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Human beings have always been social animals. We have an
irresistible drive to meet face to face—and no advance in
communications technology including the Internet has succeeded in
dampening this basic impulse. In fact, the number, scale and
diversity of these meetings have grown dramatically in recent years.
They include fundraisers, banquets, conferences, classes, sales and
shareholders meetings, trade shows, and reunions, just to name a
few.
As a result, more and more people are being asked as part of their
job to plan events—and many others are considering event planning as
a second career. As a result, the U.Va. Richmond Center’s
certificate program in Meeting and Event Planning has struck a
responsive chord. Of the five sessions offered in the last two
years, all but one were fully subscribed. Students have included
employees at large corporations who were about to retire,
administrative assistants who have been tasked with planning
meetings, and full-time U.Va. students interested in broadening
their appeal on the job market. No experience in meeting planning is
required for admission.
“Organizing
meetings can be a daunting task,” say Bob Ramsey, a certified
association executive who designed and teaches in the program. “It
takes attention to detail and mastery of a variety of skills. Most
importantly, it requires grace under pressure.” |
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The topics
covered in the course are designed to give students the confidence
and knowledge base they need to manage successful meetings and
events. They range from preliminary planning and needs analysis, to
program design and budgeting, to site selection and on-site
management.
As a
way of helping students place this information in a cohesive
framework, Ramsey requires each one to use the material they learn
during class to plan and organize a real or hypothetical meeting as
the course goes on—and to present their planning notebook for
evaluation as their class assignment. “This was a great assignment,”
says Patricia Butts, an assistant to the director of information
technology for the City of Norfolk. “We put into practice everything
we learned.” Ramsey recommends that participants prepare a similar
binder for every meeting they organize, calling it his
“hit-by-a-truck” theory. “The number one thing we learned was to
keep a notebook that includes everything needed to put on the
event—contact information, contracts, facility diagrams,
audio-visual requirements, special needs of attendees, contingency
plans and more,” says Deonna Hall, a graduate of the program. “If
something happens, someone else can take charge and run the meeting
successfully.” |
