Running head: PLANNING A PRODUCTIVE CAREER PATH
Planning a Productive Career Path: An Online Resource Guide for Texas State University
Freshmen Interested in an Event Planning Profession
Jacey Smith
Texas State University
February 27, 2018
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PLANNING A PRODUCTIVE CAREER PATH
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Planning a Productive Career Path: An Online Resource Guide for Texas State University
Freshmen Interested in an Event Planning Profession
BACKGROUND
An event planning career is believed to be one of the most rewarding, yet most
stressing as compared to other careers in the world. Thus, a person who is interested in
pursuing a career in event planning needs to be informed of the problems they are likely to
face (Allen, 2008). The most important lesson for a freshman pursuing the career to take
home is that it takes more than just a desire for a great party to succeed in the fast-paced
industry, one must have an eye for detail and the ability to handle constant deadlines and
pressure (Boshkanova and Goldblatt, 2017). Several gaps have been identified during the
research that employers feel that are the reasons why graduates are not able to secure the
jobs. The first gap that 85% percent of the employers pointed is lack of required skills. Most
employers pointed out that event planning requires someone who has the necessary skills
which include organizational skills, negotiation skills, customer service skills, and finally
budgeting skills.
The second gap that 98% of future employers agreed was a real problem was the lack
of experience. They explained that it is regrettable that even though there are openings for
graduates to gain experience through volunteering and internships most graduates have not
taken advantage of this. They were categorical that they would fill a position in their
company with someone who at least has two years’ minimum experience. The reason
majority of them cited is that the industry is very sensitive and no one can afford to hire
someone with no experience because mistakes in the industry are very costly and will cost
them customers.
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PURPOSE
The purpose of this paper is to research on what aspiring event planners should expect
when they go to the field. The research will shed light on the gaps found in the profession and
how to fix them. The paper will provide the freshmen interested in event planning profession
with an Online Research Guideline Also the paper will address the various gaps that are there
in the event planning profession. Below are some of the gaps that came up.
Problem #1 - Lack of Skills
According to the social tables, a site dealing with event planning, around 85% of the
future employers in the event planning business cited lack of the required skills as the main
reason as to why most graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs after they have graduated.
The first skill the employers are looking for is someone who excels in negotiations. This skill
is very important because this helps when it comes to bidding for jobs (Chalip, 2017). One
can gain the skill by learning communication skills that will persuade a client to choose the
services of the company one is working for. According to Lucy, the owner of Lucille event
planning services, this can be overcome by volunteering so that one can learn the art of
closing a deal. The second skill that most employers are looking for is someone who has
great organizational skills, this skill is necessary because event planning requires a lot of
planning and organization if the event is to be successful may it be a corporate or social
event.
Most employers in this sector are looking for people who have excellent
organizational skills and ability to pay attention to detail because they will be required to
handle several projects at a go and while at it be required to set appropriate goals so as to
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achieve goals set for the event (Allen, 2008). This skill can be learned through taking courses
that have a management aspect in them. Also, most employers are looking for people who
have the ability to multitask, event planning has many aspects running together and for one to
excel in this field this is a required skill. According to Kathy Piech, the owner of Your Dream
Day company the next skill that employers are looking for is the ability to budget because
one will be required to carefully monitor expenses throughout the planning process and also
adhere to established projects and also they will be required to come up with new and
innovative ways to reduce costs associated with planning events. Also, 95% of the companies
visited on the website also pointed out that one more important thing that the graduates lack
is skills to keep up with the technology; they suggested that the graduates should enroll for
courses that offer courses that enable them to keep with the technology such as the use of
space planning software. Lastly, employers are looking for employees with excellent
customer service as this is the backbone of any business and especially event planning as this
is how they get clients through referrals and repeat clients (Vivek and Hazod, 2018),
The problem needs to be addressed because the event planning field needs
professionals. Also, graduates need to get jobs after they graduate and as such need advice
and guidance on how to acquire skills that are required in the field. This can be achieved by
volunteering in event planning companies even as they wait to complete their studies. This, in
turn, will result in them gaining the experience that is necessary for the field.
When professionals lack the necessary skills in event planning then a lot of
shortcomings will be experienced. According to Allen (2008), the shortcomings include: the
events will lack proper planning and organizations. Secondly, the company will lack
customers since the people lack the negotiations skills that are important when marketing and
closing a deal. Thirdly, there will be complaints right, left, and center because the clients are
PLANNING A PRODUCTIVE CAREER PATH
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not satisfied with the services provided. Also, the company will have a problem with the
budget since the employee cannot be able to work with the resources allocated to that
particular event. According to Vivek and Hazod, (2018), there is a likelihood of the company
experiencing staffing issues because the event planner was unable to outsource the right guys
since in event planning one needs the support of other professions such as deejays, caterers,
interior designers among others.
