By Julie A. Hosmer
Last April 29, 2009, KCMPI members traveled to the
The Special Events Management Class at the
Students left class that day knowing the value of networking, continuing education, and meeting vendors. They also heard the message of paying dues when you are new to the profession — be prepared to work when others are playing. The satisfaction is seeing the event succeed after many hours of dedication and work.
The speakers from KCMPI were very valuable to the class. What these women brought to us cannot be obtained from the book. "The guest speakers are a great help." Amy Fisher of
In the Special Events Management class, students coordinated and conducted live events. There were 11 total events that the class did during the semester. Some of the events included a sand volleyball tournament that raised over $1,200 for the Ronald McDonald House; a sexual assault awareness and prevention program that raised nearly $2,000 for a local women's shelter; an event that collected gently used prom dresses and sold them to local high school students; coordinating and hosting the founder of Jimmy John's sandwiches, Jimmy Liautaud; and of course, a couple pub crawls. Afterall, these are still college students but they are well on their way to becoming experienced event planners.
The Hotel & Restaurant Management Program at the
(Julie is a Resident Instruction Assistant Professor for the Hotel & Restaurant Management Program /