each residency city is chosen because it demonstrates a different strategic approach: mega-event investment (Dubai), compact innovation (Singapore), heritage and culture (London), African gateway and creative economy (Cape Town), or continental powerhouse scale (São Paulo).
You do not merely visit these cities. You study them as living laboratories — observing how strategy translates into infrastructure, operations, and economic impact.
Residency Cities
Dubai
Mega-event capital: EXPO legacy, Formula 1, global MICE hub
Signature events: Dubai World Cup, Art Dubai, GITEX, Arabian Travel Market
Singapore
Compact city-state with world-class event infrastructure
Signature events: Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore International Festival of Arts, MICE Asia
London
Historic event capital: cultural institutions, global sport, arts economy
Signature events: Wimbledon, Notting Hill Carnival, London Fashion Week, World Travel Market
Cape Town
African event gateway: arts festivals, sport tourism, cultural heritage
Signature events: Cape Town Jazz Festival, Design Indaba, World Design Capital, Cape Town Sevens
São Paulo
Continental powerhouse: music festivals, fashion, sport, and creative economy
Signature events: São Paulo Fashion Week, Lollapalooza Brasil, Art São Paulo, Formula 1 Interlagos
What a Residency Week Looks Like
Orientation & Context Briefing
City introduction, cultural briefing, cohort introductions, and intelligence platform walkthrough.
Venue & Infrastructure Visits
Behind-the-scenes access to world-class venues, convention centres, and event facilities.
Practitioner Masterclasses
Sessions with local industry leaders: event directors, tourism board executives, commercial heads.
Live Event Observation
Attend a live event or event setup. Observe operations, stakeholder dynamics, and audience experience.
Strategy Workshop & Synthesis
Team-based strategy workshop applying the week's learning to a real advisory challenge.
Extended Programme (T6/T7 only)
Additional research days for Masters and MBA students: data collection, interviews, and fieldwork.
Learning Outcomes
- Experience event tourism infrastructure and operations first-hand in a global capital
- Build professional relationships with practitioners in diverse markets
- Apply intelligence frameworks to unfamiliar cultural and market contexts
- Develop cross-cultural competency essential for international advisory roles
- Produce fieldwork-informed content for your Portfolio of Production
How to Participate
Residencies are a mandatory, fully integrated component of the T6 (Masters) and T7 (Executive MBA) programmes. For T5 (PG Diploma) students, residencies are an optional add-on that enriches the capstone experience. You do not need to apply separately — your partner university will facilitate your residency placement as part of your programme.
Cultural intelligence cannot be taught in a classroom alone. By immersing yourself in diverse global markets, you develop the cross-cultural fluency essential for international advisory roles — understanding how events function differently across political, economic, and social contexts.
Experience Event Tourism First-Hand
Register your interest in ISET programmes and gain access to global residencies as part of your postgraduate journey.