Students will explore the communication skills necessary to successfully coordinate minor and major events and develop the skill set to execute the planning of an event. No event can be coordinated without a solid professional relationship between the client and the event planner. Students enrolled in this course will learn the theories driving effective facilitation, conflict management and resolution and negotiation, all of which are skills necessary to cultivate, build and maintain the client-event planner relationship. We will explore the audience the event is targeted to attract and the appropriate promotional techniques to entice the audience to participate based on available funds. Another area of theoretical exploration will be nonverbal and visual communication. Events communicate strong messages about people, causes and organizations. Thus, the verbal and nonverbal messages constructed by event planners will be deconstructed, analyzed and redesigned. Students will explore the communication skills necessary to create binding relationships and maintenance of those relationships, budgeting, proposal writing, use of social media and other technologies to solicit, promote and publicize events as well as event evaluation techniques. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of such skills through student engagement activities and/or a service learning activity.

Prerequisite: COSK2230