Gemma Moore

Gemma Moore

3rd-year student, Bachelor of Arts in Event Management & Bachelor of Business in Finance conjoint programmes

She would love to be involved in the wedding industry once she graduates, says Gemma Moore who is currently completing Bachelor of Arts in Event Management & Bachelor of Business in Finance conjoint programmes.

“It has always been a dream of mine to have my own wedding planning business, and I’ve long had a passion for events and organising events. Studying event management was perfect for me, but I wanted to also do a business degree to give me more options and found a passion for finance in my second semester.”

Now in the third year of her studies, Gemma has already had plenty of highlights throughout her time at AUT.

“I’ve loved meeting so many new amazing people from all walks of life! I’ve made many lifelong friends and met some amazing people, which has made my experience at university so enjoyable. This programme is challenging but the results are rewarding. It teaches you some very important skills that are useful throughout many aspects of life, not just in university.”

Valuable experiences
One of the achievements Gemma is especially proud of is participating in the TCS Sustainathon 2022, a problem-solving competition for university students in Australia and New Zealand to address real-world sustainability challenges using the power of technology.

“My teammate Xanthe and I decided to participate in the Sustainathon because we wanted to do something a bit different. The challenge we chose was for Virgin Australia, and we had to come up with an idea to reduce cabin waste in aircrafts and airports to improve sustainability in the travel sector.

“Our idea was to encourage consumers to change their habits, and give them an option to not take an in-flight meal and receive a reward instead, for example frequent flyer points. This would reduce the overall amount of waste produced. We also suggested a ‘food stop’ where people could sample the food before deciding if they wanted a meal. We presented our idea and research in a video with a PowerPoint presentation to be judged. We then made the finals round where we had to pitch our idea live to a panel of judges in five minutes.”

Their idea earned them an invite to the gala event in Sydney where they were presented their award for winning first place in the TCS Sustainathon 2022 Virgin Australia Challenge on Cabin Waste: Keep it Circling Not Grounded. For Gemma, the whole experience was invaluable.

“This was a challenging and intense experience throughout a very busy period at uni. I wasn’t sure if I was going to manage all my different workloads and this challenge, but I proved to myself what I’m capable of and I’m proud that we managed to get such a good result. The competition taught me such valuable skills, including how to confidently present ideas and pitch to a panel of judges.”

Advice for other students
Gemma’s advice for other students is simple: do what you want to do; don’t let other people’s opinions change your path.

“I know we hear it all the time but these last couple of years at AUT have really shown me how important it is to do what you want, as so many more great opportunities can come from doing something you love and want to do. University is the time to be truly yourself, so try new things and do what you want to do.”

There was one particular lecturer who helped her find her path in event management.

“Richard Ajiee had so much faith in me from the start of my course, and really encouraged me to be the best event leader I could. He helped me and my team produce a successful event as part of this class. He sparked my passion for events and helped prove to me that I can do anything.”