| April 2007 • Volume 27 • Number 4 • The Meeting Professional |
Cover Story
Planning for the Future
Meeting planner degree programs are spreading awareness of the industry—with MPI members helping to lead the charge—but evolving educational opportunities and broader support is needed to educate future leaders.
By Angela Chiarello
Many of today’s meetings industry veterans discovered their profession by accident—or good luck. Until recently, universities and colleges didn’t offer meetings majors and most had never heard of the meetings industry. These pioneers earned their educations through hard work, experience and networking.
As the job has evolved into a profession, higher education is beginning to follow suit. In kind, as colleges offer more degree programs, more people will recognize the industry.
“More degrees will buoy our industry,” said Janet Sperstad, CMP, lead instructor of the Meeting and Event Management Program at the Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College (MATC) and an MPI Wisconsin Chapter member. “Support from colleges and universities will help identify work in meetings and events as a profession.”
The industry has received a lot of publicity in recent years, making more people aware of its existence. Television shows such as The Apprentice and Whose Wedding is it Anyway? have provided the industry added exposure. Because of the hard work of industry veterans and increased public awareness, more and more schools are rolling out degree programs, and student enrollment is ballooning.
Program Availability
“Having [meetings degree] programs available is critical to the success of our industry,” said Joan Eisenstodt of Eisenstodt Associates in Washington, D.C., and a frequent lecturer and instructor.
Not only are more schools offering programs, but the types of programs offered are increasing.
About five years ago, MPI Wisconsin Chapter members developed MATC’s associate degree program in Meeting and Event Management. As industry professionals, they were tired of training people and decided it would be great if there was a formal degree program from which they could hire well-trained meeting professionals. They modeled the program after the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation because it is standardized and encompasses the recognized competencies of meeting planning. Concentrated into 52 total credits, the two-year degree offers in-depth education and a college degree that businesses recognize.
“Because MATC’s program is a degree, not a certificate, we have strict requirements we have to meet from an academic standpoint,” Sperstad said. “A degree has accountability, internal rigor and has to pass a snuff test imposed by an advisory committee made up of industry professionals. Degrees are recognized as having institutional standards, and business recognizes degrees.”
Another sign of the industry’s maturation is the development of more bachelor’s degrees specific to the meetings industry.
Those considering enrolling in a four-year, undergraduate degree program can take advantage of several programs that offer meetings-specific content. Patti Shock, CPCE, professor and chair of the Tourism and Convention Administration Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ (UNLV) Harrah College of Hotel Administration, explains that the school offers a specialized business degree.
“Our students take marketing, accounting, economics, management—just like in business school,” she said. “But all of our examples and projects are based on hotels and meetings.”
Students learn basic business principles and their industry application. If they graduate from the program and move on to another area of business, they’ll already have a solid business foundation.
For students looking to study further, a master’s degree can open additional doors with a more strategic focus. And, similar to undergraduate degrees, several master’s degree programs are essentially specialized Master of Business Administration programs.
Bill Host, assistant professor at Roosevelt University’s Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Chicago and an MPI Chicago Area Chapter member, says that earning a Master of Science degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management helped him “connect the dots.”
“For someone who is more seasoned in the industry, getting a master’s will solidify the stuff you already know and give you ‘ah-ha’ moments,” he said. “I took courses in organizational development and research methods, which prepared me for better business.”
Graduate degrees not only help planners advance their careers, but also help advance the industry.
Sekeno Aldred, CMP, will graduate next month from George Washington University with a Master’s of Tourism Administration and is currently a learning events specialist for Goodwill Industries International Inc. in Rockville, Md. She knew that a master’s degree would allow her to sharpen her research and analytical skills—which is where she believes the industry is heading.
“This program has really taught me how to apply theory and research into best practices,” said Aldred, an MPI Potomac Chapter member. “Most importantly, [it] has made me think more about the economic, cultural and social impact of meetings.”
Value for Students, Educators
Debate about the necessity of a college degree in the meetings industry rages on, but one thing is certain: experience is vital.