Problem #2 - Lack of Experience
Most employers in the event planning business require a graduate to have 2 years plus
experience in the field before they can consider employing a person. 98% of the employers
agreed that experience is necessary. They mainly pointed out the fact that the field needs
someone who at least knows what happens on the ground because a little mistake can mess
the company in a big way (Chaplin, 2017). Also, they noted that they require a person who
requires little or no supervision. Someone with experience in the field will be able to think
on their feet. Since some issues need to be addressed on the spot without much consultation
(Vivek and Hazod,2018), This is where one is required to use creativity and innovation to
sort out the issues that arise when one is working on an event. Although the reason for this
requirement is understandable it’s a real problem for the fresh graduate looking for a
placement since they have not had an opportunity to practice.
It is important to address the problem because the graduates need to be given a chance to
practice their profession that is if they are to gain experience in this sector. Most employers
are not willing to give a chance to fresh graduates because they don’t want the responsibility
that comes with mentoring the new entrants in the profession. They argue that their plates are
full with work already. Starting out in the career is the most difficult yet the most important
part of the career. This is where the new entrant gets the hands-on experience in the field.
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This issue needs to be addressed so that students still desire to pursue the career. The gap can
be addressed by the colleges that offer this courses going out of their way to partner with the
event planning companies so that they can offer their students internship opportunities after
they graduate.
The problem has a negative effect on the graduates because they lose hope in ever making
it in the career and so majority end up choosing other career paths. This is because it is the
desire of every graduate to get a fulfilling career after graduation mainly because they have
invested a lot of resources to ensure that they succeed in the career. Also, the graduates will
depend on the career as a source of income.
Primary Audience
According to Zavera et.al, (2016), when writing a research paper, it is important to
identify the audience because one is able to adapt the findings to suit them. The primary
audience is the Freshmen of Texas University through the Student Event Planners
Association. The association will be instrumental as they will give the exact number of
freshmen pursuing the course in event planning. The audience is important because as they
begin their career they need to know the challenges in the career.
Also, the group has been ignored for quite a long time. The online guideline will be
important because it will enable them to anticipate the challenges and know how to counter
them. The group is affected by the gaps because after graduation they are going to be faced
with the same problem of not having the desired skills and experience hence missing the
opportunity to gain access in the companies and this will result to them not being successful
in this field. Event planning has several classifications and the freshman needs to understand
whether their focus is on associate planning, corporate event planning, government planning
or non-event planning (Allen, 2008). The other important thing to focus on is do they know
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what information they are supposed to have on their resumes to land the job in the event
planning companies.
At the same time, do they have an idea on how to network with the professionals who
are already in the field? Also, do they know that in order to gain experience they need to have
experience in the field? Are they willing to contend with the pressures that come with
pursuing a career in the event planning business which include having to put in extra hours
including working in the evenings and on weekends, tough clients who only will only expect
their work to be 100%, do they have the passion to do the work, are they good at multitasking and organizing, are they ready for long commitments. The online guideline will take
both male and female students who are between 18-20 years. Their areas of focus should be
General Studies, Public Relations, Hospitality, and Communication. The information will be
sourced from the survey that will be sent out by SEPA to the freshmen to answer and also
enquiring from the freshmen those who are interested in pursuing the career.
Secondary Audience
The secondary audience would be the Student Event Planners Association which is a
professional organization that was formed at Texas State in 2009 and its mission is to cater
for the millennials in the event planning and hospitality industry gain experience and
knowledge, develop skills and also build networks. According to SEPA (2018), they have
several chapters and Texas is among them and the university in the chapter include Texas
State University, Texas Tech University, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and University
of North Texas. They are an important secondary audience because the students pursuing the
career go to them for advice so they need to be harmed with the full information. The nest
important secondary audience is the university management. This is because they have a role
to play when it comes to supporting the student get placements this through networking with
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the event planning companies even though it is just a simple internship (Bonshnakova and
GoldBlatt, 2017). This will help the students build their resumes so that when they complete
their studies they can be able to get jobs easily.
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References
Allen, J. (2008). Event Planning: The ultimate guide to successful meetings, corporate events,
fundraising galas, conferences, conventions, incentives and other special events. John
Wiley & Sons.
Boshnakova, D., & Goldblatt, J. (2017). The 21st Century Meeting and Event Technologies:
Powerful Tools for Better Planning, Marketing, and Evaluation. CRC Press.
Chalip, L. (2017). Event bidding, legacy, and leverage. In The Sage Handbook of Sports
Management (pp. 401-421). London: Sage.
Harmon-Jones, E. (2017). Clarifying concepts in cognitive dissonance theory. Animal
Sentience: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Animal Feeling, 1(12), 5.
Mallen, C., & Adams, L. J. (Eds.). (2017). Event Management in Sport, Recreation, and
Tourism: Theoretical and Practical Dimensions. Taylor & Francis.
Nunkoo, R., Ribeiro, M. A., Sunnassee, V., & Gursoy, D. (2018). Public trust in mega- event
planning institutions: The role of knowledge, transparency, and corruption. Tourism
Management, 66, 155-166.
