CAPE TOWN CAMPUS: Tel: (021) 673-9100 Fax: (021) 673-9111 2 nd Floor, Sunclare Building, Corner Dreyer & Protea Roads, Claremont JOHANNESBURG CAMPUS: Tel: (011) 718-4000 Fax: (011) 718-4001 Corner Main Road East and Landau Terrace, Melville Extension 2 DURBAN CAMPUS: Tel: (031) 266-0444 Fax: (031) 266-0466 Westville Office Park, 54 Norfolk Terrace, Westville Visit our website: http://www.milpark.ac.za Email us: register@milpark.ac.za SHORT COURSE: CONFERENCE AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT MODE OF DELIVERY: ONLINE DESCRIPTION Course purpose The management of conferences, events and the exhibitions industry is a worldwide business, employing millions of people. However, many people are unaware of its existence as a professional career. The person involved in event management is referred to as an event manager, event planner, event organiser, professional conference organiser or a meeting planner, among other names. Course outcomes On completion of this course, the qualifying candidate will be able to: 1. Understand events management as a whole. 2. Know how to handle the first meeting with the client. 3. Produce proposals and tenders. 4. Understand the purpose of risk management. 5. Know how to apply project management. 6. Compile budgets. 7. Select a venue for your event. 8. Understand key points to remember when working with RSVP management. 9. Market an event. 10. Manage sponsorships. 11. Manage suppliers. 12. Select and manage staff and volunteers. 13. Know how to handle programmes that are planned. 14. Select speakers. 15. Select a chairperson or master of ceremonies. 16. Know how to work with technology and staging on the day of the event. 17. Manage the day. Page 1 of 10
18. Perform evaluations and reporting. 19. Organise in-house events. 20. Manage exhibitions within events. 21. Green events. 22. Know how to compile checklists. Course outline The following key topics are covered in the course: Module 1: Introduction to event management 1. Industry terms 2. International industry and associations 3. South African industry and associations 4. Defining events personnel 5. Defining events 6. Events characteristics 7. Golden rules to follow when planning an event. Module 2: First meeting with the client 1. Establish the purpose and objectives of the event 2. Purpose of the event 3. Establishing event constraints 4. Essential event questions 5. Request for proposal and tenders. Module 3: Producing proposals and tenders 1. Getting quotations 2. Background research 3. Producing a proposal 4. Contract 5. Client presentation 6. Completing tenders. Page 2 of 10
Module 4: Risk management 1. Definition of risk management 2. Duty of care 3. Security and safety 4. Risk management models 5. The risk management process 6. Steps in developing a risk management plan. Module 5: Project management 1. Project management definitions 2. Project management activities 3. The event management lifecycle. Module 6: Budgets 1. Using set budgets 2. Creating profitable budgets 3. Practising a break-even budget. Module 7: Selecting venues 1. Types of venues 2. Selecting an area 3. Taking events into Africa 4. Taking events into the rest of the world 5. Site visits and evaluations 6. Venue commissions. Page 3 of 10
Module 8: RSVP management 1. The importance of the invitation 2. Example of an invitation 3. Key points when designing registration forms 4. Online bookings 5. Invoicing. Module 9: Marketing an event 1. Marketing events 2. Market research 3. Marketing plan 4. Target markets 5. Selecting segmentation for events 6. Marketing an event 7. Promotion 8. Advertising 9. Press releases 10. Social media 11. Evaluating the success of the marketing campaign. Module 10: Sponsorship 1. Sponsorship motives 2. Types of sponsorships 3. Ambush marketing 4. Finding and selecting sponsors 5. Sponsorship proposals 6. Managing sponsorships 7. Post-event evaluation. Page 4 of 10
Module 11: Managing suppliers 1. Managing suppliers 2. Calling for quotations 3. Assessing quotations 4. Accepting contracts 5. Managing contracts 6. Supplier evaluation. Module 12: Selecting and managing staff and volunteers 1. Event responsibilities 2. Staff requirements 3. Job specifications for an event administrator 4. Volunteers. Module 13: Planning programmes 1. Important points when planning a programme 2. A typical one-day programme 3. A typical second-day programme 4. A typical evening dinner programme 5. Formal dinner and wines 6. Seating, protocol and flags 7. Handling international delegates 8. Planning partners and/or supporting programmes. Module 14: Selecting speakers 1. Categories of speakers 2. Invitations and registration 3. Briefing speakers 4. Briefing letter example. Page 5 of 10
Module 15: Selecting a chairperson or master of ceremonies 1. Functions of a chairperson 2. Characteristics of a chairperson 3. Functions of a master of ceremonies 4. Characteristics of a master of ceremonies 5. Invitations and registration 6. Briefing a chairperson or master of ceremonies 7. Managing speakers, a chairperson or master of ceremonies 8. Example of a chairperson s briefing letter. Module 16: Event technology and staging 1. Designing good presentations 2. Venue 3. Using technology 4. Selecting staging effects 5. Décor. Module 17: Managing the day 1. Setup 2. On the day 3. Shutdown, security and clean-up. Module 18: Evaluations and reporting 1. Drafting evaluations 2. Evaluating speakers and the chairperson 3. An example of an evaluation questionnaire 4. Implementing evaluations 5. Assessing evaluations 6. Presenting evaluations 7. Assessing objectives Page 6 of 10
8. Extract from a conference evaluation and recommendation report. Module 19: The organisation of in-house events 1. Team building 2. Sports days 3. Year-end functions and awards 4. Carnivals and fairs. Module 20: Managing exhibitions within events 1. Why exhibit? 2. The benefits of exhibitions 3. Conference exhibitions 4. Attracting exhibitors 5. Managing exhibitors 6. Costing exhibition packages 7. Post-show evaluation 8. Checklists for exhibitions. Module 21: Greening events 1. Sustainable development and other definitions 2. Convention industry council s green meeting report 3. South African best practice. Module 22: Examples and checklists 1. Conference organiser s kit 2. Example of a calendar 3. Example of an invitation to submit a tender 4. Checklist for identifying risks 5. Checklist for the budget 6. Checklist for venue evaluation Page 7 of 10
