Searching for an exciting new career with a strong growth potential in an unpredictable job market? Looking to add new skills that can afford you the freedom to change industries? You are sure to find the 3-Week Summer Intensive Event and Meeting Planning Certificate Program a smart investment for your future.
Meetings and conventions now represent a $95 billion industry in North America alone. U.S. Department of Labor data shows that employment of meeting and convention planners is expected to grow faster than the average for all jobs over the 2006-2016 decade, with a projected 20% growth rate.
Moreover, unlike workers in some occupations, meeting and convention planners often can change industries relatively easily, so they often are able to move to different industries in response to the growth or declines in particular sectors of the economy.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the driving forces behind the industry growth could be attributed to the following:
“As businesses and organizations become increasingly international, meetings and conventions become even more important… Industries that are experiencing high growth tend to experience corresponding growth in meetings and conferences. For example, the medical and pharmaceutical sectors will experience large increases in meeting activity because of their high growth and their knowledge-intensive natures. These increases will spur employment growth of meeting professionals in medical and pharmaceutical associations. Professional associations hold conferences and conventions that offer the continuing education, training and opportunities to exchange ideas that are vital to medical and pharmaceutical professionals.”
To become a successful event planner, you need to develop the following skills:
Successful event planners will need to develop the following knowledge:
These are precisely the knowledge and skills you would learn from the 3-Week Summer Intensive Event and Meeting Planning Certificate Program, a short program specifically designed for busy professionals seeking to develop a new career option in the most time-efficient and cost-effective manner.
To meet the growing market demand for event and planning professionals, San José State University, Sonoma State University and San Francisco State University are pleased to announce our 2008 Summer Intensive Event and Meeting Planning Certificate Program – a three-week intensive program with strong focus on practical knowledge taught by instructors with first-hand industry experience. Many of the faculty are affiliated with the Northern California Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
Whether you are seeking a new career in a sector with strong growth projection or adding new skill sets for your career advancement, this program is designed to teach you the necessary knowledge and skill sets for managing well-executed events and meetings, which include: site selection, pre-event publicity and marketing, audio-visual, budgeting, negotiation and contracts, food and beverages and on-site management.
Summer 2008 Event and Meeting Planning Certificate Program is offered as an intensive three-week period where students attend training at three California State Universities, each offering one week of training, with the following class schedules:
July 7-11: classes meet at San Francisco State University (to register, click here. Phone: 415-405-7700).
| Date | Title | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/7 | Fundamentals of Event and Meeting Planning | Core | SFSU |
| 7/8 | Event and Meeting Planning Marketing | Core | SFSU |
| 7/9 | Dollars and Sense: Budgets, Accounting and Financial Management | Core | SFSU |
| 7/10 | Music and Entertainment Event Management | Elective | SFSU |
| 7/11 | Food and Beverage Management | Core | SFSU |
July 14-18: Sonoma State University classes meet at Doubletree Hotel, Rohnert Park (to register, click here. Phone: 707-664-2394). The Doubletree Hotel is offering a special hotel room rate for SSU students while availability lasts.
| Date | Title | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/14 | Site Selection | Core | SSU |
| 7/15 | Special Events: Community and Nonprofit | Elective | SSU |
| 7/16 | On-Site Management | Core | SSU |
| 7/17 | Incentive Travel | Elective | SSU |
| 7/18 | Managing Murphy’s Law | Elective | SSU |
July 21-25: Classes meet at San José State University (to register, click here. This is a PDF document. Please get the Adobe Reader to view this content. Phone: 408-924-2735).
| Date | Title | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/21 | Corporate Events and Business Travel | Elective | SJSU |
| 7/22 | Fundamentals of Negotiation | Core | SJSU |
| 7/23 | Independent Event and Meeting Planner | Elective | SJSU |
| 7/24 | Mastering the Maze: Contracts and Liabilities | Core | SJSU |
| 7/25 | Audiovisual Basics | Core | SJSU |
Requirements and Electives: eight core courses and seven elective courses are required for a Certificate of Completion, for a total of 105 hours of instruction.
Core Courses: all eight courses are required for the certificate:
Electives: seven elective courses are required for the certificate:
Q: What are the enrollment procedures for the full certificate program?
