Dr Brianna Wyatt

Postgraduate: 

• Dark Tourism
• Global Visitor Economy
• Developing the Sustainable Event
• Enterprising Work Placement

Undergraduate: 

• Global Context of Hospitality, Tourism, and Events
• Developing and Planning Events
• Managing the Sustainable Event Project
• Event Management in Practice
• Contemporary Issues in Responsible Leadership
• Professional Practice for Event Managers
• Foundations for Academic Success

• Senior Lecturer of Travel and Tourism at Bath Spa University at UKCBC London (2020)
• Associate Lecturer of Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management at Edinburgh Napier University (2017-2019)
• Associate Lecturer of History and Art History at Henley-Putnam University (2014 - 2016)

• Simon McFadden (PhD Research Student, School of Arts). Topic: An Investigation Into Serial Murder Tourism and Dark Fandoms
• Masrura Ram Idjal (PhD Research Student, Business School), Topic: The influence of decentralisation of policy on the nexus of power in tourism in rural communities; a case study of the new Village Law (2014) in Indonesia
• Kusuma Tungpruan (Research Student, Business School), Topic: Influences on the experience design and delivery of co-creative wellness experiences in Thailand

Brianna is currently working on forthcoming publications relating to her PhD, as well as other publications within her research interests. Her research interests include:

• Dark tourism (experience design, visitor attraction management, interpretation, conversion properties, memory)
• Heritage tourism (experience design, visitor attraction management, interpretation, conversion properties)
• Interpretation (edutainment, re-enactment, storytelling, theming, immersion)
• Festivals (experience design, sustainability, health and safety)
• Museums (experience design, interpretation, public history)
• History (Long 18th century; gallows culture; class warfare)

Brianna has recently published the co-edited text "Festivals and Edutainment" with Dr. Giulia Rossetti (Oxford Brookes University) and Prof. Jane Ali-Knight (Edinburgh Napier University) for the Routledge Critical Event Studies Research Series. Brianna and Giulia have also recently completed co-editing the Special Issue "Festivals and Storytelling" for Event Management Journal.

Brianna is currently writing on the emergent and global trend of converting decommissioned penal buildings into tourist accommodation. The study seeks to critically explore the adaptive reuse of penal buildings for tourist accommodation; identify the relationships between the influences on the plans and develop an understanding of their impact on the design of the accommodation experience; and review the uses and management of contested heritage throughout this process.  

Brianna is also currently co-editing "The Routledge Handbook of Dark Events: Celebrations, Heritage, and Customs of Death and the Macabre" with Hannah Stewart (University of Central Lancashire), Dr. James Kennell (University of Surrey) and Dr. Philip Stone (University of Central Lancashire). This text seeks to explore celebrations, heritage, and customs of death (events) and the macabre in a comprehensive manner, drawing together case studies through critical commentaries and conceptual writings, and bring dark events to the forefront of scholarly (and practice) discourse to encourage more cross-disciplinary collaborations and enhance our understanding of these unique, but globally identified experiences.

Brianna's research draws on tourism, hospitality, events, experience design and in exploring dark tourism experiences. She has researched and published on the dark tourism experiences including influences on interpretation design, edutainment design and management, re-enactment interpretation, and organisational culture and management.

Brianna is part of the Oxford Brookes University Centre for Business, Society and Global Challenges and contributes to the research focus People, Communities and Places. She is also part of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development and contributes to the research focus Place, Culture and Identity.

• UK Regional Editor, Associate Editor, ECR Editorial Board Member - Event Management Journal
• Editorial Board Member - World Leisure Journal
• Member of Association of Heritage Interpretation 
• External Examiner for Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen 
• External Examiner for Glasgow Caledonian University
• Peer Reviewer for Tourism Management Perspectives; Tourism Futures; Event Management Journal; World Leisure Journal; International Journal of Event and Festival Management; International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration

