Centennial College

Companies such as Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, AVIVA Canada, Toronto Board of Trade, Marriott Hotels, Toronto International Film Festival, Delta Hotels, Fairmont Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts are all well-known and respected entities. Less known are the Event Management college in Toronto program grads who play an important behind-the-scenes role in the application of project management to create and develop festivals, events and conferences.

These professionals have a range of responsibilities, among which are: developing and implementing financial initiatives based on event objectives through methods such as sponsorship programs and fundraising initiatives; planning, designing and coordinating effective site and facility operations; applying the principles of marketing to festivals, events and conferences; applying strategies for effective human resource management; creating, planning and implementing effective programming for events; applying accounting and financial knowledge and skills to the operation of events; apply business administration skills to the operation of events; and applying the principles of professionalism and ethics to event management.

For those with a previous college education, the speediest route into the industry is via Centennial College’s event management college program known as Event Management – Festival and Conference. Focusing on core topics that students need to gain entry into the workforce, this offering is completed in only two semesters and results in an Ontario College Graduate Certificate. It consists of a combination of theoretical lectures and hands-on experiences that allow students to become comfortable with areas such as festivals, events and conferences eco-friendly festivals; event budgeting, site logistics and operations management, risk and security management, communications and media planning, networking and industry relations and more.

Among the hands-on experiences that students of this Event Management college program obtain is a last semester Festival, Event and Conference Production Practicum. During this aspect, students get an idea of how this rapidly expanding segment of the hospitality and tourism industry brings together many older and more traditional sectors such as catering, equipment rentals and party supply sales in a new field of endeavour. Students gain practical experience in the coordination of a festival, event or conference from preparing the needs analysis to the execution and evaluation of the final production. In addition to these Event Management college program advantages is the fact that to further supplement class lessons, students have access to an on-campus conference centre that comprises of meeting rooms, including two large ballrooms and a variety of mid-sized meeting or breakout rooms, which come complete with high-speed Internet access, in-house audio/visual equipment and multimedia capabilities.

Those interested in this Event Management college program must complete an application process that includes submission of an official transcript with proof of successful completion of a post-secondary diploma or degree program. Centennial College’s Event Management program will also consider applicants presenting a combination of partial post-secondary education and relevant work experience, open to all disciplines. Non-academic perquisites include proof of transcript and a resume review.