Louise Todd
Louise Todd

Dr Louise Todd BA (Hons), MPhil, PhD, PGCE, FRAI, FRSA, FHEA

Associate Professor

Biography

Dr Louise Todd is an Associate Professor of Festival and Event Management in the Tourism and Languages Subject Group and Deputy Lead of the Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. Louise is currently Interim Head of the Tourism and Languages Subject Group (from May 2024). She is also Public Engagement Lead for the Business School and works across the school to support researchers in their PE initiatives. Louise leads the Visual Methods and Ethnography (VM&E) in Interdisciplinary Research Group.

As an interdisciplinary researcher, Louise’s interests lie in arts and cultural tourism, festivals, and events. In these settings specifically, she is concerned with stakeholder, public, and community engagement, visual culture, visual research methods, visual art, and design. Louise is particularly interested in the critical potential of festivals to engage different groups of stakeholders. She has published her research in journal articles, book chapters, and presented at international conferences. Louise is an experienced editor and reviewer. She is an Associate Editor of Event Management Journal; a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Creative Research Methods and at present she is Guest Editor for three themed Special Issues of academic journals.

Louise is currently leading on a Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Small Research Grant funded project titled: ‘Staycations, localisation, community and place-making: Edinburgh as a destination in tourism recovery’ (2024).

She was Principal Investigator of the cross-university UKRI funded ‘Seven Kingdoms of Wester Hailes’ project, which Edinburgh Napier’s Public Engagement Forum led, working with a series of community partners (2020-2021). She continues to collaborate with community partners in Wester Hailes on research and public engagement initiatives.

Louise has previously been involved in further research projects as a Co-investigator and has managed a large-scale international project in her earlier role as the Research Assistant attached to the externally funded 'Generation Y in Asia' project (from 2011-2012).

Louise is a practicing visual artist. Having studied visual art at Undergraduate (BA Hons), and art and design at Postgraduate (M Phil), level at the Glasgow School of Art, she continues to use her creative practice to inform her research, and her research interests complement her art practice. Louise has curatorial experience in visual art exhibitions. She has successfully had her research-informed artwork selected for, curated, and exhibited in international exhibitions, including the Royal Scottish Academy's (RSA) 197th annual exhibition and Then and Now: 100 years of Visual Arts Scotland exhibitions. Her artwork has been purchased by galleries, private collectors and has featured in visual art publications.

Louise is experienced in designing and delivering public engagement events and activities on a national and international basis. She has designed, produced, and delivered creative public engagement with research initiatives around the theme of festival cities at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, Soundwalk September International Festival, and Explorathon: European Researchers Festival. Louise has also designed and developed Knowledge Exchange and CPD activities, including an externally funded Executive Programme she co-delivered in Singapore to members of the Tourism industry. The content of this was informed by her published research.

In terms of teaching activity and Programme Leadership, Louise was responsible for the MSc International Festival and Event Management programme from 2015 until 2021. She has developed two research-informed Postgraduate modules at PG level: Experience Design and Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Events and Contemporary Issues in Festivals and Events. Louise leads the Tourism, Society and Visual Culture module at Postgraduate level. She has designed and currently leads a research-informed Undergraduate module: Festival and Event Design and Delivery; and previously designed and developed the Event Management UG module.

Louise is an experienced Postgraduate Research supervisor and examiner of PhD and DBA projects. She has supervised a series of studies to completion and is currently supervising four PhD students. Louise was previously responsible for the coordination of MSc dissertations in the Tourism subject area and contributes regularly to PGT and PGR modules, with her own research and expertise in research philosophy and methods.

Before working in Higher Education, Louise’s background and higher education was in visual art, media, and festivals. She worked in marketing and communications management roles and was responsible for the design, management and marketing of arts, festivals, media, entertainment, and educational events, within organisational and festival contexts.

Louise is currently an elected Non-executive Director and Member of the Board of Trustees for Edinburgh Printmakers, international centre for printmaking and the visual arts (2021-present). In this role, she supports and advises on EP’s artistic and business strategies.

Research Interests:

Arts festivals and events; cultural tourism; hallmark event tourism; festival cities;
Visual art; visual culture and visual/creative methods including semiotics, and photo-elicitation; arts-based methods;
Stakeholder and community engagement; public engagement; place-making; walking methodologies;
Tourism and event brand image; brand relationships; experience design; design and aesthetics.

