HTM*2070 Syllabus |1
School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
College of Management and Economics
Winter 2013
Meetings and Convention Management HTM*2070
Instructor:
Office Number:
Cell Phone Number:
Office Hours:
Justin Taillon (taillon@uoguelph.ca)
519-824-4120 x 52786
519-829-8123
1:15-2:15p MACK 737 on T/TH
4-4:30p in Macs 205 on T/TH (this is my real office, where I will be MWF)
Teaching Assistant:
Caeleigh Warren (caeleigh@uoguelph.ca)
In-Class Period:
Final Exam:
Text required:
11:30-12:50p in THRN, room 1307
None.
PCMA. (2008). Professional Meeting Management: Comprehensive Strategies for
Meetings, Conventions, and Events (Fifth Edition). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt
Publishing Company.
Course Description:
This course examines the sales, servicing, and management of the meetings, events, conventions,
exhibitions, and trade show industries. Emphasis is placed on both the supply (product and service
providers) and demand (meeting and convention managers) elements of the industry. The course focuses
on the unique operational and managerial functions of this multifaceted component of the tourism and
hospitality industry.
Course Objectives:
OUR Objectives
For class periods there are questions that both you and I are accountable for answering:
1. What do we need to know about the topic at hand to succeed in the MICE industry?
2. What is the point? What we will discuss is relatable to the MICE industry. It is our job as a TEAM
to identify, critique, and understand the “point” and its significance each class period.
3. What do we do with this? We will learn and explore concepts that are applicable to decisionmaking in the MICE industry. It is our job as a TEAM to comprehend the application of concepts.
4. How will the information provided affect others, from employees to customers, from bosses to
your personal career trajectory?
YOUR Objectives
1. Understand the history, organization, complexity, and scope of not only the MICE industry but
also the people and roles (stakeholders) involved in the industry.
2. Speak and write using terminology appropriate to the MICE industry.
3. Understand the roles of professional associations, gov’t agencies, and professional associations.
4. Understand different types of MICE industry establishments and organizations.
5. Understand approaches to problem-solving and be able to apply these concepts.
6. Understand motivations in the MICE Industry for different levels of stakeholders.
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7. Understand the various career directions within the MICE Industry.
8. Apply the successful managers’ philosophy: “You are the only reason for everything that
happens to you” throughout the semester.
INSTRUCTOR Objectives
I am responsible for providing you with the tools and capabilities to complete assignments and answer the
aforementioned questions. Furthermore, I am accountable for the following:
 Making students feel welcome and invited in the classroom.
 “Coaching” to promote success in the classroom.
 Being empathetic to your needs.
 Being enthusiastic about the material being covered.
 Completing tasks in a timely manner.
If you are failing to meet your goals during the semester I will not hesitate to let you know. If I fail to meet
my goals during the semester please do not hesitate to let me know.
Cell Phones, Food, Etcetera
You are expected to respect your peers and me. Cell Phones should be turned off before class begins. You
may bring a drink to class with you. Food, including gum, is not permitted. If you foresee a circumstance
where your cell phone must be left on or you must eat during the class period please come speak to me so
we may discuss and agree upon special arrangements for you.
Assignment Protocols:
Introduction
There will be four evaluation tools:
1. Exams - There will be two Midterm Exams. There will be no Final Exam.
2. Drafts – There are three Drafts due during the semester.
3. Participation – Your interactions as they relate to the course will be evaluated.
4. Extra Credit is offered for students who choose to attend MPI, PCMA, and/or other professional
association events that coincide with course learnings.
Assignment Grading
Table 1. Grade Breakdown
Assignment
Midterms
Draft 1
Draft 2
Draft 3
Participation
TOTAL
No.
2
1
1
1
1
Table 2. Letter Grades
%/ea.
24
9
12
16
15
Total
48
9
12
16
15
100
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
Percentage
>90%
85-89
80-84
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
57-59
53-56
50-52
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F
0-49
Drafts
“The optimist said the glass was half full. The pessimist said the glass was half empty. The cynic wondered
who drank the other half. And the event manager…realized the glass was twice as big as it needed to be and
got a smaller glass.”
Each student in the class will be responsible for choosing a property with readily available information
online that is involved in the event management industry in the Greatest Toronto Area. By Greatest I mean
the following: You can choose a location as far west as Waterloo, as far north as Blue Mountain, as far east
as Oshawa, or as far south as Niagara Falls.
You will have three Drafts due. For each Draft you will imagine you are either a Sales & Catering Manager at
the property you choose or a customer seeking to hold an event in Toronto:
1. Create a tri-fold marketing pamphlet and a one-page fact sheet for the property
2. Create an RFP for an event you select. Others in the class will receive your RFP and bid on your
event, precisely as occurs in the hospitality industry
3. Create a BEO for two events for each department being utilized for the event
a. You will be assigned two RFPs completed by others in the class
Draft #1 – Imagine you are a Sales & Catering Manager at a property of your choice.
1. A good Sales & Catering Manager has all of the knowledge they need about their property included
in a brochure. This brochure is intended for individuals who want to know more about your
property. It is often kept at the Front Desk or Reception, depending on the type of property.
