Last updated on July 25, 2019
Skills in Hospitality Exhibition and Event Management can be useful in a variety of settings. Organizations from across the entire professional spectrum need workers with event management skills, whether it’s corporations, hotels, professional organizations, nonprofit organizations, religious institutions or others.
Is Hospitality Exhibition and Event Management Worth Studying?
Students of this program will learn about things like:
- techniques for travel and tourism sales
- travel destinations
- trade show management
- ethical and legal principles involved with travel and meeting management
Richland students in this program can choose between one of three degree/certificate options or one of two Continuing Education options:
- The Hospitality Exhibition and Event Management Associate in Applied Sciences degree can be completed in two years as a full-time student, with specializations in:
- Meeting and convention management
- Exposition/Trade show management
- Travel management (agency operations and tourism)
- Hospitality management
- The Meetings Certificate, which can be completed in three semesters and provides skills required to work in the meeting planning industry.
- The Hospitality and Tourism Certificate, which can be completed in three semesters and provides an overview of hospitality and tourism to prepare students to enter the industry.
- Meetings and Event Management Certificate (Continuing Education)
- Hospitality and Tourism Management Certificate (Continuing Education)
Additionally, jobs in hospitality and event management also pay pretty well — the annual mean wage for meeting, convention and event planners in Texas is $54,660.
How Is Travel, Exposition and Meeting Management as a Career?
For the right person, event management as a career is fast-paced and a lot of fun. Stephanie Campos, for example, earned professional experience during her second year as a Richland student by helping raise $6,000 at a trade show in Las Vegas for the college’s travel club scholarship. She also gained professional experience at the annual meeting of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events in Anaheim, California. At both, she was able to interact with industry leaders and gain more information to help her set professional goals.
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How do you know if this type of career is a good fit for you, though? Campos explains: “You can’t be shy. You can’t be afraid to talk to people. You have to work with a lot of different personalities.
“Many people who are outgoing work in sales. And that’s what we do (in meeting management). You have to organize meals, meeting rooms, experiences and more. Your day will be different every day and that’s good.”
How Is Event Management as a Career?
Event management as a career can present itself in broad ways. For example, Richland student Emery Zurchin likes giving parties and hosting events. “I like the ‘wow’ factor. I want to make sure I do something that I like,” said Zurchin, who wants to become an event planner. “It’s all about networking.”
In Richland’s Hospitality Exhibition and Event Management program, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the following industries and careers:
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- Exposition, exhibition and trade show management includes the planning of events that bring buyers and sellers together. Examples are as a coordinator of conferences or trade shows.
- Meeting and event management includes opportunities for managers who ensure that meetings and events are productive and successful. Meeting and event managers work for corporations, associations, hotels, professional organizations and nonprofit and religious organizations, among others.
- Hospitality generally consists of two service sectors: hotels and lodging and restaurant and food service. This could include working as a catering manager or working in marketing, sales and front offices.
- Travel and tourism offers a wide variety of careers in which travel agents price a travel product, sell the experience, coordinate logistics, process reservations, provide customer service and more.
Event management requires people with an eye for detail, and good people skills who are good at solving problems. It’s also a booming industry in Dallas — as a major hub for restaurants, hotels, conventions and trade shows, a trained workforce is necessary to manage it all. Professionals are needed to organize, network and plan all of the trade shows, exhibitions, sporting events and weddings taking place, according to M. T. Hickman, lead faculty and program coordinator at Richland. “It takes a lot of planning and behind-the-scenes work to pull off these events,” said Hickman.
- Interested in learning more? Head to the Hospitality and Tourism pages on the DCCCD website.
- Not yet a DCCCD student? Apply to become one.