Teaching and Learning:

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Programme Leader: MSc International Festival and Event Management
Personal Development Tutor: MSc International Festival and Event Management
Postgraduate Research Student Training: Delivery of specialist research sessions in Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (Semiotics and Visual Methods - Photo elicitation); Research Philosophies (Social Constructivism)
Module Leader: Experience Design and Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Events (PG)
Module Leader: Festival and Event Design and Delivery (UG)
Module Leader: Tourism, Society and Visual Culture (PG)
Coordinator: MSc Dissertations in Tourism subjects (PG)
Industry Project Supervisor: Live Project supervision directing students' work with Industry to undertake research projects, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Historic Environment Scotland, and Charity organisations
Work Based Learning: Supervisor of students undertaking industry work placements

Research Groups

Research Areas

News

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • EventScotland Grant Awarding Panel: National Events Programme. Invited member of EventScotland, Grant Awarding Panel for its National Events Programme.

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Conference Coordinator for CHME 2022 The Human Touch in Hospitality, Council for Hospitality Management and Education (CHME) International Conference, May 2022
  • Research Group Lead and Co-chair: Future Visualities - Visual Methods and Ethnography in Interdisciplinary Research Symposium
  • Themed Track and Panel Chair: Festivals and the Human Touch . CHME 2022 The Human Touch in Hospitality, Council for Hospitality Management and Education (CHME) International Conference, May 2022
  • Project and thematic lead: Visual Methods and Ethnography in Interdisciplinary Research Seminar series 2
  • Conference Chair and Organising Committee member for Council for Hospitality Management and Education (CHME) International Conference, 2022 , May 2022
  • Co-organiser: Visual Methods and Ethnography in Interdisciplinary Research Seminar series 1
  • Panel Chair for Royal Anthropological Institute’s (RAI). Annual Conference: Art, Materiality and Representation. Panel P106: Tourist Art and Commodification
  • Visual Methods and Ethnography Workshop. Principal Organiser of Visual Methods and Ethnography Workshop, Business School, Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University. Invited six external keynote academic speakers and attended by 35 internal and external researchers (May 2015).

 

Editorial Activity

  • Guest Editor. World Leisure Journal, Special Issue on 'Visual Methods in/as Leisure Research'. Guest Editors: L. Todd, M. Victoria, B. Lashua & T. Heng
  • Guest Editor. Tourism Management Perspectives Journal. Special Issue on 'Food Tourism Events and Social Sustainability', Guest Editors: A. Orea-Giner, F. Fuste Forne, L. Todd & E. Park
  • Guest Editor. Hospitality and Society Journal. Special Issue on: 'Hospitable Destinations', Guest Editors: C . Anastasiadou, L. Todd & P. Lugosi
  • Associate Editor, Event Management: An International Journal
  • Member of Editorial Board, Event Management: An international Journal

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External Examiner for MA International Events Management Programme, Department of Marketing, Events and Tourism, Faculty of Business, University of Greenwich
  • External Examiner for BA (Hons) Event Management and Music Event Management, Undergraduate Programmes, Faculty of Design, Media and Management, Buckinghamshire New University

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • 'Memory Travels' Painting By Louise Todd Selected For 'Then and Now: One Hundred Years of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) Centenary Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Scotland (RSA) (February - March 2024)
  • 'Port Of Call' Painting By Louise Todd Selected For The 197th Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) Annual Exhibition (May 2023)
  • Two paintings based on tourism research series: Memory Travel (2021) and Sunglasses for Reflection (2021), longlisted for ‘The Jackson’s Painting Prize 2022’ (alongside ‘The Jackson’s Emerging Artist’ and ‘Peoples’ Choice’ awards, 2022) (March 2022).
  • Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute
  • Recipient of British Council and Newton Fund 'Researcher Links' Award to fund attendance at Inclusive Innovation for Enhanced Local Experience in Tourism conference, Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa, Phuket, Thailand (28th – 31th August 2018)
  • National EventIt e-awards. ‘Winner’ of the Student Event/Festival Excellence Award for Universities of Scotland Events Conference, 2017 (USEC2017) (March 2018).
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
  • Scottish Event Awards: Best Student Event ‘Winner’, awarded to Edinburgh Napier University Undergraduate Students for Event Management module event: ‘Laugh Your Way Out’ (October 2015).
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Best Conference Presentation Award for presentation of: Leask, A., Barron, P. & Todd, L. (2012) ‘Engaging with Gen Y at museum events’, International Conference on Tourism and Events: Opportunities, Impacts and Change, Ulster Business School, University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland (June 2012).

