FACS-375 -- Meeting and Convention Management -- Spring 2012

Instructor: Dr. Rich Patterson
Office: Academic Complex, 209C
E-Mail: hospitality.classes@gmail.com
WKU Homepage: http://people.wku.edu/rich.patterson
Personal Webpage: http://www.food-guy.com
Office Phone: 270-745-4031 -- FAX: 270-745-3999
Department Secretary: 270-745-4352

Office Hours

Monday 12:30 - 3:30, Tuesday 2:00 - 4:00, Thursday 9:00 - 1:00, and Friday 12:30 - 1:30. You can schedule an appointment with me online at Tungle Me -- http://www.tungle.me/richpatterson. The website shows all the times I am available each day so you can choose a time convenient for you. Making an appointment is fairly easy but here is a short tutorial on how to make an appointment in case you need help -- http://people.wku.edu/rich.patterson/Tungle/tungle.htm.

Course Description

Management and operation of conventions, meetings, trade shows and exhibitions for both profit and non-profit organizations. Emphasizes program planning, budgeting, contracts, marketing, public relations, site and facility selection, exhibit planning and marketing, transportation, food and lodging arrangements, and career opportunities. A convention/meeting planning project will be required for successful completion of the course. (3 credit hours)

Purpose of the Course

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the meeting, exposition, event, and convention (MEEC) industry to include program planning, budgeting, contracts, marketing, public relations, site and facility selection, exhibit planning and marketing, transportation, food and lodging arrangements, and career opportunities. Students looking for careers in meeting, convention planning/management to include wedding planning will find that this course provides the background necessary to understand how the MEEC industry functions.

Prerequisites

Junior standing or permission from the instructor

Required Text

Fenich, G. G. (2008). Meetings, Expositions, Events, and Conventions: An Introduction to the Industry. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. (ISBN-13: 978-0-13-234057-1)

Click Here for a Picture of Textbook Cover and Online Textbook Sources or copy and paste this web address in your browser -- http://people.wku.edu/rich.patterson/CFS-375/Webpage/375textbook.htm

Course Objectives

Terminal Performance Objective: This course will focus on the development of strategies used to manage conferences, meetings and trade shows to include the methodologies unique to each property and group served. The student will be able to manage (plan, promote, budget, and execute) a three-day meeting, convention or trade show in this context.

1. Identify the personal characteristics required of a meeting planner and describe the job opportunities available in the convention/meeting industry.
2. Identify the importance of defining the goals and objectives for a meeting.
3. Identify the functional areas and line items of a budget and develop a comprehensive income and expense budget.
4. Describe an integrated marketing strategy that includes direct mail, press relations, advertising, and the Internet.
5. Define and discuss the components of planning a successful convention, meeting or trade show.
6. Describe how to recruit and retain volunteers for meeting management and support functions.
7. Discuss the role and mission of a convention and visitors bureau (CVB).
8. Identify the arrangements necessary for speakers to include contracts, letters of agreement, confirmations, etc.
9. Discuss legal issues pertaining to meeting management such as liability, insurance and risk management.
10. Discuss the steps involved for making arrangements for housing, transportation and food service.
11. Discuss the importance of conducting an evaluation of all aspects of a meeting.

Method of Instruction

1. Homework assignments
   
2. Class notes
   
3. Chapters in the textbook
   
4. Class discussions via discussion board
   
5. Current meeting and convention industry news
   
6. Supplemental readings in meeting and convention management
   
7. Student projects
   
8. Case studies

Course Requirements

1. ALL correspondence regarding this course must be sent to the course email address: hospitality.classes@gmail.com -- NOT my WKU email address. The subject line for all e-mail messages must always have the course number listed first in the following format: FACS-375 / Your Name / the topic of the email message. For example: FACS-375 / John Smith / Question about the Homework for Week 2. I will have students from other online courses sending email messages to this email address (some of you in more than one class) so the course number must always be first. Please don't assume I will recognize your email address and the class you are in.
2. All students must send an email message to the instructor on the first day of the semester (January 23, 2012), from the email address you intend to use for this course and will check at least once per day, to check in and confirm that you are aware that you are in this online course. Students who fail to contact the instructor via email during the first week will not be allowed to remain in the course. Send this message to: hospitality.classes@gmail.com -- again, this is the only email address to use for anything related to this course. The subject for this email message must be: FACS-375 / Your Name / Checking In. Email messages with the wrong format for the subject line and/or sent to the wrong email address will be returned to the sender and you will be asked to resend the message correctly.
3. This course syllabus contains the primary information for this course. However, the FAQ's, exam information and other written documents (email messages, announcements on the course webpage, "factoids", etc.) for this course also provide important course information which may not be duplicated in the syllabus. It is the responsibility of the student to read all documents related to this course and follow the directions/guidance provided. All policies and procedures for this course can be found under the "Start Here/Course Info." button on the course website. Students must read and become familiar with all of these documents. You will take an exam on these documents when you are finished reading them. You must attain a score of 100 on the exam and you will be given as many tries as needed to attain a 100 during the first week of classes -- the exam is open notes so it should be fairly easy to do. If you do not attain a score of 100, you will lose twenty-five points off your "attention to detail" grade. Part of your final grade will be "attention to detail" so it is incumbent on you to be familiar with and follow all policies/procedures/requirements contained in these documents throughout the semester.
4. After logging on to the course website, students must first read the announcement for the week. These announcements are typically short but provide important information regarding the course. Students are required to follow the directions indicated in the announcements -- these directions may not be duplicated anywhere else. Again, the "attention to detail" portion of your final grade will, in part, be determined by how well you read and follow written directions.
5. Each week, assignments for the week will be posted no later than midnight on Mondays -- I try to have assignments posted on Sunday to give you extra time. The assignment page on the course website should be checked at the beginning of each week. The assignments will consist of a combination or all of the following:



