Event & Promotions Management Courses & Descriptions

Media Communications & Law

Digital media and emerging communication media are blurring many well-established boundaries. This course explores the legal ramifications and how key elements are affected, such as intellectual property, rights of privacy and publicity, defamation, 3rd party liabilities, domain names, e-commerce, and issues of contract law and digital production.

Marketing Fundamentals 100

Fundamentals of traditional marketing concepts are discussed and applied to practical exercises and case studies that focus on the entertainment industries. This course discusses many topics such as marketing mix, strategic planning, market characteristics, marketing research techniques, market segmentation, target market selection, economics, and business and international marketing.

Finance & Accounting 100

FA100 introduces students to the fundamentals of finance and accounting. Interpretation and analysis of the balance sheet, income statement, general ledger, trial balance, reconciliation statements, and other basic financial statements will be examined.

Business of Media

In this course, students will examine various media, including print, radio, television, and the Internet and how they function with regard to event promotions. Students will discuss how to buy advertising with an emphasis on how this medium is used for event promotion, as well as how to gain publicity for charitable events and measuring the effectiveness of these methods of advertising. The course will also focus on public and community relations and networking. Other topics that may be examined include: Talent management, booking, dealing with and keeping talent happy, and the logistics surrounding talent unions.

Business Technology 200

Business Technology 200 assumes an intermediate level mastery of the Windows environment, basic professional practice with respect to file management, security and troubleshooting, as well as business applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and Internet browsers. Students delve deeper into various business technologies and their integrations and are introduced to databases, email and contact management, presentation applications and project management applications. The medium to achieve this knowledge will be the Microsoft Office suite. Leveraging the interoperability of these applications will also be explored..

Event Analysis

This course is designed to expose students to various forms of events and to those experts within the events industry. Students will develop and demonstrate an understanding of event research and needs assessment as a starting point for event planning and promotions. A large component of this course is spent analyzing the various types of events at the different stages of planning and implementation, and in particular the successes and failures associated with event planning and promotions. This information is intended for practical application in the development of comprehensive event proposals, articulating goals and objectives for specific events, the implementation of production schedules and timelines and the creation and presentation of a comprehensive special event plan.

Project Management

Project Management will introduce students to Project Management software, which will then be applied to the event planning and promotions process. Students will use Project Management software as a tool to aid in the administration of their projects and to help manage things such as site logistics, rentals, volunteer and employee coordination, and timesheets. This course will be used to help students manage their event planning projects.

Business Communications

Business Communications emphasizes the written and verbal communication skills necessary to survive and thrive in today's business environment. A combination of verbal and written communication exercises develop relevant skills, e.g. writing and replying to inquiries and requests, preparing letters and reports,
researching and presenting proposals. Exercises are derived from a variety of entertainment-related areas.

Event Planning 202

In this practical applied course, students will be immersed in the event promotions and management process through the successful implementation of a small-scale single-location event in their local community. Students, with the mentorship of a professional event planner, will utilize the training and knowledge gained in the first two quarters - such as fundraising, logistics and writing effective proposals - in order to successfully plan and execute an event.

Event Planning 301

In this applied, mentorship-based course, students will be given the opportunity to participate in a multi-location event in conjunction with their colleagues in other cities. They will work out unique aspects of event managament and promotions for an outdoor event, such as awareness of the target audience,
researching site logistics and working with bylaws outside of their local community. Students will assess their own skills and competencies and will organize themselves according to their individual strengths in order to effectively execute this event.

Marketing 200

A continuation of Marketing 100 with further exploration of selling, promotion, distribution, pricing, product and service management and how it can be applied to the event promotions industry. In this course, students will study the differences between successful and unsuccessful e-business ventures.
Students will be exposed to fundamental issues necessary to maintain a profitable and secure ecommerce environment; and finally, students learn the transition from traditional marketing to Internet marketing and how to employ these methods in the promotion of events.

Design 100

This course begins with a study of concepts and skills in commercial art and graphic design using industry-standard illustration, digital publishing and image editing applications. In today's world, products need an edge to differentiate themselves from other products. This is done through brand identity. Students will learn all aspects of creating a brand experience from concept to application.

Career Management

This course is specifically designed for those working in the arts and entertainment industry in order to provide them the tools they need to deal effectively with their business and financial needs so that they will be able to follow their passion while avoiding the "starving artist" trap. As students work through the course they build a personal business plan that will be the foundation for building a successful long-term career.

Leadership & Human Resources

This course investigates the challenges in providing effective leadership to both event staff and event volunteers. Students will gain an understanding of the event manager's role in planning, organizing and developing an effective team. The course will compare and contrast the unique roles of staff and volunteers pertaining to the key factors influencing human resource decisions, including: Legal influences, performance standards, health/safety issues and evaluation strategies. Other topics covered include: Planning, recruitment, interviewing, screening, hiring, training, motivation, scheduling, remuneration, union relations, consulting, and HR as it pertains to small business management. The student will also be exposed to the various policies, procedures, standards, and regulations associated with employees and volunteers.

Employability Skills I

Having technical skills and talent are no longer sufficient to find and keep high quality jobs. Employers desire candidates with a high level of employability skills that include personal management, communication, problem solving, positive attitudes and behaviours, adaptability, and teamwork skills. Employability Skills courses provide a real world work environment that allows students to practice their employability skills and technical skills while simultaneously acquiring additional entrepreneurial and employment relevant skills. In all programs, ES courses will be operationalized through regional focuses and this will provide an ideal context for demonstrating and practicing employability skills.

Event Planning 401

This mentorship-based course continues with the production of the event that students began working on in EP 301. Students will work through factors such as risk management and marketing and will continue to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in previous courses, with a special emphasis on fundraising techniques and practices. The course will end with a final evaluation of the entire project - what worked, what didn't, what was learned, and what students would do differently next time.

Professional Development I, II, III, IV, V

The Professional Development Program consists of a series of modules spread throughout the academic program that focus on the personal and interpersonal aspects of employability skills required for success at work and in life. Through a combination of instruction and activities including scenario training, individual and group activities, discussions, and reflection students are given the opportunity to discover and develop lifelong values, personal definitions of success and mission statements, and to investigate the best practices in achieving their personal and career goals. Awareness of expectations and consequences of actions within business and social situations will be emphasized, providing opportunities to develop into the kind of people that others want to know and work with, whether employers, business partners, or fellow workers. This includes behavioural awareness and skills in resolving personal and interpersonal issues, and letting go of schemas that don't support success as personally defined. Practical job skills are also included in the program such as industry research, portfolio criteria, job search, resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, and employment negotiations. Because the acquisition of
soft skills requires a significant amount of exposure and practice in diverse situations, each module will build on the core skills, principles, and tools based on individual and group needs as determined by the facilitators in each module.