Event Management

The field of event planning and management encompasses a wide array of business, social, cultural, educational, sport, music, and political activities. From private parties and promotional events to massive conventions and city-wide celebrations, these are just a few of the roles available in the field of event management:

Association Meeting/Convention Planner
Trade Show Director
Conference Coordinator
Special Event Coordinator for a venue
Festival Director
Wedding or Party Planner
Public Relations Director
Fundraising Director for non-profit organization
Corporate Training Director
Convention Bureau Marketing & Sales Manager
Event Entrepreneur - creates and promotes their own event

Event-related job opportunities are expected to grow faster than average, due to the continued growth of the global marketplace and a significant increase in the use of event marketing as a promotional strategy.

Events On Campus

Event Management students get involved with a wide variety of Vermont events, from conferences and trade shows to concerts, sporting events and food festivals. And there are dozens of student-run events right on campus that need planning and execution--many of which are created by students themselves!

Check out this time-lapse video of an event being set up on campus, in the IDX Student Life Center. This is just one example of when Champlain College students have participated in the planning and execution of an on-campus event.

Program Highlights
- As part of their course in Delivering Exceptional Guest Services, first-year Event Management students provide guest service in The Boardroom Cafe, our on-campus restaurant open to faculty, staff, students and visitors to the College. As their final experience, students plan and present a multi-course themed banquet dinner for over a hundred guests.
- Event Management students gain experience working alongside staff from the Champlain College Conference & Event Center, helping to prepare for a large campus-wide event such as Family Weekend, Spring Open House, or a major conference.
- Over the course of the Creating Business & Leisure Experiences class, students develop a detailed plan for a multi-day experience designed for a targeted group of people attending an event somewhere in the world.
- In Event Plannning & Coordination, students work in groups to create a extensive Event Operations Manual, including event objectives, theme, programming elements, site selection criteria and diagrams, and logistical details.
- As part of the International Hospitality course, students develop an Expatriate Managers Handbook for a selected country somewhere in the world. This is an orientation manual for managers about to assume a management position abroad, including information about the cultural, legal and operational landscape of that country as it relates to the workplace, as well as tips for navigating daily life.
- In the Hospitality Senior Seminar course, each student is given the opportunity to take over the class for a day, delivering an interactive management training session to the rest of the group on a subject of their choosing. This experience sharpens their presentation skills, requires researching and communicating the most significant points about an industry issue or management challenge, and provides them with the experience of planning and executing a staff or management team meeting.
- All students complete two internship experiences. The second-year Event Management Internship Series includes a series of experiences observing or participating in the planning of campus-based student activities, as well as off-campus events in the community. The senior-year Management Apprenticeship includes working closely with a manager/mentor at an event planning company or venue similar to the environment the student intends to pursue after graduation.
View our PHOTO GALLERY to learn more about the Event Management major

Event Management Internships:

For details, visit our Internships page.
Curriculum
First Year

First Semester:
Second Semester:
Second Year

First Semester:
Second Semester:
Third Year

First Semester:
- COR 310 - Globalization & Technology
- COR 320 - Globalization & Faith
- MKT 3XX - Publicity, Promotion & Sponsorship
- LAW 140 - Business Law
- EVT 340 - The Business of Event Management
Second Semester:
- COR 330 - CORE 9
- COR 340 - CORE 10
- ECN 205 - Microeconomics
- Natural Science elective with Lab
- HSP 360 - International Hospitality & Events
Fourth Year

First Semester:
- COR 410 - CORE 11
- MGT 425 - Problem Analysis & Decision Making
- Event Specialty Elective
- General elective
- EVT 450 - Event Management Seminar
Second Semester:
- General elective
- General elective
- EVT 490 - Senior Event Management Apprenticeship
BS Degree in Event Management
Career Opportunities
Event planning and management encompasses a wide array of business, social, cultural, educational, sport, music, and political activities. From private parties and promotional events to massive conventions and city-wide celebrations, these are just a few of the roles available in the field of event management:
- Association Meeting/Convention Planner
- Trade Show Director
- Conference Coordinator
- Special Event Coordinator for a venue
- Festival Director
- Wedding or Party Planner
- Public Relations Director
- Fundraising Director for non-profit organization
- Corporate Training Director
- Convention Bureau Marketing & Sales Manager
Jobs Reported By Recent Graduates
- General Manager, Troy Pub & Brewery & Revolution Hall music venue (Troy, NY)
- Assistant Event Coordinator, Delaney Meeting & Event Management (Burlington, VT)
- Assistant Event Coordinator, The Waterview (Monroe, CT)
- Arts & Entertainment Assistant, Burton Snowboards (Burlington, VT)
- Event Coordinator, Champlain College Conference & Event Center
- Event Coordinator, Washington-Dulles Airport Marriott (Washington, DC)
- Catering Sales Manager, Hilton Hotel Burlington (VT)
- Sales & Event Coordinator, Courtyard by Marriott Harborside (Burlington VT)
- Sales & Wedding Planner, Romantic Weddings of Savannah (Savannah GA)
- Catering & Events Coordinator, Northern Lights Lake Cruise Ship (Burlington VT)
- Events Assistant, Champlain Valley Exposition
Earnings Potential

According to The Meeting Professional's 2002 Salary Survey, average earning in the field of event management were:
- Corporate Meeting Planner: $39,500 - $76,500
- Meetings/Conference Manager: $54,598 - $65,951
- Event Coordinator: $41,500 - $47,113
- Independent Event Planner (consultant): $55,000 - $64,231
  (source: Money Magazine and Salary.com)
Note that for each of the positions listed above, the top salaries were significantly higher than these averages!
Student Resources
Follow this link to our Hospitality & Events Industry Resources page
Faculty