A: Students who are interested in the full certificate program need to apply directly to each school to register for their respective week of training. Due to the increased demand and the space limitation, early registration is strongly encouraged. (The registration form is a PDF document. Please get the Adobe Reader to view this content.) A late fee of $25 will be charged for walk-in registration on the training date. We cannot guarantee that space will be available for walk-ins.
Q: Can I take a couple of courses if I am not interested in earning the certificate?
A: Yes, individual courses are open to those not pursuing a certificate, however priority will be given to those who are enrolled in the full certificate program due to the space limitation and strong demand. SJSU will wait-list those who express early interest in attending individual courses and notify them about space availability at least one week before the course date.
Q: Do I need computer skills?
A: They are not required in order to enter the program, but the majority of employers expect computer competency in word processing, database management and spreadsheets and the ability to learn industry-specific software programs.
Q: Who teaches the courses?
A: The faculty is comprised of meeting managers, event planners and conference consultants with many years of varied experience in the field. Many faculty members are affiliated with the Northern California Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
Q: How do I earn the Certificate of Completion?
A: For the Summer Intensive Program, students must complete the nine core classes and six elective classes to earn a certificate. Applications for award of certificate must be accompanied by a $50 certification fee. You will receive your certificate from the institution geographically closest to where you reside. Please submit your graduation application to the appropriate university.
Q: How does obtaining a certificate advance my career?
A: The Certificate of Completion attests to your competency in the required and elective courses. Because you learn meeting and event planning techniques and marketable skills in the program, you are qualified for entry level employment.
Q: Do I have to pass a licensing test to work as a meeting planner?
A: No. Graduates may, however, wish to build on their education and experience by participating in the Certified Meeting Professional Program, which is administered by Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
Our Course Registration, Add, Drop, Refund, and Tuition Transfer policies are designed to simplify and facilitate the administrative process for students. For Drop and Refund requests click here. (This is a PDF document. Please get the Adobe Reader to view this content.) Given this, we ask that you please read these policies carefully.
Registration, Add, Drop and Refund requests
Add, Drop and Refund requests are honored only when submitted by fax or by postal mail. Requests must be received by the SJSU Corporate and International Development office by 5:00 p.m. of the third business day (Monday - Friday, excluding SJSU holidays based on the SJSU Academic Calendar) prior to the First Course Meeting Date. No telephone or e-mail requests for Registration, Add, Drop or Refund will be accepted.
NOTE: Merely ceasing to attend a class does not constitute an official drop. Cancellation of payment does not constitute a drop, nor does it reduce indebtedness to the university. It is the responsibility of the student to comply with the financial obligations, deadlines and refund policies established and published for these programs.
Drop Deadline for Refund
Due to the fact that instructors are paid directly by course fees and that students are denied enrollment when a course is at its maximum capacity, we must limit our refund policy. The effective date of a refund is the day the form is received by SJSU Corporate and International Development staff. A $20 processing fee will be withheld for all refund transactions except in the case a course has been rescheduled, canceled or discontinued by SJSU Corporate and International Development. Be aware that the processing time for refunds is approximately four to six weeks. Fees are refunded according to the following parameters:
This course provides an overview of the variety and scope of corporate events in the present marketplace and reviews how the successful practices of individual business travel foreshadow the trends in the corporate meetings market. We delve into how current Inter- and Intra-net technologies are being used to manage corporate events.
Some case studies are explored, particularly regarding the financial planning essential for various meetings. Some detailed nuts and bolts calculations require you to bring a pocket calculator to class. Job prospects, networking organizations and pay levels are discussed.
Participant Learning Outcomes:Faculty: Thomas S. McDougall
Tom McDougall has over 25 years experience in the travel and hospitality industry. Working with incentive travel houses, hotels, and corporate travel agencies have provided valuable experience from both sides of the business, as a buyer and a supplier. These insights are communicated to the class, whether they are novice, somewhat experienced or expert, through class exercises, lecture, and discussion. It is suggested that calculators be brought to class, for use in some of the exercises.