“The No. 1 criteria for employment in the industry is still experience,” said Dawn Penfold, CMP, president of The Meeting Candidate Network Inc. and an MPI Greater New York Chapter member. “[Between] two candidates, the employer will go with the one with more education. But if one of them has more experience, he or she is the one more likely to be hired.”
The meetings industry requires planners to pay their dues and it requires real experience, says Penfold, whose company owns Meetingjobs.com
Just about every degree program offers students hands-on experience while they’re in school and many programs require a certain number of work hours and/or internships to graduate.
At UNLV, students have the opportunity to participate in hundreds of Las Vegas events. In addition, students are tasked with producing a student-run conference every June.
This blend between real-life application and formal education is also bridged on the campus. The majority of instructors in the field are adjuncts, meaning they’re not full-time university staff but are active industry members.
“At New York University’s (NYU) Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, the undergraduate program is designed to have lots of adjunct faculty, and they are exceptional at integrating their experiences into the classroom,” said Richard Aaron, CMP, CSEP, president of BiZBash Media and an adjunct professor of event management at NYU. “Faculty that are still in the field can actually bring students into the real world. I have students come to my events, not just to study them but to actually attend.”
Aaron and many of his adjunct colleagues immerse themselves in ongoing research, know global trends and share them with their students. Aaron calls it “going beyond the book.”
Because instructors are so involved in the industry, they also have firsthand knowledge of employers’ needs, thus they provide better education for their students and prepare them for employment after graduation. One of the most valuable assets students in these programs bring is a foundation of knowledge that cuts down on training time—and costs.
“Employers can expect students to have a solid background in theory as well as specific templates they use in their portfolios,” Host said. “They come away knowing how to submit RFPs and compile rooming lists. They’ll also have an understanding of the industry as a whole. Finally, they have practical industry experience.”
Regardless of the program selected, students rarely have difficulty calculating the ROI on their education.
“Taking the time and effort to obtain a degree is a sacrifice but one that will pay off down the road,” Shock said. “College-educated employees move up faster and make more money in the long run. A college degree broadens the mind of a student in many areas other than the specific skills of meeting planning.”
Supporting Education
Aaron says that by embracing the future and students, the industry can create pathways for development and professional thinking.
However, Deborah Breiter, Ph.D., department chairwoman for Tourism, Events and Attractions at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida and an MPI Greater Orlando Area Chapter member, sees the industry’s role in supporting university programs as an obligation.
Future leaders and employees are students now, Breiter says, and the meetings industry must be engaged with academia to help guide curricula.
“We had an advisory board with industry planners and suppliers to help us develop our curriculum,” she said. “There is a common body of knowledge required for events, and we designed our program based on industry input.”
The industry’s professional associations also need to support academia, according to Breiter.
“[Associations] should have scholarships for faculty to go to the associations’ annual conventions,” she said. “They should be asking schools what their needs are.”
Associations can also benefit from schools, Breiter says. Schools can help associations with research and, in return, give them access to students—valuable future members.
It seems that associations are hearing the call. In late 2006, the Convention Industry Council launched the APEX Education Advisory Council (EAC), comprised of educators and headed by NYU’s Aaron, to develop new curricula for academic institutions utilizing the APEX Meeting & Event Toolbox.
Aaron, an MPI Greater New York Chapter member, says the council’s mission is three-fold: to inform educators about the APEX toolbox, to integrate the toolbox into academic curricula and to move the industry to the next level of professional development.
Breiter and Sperstad—both members of the EAC—believe the APEX toolbox is vital for the evolution of the industry. No matter where a program is based, by using the toolbox, the industry can look forward to more standardization.
“This is another tool to help us identify what we do and create efficiencies for those working—or preparing to work—in the industry,” Sperstad said.
MPI has also taken steps recently to reach out to students and faculty. The association recently lowered membership fees for students, and MPI’s Student Faculty Committee is working to bring academia to the table.
“Our future depends on what we do now in the schools and colleges,” said Eisenstodt, the committee’s chairwoman and an MPI Potomac Chapter member. “In my ideal world, the industry as a whole would tackle the curriculum and look to enhance what is taught to ensure we’re using best practices.