7. Checklist for venue comparisons 8. Checklist for venue requirements 9. Checklist for functions 10. Checklist for a theme 11. Checklist for entertainment 12. Checklist for conference requirements 13. Checklist for requirements 14. Example of an online registration form 15. Example of a press release 16. Event observation 17. Example of an exhibition contract. ABOUT MILPARK EDUCATION Milpark Education offers a range of higher education qualifications, accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Milpark Education offers distance learning and contact learning, as well as supporting workshops. The qualifications include a variety of certificate, diploma, undergraduate degrees and the MBA. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Open enrolment Proficiency in English is required. MODE OF DELIVERY The course will be delivered using the mymilpark online platform. You will study in your own time, but will have certain minimum requirements that you need to meet for every week of the course, such as participating in online discussions, submitting individual and group assignments and working through the course content for a particular week. A course instructor will be assigned to the course in order to provide academic support. The course instructor will also initiate the weekly online discussions which will be used as part of the assessment for this course. A course coordinator will also be available to assist with administrative queries and may be contacted through telephone or email. EXPECTATIONS In order to successfully complete this course, you should: be able to spend at least 7 10 hours per week in the online course environment for the course duration of four weeks. be willing to go the extra mile with suggested activities to heighten your learning experience. Special arrangements can be made for you to work in advance should you need to be absent during one of the weeks of tuition. As with any academic course, you might be excluded from the course if you do not continuously show engagement and interaction. Page 8 of 10
ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY Milpark provides students with materials, resources, formative assessments (including online tests and quizzes), discussion opportunities and a number of administrative services as part of the mymilpark and mycourses online tuition and support environments. Course materials direct students to additional external resources in the form of links to downloadable documents, websites and videos. Having access to the online facilities above is essential for efficient communication, learning and success. You will need continuous (daily) access to study, using the resources mentioned above, and to submit and receive your assignments. Minimum system requirements: 1. Reliable internet connection with continuous access 2. Firefox/Internet explorer/chrome web browser 3. Microsoft Word 4. The means to open and read PDF documents 5. The means to scan and upload documents 6. Email/cellphone for notification and communication. STUDENT SUPPORT Library Access The Milpark Library now provides access to e-books in a virtual library called Cyberlibris (Scholartext). Lecturers may create smart bookshelves per course or module for students to access (these shelves can contain prescribed and recommended books). Students can also create their own personal smart bookshelves containing resources for their studies. Having access to a digital library means that thousands of students can access books and resources from anywhere at the same time online. There is no need to make reservations and requests, and no limit to the time a student has to access a book. With the implementation of Cyberlibris, students also have access to full-text resources via Emerald (global), Ebsco (global) and Sabinet (South African publications) to assist with research and to enrich their learning experience. Access to the Library is included in the module fee. ASSESSMENT An integrated approach to assessment is applied. The practical nature of the course is emphasised in all assessments. The following are examples of assessments/activities that you could be exposed to during your course: Online quiz or online test Individual assignments with open-ended questions Online discussion forums with other students and your course lecturer Watching videos and summarising the main points Reading and engaging with study material, articles or information on websites Researching a specific topic and summarising your findings Page 9 of 10
Building a portfolio of evidence. The exact structure of your assessments will be communicated to you in a detailed assessment plan when the course commences. A minimum final mark of 50% will be required in order to complete the course successfully. DURATION This course will run over a period of four weeks, running from Tuesday to Tuesday every week. CERTIFICATION A short course certificate of completion will be issued, provided that you meet the minimum requirements for certification for this specific course. FURTHER STUDIES Students who have successfully completed this short course certificate may articulate onto other short courses. Students may at any time apply for admission to any of Milpark s further or higher education qualifications, where they may be admitted, subject to the admission requirements of each qualification. The course fees include access to the online environment (including library services) for the full duration of the course, all study material, access to the lecturer online and one cycle of assessments. DISCLAIMER The content of this brochure is accurate at the time of going to print. Milpark Education reserves the right to change the course content due to changes in legislation, market requirements and other reasons. Notice of such changes will be published on our website. Website: www.milpark.ac.za Email: info@milpark.ac.za Page 10 of 10