Dr Valentina Gorchakova

About

My career as an academic started after a number of years working in business, including running a start-up company in marketing and events, and for the UN Development Programme. I find this experience particularly valuable in my current role, where I can contribute with the knowledge and the thinking both of an academic, as well as that of a practitioner, e.g. to plan and think strategically about the development of the programme, consider the relevance of the content to the current trends and demand, and structure the modules and overall learning environment in a way that would be engaging and interesting for professionals.

I joined the University of Derby Online Learning in 2017 and have been a Programme Leader of the online BSc (Hons) in Business and Management in 2018. In 2013-2016, I was doing a PhD and teaching at the AUT University (Auckland, New Zealand). I was awarded a Business and Law Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2015 and a Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarship to do my PhD, which I completed in 2018. The thesis is a multiple qualitative case study on the role of major cultural events, such as touring ‘blockbuster’ exhibitions, in the marketing of a city to tourists. It draws on the cases of Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand and Canberra and Melbourne in Australia.

Having lived in three countries and travelled to about 15 more, I believe I have gained a wider outlook and insights into the different cultures, beliefs and ways of life, which help me better understand learners from diverse learning communities.

Research interests

Current research interests:

Marketing
Leadership, change, and emotional intelligence
Creative industries & leisure
Well-being
Tourism and visitor experience
Esports

Qualifications

BA, International Relations, St. Petersburg State University (Russia)
MA, International Relations, St. Petersburg State University (Russia)
PhD, AUT University (New Zealand)

Professional Qaulifications

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK

Recent conferences

ATLAS Annual Conference – Tourism 21: Re-building Tourism – Continuities and Changes, 2021, Online
ATLAS Annual Conference – Tourism Transformations, 2019, Girona, Spain
Leisure Studies Association Conference, 2017, Leeds, UK
AEME Annual Conference, July, 2016, Buxton, UK
ATLAS Annual Conference - Tourism, Lifestyles and Locations. 2016, Canterbury, UK
International Tourism Studies Association Biennial Conference, 2016, London, UK

Additional interests and activities

Review Editor for:

Frontiers in Sport and Active Living

Ad-hoc Reviewer for:

International Jurnal of Tourism Cities
Annals of Leisure Research

Recent publications

Antchak, V., Gorchakova, V., & Rossetti, G. (2022). The value of events in times of uncertainty: Insights from balcony performances in Italy during the COVID-19 lockdown. Annals of Leisure Research, [ahead of print]. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2022.2046117
Gorchakova V., & Hyde, K. (2022). The impact on well-being of experiences at cultural events. Event Management, 26(1), pp. 89-106. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599521X16192004803638
Gorchakova V., & Berdysheva, E. (2021). Agility in the events sector: A case study of a business event in Finland. In V. Ziakas, V. Antchak, & D. Getz, Crisis management and recovery for events: Impacts and strategies(pp. 233-247). Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers
Gorchakova V. (2021). Handbook of research methods and applications for mobilities: A book review. Tourism, Culture & Communication, 21(4), pp. 381–383
Gorchakova, V., & Antchak, V. (2021). An eventful tourism city: Hosting major international exhibitions in Melbourne. In A. M. Morrison & A. J. Coca-Stefaniak (Eds.), Routledge handbook of tourism cities (pp. 174-186). Abingdon, England: Routledge
Gorchakova, V. (2020). Creative marketing. In V. Antchak & O. Ramsbottom (Eds.), The fundamentals of event design (pp. 153-176) Abingdon, England: Routledge
Gorchakova, V. (2019). Event portfolios and cultural exhibitions in Canberra and Melbourne, Australia (pp. 125-143). In V. Antchak, V. Ziakas, & D. Getz, Event Portfolio Management: Theory and methods for event management and tourism. Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers