Hospitality 135: Meeting Event and Convention Planning Spring 2016 / Section 8039 Welcome to Hospitality 135! I’m thrilled to have you in class this semester. I have worked professionally in the travel and hospitality industry for 17 years, and without a doubt, I can say it is one of the most exciting, personally fulfilling, financially rewarding, and gratifying industries to be in. It is my hope that you’ll experience a small piece of it this semester. Instructor: Contact Policy: Jason Coleman, CTC, ECC, CLS, LCS, DS Students should contact me via Etudes. Email: [email protected] Questions about the class should be posted to the Tel: (424) 262-9522 “Ask the Instructor” discussion thread and Office Location: personal questions specific to you should be sent 3002 Midvale Avenue, Suite 202 via the private message tool. You can expect to Los Angeles, California 90034 receive a reply within 24-48 hours. Please only (above Trader Joe’s at Westwood and National Blvd.) email me at [email protected] if you do not I am available to meet one on one with students receive a reply in Etudes within 48 hours. for private assistance, academic and career Office Hours: counseling, and other academic matters. Meetings Online office hours via the chat feature in Etudes must be scheduled in advance. Please do not drop will be scheduled once per week. Check the by without an appointment as I am rarely in the weekly announcements for that week’s virtual office unless I have a meeting on my calendar. office hours chat. Chats will occur at different times each week to accommodate student schedules in the distance learning environment. Required Text Professional Meeting Management (6th edition) by Glen C. Ramsborg, Ph.D., CMP. Publication Date: 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1932841978 Course Description & Learning Objectives/Outcomes Catalog/Schedule Description This course is an introduction to meeting, event and convention planning including the scope of the industry, and its relationship to other parts of the tourism, travel and hospitality industries. Students will be prepared to plan, promote and operate programs for meetings, conventions and incentive groups, including site selection, pricing, entertainment, supplier negotiations, and the use of technology for registration. (3 units) Course Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Define, describe and interpret steps necessary for planning successful meeting, event and convention environments. 2. Analyze and understand the role played by associations and trade-shows, evaluate the importance of meeting manager responsibilities. 3. Role of hotels, CVB’s, legal issues, contracts, negotiations, site selection and risk management, pricing, entertainment, food and beverage. 4. Gain perspective with regard to career selection in the event and meeting planning industry. Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) This course will also facilitate the following student learning outcomes: A. Institutional SLO Critical Thinking: Analyze problems by differentiating fact from opinions, using evidence, and using sound reasoning to specify multiple solutions and their consequences. Communication: Effectively communicate thought in a clear, well organized manner to persuade, inform, and convey ideas in academic, work, family and community settings. Quantitative Reasoning: Identify, analyze, and solve problems that are quantitative in nature. Technical Competence: Utilize the appropriate technology effectively for informational, academic, personal, and professional needs. Use competent technique in a musical performance. Ethics: Practice and demonstrate standards of personal and professional integrity, honesty and fairness; apply ethical principles in submission of all college work. B. Program SLO Student ability to read and listen to internalize written and lecture information for understanding needed to evaluate and apply tourism practices, principles and procedures. Effective use of written English language. Successful written and verbal communication. Understanding distance, time and weight differences and monetary considerations sales and business profitability. Familiarization and application of American and foreign standards and tourism rules and laws. Use of computers and internet for communication. C. Course SLO At the end of this course, students will prepare a meeting RFP including sections on meeting space needs, accommodations, food and beverage, and request for certain terms and conditions; analyze a meeting/convention budget and evaluate risks associated with venue contracts and their impact on a budget. Course Requirements and Guidelines Assignments During the semester, you will complete two major assignments. The Budget/Risk Assignment requires you to analyze a meeting/convention budget and evaluate risks associated with venue contracts and their impact on a budget. It is due on Sunday, April 3 at 11:59 p.m. The RFP Assignment requires you to prepare a meeting RFP including sections on meeting space needs, accommodations, food and beverage, and request for certain terms and