Why is this course interesting?
Event planning is an exciting and complex field that requires multiple skills. But for UofGH Business instructor Aida Memisevic, the skills students learn in her Event Management 1 and 2 courses go well beyond event planning. In this pair of hands-on, interactive classes, students learn how to put on professional, industry-quality events while gaining in-demand, transferable skills they can apply in the workplace.
“I’m so thrilled to teach students these skills. In these classes, they truly get hands-on experience, and the skills they gain are so completely transferable. Because event planning requires learning in all these different areas: teamwork, organization, dealing with clients, communication – there are so many skills that they will take with them into the real world,” says Memisevic.
What will you learn?
Students in Event Management 1 and 2 learn the principles and best practices of effective event planning, from start to finish. Event Management 1 gives students a solid foundation in the theories and practices of event management. Student teams also put on a mini-event in the classroom that reflects the themes, which brings the course material to life. “It's a wonderful way for students to hands-on do a mini event in the classroom,” says Memisevic. “Not only are the students getting to experience what it’s like to put on a mini-event, but the people participating are actually having fun and experiencing interesting ways of learning the material in the chapter.” Students plan every detail of the mini-event, including food, décor, and at times, even costumes. “It’s quite amazing. The classroom is completely transformed. It’s incredible what these students have been able to create!” says Memisevic.
Event Management 2 builds on Event Management 1 and takes event planning to the next level. In this class, students work with a real client to put on an event in the UofGH Art Gallery. “Students are given an actual client, usually an artist or photographer, and they have to work with that stakeholder to put on an event such as an opening night gala for the artist,” says Memisevic. “Students also have a budget of $1,500 which is extremely unique in post-secondary education – UofGH gives students a real-life budget to work with, which is wonderful.”
Students are responsible for meticulously planning all aspects of the event – including arranging catering, entertainment, props, and transportation for the delivery of the artwork. “Students are dealing with the client in a professional manner. I give them the guidance and teach them the process, but I want them to experience what it’s like to have a deadline, budget, work together as a team, and deal with this real-world client,” explains Memisevic.
What will you take away from the course?
Students in these two classes will not only get all the tools they need to put on professional and successful events, they will build skills that will last a lifetime. “The skills students learn in Event Management 1 and 2 are all things they will have to do in the business world – organization, planning, teamwork, an eye for detail, graphic elements, presentation elements, customer service elements – it’s such a fabulous course because all these learnings come together to give students skills they will need in the real world,” says Memisevic. “These types of classes allow for that bridge between academia and the real-world, and that’s one aspect of UofGH that is extraordinary."
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