 

Grant Funding Panel Member

  • EventScotland Grant Awarding Panel: National Events Programme. Invited member of EventScotland, Grant Awarding Panel for its National Events Programme.

 

Invited Speaker

  • Invited Keynote: Understanding community engagement with tourism: participative and creative methods for post-pandemic times. International Conference on Tourism and Business (ICTB) Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Lucerne Switzerland, 24 - 27 August 2022.
  • Invited Speaker on theme of Marketing and Audience Development. The International Festivals Academy is funded by the British Council and Festivals Edinburgh. This event was attended by 30 international delegates who are festival industry managers and professionals (April 2018).
  • Edinburgh the ‘festival city’ and hallmark event tourism. Invited research lecture and seminar, delivered to more than 100 students and staff as part of the 'Leisure Talks' series at the School of Environment, Education and Development - Manchester Institute of Education, the University of Manchester
  • Sustainable Place Management through Experience Engineering: Executive Development Programme. Invited speaker at three-day executive programme (co-delivered with J. Ali-Knight and K. Wardrop) Delivered by Edinburgh Napier University [ENU], with the Association of Singapore Attractions [ASA], for the Workforce Development Agency [WDA], Singapore (July 2015).
  • Invited Keynote Speaker: Best Practice in Event Teaching and Research: Dissemination Event. Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ulster Business School University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Attended by 30 managers from Northern Ireland’s Tourism and Events industry. (November 2013)
  • Generation Y in Asia: Generational consumer behaviour and impacts upon tourism in visitor attractions and hotels in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore (co-presented with P. Barron and A. Leask): The Hong Kong Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (HKAAPA), Ocean Park, Hong Kong. This event was attended by approximately 50 members of the HKAAPA (December 2012).
  • Generation Y in Asia: Generational consumer behaviour and impacts upon tourism in visitor attractions and hotels in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore (co-presented with A Leask and P Barron): The Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), Orchard Hotel, Singapore . This event was attended by more than 150 members of Singapore’s tourism and visitor attraction industry and was featured on Channel News Asia, Singapore (December 2012).
  • Generation Y in Asia: Generational consumer behaviour and impacts upon tourism in visitor attractions and hotels in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore’ (co-presented with P. Barron and A. Leask): School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. This event and seminar was attended by approximately 50 HKPU Faculty members and researchers (December 2012).

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Artist Member of Society of Scottish Artists (SSA) Artist Member
  • Member of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS)
  • Member of the Leisure Studies Association (LSA)
  • Fellow: Royal Anthropological Institute (FRAI)
  • Fellow: Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
  • Fellow: Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

 

Non-executive Directorship

  • Edinburgh Printmakers: Elected to the Board of Trustees of Edinburgh Printmakers centre for printmaking and the visual arts

 

Public/Community Engagement

  • Co-design and delivery - series of interactive visual art workshops based on tourism, identity, and place visual research with Street Arts, WHALE Arts, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh (September – October, 2023).
  • Festival Soundings of Edinburgh
  • Summer in the city 2020: Edinburgh: the festival(less) city?
  • Festival Frontiers: The Festival City
  • Dinner Party Debates: The Case for a Deaf Festival in the Festival City
  • An Edinburgh Festival City Map for Wester Hailes
  • Public Engagement Lead, The Business School
  • The Fringe - my BFF

 

Reviewing

  • World Leisure Journal
  • Journal of Destination Marketing & Management
  • Cengage Learning: Book proposal and manuscript reviewer
  • Journal of Place Management and Development
  • International Journal of Tourism Cities
  • Tourism Management
  • Routledge Books: Book proposal and manuscript reviewer
  • Hospitality & Society
  • CHME Research Conference
  • Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management

 

Visiting Positions

  • Visiting Scholar, Academy for Leisure, Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands.
  • Visiting Researcher: Markedshøyskolen, Campus Kristiania, Oslo School of Management, Oslo, Norway

 

Date


54 results

The sustainable festival city and local communities: Engaging secondary stakeholders through placemaking

Presentation / Conference
We will present initial findings from our research which considers how Edinburgh’s (UK) festivals and tourism sectors can deliver sustainable community engagement. Our study a...