conditions. This assignment is due on Sunday, May 8 at 11:59 p.m. Late assignments will not be accepted. Do not email me your assignments. They are to be submitted via Etudes. Discussion Forum Despite being an online course, students are expected to have active class participation. Participation will be evaluated by your response and activity in Etudes discussion forums. Each week will include one or more group discussions about topics covered in the readings, the meetings industry in general, or to generate ideas about the class project. Your responses should be well articulated and substantial. Clearly indicate your main idea or point of view and support it with facts, logic, and references as appropriate. Simply stating, for example, “Yes,” “No,” “I agree,” or “I don’t think so” is not acceptable and will not be considered as participation. As a guideline, I recommend your original posts should be at least 150 words, and replies to your classmates should be at least 100 words. I expect regular participation and active students will demonstrate that by regular posts. Meetings Management Project Your semester-long project will be participating in a class-wide event committee to organize a meeting event at the WLAC campus for the Los Angeles hospitality industry. Early in the semester, you will be assigned to one committee to work together in groups. Milestone deliverables will be assigned throughout the semester. Discussion threads will be the primary mode of communication with your group. A self and peer evaluation will count for 40% of your grade in this area. My evaluation of your participation in discussions, deliverables, and your overall leadership will be the other 60% of your grade in this area. Quizzes: Quizzes will be given for each unit to ensure that you are keeping up with the textbook readings and lectures. Quizzes must be taken by Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. before the unit closes (check the course schedule for specific dates). Quizzes are timed and you must complete the quiz in the time allotted. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. Final Exam Your final exam is a comprehensive review of all the topics covered in this course. The exam will consist of 100 short answer (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank) style questions. More details will be available in the second half of the semester. Extra Credit There is one extra credit assignment available providing up to 10 points to your final grade. This extra credit assignment can take your grade from a C to a B, from a B to an A. However in order to benefit from the extra credit assignment, you must be passing the class. You cannot bump up from an F to a C. You must have a minimum grade of a C in order to receive the benefit of extra credit. A complete description of the assignment is available in the Etudes course overview module. Grading Your final grade will be based on a combination of several different types of learning and skill evaluations: Grading Components/Weighted Value Final Grading Scale Assignments 25% Discussion Forum (active and regular participation) 15% A = 90-100% Meetings Management Project 30% B = 80-89% Quizzes 15% C = 70-79% Final Exam 15% F = <69% EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT <10% Our Online Classroom In order to log into your online course, you need to know your ETUDES User ID and Password. Please follow the ETUDES login instructions below. ETUDES User ID First 2 letters of first name + First 2 letters of last name + Last 5 digits of Student ID # (Not your Social Security #) Example: Jose Garcia has the following Student ID: #880123456 Based on this example, Jose's ETUDES User ID would be = joga23456 ETUDES Password MonthDay of birth in school records (Type using all lower case letters) Example: Jose Garcia's birthday is April 11th, 1982 (04/11/82). Based on this example, Jose's ETUDES Password would be 0411. NOTE: This is a permanent account that you will use for all ETUDES courses for this term and all subsequent terms. Your login information does not get reset from term to term. If you change your password, the change will apply to all of your current and future courses. Please save your login information for future reference. Further information about ETUDES is available here: http://www.wlac.edu/online/login.asp • Accessing ETUDES • System Requirements • Student Guide to ETUDES • ETUDES Demonstration Videos • ETUDES Frequently Asked Questions Class Policies Attendance Online classes provide students with flexibility and convenience. They are not designed as a substitute for regular interaction and class work. Just as excessive abseentism is not tolerated in an on campus class, you are expected to diligently work through each unit in a timely manner in this online environment. I have the ability to monitor your activity, see how often you log into the course, and how much time you spend in each unit. Since participation is critical to your success and final grade, abseentism will be defined as not logging into the course modules, and/or failure to submit work for a given unit.