This article’s focus is on Centennial College’s Event Management – Festival and Conference program in terms of who would benefit from attending it, how they would benefit and what options they have once they graduate.

1. Launch a Festival and Conference Management Career in One
Year
Professionals who have previously completed a college diploma or university
degree in hospitality, tourism or related discipline; those with a diploma or degree
in an unrelated discipline who have related work experience to a particular field as
well as those with partial post secondary education and relevant work experience in
a particular field often seek shorter program lengths when looking to upgrade their
skills or switch careers.
Once example of a post-secondary program that takes into consideration the needs
of such students is Centennial College’s Event Management College undertaking
Event Management – Festival and Conference. This offering lasts just two
semesters and results in a respected Ontario College Graduate Certificate.
This offering’s focus is on preparing students for the quickly expanding industry
that includes festivals, events and conferences, which are shown to be a major
catalyst for tourism worldwide as evidenced by the membership making up the
local, national and global markets. In Canada, this area of the hospitality and
tourism field is anticipated to produce 121,000 new jobs by 2015. In fact,
graduates of this program obtain a breadth of knowledge that gives them the
advantage they need to launch successful careers.
Among the specific skills students graduate with are: creating and executing
financial initiatives based on event objectives; facility operations through planning,
designing and coordination; marketing festivals, events and conferences;
effectively carrying out human resources management duties as well as accounting
to the operation of events; applying business administration skills to the operation
of events and much more.
How exactly does a short program as short as this one allow students to gain such
an array of skills? Firstly, the compressed format features only courses that relate
directly to the field and forgoes any liberal studies. As such, every class students
attend helps them to gain knowledge that they will apply to their jobs on a daily
basis. Secondly, the courses all contain an element of practical application to
ensure that students are comfortable with the duties they will be completing on a
regular basis. Thirdly, classes, in addition to practical practice, offer a theoretical
base that allows students to not only learn how to complete a task but understand
the “why” of that task.
Among the specific event management college courses that students attend at
Centennial College are: Volunteer and Team Building Coordination, Event Budgets,
Networking and Industry Relations, Creativity and Innovation, Greening Your
Festival, Event and Conference; Site Logistics and Operations Management and
many others.
Because of Centennial College’s respected standing in the community, students
complete a field placement at respectable companies that include: Toronto
Community News, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Fairmont Hotels, Toronto
Board of Trade, Marriott Hotels, AVIVA Canada, Toronto International Film Festival,
Delta Hotels, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.