Simple in definition, but broad in scope: that’s negotiation. Whenever we confer for agreement negotiation is in process. In this class, the basics of negotiation techniques will be covered. The professional meeting manager recognizes that negotiating to contract begins long before you are at the table. This course will focus on the principle that the best negotiators are the people who have the most information. Focus will be on measuring the value of your business to develop leverage points. The value-added approach of negotiating services will be explored. You will learn how to think through adding enhancements to your meetings and events without affecting the bottom line cost.
Faculty: Ann Peterson
Ann Peterson, involved in the meeting industry since 1985, currently evaluates sites, negotiates contracts and handles logistics planning for meetings, as well as on site management for corporate and associate clients.
More and more planners are choosing to become independent and work for themselves. In this course, you examine the skills necessary to succeed as an independent planner, compare fee-setting options, develop a basic marketing plan and identify sources for clients. Explore the legal issues involved with event and meeting planning including insurance, liability, taxes and client contracts. Learn how to create sales and marketing plans and bring in new business. In this course, you will produce a proposal and budget for a client.
Faculty: Kim Moeller
Kim Moeller, managing partner of The Events Group, LLC, designs, produces and markets conferences, business meetings and corporate events for senior executives and high profile clients. She has produced domestic and international meetings and events for service, technology, medical and manufacturing companies.
Learn to develop contracts, which serve as road maps for meetings. Dates, rates and space are the cornerstones of hotel contracts. Other critical contract elements such as slippage, attrition and termination are also standard. Contract clauses that are sensitive to the interest of the meeting sponsor are covered. Learn how to insert clauses such as fire protection, insurance, change in management, remodeling and ADA compliance and walk clauses. Review analysis and develop sample clauses for contract agreements.
Faculty: Ann Peterson
Ann Peterson, involved in the meeting industry since 1985, currently evaluates sites, negotiates contracts and handles logistics planning for meetings, as well as on site management for corporate and associate clients.
Put yourself into the realistic task of setting up your audio and video equipment for your event. In this workshop, you will set up a complete room of audio and video equipment from scratch. Demonstrations will be offered in the setup and proper operation of common equipment used in today’s meetings. Several handouts and useful information will be available.
Faculty: Michael J. Griffith , Jr.
Michael J. Griffith, Jr., President, Metro Audio Visual Productions, Inc., has been an audiovisual expert since 1992, working with large event productions in varied environments. A full service production company, Griffith’s firm serves AV needs for companies such as Yahoo!, National Semiconductor, Lockheed Martin, The Nature Conservancy and Deloitte and Touche.
SJSU classes will be held at:
Corinthian Event Center
From 101
Take Guadalupe Expressway South exit. Take Julian Street exit and turn left on St. James Street. Park at the Corner of St. James and Second Street. Proceed walking East. The Club is located on the corner of St. James Street and North Third Street.
From 280
Take Guadalupe Expressway North exit. Take Julian Street exit and turn right onto St. James Street. Park at the Corner of St. James and Second Street. Proceed walking East. The Club is located on the corner St. James Street and North Third Street.
From 880
Take First Street exit. Turn left on Jackson, then right on Second Street. Turn left on St. James Street. Park at the Corner of St. James and Second Street. Proceed walking East. The Club is located on the corner St. James Street and North Third Street.
Ramada Limited San José Convention Center
www.ramada.com
455 S. Second Street, San José, CA 95113
408-298-3500
Townhouse Motel
Web site not available
475 S. Second St, San José, CA 95113
408-295-5558
The Sainte Claire
www.thesainteclaire.com
302 S. Market St, San José, CA 95113
408-295-2000
San José Marriott
www.sanjosemarriott.com
301 S. Market St, San José, CA 95112
Hotel Montgomery
www.jdvhotels.com/montgomery/
211 South First Street, San José, CA 95113
408-282-8800
City Center Motel
Web site not available
45 E Reed St, San José, CA 95112
408-998-5990
Fairmont Hotel
www.fairmont.com/sanjose/
170 S. Market St, San José, CA 95113
408- 998-1900
Hilton San José
www.hilton.com
300 Almaden Boulevard, San José, CA 95110
408-287-2100
Crowne Plaza
www.crowneplaza.com
282 Almaden Boulevard, San José, CA 95113
408-998-0400
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