Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Introduction to Event Planning (Face-to-Face)

HRHM 3030-01

Course: HRHM 3030-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: MHRH
CRN: 30231

Course Description

This course provides an overview of meetings, conventions, special events and expositions, including the roles of organizations and people (planners and suppliers) involved in the businesses that comprise the event industry. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

  1. Bladen, C., Kennell, J., Abson, E., & Wilde, N. (2023). Events Management: An Introduction (3rd Ed.). NY, NY: Routledge. 
  2. Allen, J. (2009). Confessions of an Event Planner. Ontario, Canada: Wiley.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Define key concepts and terminology related to event management, including event types, stakeholders, and industry roles.
  2. Describe the phases of event planning, from pre-event concept development through to post-event evaluation.
  3. Identify and assess the roles and responsibilities of event professionals within various types of events (e.g., corporate, social, cultural, sports).
  4. Apply basic principles of project management (e.g., budgeting, scheduling, risk management) to the planning and execution of events.
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of venue selection, logistics, and operations through event scenario planning or case studies.
  6. Evaluate the importance of marketing and promotion in attracting and retaining event audiences, including the use of social media and digital platforms.
  7. Develop a simple event plan that includes objectives, target audience, timeline, budget, and risk assessment.
  8. Analyze legal, ethical, and sustainability issues related to the planning and execution of events.
  9. Work effectively in a team environment to simulate the collaborative nature of event planning and delivery.
  10. Reflect on trends and challenges in the events industry and how they impact event planning and execution.

Course Requirements

Schedule of Course - HRHM 3030 Fall 2025  - Professor Heather Garcia Blake

Week | Date | Topic | Readings and Lectures | Work Due
  • Week 1 8/28 
    • Introduction and Syllabus
    • Commenced Attendance: Due Wednesday 9/3 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 2 9/2
    • Lecture: Chapter 1 Review “Introduction to Events Management”
    • Lecture: Ceremonies Through the Centuries “Meaning, Memory, and Makeovers”
    • Required Reading: EM Chapter 1: Introduction to Events Management (2-18)
  • Week 2 9/4 
    • Lab 1: Modern Challenges of Event Planning “Living in a Digital World”
    • Lab 2: Modern Challenges of Event Planning “Make it Go Viral - Social Media Challenge” 
    • Required Reading: CoEP Chapter 1: Meetings, Mayhem and Margaritaville (1-48)
    • Quiz 1: Due Friday 9/5 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 3 9/9
    • Lecture: Chapter 2 Review “Event Project Management: Feasibility, Planning, Delivery, and Evaluation”
    • Lecture: Beyond Balloons and Buffets “Designing Events That Actually Matter”
    • EM Chapter 2: Event Project Management: Feasibility, Planning, Delivery, and Evaluation (20-47) 
  • Week 3 9/11
    • Lab 3: First-Site Inspections
    • CoEP Chapter 2: Sun Jammin' (49-90)
    • Reflection 1: Student Job Expo Due Sunday 9/14 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 4 9/16
    • Lecture: Chapter 3 Review “Event Design and Production”
    • Lecture: Curating Experience: The Art of Sensory Event Design “Turning Events into Multi-Sensory Experiences”
    • EM Chapter 3: Event Design and Production (48-72) 
  • Week 4 9/18
    • Lab 4: Digital Storyboard “Unconventional Venues with Out of the Box Thinking”
    • CoEP Chapter 3: You Want Me To Try Alligator, Rattlesnake and What??? (91-120)
    • Discussion Post 1: Personal Response Due Friday 9/19 by 11:59 pm
    • Discussion Post 1: Peer Response Due Sunday 9/21 by 11:59 pm
    • Event Commitment Statement: Due Sat. 9/21 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 5 9/23
    • Lecture: Chapter 4 Review “Event Operations”
    • Lecture: Contracts 101 “What Every Event Planner Needs to Know”
    • EM Chapter 4: Event Operations (74-114)  
  • Week 5 9/25
    • Lab 5: Guest Lab - Added Event Knowledge “Floral Arrangements Skill”
    • CoEP Chapter 4: Wedding Daze (121-126)
    • CoEP Chapter 7: All Hail (or Oh, Hell) to the Man Who Would Be King (167-188)
    • Quiz 2: Due Friday 9/26 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 6 9/30
    • Lecture: Chapter 5 Review “Event Human Resource Management”
    • Lecture: From First Day to Show Day “Staffing, Training, and Onboarding That Works”
    • EM Chapter 5: Event Human Resource Management (118-140) 
  • Week 6 10/2
    • Event Professional Guest Speaker “Managing Volunteers”
    • CoEP Chapter 5: From City Lights to Desert Nights (127-160)
    • Reflection 2: Open Event Due Sunday 10/5 by 11:59 pm
    • Industry Insight 1: Due Sunday 10/5 by 11:59 pm 

  • Week 7 10/7
    • Lab 6: Guest Lab - Added Event Knowledge “Culinary Skill ”
    • CoEP Chapter 6: Inventive Incentives (161-166)
  • Week 7 10/9
    • Lecture: Chapter 6 Review “Event Finance”
    • Lecture: Budget Blueprint “Planning for Every Event Expense”
    • EM Chapter 6: Event Finance (142-167)
    • Discussion Post 2: Personal Response Due Friday 10/10 by 11:59 pm
    • Discussion Post 2: Peer Response Due Sunday 10/12 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 8 10/14
    • Fall Break - No Class
  • Week 8 10/16
    • Lecture: Chapter 7 Review “Event Marketing”
    • Lecture: Creating the Buzz “A Strategic Guide to Event Marketing”
    • EM Chapter 7: Event Marketing (168-199)
    • CoEP Chapter 8: Long Commute to Work (189-204)
    • Midterm Part 1: PDPDue Sunday 10/19 by 11:59 pm
    • Midterm Part 2: Professional Interview Due Sunday 10/19 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 9 10/2
    • Lecture: Chapter 8 Review “Event Law, Health, Safety, and Risk Management”
    • Lecture: No Permit, No Party “Navigating Event Rules & Regulations”
    • EM Chapter 8: Event Law, Health, Safety, and Risk Management (202-238)
  • Week 9 10/23
    • Lab 7: Accessibilities “Understanding Accommodations for Guests ”
    • Lab 8: Case Studies “Risk Managers”
    • CoEP Chapter 9: Guests Gone Wild (205-220)
    • Reflection 3: Sporting Event Due Sunday 10/26 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 10 10/28
    • Lecture: Chapter 9 + 10 Review “Sporting Events and Mega-Events”
    • Lecture: Behind the Scoreboard “Designing the Ultimate Fan Experience”
    • EM Chapter 9: Sporting Events (242-267)
  • Week 10 10/30
    • Event Professional Guest Speaker “Mega-Events”
    • EM Chapter 10: Mega-Events (270-302)
    • Discussion Post 3: Personal Response Due Friday 10/31 by 11:59 pm
    • Discussion Post 3: Peer Response Due Sunday 11/2 by 11:59 pm
    • Industry Insight 2: Guest Speaker Due Sunday 11/2  by 11:59 pm

  • Week 11 11/4
    • Lecture: Chapter 11 “Events in Public and Third Sectors”
    • Lecture: Party with a Purpose “Strategies for Successful Fundraisers”
    • EM Chapter 11: Events in Public and Third Sectors (306-329)
  • Week 11 11/6
    • Lab 9: Non-Profit Sponsors“Understanding the Right Fit for the Right Sponsor”
    • CoEP Chapter 11: Social Agenda (231-254)
    • Quiz 3: Due Friday 11/7 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 12 11/11
    • Lab 10: Brand Awareness“Pre Events Marketing and Real Time Exposure”
    • CoEP Chapter 10: Taking an Ethical Stand (221-230)
  • Week 12 11/13
    • Lecture: Chapter 12 “Business Events”
    • Lecture: The Art of Conference Planning “Creating Impactful Conferences and Meetings”
    • EM Chapter 12: Business Events (332-362)
    • Reflection 4: Cultural Event Due Sunday 11/16 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 13 11/18 
    • Lecture: Chapter 13 + 14 Review  “Cultural Events and Festivals and Event Impacts and Sustainability”
    • Lecture: Green Gatherings “How to Make Your Events Environmentally Responsible” | EM Chapter 13:Cultural Events and Festivals (366-397)
    • EM Chapter 14: Event Impacts and Sustainability (402-428)  
  • Week 13 11/20
    • Lab 11: Festival City USA“Events with Depth and Cultural Ties”  
    • Discussion Post 4: Personal Response Due Friday 11/21 by 11:59 pm
    • Discussion Post 4: Peer Response Due Sunday 11/23 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 14 11/25
    • Thanksgiving Break - No Class
  • Week 14 11/27
    • Thanksgiving Break - No Class

  • Week 15 | 12/2
    • Event Professional Guest Speaker “Events and the Media”
      • Lecture: Chapter 15 Review “Events and the Media”
    • EM Chapter 15: Events and the Media(430-455)
    • CoEP Chapter 12: Rocking the Casbah (255-258)   
  • Week 15 12/4 
    • Event Professional Guest Speaker “Career in the Industry and Next Steps”
    • Final Course Overview
    • Industry Insight 3: Guest SpeakerDue Sunday 12/7 by 11:59 pm
    • Updated Resume: Due Sunday 12/7 by 11:59 pm

  • Week 16 12/9
    • No Class - Finals Week  
  • Week 16 12/11
    • Final Event Portfolio Due Thursday 12/11 by 11:59 pm

Course Outline

Grading
Your grade will be assessed based on your output and is not a personal evaluation of you or the amount of effort you or I believe you put in (although generally, putting more effort into an assignment translates into a better product and, therefore, a better grade).  I am happy to meet with you at any time to discuss your performance and how you might improve going forward; note, however, that emails at the end of the term asking for grades to be adjusted/rounded upward will not be granted.

Weight | Category | Points Possible
50% | Class Attendance and Participation | 2 points each
5% | Quizzes | 20 points each
5% | Reflections | 30 points each
20% | Discussion Posts + Responses | 20 points each
Industry Insight: Event Professional Guest Speaker 3 Takeaways | 15 points each
Event Commitment Statement | 5 points
5% | Midterm P2 - Interview | 75 points 
5% | Midterm P1 - PDP | 75 points 
10% | Final Event Portfolio | 100 points


Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Due Dates
All assignments (quizzes, exams, business case video submissions) are due BEFORE the due date/time listed. Late work may be submitted, but will be heavily penalized (50%) absent an extreme emergency (of which you should notify me as soon as reasonably possible). I reserve the sole right to determine whether an emergency is sufficiently extreme, or notice is provided at a reasonable time, to warrant the submission of late work.

Extra Credit
Extra credit opportunities will be announced throughout the semester. It is more important that you learn the material, not necessarily earn a good grade. However, understanding that grades are still important, extra credit is offered as an opportunity to all students.

Attendance Policy

Attendance and Class Participation
Attendance and participation are mandatory! Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period. Excessive absences will result in points being deducted from your grade. It is incredibly important to be present and participate in class. Points may also be deducted for lack of participation during class.

Personal Electronics
Unless directed or approved by the professor, use of laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc are strongly discouraged during class! Personal electronics distract you and other students from the lecture. You are in class to learn, not play with technology.

Course Fees

There are no additional course fees for this class

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.