Curated Collection: The Festival City in Event Management Research

Journal Article
Todd, L., & Quinn, B. (in press)
Curated Collection: The Festival City in Event Management Research. Event Management, https://doi.org/10.3727/152599524X17114977927355
This curated collection considers the topic of the Festival City and examines how research on this theme published in the Event Management journal has contributed to extant th...

'Memory Travels' selected For 'Then and Now: One Hundred Years of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) Centenary Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Scotland (RSA)

Exhibition / Performance
Todd, L. 'Memory Travels' selected For 'Then and Now: One Hundred Years of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) Centenary Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Scotland (RSA)
[Oil painting]. Exhibited at Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), Edinburgh. 17 February 2024 - 13 March 2024. (Unpublished

Public engagement in the Business School: What is public engagement and how can TBS researchers engage with their publics?

Presentation / Conference
Todd, L. (2023, December)
Public engagement in the Business School: What is public engagement and how can TBS researchers engage with their publics?. Presented at Tourism & Languages Research Seminar, Edinburgh
This seminar and workshop will provide an overview of Public Engagement (PE) with research in the Business School. It will introduce the University’s Public Engagement Funding...

The origin story: behind the scenes of food festivals

Journal Article
Orea-Giner, A., Fusté-Forné, F., & Todd, L. (in press)
The origin story: behind the scenes of food festivals. Event Management, https://doi.org/10.3727/152599523X16957834460312
The relationships between food festivals and food storytelling have been scarcely explored by previous research. Nevertheless, these relationships are a source of memorable ex...

Where I want to be now

Exhibition / Performance
Todd, L. (2023)
Where I want to be now. [Painting]. Exhibited at Society of Scottish Artists Website. 18 November 2023 - 14 January 2024. (Unpublished
Original painting titled: Where I want to be now, themed around Visual Culture of Tourism Research, Society of Scottish Artists, 30 x 30 online exhibition, 2023-2024

Two original paintings titled Sunbathing and Other places

Exhibition / Performance
Todd, L. Two original paintings titled Sunbathing and Other places. [Fine Art Painting, Drawing]. Exhibited at Wester Hailes Open Exhibition, WHALE Arts, Edinburgh. 10 November 2023 - 29 November 2023. (Unpublished)

)
Todd, L. Two original paintings titled Sunbathing and Other places. [Fine Art Painting, Drawing]. Exhibited at Wester Hailes Open Exhibition, WHALE Arts, Edinburgh. 10 November 2023 - 29 November 2023. (Unpublished
Two original paintings titled Sunbathing and Other places, and themed around visual culture of tourism research, Exhibited in Wester Hailes Open Exhibition, [Fine Art Painting...

Paradigms: Recent artwork by Catherine Young, Hazel Brady, Jayne McIntyre, Louise Todd

Exhibition / Performance
Todd, L. Paradigms: Recent artwork by Catherine Young, Hazel Brady, Jayne McIntyre, Louise Todd. [Paintings]. Exhibited at Coburg House, Edinburgh. 6 October 2023 - 8 October 2023. (Unpublished)

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Todd, L. Paradigms: Recent artwork by Catherine Young, Hazel Brady, Jayne McIntyre, Louise Todd. [Paintings]. Exhibited at Coburg House, Edinburgh. 6 October 2023 - 8 October 2023. (Unpublished

Witch City's ‘Haunted Happenings’: Managing Authenticity and Edutainment in Salem, Massachusetts

Book Chapter
Stewart, H., Todd, L., & Ali-Knight, J. (2023)
Witch City's ‘Haunted Happenings’: Managing Authenticity and Edutainment in Salem, Massachusetts. In G. Rossetti, B. Wyatt, & J. Ali-Knight (Eds.), Festivals and Edutainment (26-40). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003305415-4
The infamous Salem Witch Trials resulted in the deaths of 20 innocent Puritans accused of witchcraft in 1692. Today, Salem, Massachusetts, has positioned itself as a modern-da...

The Semiotic Paradigm for Deconstructing Event Design and Meaning

Journal Article
Viol, M., Todd, L., & Anastasiadou, C. (2023)
The Semiotic Paradigm for Deconstructing Event Design and Meaning. Event Management, 27(7), 1063-1079. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599523X16847420514728
Festivals and events convey a range of historical, political, social and cultural signs and meanings, however, there remains limited methodological guidance for understanding ...

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