Verkuyten, M., & Yogeeswaran, K. (2017). The social psychology of intergroup toleration: A
roadmap for theory and research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(1),
72-96.
Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., & Hazod, M. (2018). If You Build It Right, They Will Engage: A
Study of Antecedent Conditions of Customer Engagement. In Customer Engagement
Marketing(pp. 31-51). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Zaveri, A., Rula, A., Maurino, A., Pietrobon, R., Lehmann, J., & Auer, S. (2016). Quality
assessment for linked data: A survey. Semantic Web, 7(1), 63-93
GNST 4350- #5 Project (Complete Format) [200 points]
This is the second ½ of your final project.
Note: This is a fully-formed and complete project format.
Your project format will vary from your peers based on your topic.
Your project format will solve the problems/gaps from your Project
Research and provide details of the solution in full.
Personal pronouns (I, me, my, you, your) are permitted in the project
format.
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Guidelines for your project format:
- Structure your detailed paper using the attached “Project Components” template as a
guide for your chosen format.
- Show resolution to the problems from your Project Research.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------➢ Include a preview and goals for the contents/agenda.
➢ Start with a brief summary of the problems at the beginning of the format so your
audience understands the purpose of the project.
➢ Provide research from all three Minors that contributed to solving the problems.
➢ Integrate all three disciplines into the project using source citations and applicable
supplemental materials.
➢ Create original materials for use by your audience (could be activities, handouts,
forms, analyses, flyers, evaluations, etc.)
➢ Pay attention to the visual aspects of the project; make sure the media/visuals
used are organized, readable, functional, and appeal to the audience.
➢ Include a summary that reviews your solution at the end of the format.
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GNST 4350- #5 Project (Complete Format) [200 points]
➢ The writing should be professional and devoid of stylistic, grammar, and
mechanical errors, with appropriate paragraphs.
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GNST 4350- #5 Project (Complete Format) [200 points]
PROJECT COMPONENTS
WORKSHOP
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EVENT or PROGRAM PROPOSAL
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Title page
Agenda
Bio of presenter
Preview of points
Purpose of workshop (problems)
PP slides with notes & citations
Activities & handouts
Review of points
If you choose a PowerPoint format, you will
create the slides, & under each slide write
out the verbal notes with citations you would
say about each slide in bullet form. If you
handed this to me I could give your
workshop because everything would be
detailed.
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GUIDEBOOK
Title page
Intro/Goals—rationale summary
Agenda or Table of Contents
Location—days/times (if event)
Logistics (how/when things get
done)
Budget/Funds needed (chart)
Equipment/Supplies needed
Staff needed
Activities/curriculum
Marketing/advertisement
samples
Evaluation & follow-up
Each section should be detailed with
appropriate research, data, charts, etc. You
may use some of the same research you used
in the Project Research.
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Title page
Preface/How to Use this
Guidebook
Foreword/Author BIO
Table of Contents
Overview/Background of
topic
Chapters
End page
Looking at other published guidebooks is
helpful to see how they are written to the
audience, how they are organized, and how
they look visually. A wordy guidebook of
solid text with little spacing and no pictures
will not entice a reader. Make it simple and
fun! Don’t forget your cited sources.
BUSINESS CONCEPT
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Executive Summary
Company Description
(Possible) Product Description
Market Analysis
Competitors
Financing the Business
Management Plan
E-commerce & Advertising
Strategies
Evaluation
Each section should be rich with detail and
cited research/data. Market Analysis is an
involved section of thoroughly analyzing
your potential consumer base. E-commerce
& Advertising should show actual examples
you created for your business. Evaluation
should show the exact way you plan to
determine “success.”
Note: You may add/subtract elements based on your topic.
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GNST 4350- #5 Project (Format) [200 points]
Grading Rubric
Inadequate
(0)
Needs
Significant
Improvement
(1)
Needs
Minimal
Improvement
(2)
Meets
Expectations
(3)
The author provided a brief “summary” of
the problems (a project rationale) at the
beginning of the format.
The author successfully solved the
problems as detailed in the Purpose section
of the project.
The author utilized appropriate “Project
Components” as related to his/her chosen
format (including a Preview, Review, and
Goals/Agenda or TOC.)
The author provided copious original
materials based on research as related to
his/her chosen format.
The author integrated concepts, principles
and theories from all three disciplinary
specialties and cited useful sources from
each discipline.
The author provided a sufficient number of
sources from each minor to solve the
problems.
The project format is visually engaging,
functional, and appropriate for use by the
audience.
The author provided sufficient overall
detail in the completed format as
necessary for the second half of the project.
The project format is written clearly, in
format and language appropriate to an
academic/professional context. The
proposal is devoid of stylistic, mechanical
and grammatical errors and has
appropriate paragraphing.
Average:
Points conversion:
3
Exceeds
Expectations
(4)
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