“We want to bring students to the table with other industry professionals to enhance conversation and learning,” she continued. “We want to bring faculty to the table with industry professionals to be able to enhance the curriculum for tomorrow. All this allows for more conversation to better our industry.”
MPI chapters are also embracing the industry’s future. The MPI Georgia Chapter set a goal to recruit and incorporate student members into the chapter’s committees.
“What spurred us on was when MPI lowered the cost of student memberships,” said Dave O’Connor, CMP, CHME, president of Meeting Connections Inc. in Brasstown, N.C., and director of member care for the MPI Georgia Chapter.
O’Connor says the Georgia Chapter partnered with two local universities to encourage students to participate in chapter events. He says it is the chapters’ responsibilities to help people—especially those who are new to the industry—find their way. There are many opportunities, and the industry is so vast that MPI and its chapters have a great opportunity to open the industry for them.
“This is a dynamic, interdisciplinary, multifaceted profession, and there are a lot of different skills and experiences that are required to be successful,” Sperstad added. “We as an industry have a responsibility to identify and hold those up.”
Ask industry veterans and they’ll say their main focus is to raise public consciousness about the industry.
“As an industry, we’re still not there because the end user and students still don’t quite understand what we do,” Sperstad said. “We’re getting there, though.”
Aaron says the industry’s acceptance is growing. However, right now, most high school counselors don’t know what meeting planning is and until they consider it a profession just like business, law or medicine, he says the industry has not reached its potential. In the meantime, he enjoys seeing the success of those with which he has had the opportunity to share his profession.
“My acid test is when I go out to events in New York and see my former students working,” Aaron said. “They tell me how inspired they were, and I see how well they’re doing. That’s when I know I’m doing the right thing.” TMP
ANGELA CHIARELLO is a freelance writer based in New York.
SIDEBAR
Adjuncts vs. Full-Time Faculty
Harvey Paul Davidson, CHME, CMP Emeritus, has been both a student—he has a master’s degree in tourism and travel management—and an adjunct instructor in a variety of event planning and hospitality programs. He also has one major concern about universities and colleges that offer degree programs for meeting planners.
“Although meeting professionals are openly sought after to be adjunct instructors, universities and colleges close the door when these same individuals seek full-time teaching positions, unless the candidate has a doctoral degree,” said Davidson, an MPI Greater New York Chapter member. “Most meeting professionals are unlikely to have this advanced degree as they are typically busy building up their experience, skills and reputations working for their respective employers. This is the very reason they’re in demand as adjuncts.”
Patti Shock, CPCE, professor and chairwoman of the Tourism and Convention Administration Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Harrah College of Hotel Administration, explains that it can be tough to grow a program in a new field because many universities require that full-time faculty have Ph.D.s.
“Graduate degrees are important because universities are requiring that we hire Ph.D.s,” Shock said. “Adjuncts are important for growing, but without advanced degrees, they can only be adjuncts. Unfortunately, adjuncts have other jobs and no on-campus offices. We need them here full time to advise students and be on campus.”
Bill Host, assistant professor at Roosevelt University’s Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and an MPI Chicago Area Chapter member, says that schools don’t always have the money to hire full-time instructors. Adjuncts only teach a course or two per semester, a much more cost-effective option for schools.
“When I was an adjunct, I set up times to meet with my students,” he said. “Technology is also making it easier for adjuncts to stay connected.”
Shock says the industry’s biggest need right now is to have people with experience and degrees.
“The solution would be to have industry association foundations fund people in the industry and help them get their advanced degrees,” she explained. “Everyone is relying on adjuncts and that is stunting the growth of programs—and the industry. The industry must step up and provide money to help people get into education. That’s the only thing that is really going to professionalize this industry.”
Like everything else, balance is the key.
“The meetings industry and academia are symbiotic,” Host said. “If there’s an academic program only teaching theory without experience, I wonder how strong it ultimately is. Likewise, if there’s a program only based on people with experience in the industry, there’s some academic maturity missing.”