In early 2016 I sat in the coffee shop of the Cronulla Leagues with CEO Marcelo Veloz and we discussed the idea of increasing industry engagement in teaching and students learning by doing rather than just relying on theory. For many years the university had run an event unit which required to put on events, but through our discussions we wanted it to be more than this – it would showcase Events and Hospitality.
We came up with the idea of replacing a scheduled classroom session and running an event management class in an actual event. The event was to be put on by a group of students with both myself and Marcelo as the clients and I would also take a guiding role for the students throughout the semester. The students would be responsible for the selection of menus, organisation of sponsors and speakers, designing a program for the day and also for physically setting up and managing the day.
Using our industry contacts and expertise Marcelo and myself assisted the students gain an understanding and appreciation of our concept and then what was required to deliver an event for more than 250 people.
The event was to be attended by the remaining students from the event class, as we’ll as industry partners and students from local high schools. The success of this event has seen the students showcased in a Event Management promotional video.
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