• Reading and studying a chapter in the textbook
• Reading and studying class notes
• Homework assignments -- to be sent to the instructor on the course web site as indicated under "Homework" below.
• Discussion board assignments
• Supplemental readings
• Industry news

The homework assignment is typically due no later than midnight the Tuesday a week following the posting of the assignment unless otherwise specified. Always check the "Assignments" page on the course website for the due date for homework assignments.

6. Reading -- Each student will read and study the chapters assigned in the textbook and all additional readings (class notes, supplemental readings, industry news, etc.) according to instructions given on the "Assignments" page of the course website. Please note that exam questions will come from all readings -- not just the textbook and notes. After reading the announcements, always check "Assignments" to determine what is due for the week, and when it is due -- everything is testable.

7. Homework -- Homework will be assigned throughout the semester. These homework assignments typically take the form of internet exercises, case studies, math calculations, etc. Each student will submit all assigned homework to the instructor no later than midnight on the Tuesday following the week it was assigned -- unless instructed otherwise. A "due date" will always be indicated on the "Assignments" page. Assignments can be turned in before the due date but will lose points per day or part of a day for each day the homework is late (including weekends, holidays etc.) according to the following schedule: 1 day late (up to 24-hours) loses 50 points, 2 or more days late (more than 24-hours) the homework will not be accepted and will be assigned a "zero". Homework may be turned in one day late (it is to the student's advantage to turn it in late rather than accept a zero) but 24 hours after the due time/date, it will not be accepted and will receive a zero. When submitting homework, please do not attach files on BlackBoard for your homework
   • To view and submit your homework, first click on the "Course Documents" button. Next click on the week you for which you are going to submit your homework. This will display the links for notes, news, supplemental reading and homework. You will see a bolded link which will say "Homework for Week 7" or whatever week number you are working on. If you click on that link, you will see the homework for the week. When you are ready to submit your homework, click on the link the says "Click Here to Submit Homework for Week 7". After you click on that link. you will see a "Comments" box -- this is where you will type in the answers to your homework (please do not attach files -- type everything in the textbox on BlackBoard). From here you have two options -- "Save" or "Submit". If you click "Save", this allows you to edit and add to the homework at a later date. However, if you just save it, the homework is not available for me to grade. If you click "Submit', you cannot edit or add to the homework it is sent to me for grading. You must "Submit" your homework before midnight on the due date or it will be considered late -- saving your homework is NOT the same as submitting it.

     Note 1: If you attach a file for your homework, you will automatically lose 10 points off the homework -- you will start with a 90 rather than 100. Again, please do not attach files.

     Note 2: Copy and paste your homework somewhere and save it before you submit it -- unfortunately you don't have the option to edit it again. If you make a mistake, I will need to "clear your attempt" which will wipe out everything you have done and you will have to start all over again unless you have saved it somewhere. It is best if you copy and paste from BlackBoard to Word rather than the reverse. If you copy and paste from Word, many invisible formatting codes that are embedded in the document go with it and can cause bizarre results in BlackBoard.

   Once you have submitted your homework, you will see an "exclamation mark" in the check grades for the week. When I grade the homework, the "exclamation mark" will become a grade and you will also be able to see any comments I may have made. If you see an icon that looks like a small padlock, that means your assignment was saved but not submitted. You must submit your homework before the deadline in order for it to be considered on-time.

8. Semester Project -- All students are required to complete a project which entails developing a request for proposal (RFP) for a meeting and passing a certification program. More information will be provided regarding this project about half way through the semester, however, you will be given a scenario and you will need to develop an RFP that, if real, you would send out to a variety of meeting venues. This RFP will be submitted to the instructor for grading. In addition, each student will be required to take a certification exam which will demonstrate to employers that you have a practical knowledge of electronic RFPs. More information will follow as the semester progresses.

9. Class Notes -- Class notes will be posted for each chapter under the "Course Documents" category. Each student is responsible for reading and studying the class notes.

