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University of South Florida
University of South Florida USF Continuing Education
USF Home > Continuing Education > Professional and Workforce Development > Meeting and Event Planning
USF Continuing Education - Meeting and Event Planning
Meeting Planning
Current Schedule

Meeting and Event Planning

Do you plan meetings or events for your organization? Are you interested in this growing profession? Learn the skills involved in successfully planning, budgeting, and implementing successful conferences, meeting and other special events.

Courses may be taken individually or as part of our Meeting and Event Planning Certificate.

 

Meeting and Event Planning Certificate

USF CertificateToday's meetings and events must be carefully planned and budgeted, and executed with both adult learner needs, content delivery, and networking objectives in mind. Further, they must be well-run and enjoyable, maximizing the use of time paidfor with expensive travel dollars. The return-on-investment for sponsors, attendees, and exhibitors must be carefully planned and effectively communicated. This program is designed for new and aspiring meeting and event managers, those considering a career change, as well as those desiring a credential for professional learning.

Target Audience

  • Experienced meeting professionals who wish to earn a credential
  • Individuals who plan events or meetings as part of their job responsibilities
  • Anyone who would like a career in the profession of meeting and event planning
  • Church staff, fraternal members, or volunteers who plan annual events

Objectives

You will learn how to:

  • Design, develop, and market outstanding programs
  • Work effectively with clients (internal or external)
  • Apply adult learning theory and techniques
  • Create effective, risk-minimized budgets and manage them successfully
  • Professionally request proposals, negotiate, and select sites and vendors/services
  • Critically review contracts and acquire a basic working knowledge of meeting-related contract issues
  • Acquire a working knowledge of hotel operations and pricing
  • Understand risk issues and how to minimize them
  • Create a logistical management toolbox that includes: an understanding of audiovisual services, workable timelines, effective hotel orders, evaluation techniques, and on-site operations
  • Develop professional and web-based resources for further learning and reference

Core Courses

  • Contracts, Vendors and Negotiations
  • Effective Meeting and Event Planning
  • Marketing, Technology and Planner Resources
  • Site Selection, Hotel Operations and Suppliers
  • Risk and Contingency Management for Meeting Professionals

Electives

  • Catering, Food and Beverage Management
  • Conventions, Exhibits and Trade Shows
  • International Meeting Planning
  • Professional Wedding Planning
  • Special Event Planning
  • Sports Event Management

Completing the Certificate

To earn the Meeting and Event Planning Certificate, you must complete the five core courses and two electives within a two-year period. When you have completed the requirements for the program, you may request your certificate. Non-certificate students may enroll in individual courses.

For more information, contact Lisa Orr, program coordinator:

Email: lisaorr@admin.usf.edu   •  Phone: 813-974-5526

Catering, Food and Beverage Management

Learn how food and beverage can enhance an event through theme, presentation, menu, service style and much more. Specific types of food are best served to different crowds, and service style can greatly affect the flow and feel of an event. This course will teach you how to maximize your budget for a variety of event types.

      Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Contracts, Vendors and Negotiations

As a meeting planner you will negotiate and buy services for your clients, whether the client is the company for which you work, or a contracted client. The request for proposals process is a most useful tool for locating appropriate venues or other services from within a range of options. Assessing risk and planning to manage it is key to successful program execution. Professional etiquette, ethics and planner professionalism are key components of both a successful program, and a successful meeting planner.

     05/15/10 - 05/15/10, USF Tampa

Conventions, Exhibits and Trade Shows

Conferences and trade shows are standard in any industry, for any company or organization, on many subjects. Learn how to arrange the logistics of these types of events including the specialized suppliers, displays and equipment needed to make them come to life.

     05/07/10 - 05/07/10, USF Downtown Center

Effective Meeting and Event Planning

This course offers a basic overview of the major elements of meeting and event planning. It includes program design, target audience, decisions on management team/personnel needs, task timelines, logistics, speakers and speaker management, adult learning theory, evaluation, budgeting and financial management, registration and exploration of special planning needs for exhibits, accreditation (CEUs), VIPs, incentive meetings and companion programs.

     02/12/10 - 02/13/10, USF Downtown Center

International Meeting Planning

Today, the meetings industry is global. This course will equip you to understand basic international business protocol, cross cultural awareness, and other factors that must be considered when doing business internationally.

      Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Marketing, Technology and Planner Resources

Marketing and promotion is an essential function with commonalities across program and target audience types. Learn how to ask key questions to elicit needed information from your client and use it to craft a successful marketing plan. Printing and mailing options will be discussed, as will computer-based approaches. Computer applications and online resources for marketing, communications, planner applications (such as the use of databases and spreadsheets) and access to web-based resources will be explored in the computer lab.

     03/20/10 - 03/20/10, USF Downtown Center

Professional Wedding Planning

Learn from a professional wedding planner what you need to know in order to succeed in this exciting business. This course will teach you the basics, plus extra tips to prepare you for a career as a wedding planner. Learn how to successfully work with vendors, suppliers and customers. This course is designed for those who aspire to be professional planners, and not for individuals planning their own wedding. You will learn how to manage budgets and timelines, hire the right people for the job, how to market your company and your services, and how to keep your creative edge.

     02/19/10 - 02/19/10, USF Downtown Center

Risk and Contingency Management for Meeting Professionals

This course covers contingency planning as it applies to meeting planners, suppliers and vendors. You will focus on the components of a contingency plan and discuss how to put such a plan together.

     04/24/10 - 04/24/10, USF Downtown Center

Site Selection, Hotel Operations and Suppliers

In this course,site selection issues relating to hotels, convention centers, conference centers and other venues will be discussed. These include convention services, room setup, food and beverage issues, banquet event orders and group resumes, reservations and housing, preconference meetings, and shipping among other services.

     03/06/10 - 03/06/10, To Be Announced

Special Event Planning

In this course you will learn the secret to creating unique and successful special events such as galas, fundraisers, health fairs and similar special events including weddings. This session will include planning and research, implementation, on-site management, contracts, vendors and budgets.

     04/09/10 - 04/09/10, USF Downtown Center

Sports Event Management

This course offers expert advice on how to properly build sports events into successful and financially viable properties.

      Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.