UC Irvine Extension Announces Fall Quarter Meeting and Event Management Courses and Webinars

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, the University of California, Irvine Extension will offer a new course and complementary webinar as part of its expanding Meeting and Event Management Specialized Studies Program. The course Event Operations, Logistics and Communications will provide event planning professionals with the skills necessary to design, plan, and coordinate an event successfully. The institution is also announcing that founding advisory board member, Cheryl M. Rivas, C.M.P., will be a course instructor for the first time for the Sept. 23 online course, Introduction to Event Planning.

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"Event planning is an integral part of any organization and requires time-tested experience and strategies to be successful," said Melanie Mitchell, director of management, marketing and business programs at UC Irvine Extension. "These courses will allow professionals to gain the skills needed to effectively execute flawless events."

Offered for the first time, Event Operations, Logistics and Communications, will provide participants an opportunity to learn how to manage the details of executing an event from concept and pre-production, to implementation and onsite logistics management and measurability. Course materials will also cover determining a theme, marketing, site planning, entertainment, management of subcontractors and labor issues. Offered on the UC Irvine campus, the course will run from Oct. 8 through Nov. 12 on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will be taught by new UC Irvine Extension course instructor, Susan T. Lee, M.A., M.B.A.

Lee has more than 15 years experience as a creative producer, writer and director of special events, entertainment and meetings. She has worked for major organizations such as: Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Company, Hard Rock, Animal Planet, Queen Mary, Wounded Warrior Project, U.S. Senior Golf Championship and Mitsubishi. Lee is highly sought after in diverse industries supporting arts and entertainment, corporate, sporting, government and philanthropic endeavors, and has been the recipient of six national Telly Awards.

Instructor Lee will also host a free webinar in which she will discuss the intricacies involved in planning an event, and the logistics required for successful execution. She will provide helpful tips on how event planners can set themselves apart from the competition and avoid chaos in the planning process. The webinar, which will take place online on Aug. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT, will also include a preview of the course.

In addition, the introductory course for the specialized studies program, Introduction to Event Planning  offers participants an opportunity to learn more about event planning tools to manage time, space, money, human resources, information, materials and problems that may arise through the event planning process. Offered online from Sept. 23 to Oct. 27, students will be asked to plan an event during the five week course. Course instructor, Cheryl Rivas is a director of the Accounts & Global Meeting Management Services at Meeting Sites Resource (MSR). With nearly a decade of experience, Rivas also contributes articles to many industry trade publications and currently serves on the MPI Orange County Chapter as the Board of Directors Immediate Past President.

UC Irvine Extension will also be offering an education and career session webinar on Sept. 17 for those interested in a career in the meeting and event management field.

For more information about the courses or to register, call (949) 824-5414 or visit http://unex.uci.edu/areas/business_mgmt/event_management/courses.aspx. To sign up for the free webinars, visit http://unex.uci.edu/services/events/. 

About UC Irvine Extension: University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine. Through thousands of courses and programs offered on campus, online and on-site, UC Irvine Extension helps adult learners reach their career advancement and personal enrichment goals—and celebrates 50 years of providing universally accessible, university-level learning to local, regional, and global communities. Learn more at www.extension.uci.edu, or join us on Facebook at facebook.com/uciextension.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County's largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

SOURCE University of California, Irvine Extension