Event Management

Gaining depth and diversity  

Industry experts tell us that they want our graduates to have a broad base and depth of knowledge relative to the event industry.  To meet these industry demands, we offer a wide variety of courses that will help increase your suitability for industry employment. Whether you aspire to a career in professional event management or are already working in a position with event planning responsibilities, we can help you become a skilled and highly sought-after professional.

Industry experts helped us determine the outcomes of the Event Management program to ensure that you will be able to do the following:  

• Generate and integrate creative ideas that translate into experiences that fulfill stakeholder requests.
• Implement event management tools and industry processes required to execute and evaluate an event as defined by stakeholders.
• Create and implement an adaptable, integrated, marketing communication strategy specific to an event.
• Build, manage and maintain relationships that reflect professional and ethical leadership.

Completion requirements

You will earn an Event Management Certificate with any combination of courses that total 175 hours.

Event Management Foundations (EVMT700) in addition to one of the three capstone courses (EVMT800, EVMT801, or EVMT802) are compulsory courses required to obtain the certificate. You design your own certificates with courses that suit your needs, interests and previous experiences.

You may also choose a stream of courses to create a specialization. These are a group of compulsory courses and a capstone project that is focused on a particular aspect of the events industry. Currently we are offering two specializations with the Event Management Certificate: Program Planning and Operations. You may include the core courses for either specialization within your 175 course hours. In order to receive a specialization, you must complete the certificate requirements.

You may obtain multiple specializations once your initial 175 hours have been completed.  

About the events industry

Event planners are always in demand in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Employers commonly hire event managers to organize trade shows, conferences, meetings, milestone events, awards ceremonies and other types of events. Edmonton is a great place to be an Event Manager – just watch the video by Edmonton Tourism to the right, and you will see a sample of the many events held here each year.

Meeting + Incentive Travel Magazine published a 2016 salary survey that gives a thorough overview of the industry.  For more resources and insight about the business events community in Canada, visit meetingscanada.com

Event professional designations

A number of external organizations provide accreditation in the event industry. Typically, these designations require industry experience prior to writing the required exams, but our program covers the industry standards you will need to know for accreditation.

The following are two designations you can pursue throughout your career. These organizations also offer student membership rates, so you can begin networking immediately:

• CSEP – Certified Special Events Professional:  Governed by International Live Events Association (ILEA)
• CMP – Certified Meeting Professional:  Governed by Events Industry Council (EIC)

The EIC has recently certified several of NAIT's courses to be eligible for continuing education credits toward the CMP designation.