In last week’s EU referendum, a breakdown of the votes revealed that 73% of people aged 18-24 voted Remain, whereas 60% of over 65s voted to leave the EU.
James Guerin, an event management graduate of Leeds Beckett University and now a sales executive at iMarket Local, was surprised by the result. He said: "Post result, I am shocked and feel that my optimism is now a far cry from the bleak outlook that has been presented by leaving the EU.
"The uncertainty about the state of the UK’s economy is yet to be seen but the ideology of being stronger and united together was something I really believed in.
"I’ve been privileged to work and meet a diverse range of individuals from the continent, something that sadly may not be a reality in the near future. I’ve seen the power that the events industry has across borders and hope the result of this referendum won’t change that."
Billy Ward, an Event Management student at the University of Gloucestershire and ILEA student member voted to stay in the EU. He told Event: "We are taking a huge step into the unknown. There was a lot of scaremongering during the campaign and I have seen so much racism on Twitter. We have seen Nigel Farage unclaim the statistics on the NHS and now people are realising that immigration is not going to change. People have been hurt by the campaign.
"The demographic spread of the voting has shown that the older generation voted Leave and there has been uproar about this. However, a lot of the younger generation didn’t vote, so we cannot complain."
Ward is about to graduate and enter the world of work. He added: "Companies may think twice about recruiting at the moment because of the economic uncertainty. Employers will be looking for a guaranteed skillset that graduates won’t have yet. I would also like to work in Europe in my career, but that might be difficult to do now."
Layla Armstrong, who studies Event Management at London Metropolitan University, says the result will increase student debt for those who want to study internationally.
She said: "I am not happy about the referendum result. Everyone is talking about the economy, taxes and how travel will be more expensive, but no one is really talking about how much fees will be for international students.
"Many event management courses offer the opportunity to study abroad or to take an internship abroad, but that is going to be really difficult now. Many students also take the option to learn a language but what is the point if it is going to be difficult to travel and work abroad in Europe in the future?"
Guerin added: "My final thought is how proud I am of my generation for the passion, love and support they gave to the remain campaign and if it is anything to go by, then the future is in safe hands."
Last week Event spoke to a number of industry figureheads for their views on what the .
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