• Wyatt, B. (2024) Re-enacting London's painful pasts: Edutainment interpretation at lighter dark tourism attractions. Presentation at “Walking in the city’s shadows: From dark tourism to haunted crime scenes”. (February 8). University of Greenwich. (Invited)
• Wyatt, B. (2023) Paranormal tours and investigation events at lighter dark tourism attractions. Presentation at the online seminar: Dark events – A new direction for events research? (April 28), University of Surrey. (Invited)
• Wyatt, B. (2022) Edutainment interpretation in lighter dark tourism experiences. Presentation at the Dark Tourism Symposium: Memory, Pilgrimage and the Digital Realm, (May 4-5), Edinburgh Napier University. (Invited Keynote)
• Wyatt, B., Rossetti, G., McBlane, A. (2021) Delivering live student events virtually in the wake of COVID-19. Presentation at ATHE Annual Conference: Hybrid and Virtual Experiences: Opportunity or Threat for Tourism Education and Industry, (Dec 9-10), Online.
• Wyatt, B. (2021) Re-enacting dark heritage: edutainment interpretation at lighter dark tourism attractions. Presentation at AHI Annual Conference – Engage: Creating Heritage Interpretation for the Future, (Nov 3-4, 17-18) Online.
• McBlane, A. & Wyatt, B. (2021) They said, we did: Engaging students as partners. Presentation at CABS Annual Conference: Learning, Teaching & Student Experience, (29-30 June), Online.
• Wyatt, B. (2021) Rich picture building for creative thinking. Presentation at OBBS BLTEC Conference 2021, Online.
• Wyatt, B. (2020) Rich picture building for future heritage research and practice. Presentation at ACHS Annual Conference: Futures, (Aug 26-30) London.
• Wyatt, B. (2019) Creating truth through edutainment: An exploration of influences on the design and management of interpretation within lighter dark tourism practice. Presentation at the AHI Annual Conference, Bedford.
• Wyatt, B. (2018) Influences on interpretation: A critical evaluation of the influences on the selection of interpretation design and management at dark tourism attractions. Presentation at Edinburgh Napier University Business School Annual Conference, Edinburgh.
• Wyatt, B.  (2018) Exploring interpretation design at lighter dark tourism attractions:  A PhD study introduction. Presentation at the ATLAS Dark Tourism SIG Conference, Amsterdam.
• Wyatt, B. (2017) Influences on interpretation: A critical evaluation of the influences on the selection of interpretation design and management at dark tourism attractions. Poster session presented at Edinburgh Napier University Business School Annual Conference, Edinburgh.
• Wyatt, B. (2016) Interpretation at sensitive heritage attractions. Presentation at the Re-Imagining Challenging History Conference, Cardiff.
• Wyatt, B. (2016) The relationship between tangible and intangible cultural heritage: Interpretation at sensitive heritage attractions. Presentation at Edinburgh Napier University Business School Annual Conference, Edinburgh.

• Buckingham Old Gaol (August 2022 – Ongoing) - Providing subject expertise for re-design of the museum’s interpretation and exhibition spaces.
• Oxford City Council (July 2022 - Ongoing) - Oxford’s Experience Trails App,  Providing subject expertise on Oxford’s hidden histories 
• OxLEP – Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (June 2022) - Oxford’s Hidden Stories, Provided subject expertise on interpretation methods and storytelling within the context of heritage and dark tourism. 
• University of the West of England, Bristol. (Feb. 2020) - More than Horrible Histories, Provided subject expertise on the interpretation of dark heritage within museum and visitor attraction contexts
• Japanese American Museum of San Jose, San Jose, CA, United States (2013 – 2014) - Provided subject expertise relating to the interpretation design for the Kawakami House restoration project 
• National Steinbeck Centre, Salinas, CA, United States (2013-2014) - Developed and managed the museum’s digital archive. Also, assisted in grants development research for the 2014 Steinbeck Festival which was to celebrate the 75th anniversary of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ 
• Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, OK, United States (2011 – 2012) - Provided subject expertise relating to the museum interpretation and exhibitions spaces to enhance educational qualities and aesthetic theming. Also, developed and managed the museum’s digital archive.
• Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee, OK, United States (2011) - Provided research support for the provenance of Madonna Enthroned altarpieces. Also, supported the exhibition development of the Medieval art collection. 

Brianna's industry experience contributes to her teaching students of real-world examples. Her experience working in public history and heritage tourism management includes varying roles in management, interpretation, guest services, collections, and archives (physical and digital). She has worked with global brands including UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Merlin Entertainments, as well as other well-known organisations, such as Continuum Attractions and the National John Steinbeck Centre.