Event Planning and Experience Management Minor

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

This minor prepares students for a professional career in experience design, event planning, leadership, and management for a variety of event genres including corporate events, conventions, festivals, meetings, exhibitions, mega and hallmark events, sporting, international, and non-profit events. Principles of experience design, structured and co-created experiences will be explored. Courses focus on strategic event design, planning, implementation, and management. Not open to EIM majors. See department head to apply.

Program Learning Objectives

1. Identify and apply basic management functions within the event management system: planning, leading, organizing, coordinating, staffing, financing, marketing, programming, evaluating and controlling.
2. Employ technological tools that are beneficial for event planners and attendees.
3. Design and promote events using professional standards for written proposals and verbal presentations.
4. Critique and select resources associated with event management and make judgments regarding their applicability to event managers.
5. Design experiences (structured, co-created, passive) based on target audience interest.
6. Promote events to target audiences through innovative uses of marketing methods for maximum participation and engagement.
7. Develop a sponsorship program to generate event funding.
8. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of events for future enhancement.

Minor Requirements and Curriculum

• At least half of the units must be from upper-division courses (3000-4000 level).
• At least half of the units must be taken at Cal Poly (in residence).
• No more than one-third of the units will be taken with credit-no credit grading (CR/NC), not counting courses with mandatory CR/NC. Departments may further limit CR/NC grading if desired.
• A minimum 2.0 GPA is required in all units counted for completion of the minor.