2. A Fact Sheet is a quick go-to for the Sales & Catering Manager. It contains options for room set-up
and design, the number of individuals each room on property can handle based on seating
arrangements, some pricing options, etc. It is a “Cheat Sheet” for the Sales & Catering Manager
Draft #2 – You should be able to think like a consumer to be a successful Sales & Catering Manager. Thus,
for this assignment you will imagine you will be holding an event. You need to send an RFP to potential
properties.
1. You will be provided multiple potential formats for creating an RFP. You will need to build your own
RFP in Excel and Word. You will send this RFP out to everyone else in the class, so they may answer
your request.
Draft #3 – Imagine you are the Sales & Catering Manager once again.
1. You will answer two RFPs from your classmates. You will be assigned these RFPs based on your
property type and location. You will create a BEO for each department the RFP requires.
Exams
Midterm Exams:
“I believed in studying just because I knew education was a privilege. It was the discipline of study, to get
into the habit of doing something that you don't want to do.”
Each Midterm Exam will consist of approximately twenty-five Multiple Choice questions and eight Short
Answer questions.
Participation
Participation in the classroom is necessary for learning to occur in this class. Therefore, you are expected to
participate for this course. If you fail to participate I will assume you are not prepared. If you are consistently
not prepared I will request an additional meeting with you. Participation is 15% of your grade.
Class participation will include:
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






staying abreast of current news stories as they relate to the MICE Industry and discussing them in
class during “Water Cooler Talks”,
being an active participant in class,
reading course materials that are assigned,
dressing appropriately when guest speakers are present,
using proper email etiquette
your performance during the negotiation exercise and In-Class Meetings (incl. preparations)
and topics deemed necessary throughout the semester.
Extra Credit Opportunities
Extra Credit:
“I have a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.”
If you are an active member of a professional organization connected with the event management industry
this semester you can receive a maximum of 4% added to your final grade in this course (receiving the full
four points is rare and would require extraordinary efforts including a leadership role, attendance at a
conference, etc). More likely, 1-3% would be added to your final grade for normal membership in an
organization. To receive the Extra Credit you will need to:
 Get the organization approved by me (CAFP, CMESA, HAC, HFTP, HTMSA, MPI, PCMA, & Slow Food
are automatically approved), but you only get points when involved in event management;
 Complete the Extra Credit sheet posted on the course website for each event you attend;
 and send the Extra Credit sheets to the TA via email between March 28th and April 4.
Academic Integrity
Academic misconduct is behaviour that erodes the basis of mutual trust on which scholarly exchanges
occur, undermines the University’s exercise of its responsibility to evaluate students’ academic achievement
or restricts the University’s ability to accomplish its learning objectives. The University of Guelph is
committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and requires all members of the
University community to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible
to prevent academic offences from occurring. All information you should know about academic integrity at
the University as it applies to this course can be found here:
http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/prospective/distance-education/academic-integrity.aspx
Furthermore, I reserve the right to use Turn It In, a website that detects plagiarism, at any time during the
semester for any of your assignments. Please visit turnitin.com or see me for more on this resource if you
have questions about how the website functions as it relates to this course.
Finally, all students are responsible for ensuring that they do not have a time conflict with examinations in
other courses.
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Table 3. Lectures, Readings, Exams, and Assignments Outline
Date
Topic
Assignments Readings
8-Jan
Go over syllabus, schedule, expectations, & assignments
10-Jan
History of MICE Industry, Careers, & Terminology
Terminology, p. 1-14
15-Jan
Guest Speakers: PCMA & MPI Reps
p. 17-28
17-Jan
Stakeholders & Marketing
p. 50-58, 62-65, 554-558
22-Jan
Site Selection
24-Jan
RFP (Request for Proposal) & BEO (Banquet Event Order)
29-Jan
Guest Speaker: Justin Toth
31-Jan
F&B's role in Event Management
5-Feb
My Experiences in Event Management
7-Feb
Program Design & Development & Exam Review
12-Feb
Exam #1
14-Feb
No Class – Start your Reading Week early!!!
19-Feb
No Class - Winter Break
21-Feb
No Class - Winter Break
26-Feb
Sustainable Meetings: A Competitive Advantage & Ethics
p. 468-485, p. 592-601
28-Feb
Budgeting & Out-sourcing
p. 66-67, 76-77
5-Mar
Professional Meeting Manager & Independent Meeting Manager
p. 93-103
7-Mar
Guest Speaker: Cassidy Chin
12-Mar
Mega Events & Tidbits (Transportation, A/V)
14-Mar
In-Class Meetings with Event "Partner"
19-Mar
Cvent Certification
21-Mar
Guest Speaker: Heidi Wilker, CMP
26-Mar
Exam Review
Draft #3
28-Mar
Exam #2
Exam #2
Draft #1
p. 143-160
RFP-Short, RFP-Long, p. 169-173
Draft #2
TBA
p. 265-282
Exam #1
p. 728-735
2-Apr
Contract Negotiation & Liability
p. 603-662
4-Apr
In-Class Negotiation Exercise
Prep for Negotiation
1. This is an initial course description. The department reserves the right to change w/o notice until a binding course outline is distributed in class.
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