10. Industry News -- Each week, industry news items will be posted under "Course Documents". Students are required to read these items and may be required to make comments regarding the item on the discussion board. Test questions are always taken from news items.

11. Supplemental Readings -- Each week, additional readings will be posted which are related to the topics being studied in this class. Students are required to read these items and may be required to make comments regarding the item on the discussion board. Test questions are always taken from supplemental readings.

12. Class Discussion -- Students are expected to participate in class discussions which will be held on the online discussion board. The discussions do not require students to be online at the same time. Students will read messages posted by other students and post their own comments before the deadline indicated by the instructor. BlackBoard allows me to see how often, how long, and when you log on to the discussion board. A portion of the student's grade will be determined by how frequently the student participates on the discussion board. Note: There are two discussion boards, don't get confused as to which one to use. Go to the Discussion Board Factoids under the "Start Here/Course Info" button on the course website for additional information. The DeskTop Diner Discussion is used for only two discussions -- to introduce yourself to the class during the first week of classes and for a general discussion on any topic of your choosing throughout the semester.

    After the first week, I will divide the class into three groups. You will only be required to post to and read the messages from your assigned group (you will find your group under the "Group Discussion Board" button after the first week). As an absolute minimum, you will be required post your answer to the discussion question no later than midnight on a Thursday, and to respond to at least three other students no later than midnight on the following Tuesday. Due dates will always be listed on the "Assignments" page for each week. Postings after midnight on the due date will not be accepted. There is no grace period for posting on the discussion board. If you don't post by midnight on the date it is due, the discussion will disappear from view and you will be assigned a grade of "zero". Please note that the intent of the discussion board is for students to read and respond to postings every day -- not just on the due date -- so the frequency of your participation will be tracked.

13. Timeliness -- Assignments must be turned in before the deadline. Assignments turned in late will lose points for every day or part of a day the assignment is late according to the following schedule: up to 1 day late (up to 24-hours) loses 50 points, more than 1 day late (more than 24-hours after the due date/time), the homework will not be accepted and will be assigned a "zero".. Note: Computer/e-mail problems on the day the assignment is due will not be accepted as an excuse for late assignments. The due date is the last day an assignment can be turned in -- it can be turned in anytime before that date. The operative concept here is -- Don't wait until the last minute before turning in an assignment.

    If you cannot access the course materials, either on the course website or via the links provided by the instructor, please contact the instructor via email as soon as possible. Sometimes there is a problem with the server where the course is located or websites go down for some reason and appropriate action cannot be taken unless a problem is identified. Don't assume that someone else has notified the instructor of the problem.

14. Email Availability -- Students are required to check the email account they are using for this course at least once per day as part of the requirements for this course. Instructions, clarifications and other guidance are often provided via email. If you have an email account with a spam guard or other spam protection, be sure to configure it so that messages from the course email address [hospitality.classes@gmail.com] will be delivered to your inbox. Also, if you have a web account such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo etc. you will have a "Junk Mail", "Spam", or "Bulk Mail" folder. You will need to check these folders to be sure a message from the course email address didn't get routed to the "Spam/Bulk/Junk Mail" folder by mistake. Since I typically send email messages to everyone in the class (all in one message), they are sometimes mistaken for spam. If this should happen, be sure to configure your email account to assure it doesn't happen again.
    
    If your account goes over the limit (over quota), all email sent to your account will be returned to the sender. If a message from me gets returned because you are "over quota", I will attempt to send it one more time the next day. If the second message is returned, I will not attempt to send it again. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that s/he keeps their email account in good working order. Also, if you have an email account that has a setting that blocks all email from addresses not in your address book [such as AOL and Hotmail], be sure to put the course email address in your address book (or on the approved list) so you will always receive email messages from me.

If you typically use an email address other than your WKU account as your primary [preferred] email address, you should consider configuring your WKU account so that it automatically forwards all email messages to your preferred account. All official messages from WKU and WKU faculty will go to your WKU address so it is to your advantage to have all messages sent to your WKU account forwarded to your preferred email address. Be sure to have the messages automatically deleted from your WKU account after they are forwarded so you don't accidentally go over-quota. If you go over-quota on your WKU account, all messages sent to that account will be bounced back to the sender without being forwarded.

15. All course requirements must be completed -- they are not optional. Students who do not complete all requirements will receive an "incomplete" until all work is satisfactorily completed or a grade of "F", at the discretion of the instructor . Please note that an incomplete automatically becomes an "F" after a certain period of time. If you receive an incomplete, consult the university bulletin or the office of the registrar for more information on the deadline for clearing an incomplete.
    
    
16. If for any reason you are having a problem or have concerns about the course, please email the instructor for assistance -- I am here to help you. If you need to drop the course, please notify the instructor as soon as possible so I can delete you from my roster -- WKU doesn't notify me when students drop.

Class Participation, Professionalism and Attention to Detail