Hospitality and Tourism Management

Event Management Program

Course Descriptions

Core Courses:

Electives:

Catering Design and Coordination
Event Fundraising and Sponsorship
Green Meetings and Events
Meetings and Conferences
Protocol for the Event Managers
Starting, Growing and Managing an Event Business
Wedding Planning, Coordination and Consulting Workshop 

Best Practices in Event Management (core course)
(Recommended First Course)

Get the expert's input on major This course addresses major trends and successful business practices in Event

Management, any size or type of event. Be armed with tools to improve your effectiveness, success and profitability as an event manager.

Learn how to:

• Structure and manage an event-planning schedule to improve profitability
• Conduct comprehensive needs assessments and feasibility studies
• Identify and prioritize event goals and objectives for best results
• Identify all potential challenges to a successful event and choose appropriate solutions by using efficient planning scenarios
• Conduct mid- and post-event evaluations
• Create and present proposals and agreements that are advantageous to all parties of an event
• Appreciate the rewards of being in the Event Management profession
• Reference Text:
  Special Events: The Best Practices in Modern Event Management (1997) Dr. Joe Goldblatt, CSEP.

Event Coordination (core course)
Recommended prerequisite: Best Practices in Event Management.

Gain the basics as the professionals practice them day after day. This is an inside look at how to successfully coordinate a professional event.

Learn how to:

• Develop creative elements, including décor and entertainment, and properly sequence them at events
• Develop and implement a site plan and conduct a thorough site inspection
• Understand the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), permit requirements and labour union issues and their impact on event coordination
• Analyze and implement professional registration, admission procedures, security, and protocol
• Reference Text:
  The Complete Guide to Meeting and Event Coordination (1997), Catherine Price, Ph.D.

Event Marketing (core course)
Recommended prerequisites: Best Practices in Event Management and Event Coordination.

Discover how to use events to promote products, services and causes... and how to promote the events themselves. Learn what works and not, from start-up planning, to engaging an audience, attracting sponsors, and making a positive and lasting impression.

Learn how to:

• Identify and develop a promotional strategy, including the event proposal, invitations, advertising, publicity, contests, promotional merchandise, packaging, sales promotions, and even personal appearances
• Distinguish the relative strengths of print, electronic, and other advertising mediums
• Analyze, establish, and implement a public relations strategy using video and audio news releases, as well as other new tools
• Incorporate electronic media
• Formulate an effective event sponsorship program
• Conduct market research prior to the event
• Create a comprehensive marketing/sales measurement methodology
• Reference Text:
  ISES Gold, Second Edition (1996), The International Special Events Society

This course provides a process for analyzing and responding to risks that can adversely impact any meeting or event. As the final core course, it offers a practical approach to ensure that the planner understands and uses every possible safeguard to produce safe and successful events. particular emphasis is placed on contract issues and laws and regulations pertaining to meetings and events.

Learn how to:

• Conduct a thorough risk assessment and develop an appropriate risk management plan for every meeting and event
• Identify the key laws and regulations that impact events
• Understand the key components of event contracts
• Provide protection against injury to individuals and damage to property
• Understand and comply with copyright and trademark protection requirements
• Identify the types of insurance that are appropriate for a particular event
• Reference Text:
  The Special Events Risk Management Manual (1990), Alexander Berlonghi

Step behind the scenes and meet the people who make a successful catering operation work. Understand the catering industry and learn to work with catering professionals to improve quality, while reducing costs.

Learn how to:

• Conduct a food and beverage needs assessment
• Identify professional catering resources
• Specify the menu, level of service (including number of staff), and other important elements
• Coordinate Kosher, Muslim, and special-request meal functions
• Incorporate unusual linens, napkin folds, and other creative elements
• Understand the basic health department requirements for food and beverage service
• Recognize and implement liquor liability safeguards
• Reference Text:
  Hotel Catering (1992), Patti Shock and John Stefanelli

This course provides you with a comprehensive plan for identifying, evaluating, soliciting, selling, managing, and coordinating long-term sponsorship deals. Discover the art and science of effective fundraising. Explore what the experts know works in this highly competitive field, from managing the event, to overseeing staff and volunteers, to maximizing gifts and contributions. 

Learn how to:

• Conduct a comprehensive sponsorship needs-assessment and feasibility study, craft a complete strategic plan
• Identify qualified prospective sponsors, create attractive sponsorship proposals and develop effective and realistic financial plans for increasing sponsorship revenue
• Comply with laws governing sponsorship solicitation
• Identify appropriate fundraising events for your organization and develop strategies for a successful fundraising event
• Develop events such as silent auctions and raffles
• Develop an easy system for monitoring and improving event sponsorship services
• Systemize the fundraising event for annual recurrence
• Improve the financial yield from existing fundraising events
• Reference Text:
  Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fund Raising by Alan L. Wendroff

Producing environmentally responsible meetings and events is becoming vitally important to the environmental and economic bottomlines of many organizations. Recommended Green Meeting Guidelines are being adopted nationwide. This course provides both state-of-the-art information on trends in green meetings and the "how-to" of implementing green strategies into your meetings and events. Resources and case studies of actual conferences and events will be included.

Learn how to:

• Understand and develop both the business and environmental case for green meetings in your organization
• Understand the choices available and the necessary resources
• Understand and implement recommended Green meeting Guidelines developed by the Convention Industry Council in the following areas:

1. Destination selection
2. Accommodations
3. Meetings and venue selection
4. Transportation
5. Food and beverage
6. Exhibition production
7. Communication and marketing
8. General office procedures
9. Produce a post conference report outlining measurable data

• Reference Text:
  The Meeting Spectrum (1988) Rudy Wright, CMP

Make your meetings and conferences, large or small, more successful and more memorable. This course provides the basic tools to plan and manage local, national and international gatherings. Course content includes the key competencies tested in the ISES Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) examinations.

Learn how to:

• Conduct thorough pre-event planning
• Identify an appropriate venue and perform comprehensive site inspections
• Develop, analyze and project a budget
• Implement marketing strategies, including list development, brochure design, mailing cost reduction, and creative marketing
• Comply with legal requirements, including those specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other key laws
• Recruit and train staff and volunteers for maximum performance
• Evaluate the effectiveness of an event
• Reference Text:
  Professional Meeting Management (1996) Third edition, Edward Polivka (Editor), Professional Convention Management Association.