Event Management for the Hospitality Industry

DESCRIPTION:
Overview of the events industry and of key management components including event organization, marketing and promotion, customer satisfaction and event evaluation. Emphasis on the emergence of the experience industry and the design of the event experience within the hospitality industry.

RATIONALE: 
The course focuses on the managerial functions involved in developing and implementing special events (meetings, festivals, conventions, expositions, dinner parties, etc.) in the hospitality industry. It highlights the various forces that impact on events (e.g. demand, tends, etc.) and provides students with knowledge on the events planning process. The course also addresses the financial, human, technological, as well as marketing aspects of events.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 
As a result of taking this course the student should be able to:
1. Explain the impact of the external business environment on the planning and the implementation of different types of events and assess their role within the tourism and hospitality industry.
2. Formulate a critical understanding of the process of conceptualization, planning and implementation of events of a varying magnitude and scope and relate this process to specific event management functions.
3. Assess the legacy of events of a varying magnitude to the host community and other stakeholders.

METHOD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING:
In congruence with the teaching and learning strategy of the college, the following tools are used:
- Class lectures, interactive learning (class discussions, group work) and practical problem solved in class.
- Individual project: The students should develop and propose a plan of a special event related to the tourism and hospitality industry, in which all parameters that influence the success of the event should be taken into account, including the event’s legacy. The project is aimed at encouraging students to study and apply widely accepted international standards for planning and executing events, as approved by international associations of events managers or meeting planners, and relate them to specific events management theory frameworks. Examples of such international standards include EMBOK.org, ICCA, IEQF, MPI.
- Office hours: students are encouraged to make full use of the office hours of their instructor, where they can ask questions, see their exam paper, and/or go over lecture material.
- Use of a blackboard site, where instructors post lecture notes, assignment instructions, timely announcements, as well as additional resources.